Kapaleeshwarar Temple Timings, Photos, Website, Reviews, Age, Festivals can be checked from this web page now. Temples are the most important places for the Hindu people. Hindus connect with their gods and goddesses vising these temples.
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Kapaleeshwarar Temple
They are the symbol of hope for the Hindu people as visiting the temples; people can overcome the challenges coming to their life. Therefore we have come up with another holy temple, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, to give you all the interesting facts and information about it. So continue to scroll down to learn everything about the holy temple.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple is one of the famous sacred shrines located in Mylapore, Chennai, the capital of the Tamil Nadu state in India. It is believed that here Lord Shiva has manifested himself as Kapaleeswar.
People from distinct places arrive here to worship Lord Shiva in the form of Kapaleeswar and Maa Parvati in the form of Karpagambal( goddess of the wish-yielding tree). The holy place has got the name Mylapore due to the religious story responsible for the root of the pilgrim centre.
According to the holy book Puranas, Maa parvati worshipped God Shiva here in the form of a Peacock, which in the Tamil language is called Mayil. Hence the area developed near the temple is called Mylai, which further transformed into Mylapore. Now talking about the religious reason behind the name of the temple, it is derived from the words Kapala means head, and Isvara, a sobriquet of Shiva. Here, lord Shiva is represented by Lingam.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Religious Story
According to the Puranas, lords Brahma and Shiva meet at the top of the Kailash Mountain, during which Brahma disrespects God Shiva. Then Lord Shiva, in anger, plucked one of Brahma’s heads. To do penance, God Brahma then came down to Mylapore and curated Lord Shiva’s lingam there to please him. However, as per Sthalpurana(a religious account), goddess Karpagambal (Parvati) became a peahen due to a curse, and to get back her original identity, she did penance there.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple is one of the seven sacred temples in Mylapore. These seven temples are termed Sapta Sthana Shiv Temples. Also, some people consider Ekambareshwarar temple as the eighth one in the neighbourhood. The Sapta Sthana Shiv Temples are:
- Tirttapaleeswarar Temple
- Malleeswarar Temple
- Kapaleeshwarar Temple
- Virupakshiswarar Temple
- Karaneeswarar Temple
- Valeeswarar Temple
- Velleeswarar Temple
Lesser Known Facts About Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Devotees worshipped goddess Karpagambal as a wish-yielding tree. The history of the temple has proven it. Anyone who goes to the temple with a wish is surely fulfilled. Branma worshipped here to get rid of his ego, Shiva’s son Kartikeya received the spear to kill demon from here, Shukra got his lost eye here, Rama worshipped here and brought back his Sita from Ravana, and there are many other incidents which proved that goddess Karpagambal as a wish yielding tree.
According to Puranas, it is said that Maa Parvati came here as a peahen hence the temple has a peacock and peahen caged inside it, symbolising Karpagambal in the form of peahen to plead to Kapaleeshwarar.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Timings
Suppose you are going to do a darshan of the Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal shrines of the temple. In that case, you must be aware of the temple timings to avoid any inconvenience during your visit. Following the old tradition, the temple has six daily rituals, which are performed at a set time from 5:30 am to 10:00 pm. The priest performing the pooja belongs to the Shaivaite community. The six temple rituals performed daily during their time are mentioned below.
Ushathkalam at 6:00 a.m
Kalasanthi at 9:00 a.m
Uchikalam at 1:00 p.m
Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m
Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m
Ardha Jamam at 9:00 p.m
In addition, Rahu Abhishekam is also performed daily twice a day at 11:30 in the morning and 5:00 pm evening. The worshipping is done according to the instructions in the Vedas and Puranas. On Friday, Goddess Karpahambal is decorated with kasu mala made up of gold coins.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Website
If you want to know more about the temple and the various rituals performed there, you can also visit the temple’s official website, mylaikapaleeswarar.hrce.tn.gov.in. You can check out all the information regarding the temple timings, festivals, booking services, donations and many more important things about it. At the bottom of our page, we have also given you a direct link to the temple’s official website.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Age and History
According to the religious evidence, the temple was built in the 7th century CE. The ruling dynasty Pallavas at the time built the temple. The temple is located by a seashore, proven by the Thirugnanasambandar’s 6th song in Poompavaipathikam and Arunagirinathar’s 697th song in Thirumylai Thirupugazh. The entrance tower of Gopuram was built in 1906. It is said that the Portuguese demolished the temple in 1566 A.D, after which Vijayanagara kings reconstructed it.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Architecture
The temple’s architecture is jaw-dropping. Visitors are amazed at the beautiful mythological figures inscribed on both east and west gopurams. The magnificent temple is a perfect example of Dravidian Architecture, an architectural form that emerged from South India and is distinctive from the North Indian architectural styles.
The temple is also a testimonial for the Vishvakarmas ( a caste community). The entrance tower, gopuram, overpowers the streets on which the temple sits. The east gopuram is 40 m high. The temple’s vahanas( means vehicles) include elephant, bull, peacock, goat, adhikaranandi, parrot and bandicoot. Statues of the god and goddesses are seated on vahanas.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Festivals
The most prominent festival of the temple is the Aṟupatimūvar festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Panguni as a part of the Brahmotsava in the temple. The festival is witnessed by lakhs of devotees yearly and is a treat to watch. It continues for ten days, and the ninth day is celebrated as Panguni Peruvila (Spring festival). The festival starts with flag hosting and then terotsavam, Arupathimoovar festival and the final day Marriage of Kapaleeshwarar & Karpagambal is performed, known as Tirukkalyanam.
The Arupathimoovar festival is also an important festival named after the sixty-three Nayanars. All the Nayanars idols follow theKapaleeshwarar idol on this procession. On the car festival, Kapaleeshwarar is depicted to be seated on a throne alongside his wife, Karpagambal, while Brahma is riding the chariot, which is decorated with flowers and statues. A huge crowd of devotees pulls the chariot.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple Reviews
Kapaleeshwarar Temple is special for the people belonging to the Hindu religion. The faith they had in their god and goddess made them visit the temple more often. This temple is a must to watch for people who love to see outstanding historical architecture. The beauty of the temple stays in the eyes of the visitors forever. Hence our recommendation to the readers is that they should, once in their lifetime, definitely visit the magnificent and divine temple.
With the hope that our article excites you about the temple and has given you the valuable information that you are looking for, the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, we are now concluding the post. To learn about other historic temples in India, please browse our other web pages.