Spiritual PlaceHindu temple

Vriddhagiriswarar Temple, Virudhachalam

Chola temple that gives Virudhachalam its name, with five gopurams and a hall carved like a chariot

Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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01 — The story

The Vriddhagiriswarar, or Pazhamalai Nadhar, Temple lends its name to Virudhachalam, a town in Cuddalore district. Its deity is praised in the Tevaram, making it a Paadal Petra Sthalam, and legend says Shiva took the form of a mountain here in answer to Brahma's prayers. The Tamil name Pazhamalai, 'old hill', known in the hymns as Mudhu Kundram, became the Sanskrit Virudhachalam in the Vijayanagar period.

The Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi commissioned the temple, and Chola inscriptions survive. High walls with five gopurams surround it, and its hundred-pillared hall is carved in the shape of a chariot. The number five runs through the temple: five deities, five names for the god and five Vinayakas. The chains of the temple car were given in 1813 by Charles Hyde, then Collector of South Arcot. Six rituals are held daily, and the Masi Magam Brahmotsavam draws thousands.

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02 — About

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Vriddhagiriswarar Temple, Virudhachalam: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.