Kapaleeshwarar Temple (Tamil Nadu)

The commonly held view is that the temple was
built in the 7th century CE by the ruling Pallavas.

Kapaleeshwarar Temple (Tamil Nadu) Hindu Temples

Kapaleashwarar temple is a Hindu temple located in Mylapore, Chennai, India. It is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Shiva and his consort. The original 8th century Shiva temple was built by the Pallavas and located on the shore but it was destroyed by the Portuguese and was re-built as a church 300 years later The Vijayanagara kings rebuilt the temple during the 16th century and added the majestic 37m gopuram at its gateway after the much older temple was destroyed by the Portuguese. The presiding deity of this temple is a form of Shiva called Kapaleashwarar. The form of Shiva's wife Parvati at this temple is called Karpagambal (from the Tamil for "goddess of the wish-yielding tree"). Legend has it that Lord Shiva was once telling Lord Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, about the creation of the three lokas but Lord Brahma did not agree with what Shiva said. Shiva got angry and plucked out one of Brahma's four heads. Brahma begged for forgiveness and was asked to perform penance at Mayilai (Mylapore) and then he asked Lord Shiva to take the name of Kapaleashwarar as Lord Shiva (eswarar) was wearing a necklace of skulls (kapala).

History

It is believed and proven by the name of the area "Mylapore" where the temple is situated, and "architecture", "statues" inside the temple that it is indeed based on the story of Shiva (Kapaleashwarar) turning Parvati (Karpagambal) into a peahen. One day, as Lord Shiva was telling something important to his wife Parvati, she was admiring a peacock dancing beautifully beside them. Knowing that she was not listening to him, Shiva got angry, turned her into a peahen, and sent her to Earth. After realizing her mistake, Parvati, as a peahen, started doing Puja to Shiva and prayed to take her back as his wife. Impressed with her sincere prayer and devotion, he changed her back and accepted her as his wife. Statues and arts depicting this story can be seen throughout the temple including Temple Tower (Gopuram). The age of the temple is the source of much debate.

The commonly held view is that the temple was built in the 7th century CE by the ruling Pallavas, based on references to the temple in the hymns of the Nayanmars (which however place it at the shore). Further, the architecture of the temple appears to be 300–400 years old. The scholarly view that accounts for the discrepancies is that the original temple was built on the shore at the location of the current Santhome Church but was destroyed by the Portuguese, and the current temple (which is 1-1.5 km from the shore) was built more recently. A small minority of people believe that the original temple was indeed on the beach, but that the sea has receded over centuries. The Vijayanagar Kings rebuilt the temple during the 16th century. The original temple was destoryed by the Portuguese

<< List Of Hindu Temples

Other links

temples