Mylai Kapaleeshwarar Temple

It’s Sunday evening!

“Where do we go”, asked my wife. Not to Marina Beach. No to malls. Definitely not to the parks. I had to think fast and suggest a place that both of us will like. We are not devout, we go to temples only when we had to. For a change I suggested Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple. We decided to go there to see around  and praying was just an excuse.

Glad we did that. There was so much happening there – a dance program here, a tour for visiting foreigners there and so on. When we went repair work and painting was going around in the towers and places inside. I was glad to see the temple complex maintained spick and span, oil lamps are lighted by devotees in stainless steel racks preventing the floor from getting greasy.

Legend has that the name Mylapore  is derived from the legend that the Goddess Uma worshipped Siva in the form of a peacock (or mayil/மயில் in Tamil). The temple is built for Lord Siva, and the name of the Lord is ARULMIGU KAPALEESWARAR. The town Mylapore has references by Ptolemy, the Creek Geographer in his book written around A.D. 90-168. The original temple is believed to have been built in 7th century, destroyed during Portugese invasion in A.D.1544 and was rebuilt 300 years ago.

I like the temple, particular for it’s large tank right around which a busy commercial district has grown over the years.

The wooden palanquins that resemble peacock, tiger and lion were waiting for their divine duties – to serve during festival days to carry the statues of Gods and Goddesses.