Ancient Chola temple at Madambakkam
The Siva temple near Tambaram... an example of architectural excellence.
THE SMALL and little-known suburb of Madambakkam, situated close to Tambaram, is home to a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Siva, known here as Lord Dhenupureeswarar.
This temple, dating back to more than a thousand years, was built during the reign of the Chola king, Parantaka II, also known as Sundara Chola (956-973 A.D.), father of Rajaraja Chola I, who constructed the famous Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. This temple was probably rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulottunga Chola I.
The main sanctum of this temple, which houses the presiding deity Lord Dhenupureeswara in linga form, faces east. Unlike most shrines, which are square or rectangular in plan, this one is apsidal in shape (called gajaprishta vimana in Sanskrit), a feature found in some Chola temples in and around Chennai.
There are beautiful sculptures of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Goddess Durga in the niches of the outer walls of the sanctum. Also seen nearby are shrines for Lord Ganesha, Sri Varadaraja Perumal with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, Sri Kapilanathar and Annapurani and Sivasubrahmanya with Valli and Deivanai.
The sanctum of Goddess Dhenukambal, situated close to the main shrine, faces south and has a separate entrance in front. There are a number of cylindrical pillars in front of this shrine with beautifully carved bases.
