| Dhandeeswarar Temple | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Chennai |
| Deity | Dhandeeswarar(Shiva) |
| Location | |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location inTamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates | 12°50′46″N80°03′53″E / 12.84611°N 80.06472°E /12.84611; 80.06472 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
Dhandeeswarar Temple(Shri Dhandeeswarar Temple) is aShiva temple situated inVelachery, a suburb ofChennai. The temple was built during thePallava reign and was repaired and rebuilt during theChola reign. The temple complex consists of a main temple complex and a tank, and is 2 kilometers towards the east fromGuru Nanak College on the Velachery main road. This temple is administered by theHR & CE Department of theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.
The Temple traces its mythology to that of LordYama (God of Death) who is said to have installed thisLingam and prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness and restoration of his strength after he was kicked on his chest by Lord Shiva inThirukadavur at the behest of saving the life of SageMarkandeya. Lord Yama having lost his strength is said to have created a Tank (YamaTheertham) and installed this Lingam and had fervently prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness and restoration of his strength so that he can carry out his duties in full measure. Pleased by his prayers Lord Shiva is said to have granted a Staff (Dhandam) to Lord Yama in this place and restored his strength and hence the name Dhandeeswarar - or bestower of mythical staff. The Lords Consort is GoddessKarunambika (Merciful Mother).
The other important incident associated here is that the 4Vedas came and prayed to this Lord and regained their strength after they were taken byHiranyaksha and were kept immersed in Sea before being rescued by LordVishnu inVaraha avatar. Thus this place is an apt one for any one wishing to regain their lost strength and vitality. The name Velachery is said to be corruption of Veda Shreni (Place of Vedas).[1]
The Temple sports a 5 TierVimana and has separate shrines forGanapati,Subrahmanya andShasta as well. We can find the idols of LordSurya,Bhairavar and many other deities including 63Nayanmars.
The Temple however, has been badly maintained in the past as one can see broken pillars and remnants of carvings spewed around. The Pillars haveTamil and Devnagri etchings. The Temple has however seen good patronage in the recent times after Velachery has become an active suburb.
It is said that the rays of the Sun would fall on the Lingam on the exact date of Tamil New Year and this is not happening now as High rises have been built around the Temple. The Templepoojas starts from about 6.30 am and go on up to 11.30 am and is open again from 4 pm to 8.30 pm daily.[2] The niches of thekarnakutas of the firsttala contains images of a kneeling man on the left and a kneeling lady in the right. Such a feature is otherwise found inNeyyadiappar Temple, Tillaistanam andVadathirthesvarar Temple, Andanallur inTiruchendurai.[3]