Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By train

  The railway station is on the Chennai-Arakkonam route, the penultimate station before Arakkonam. The temple is about 5 km from it.

• By road

  The temple is reached by road on NH205, the Chennai-Avadi-Tiruvallur-Renigunta route, which runs through Avadi and Tiruvallur.

Why devotees come here

Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple stands in Thiruvalangadu village, in the western suburbs of Chennai, in Tiruvallur district. Shiva is worshipped here as Vadaranyeswarar. The temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the shrines praised in the Devaram hymns, and it holds the Ratna Sabha, the first of Nataraja's five sabhas.

Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar each sang Devaram hymns on this temple. That is why it is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the shrines these hymns praise. The temple is also one of the Pancha Sabhai, the five sabhas of Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. The first of them, the Ratna Sabha, is kept here.

Legend says the deity appeared on his own under a banyan tree, and that is why he is called Vadaranyeswarar. Another legend says Nataraja performed the Urdhva Thandavam, the upward dance, here after a contest with Kali. A devotee is said to have reached the temple on her head, because she believed that walking on her feet in this shrine was a sin.

The Cholas built the temple during the 12th century CE. The presiding deity is Vadaranyeswarar, with his consort Vandarkuzhali.

Tips for your visit

• Remedial pujas for Shani dosha, Manthi dosha, Mangalya dosha and other doshas are performed on Saturdays.
• Drinking water (RO) is available at the temple.

Questions people ask