Vadapalani Murugan Temple

Vadapalani Andavar Temple is one of the well-known temples in Chennai – dedicated to God Muruga (younger son of Lord Siva & Lord Parvathi). The temple is easily few minutes of walk from the Vadapalani junction, there are numerous bus and metro train connections to the place. Hundreds of devotees throng the temple during weekends and the crowd swells to tens of thousands during festival days. The God presiding here is known to readily grant the wishes of his devotees. The official history of the temple says “The Vadapalani temple was built in the late 19th century. It all began with Annasamy Naicker, a staunch devotee who with faith in the Lord’s powers built a small thatched hut, placed a painted picture of Lord Murugan and began worshipping it religiously every day”.

In the late 1980s, my father used to take me to this temple whenever his friend, an ardent devotee of the temple, organized Abhishekam (Offerings) to the Lord here. Though the temple is just a few kilometres from my house, after a gap of two decades, I went there only today. The temple has grown multi-fold from what I remember from those days. The divine energy you feel remains the same.

The temple appears to be well maintained and clean. I was surprised to find even a sitting area inside the temple compound for the elderly – nice thought by the authorities.