Velleeswarar Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

Mylapore Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Tamil nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The presiding deity is

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

as Velleeswarar. This mid-sized temple, spread over 2 acres is one amongst the Seven Shiva Temples of Mylapore. It is situated at South Mada Street, closer to Kapaleeswarar Temple.

Sapta Sthana Shiva temples

This temple is one of the Sapta Sthana Shiva temples in the Mylapore area. (one of the seven sacred Shiva temples in Mylapore).ஆரூர்.சுந்தரசேகர், பெருமைமிக்க மயிலாப்பூரில் சப்த சிவஸ்தலங்கள்!! விகடகவி, 16 மே 2020
/ref> They are: # Karaneeswarar Temple # Tirttapaleeswarar Temple # Velleeswarar Temple # Virupakshiswarar Temple # Valeeswarar Temple # Malleeswarar Temple #

Kapaleeshwarar Temple The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. It is located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of South Indian Architecture. Kamath ...

In addition to these "Sapta Sthana Shiva sthalas", the

Ekambareshwarar–Valluvar temple The Ekambareswarar–Kamakshi Temple, commonly known as the Thiruvalluvar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, Valluvar in the neighborhood of Mylapore in Chennai, India. The shrine is located within the Ekambareswa ...

in the neighbourhood is traditionally considered the indispensable eighth.

Legend and Religious Significance

Velleeswarar is the epithet of Shiva, as "Lord of Vellee"; Vellee being the god

Shukra Shukra (, ) is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who was the preceptor of the asuras and taught them the Vedas. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to ...

- the guru of the

asuras Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, ...

(demons). According to legend, when the asura king

Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts suc ...

was about to grant

Vamana Vamana (, ) also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (, ), and Balibandhana (), is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta ...

—an

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

—land as part of his sacrifice, Shukra tried to stop him, suspecting foul play. When Mahabali ignored his guru's request, Shukra went into the nozzle of Mahabali's ''

kamandalu Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, ), kamandal, or kamandalam is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the Kamandalataru tree, or from clay, usually w ...

'', blocking the water flow and thus Mahabali could not ritually grant Vamana the land by letting the water from the ''kamandalu'' on Vamana's hand. Vamana pricked the nozzle with a blade of ''darbha'' grass, which blinded Shukra. Shukra meditated upon Shiva at this place in Mylapore and got his eyesight back. It is said that one's eyes will be empowered with that spiritual vision that can perceive God, by worshipping at this temple. Velleeswarar is said to protect his devotees from falling prey to the desires inflamed by our eyes. Eye specialist doctors and patients of eye-related ailments are prescribed to worship Velleeswarar.

Architecture and Deities

The temple is a mid-sized Temple with a five-tier ''

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

'' facing south. On entering the temple, there is a shrine of the god

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

in standing posture with his consorts Siddhi and Buddhi. This posture of Ganesha is said to be rare. The sanctum of Velleeswara (Shiva) has the ''

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

'', the symbol of Shiva as the central icon facing East. Nearby is the shrine of Shiva's consort

Kamakshi Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरसुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Lalita, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Rajarajeshvari, is a Hindu goddess, revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as o ...

, a form of

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

, who faces south. The idols of the Sapta-matrikas (seven mother goddesses) are installed around the circumbulation path of the Shiva shrine. One of the matrikas,

Varahi Varahi (, IAST:) is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion who bears the head of a sow. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, she is venerated as Dandini. Varahi is more commonly v ...

is much venerated here. There is an idol of Trivikrama (Vamana) behind Shiva's shrine. Also, the goddess

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

, who faces North, is worshipped. Furthermore, there is a shrine of Muthukumaraswamy (

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

) along with his consorts

Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...

and

Devasena Devasena (, , ) is the Hindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasen ...

in standing posture. In the outer courtyard, the god

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

(a form of Shiva) is installed. On the left, there are shrines for Sarabeshwara (a form of Shiva), the goddess

Pratyangira Pratyangira (, ), also called Atharvana Bhadrakali, Narasimhi, and Nikumbala, is a Hindu goddess associated with Shaktism. She is described to be the female energy and consort of Narasimha. According to the Tripura Rahasya, she is the pure manifes ...

and Shukra praying to Shiva. In the outer courtyard, there are shrines of

Shani Shani (, ), or Shanaishchara (, ), is the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects ( Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu deity in the Puranas, whose iconography cons ...

and the

Navagraha The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine part ...

s along with the temple flagstaff.

References

* {{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Hindu temples in Chennai Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu Shiva temples in Chennai district

Sapta Sthana Shiva temples

Legend and Religious Significance

Architecture and Deities

See also

References