Vadukeeswarar Temple

Vadukeeswarar Temple, also called Thiruvandarkoil or Panchanadeeswarar temple, stands in the village of Thiruvandarkoil, 21 km from Puducherry on the Villupuram highway. Shiva is worshipped here as Vadukeeswarar in the form of a linga, with Parvati as Thiripura Sundari. Legend says Shiva took this name after removing one of Brahma's five heads to punish his pride. The shrine is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised in the 7th-century Tevaram hymns of Thirugnana Sambandar.

The two-acre complex sits within concentric rectangular granite walls entered through a flat east-facing gateway. Pillared halls lead to the central shrine, the goddess has a north-facing shrine in the second precinct, and shrines of Vinayaka, Murugan, the Navagrahas, Chandikeswara and Durga surround the main one. The temple is credited to the Cholas and carries inscriptions from Rajaraja Chola I, Kulothunga Chola I and Rajendra Chola III, though the present masonry dates from the 16th century. The Archaeological Survey of India protects it.