| Velleeswarar Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Chennai |
| Deity | Shiva (Velleeswarar) |
| Location | |
| Location | Mylapore |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
Velleeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple in Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil nadu, India. The presiding deity is Shiva 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.
This temple is one of the Sapta Sthana Shiva temples in the Mylapore area. (one of the seven sacred Shiva temples in Mylapore). [1] They are:
In addition to these "Sapta Sthana Shiva sthalas", the Ekambareshwarar–Valluvar temple in the neighbourhood is traditionally considered the indispensable eighth. [2]
According to legend, when the asura king Mahabali was about to grant Vamana-an avatar of Vishnu- land as part of his sacrifice, the asura guru Shukra tried to stop him, suspecting foul play. When Mahabali ignored his guru's request, Shukra went into the nozzle of Mahabali's kamandalu , 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.
Sukracharya meditated upon Shiva at this place in Mylapore and got his eyesight back.
The temple is a mid-sized Temple with a five-tier vimana facing south. On entering the temple, there is a shrine of the god Ganesha 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 , the symbol of Shiva as the central icon facing East. Nearby is the shrine of Shiva's consort Kamakshi, a form of Parvati, 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 is much venerated here.
There is an idol of Trivikrama, a form of Vishnu behind Shiva's shrine. Also, the goddess Durga, who faces North, is worshipped. Further, there is a shrine of Muthukumaraswamy (Kartikeya) along with his consorts Valli and Devasena in standing posture.
In the outer courtyard, the god Bhairav (a form of Shiva) is installed. On the left, there are shrines for Sarabeshwara (a form of Shiva), the goddess Pratyangira and Shukra praying to Shiva. In the outer courtyard, there are shrines of Shani and the Navagrahas along with the temple flagstaff.
Vellee means Sukra, and Velleeswara is Lord of Sukracharya. Sri Sukracharya worshipped the Lord here and got back the eyesight he lost at the hands of Lord Vamana. You can see the statue form of Sri Sukra worshipping the Lord here in this temple.
There are many who say that unless they are able to see God with their own eyes, they can't believe in the Divine. How can such arrogance "see" God when it takes aeons for a serious devotee to "see" God, ask the Siddhas. Yes, God can be "seen", they assure us, but first one has to get the right spiritual training. In the process of this training, one's eyes will be empowered with that spiritual vision that can perceive God. It is this eyesight that Sri Velleeswarar can bless us with.
Furthermore, the eyes are the windows of the soul. In this Kali Yuga , our eyes look at all kinds of scenes and become the entry points for all kinds of desires. It is Sri Velleeswarar who can protect us from falling prey to the desires inflamed by our eyes. It is He who can also give us the blessing that our eyes see only which is good for us.
In the material world, Sri Velleeswara is the divine eye doctor who can solve eye-related diseases and problems. The Siddhas instruct all eye doctors to offer worship at this shrine.
Vamana, also known as Trivikrama, Urukrama (transl. far-stepping), Upendra, Dadhivamana, and Balibandhana, is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha.
The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva 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 Dravidian architecture.
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Virupakshiswarar Temple is a Hindu temple located in Mylapore in Chennai, India. It is dedicated to Shiva.
Valeeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple located in Mylapore in Chennai, India. It is dedicated to Shiva.
Malleeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple located in Mylapore in Chennai, India. It is dedicated to Shiva.
