Ardhanareeswarar Temple, Egmore

The Ardhanareeswarar Temple in Egmore, Chennai, is believed to go back at least to the 7th century, when Appar sang of it, making it one of the Vaippu Sthalams. Appar called the place Ezhumur, the place of seven, after the seven sages said to have worshipped Shiva here; the name later became Egmore in English.

Over time it is thought to have decayed. Centuries later an old man had a tank on his land cleaned, and when the water dried a large Shiva lingam and other idols were found in the soil. He set them under a thatched roof and worship resumed, and a new building followed. Because the idols lay so long underwater, the god is also praised as Jalakandeswarar. The east-facing temple has a mahamandapa, Nandi mandapa and shrines to Tripurasundari, Ganesha, Subramanya, Lakshmi Narayana, Garuda, Anjaneya and the Navagrahas.