Vedapureeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Chennai International Airport is the nearest airport.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is at Avadi.

• By road

  The town is 2 km from the Chennai-Bangalore highway NH4 and 1.5 km from the Avadi-Poonamalle road. Thiruverkadu is easily reached by bus from most parts of Chennai.

Why devotees come here

Vedapureeswarar Temple stands in Thiruverkadu, a western suburb of Chennai, 27 km from the city. Shiva is worshipped here as Vedapureeswarar in the form of a lingam, and its rajagopuram faces east with seven tiers. It is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the Shiva temples praised in early medieval Tamil hymns.

The Tevaram poems, sung by the Tamil Saivite Nayanar Sambandar, glorify this temple as the 23rd Shiva temple in the Tondai region. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, the Shiva shrines praised in those early medieval hymns. Legend says Shiva's wedding drew a crowd to Kailash. Sage Agastya could not view it, so he prayed to Shiva here for a view. The temple is also believed to be where Murugan got the weapon he used to kill the demon king Surapadma. These are legends, not settled history.

The Cholas are believed to have built the first complex before the 7th century CE. The complex was reconstructed in 1973 under the technical direction of G. Yegneswaran, with the blessings of Sri Swamiji Ramadoss.

The vimana over the sanctum is of Gajabrushta design. The complex has three corridors, called prakaras, and the main rajagopuram faces east with seven tiers.

Festivals

• Magam month (February or March)Brahmotsavam

  The most prominent festival at the temple, held in the Magam month.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the Navagraha shrine, sculpted on a lotus pedestal, inside the complex.
• In the Margazhi month, arrive from 4:30 AM, when the temple opens an hour earlier than usual.

Questions people ask