Srimushnam Bhu Varaha Temple

Getting there

• By train

  Take a train to Vriddachalam Junction, then a bus to Srimushnam via Rajendrapatnam.

• By road

  Direct buses run from Chennai to Srimushnam. The town is about 25 km from Vriddachalam.

Rules to know

• The five-tiered gopuram on the eastern side is opened only during Vaikuntha Ekadashi.

Why devotees come here

Srimushnam Bhu Varaha Temple is in Srimushnam town, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Vishnu as the boar avatar Bhu Varaha, and is one of the eight Swayambu Kshetras, sacred places where the deity is believed to have manifested on its own.

Vishnu is worshipped here as Bhu Varaha, the boar avatar, with his consort Lakshmi as Ambujavalli Thayar. The temple is one of the eight Swayambu Kshetras of Vishnu. The Vaishnava tradition counts it among its 108 Abhimana Kshethrams, and the Madhva section regards it as one of its important temples.

The legend says Bhudevi, who stands for the earth, prayed to Vishnu for rescue. Vishnu then appeared as the boar Varaha and killed the asura who had taken the earth. An inscription of 1068 in the nearby Shiva temples records gifts by Virarajendra Chola to the Varaha shrine.

Achuthappa Nayak (1560 to 1614 CE), a Thanjavur Nayak king, expanded the temple. Two gopurams stand at the entrance, and the western seven-tiered tower is the one most often used. Outside stands an 80 ft monolith pillar with an image of Garuda on top, facing the presiding deity.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Vaikasi (April to May)Chariot festival

  The most prominent of the temple's three yearly festivals. The chariot carries a Muslim flag, a sign of Hindu-Muslim unity.

• Tamil month of MaasiProcession to Killai

  For 20 days, the festival deity travels to Killai and villages near Chidambaram.

Tips for your visit

• Enter through the western seven-tiered tower, the commonly used entrance.
• The eastern five-tiered gopuram stays shut except on Vaikuntha Ekadashi, so use the western tower on other days.

Questions people ask