Shri Velleeshwarar temple

This is the third temple in the Sapta Sthana Shiva temples of Mylapore. This temple is located very near to Kapaleeshwarar temple in the South Mada street. This is the very old temple rebuild a number of times. In temple we come across the details of those were in charge of the temple in 1875. According to some this temple is as old as Kapaleeshwarar temple but no records or details are available. 

Moolavar: Shri Velleshwarar

Devi: Shri Kamakshi

Kshetra Purana:

According to kshetra purana, King Mahabali had agreed to gift a small piece of land to Lord Vishnu (as Vamana) as a part of yadnya. Asura guru Shukracharya had suspicion that Vamana was none other than Lord Vishnu. Suspecting foul play he tried to stop Emperor Mahabali from donating a land. He blocked the nozzle of Kamandalu by becoming a bee. Lord Vishnu as Vamana picked up a blade of sacred grass (darbha) and inserted into the nozzle which blinded Shukracharya. Shukracharya meditated on Lord Shiva at this place and got his eyesight back. Vellee means Shukra, hence Lord Shiva is praised here as Velleeshwarar.

Those who worshiped at this place:

According to purana, Sage Angirasa worshiped Lord Shiva at this place.

About the temple:

There is no mention of the sacred teertha or the sacred vruksha associated with the temple. The south facing temple has a five tiered Rajagopuram. On the Gopuram we come across stucco images of a mouse worshiping a Shiva Linga, Lord Vishnu as Vamana and King Mahabali. They are depicted as they find a mention in the Kshetra puran connected with the temple. Temple has two prakarams. The shrine facing the entrance is not that of Lord Shiva but that of Lord Ganesha with his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi. He is praised as Selva Vinayaka and is gracing the devotees in standing posture. In the outer prakaram, we have a Nandi mandap who is facing Lord Shiva’s shrine. In the Nandi mandap we come across Dhwajasthambha, Balipeeth and Nandi. Lord Shiva is in the form of a small Shiva Linga in an east facing shrine. We have the Dwarapalakas at the entrance of Lord Shiva’s shrine. Koshta murtis are Lord Ganesha, Lord Dakshinamurti, Lord Lingodbhavar, Lord Brahma, and Goddess Durga. Lord Chandikeshwarar is housed in a small shrine near Lord Brahma. Devi Kamakshi is housed in a south facing shrine to the right of Sanctum. The idol of Ambika is similar to the one at Kamakshi temple at Kanchipuram. In the inner prakaram, we come across the idols of Sapta Matrika. Goddess Varahi is worshiped by a large number of devotees in this place. Behind Lord Shiva’s shrine there is an idol of Lord Vishnu praised as Lord Trivikrama. There is an idol of Durga Devi facing the north. There is a shrine of Lord Muruga. He is praised as Muthukumar Swami. He graces in standing posture along with his consorts Valli and Deivanai. In the outer parikrama there is an idol of Lord Brahma, a newly built shrine of Lord Sarabheshwarar, shrine of Goddess Pratyangara Devi and Shulini devi. There is an idol of Shukracharya worshiping a shiva linga. There are shrines of Shanishwarar and Navagrahas. In the Parikrama, there are idols of Lord Ganesha, Sekkizhar, Meikandar, three other Shaiva saints, Nalavar, Ulagaandha Perumal (Lord Vishnu), Lord Brahma, Lord Surya, Lord Veerabhadra, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati. There is a separate shrines for Utsava murtis of Lord Muthukumar Swami with his consorts and has its own Dhwajasthambha, utsav murtis of Lord Nataraja and Goddess Shivakami, Shaiva saint Manikvasagar, utsav murti of Somaskandha, Lord Vishwanath represented by small shiva linga, Lord Annamalayar represented by a big shiva linga along with Goddess UnnamalaiAmmal in the parikrama. Near the dhwajasthambha there is a stucco image of Ekapad Murti (Lord Shiva) at the center with bust of Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu on either side. In the shrine of Lord Nataraja we come across small bronze idols of Sage Vyaghrapada and Sage Patanjali. In another large shrine, we come across bronze idols Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga with his consorts, Lord Nataraja with Goddess Shivagami and Uma with Chandrashekhar. There is a utsav murti of Lord Brahma in this temple which is very rare. 

Festivals: 

Chitrai (April-May): Chaitra Pournima

Vaikasi (May-June): Vishakha nakshatra festival. Brahmotsav is a main festival, it is held on 8th day of Vaikasi. They enact episode of Shukracharya getting back his eyesight. Idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Vamana (Lord Vishnu), and King Mahabali is taken is procession on a stage near the temple where Sukracharya is seen meditating. A person known as Oduvar recites Thirumani verses relating to the restoration of eyesight of Shukracharya. This is followed by a deepaaradhana.

Aani (June-July): Thirumanjanam 

Aadi (July-August): Puram festival 

Aavani (August-Sept): Ganesh chaturthi

Purattasi (Sept-Oct)): Navaratri 

Aipassi (Oct-Nov): Annabhishek and Skandashashthi

Karthigai (Nov-Dec): Thiru karthigai

Margazhi (Dec-Jan): Thiruvathurai

Thai (Jan-Feb): Thai pusam and Pongal, 

Masi (Feb-Mar): Mahashivaratri, 

Panguni (March-April): Panguni Uttaram

Timing: 6 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8.30 pm

Address: Shri Velleshwarar Temple, 25 T.S.V Kovil street, Shankarapuram, Vinayaknagar Colony, Mylapore TN 600004

Telephone: +91 4424611393

Courtesy: Various websites and blogs