Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry
| Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple | |
|---|---|
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Puducherry |
| Deity | Vedapurishvarar (Shiva) Tripurasundari (Parvati) |
| Location | |
| Location | Puducherry |
| State | Puducherry |
| Country | India |
  Location in Puducherry | |
| Geographic coordinates | 11°56′23.482″N 79°49′47.213″E / 11.93985611°N 79.82978139°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
Vedapureesvarar Tripurasundari Temple in Puducherry, in Puducherry, is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and Hindu Goddess Parvati. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple was demolished and restored by the Indian Subcontinental and French peoples in 1748 CE in religious riots between Hindus and Christians that ended. Shiva is worshipped as Vedapureesvarar and Parvati as Tripurasundari.
A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, a gateway tower. A Devan named Devan Kandappa Mudaliar expanded the temple with the help of public contributions in 1788 CE.
The temple is open from 6:00 am - 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm on all days. Four daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Brahmotsavam festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June), Annabishekam during Aipassi (October - November) and Shivaratri during Masi (February - March) are main. The temple is maintained and administered by the Department of Hindu religious institutions and endowments of the Government of Puducherry.
History
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Puducherry was originally called Podouke (This was mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.). This old port town Podouke ( Now it is called Arikamedu) is 4 km from the present Puducherry. As per investigation by Vimala Begley, this port city Podouke was at the peak between from the 2nd century BCE to the 8th century CE. This port city enjoyed extensive trade relations with Roman Empire. François Martin, the first Governor General of French India founded the modern Puducherry, the future capital of French India in 1674 CE. The Varadharaja Perudevi Temple of Puducherry housed the images of the Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple during the destruction by the French troops during 1748 CE.[1] It is known that the temple was totally destroyed by the French troops. Devan Kandappa Mudaliar, with the help of public contributions, reconstructed the temple in 1788 CE. The details of the demolition has been recorded in the diary of a chronicler of a period named Ananda Rangam Pillai. The presiding deities in the temple is believed to have been migrated from the Samba Ishvaran Ishvari street to the temple during the later part of the 19th century CE.[2] The temple is maintained and administered by Sri Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Devastanam under the Department of Hindu religious institutions and Wakf of the Government of Puducherry.[3]
Architecture
Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower raising to a height of 75 ft (23 m) . The presiding deity Vedapurishvarar, in the form of Lingam is housed in the sanctum. The sanctum is approached from the main entrance through the flag staff hall, Mahamandapa and Arthamandapa. The flag staff is located in the flagstaff hall axial to the sanctum. An image of Nandi faces the main shrine in the Mahamandapa. There are shrines of Vinayaka and Muruga before the Mahamandapa and the sanctum is guarded by Dvarapalas. The shrine of Tripurasundari is located in the second precinct.[2] There also shrines of Shani, Durga, Chandeshvara, Dakshninamurti and Navagraha around the sanctum. The rectangular temple tank is located inside the temple and has 35 steps to the basement.[4]
Festival
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The temple follows Shaivite and Shaktite traditions. The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: Kalasanthi at 8:30 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:30 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and Arthajamam between 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vedapurishvarar and Tripurasundari. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The temple is open from 6 am - 12:30 pm and 4-9:00 pm on all days. The temple has many festivals in its calendar, with the Brahmotsavam festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June), Annabishekam during Aipassi (October - November) and Sivarathri during Masi (February - March) being the most prominent. Saint Ramalinga Svamigal (1823–74 CE) has sung praises about the Murugan in the temple.[2]
References
- ^ Swamy, Prakash A. (15 April 1994). "Now a mandir-church row". India Today. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "Sri Vedapureeswarar temple". Dinamalar. 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ^ "Department of Hindu religious institutions and Wakf" (PDF). Department of Hindu religious institutions and Wakf, Government of Pondicherry. p. 16. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ S., Nadarajan (16 December 2005). "Brimming temple tanks draw delighted devotees in droves". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
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