Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry
 |
| Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple, Puducherry | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Puducherry |
| Deity | Vedapurishvarar (Shiva) Tripurasundari (Parvati) |
| Festivals | Brahmotsava, Annabhisheka, Maha Shivaratri |
| 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 |
Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple in Puducherry, in the Union Territory of Puducherry, is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and Hindu goddess Parvati. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is destroyed by French troops and Indian subcontinental peoples in religious riots between Hindus and Christians in 1748 CE. Shiva is worshipped as Vedapurishvarar and Parvati is worshipped as Tripurasundari.
A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower. A Divan named Divan Kandappa Mudaliar expanded the temple with the help of public contributions in 1788 CE.
History[edit]
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François Martin, the first Governor-general of French India, founded the Puducherry, the future capital of French India, in 1674 CE. The Varadharaja Perundevi Temple housed the images of the Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple during its destruction and reconstruction by the French troops and Indian subcontinental peoples in religious riots between Hindus and Christians in 1748 CE.[1] It is known that the temple was totally destroyed by the French troops in the religious riots. Divan 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 the period named Ananda Ranga Pillai.[1] The presiding deities in the temple are known 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 Devastanams Trust under the Department of Hindu religious institutions of the Government of Puducherry.[3]
Architecture[edit]
This temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower raising to a height of 75 ft (23 m) . The presiding god Vedapurishvarar is in the form of a Lingam is housed in the sanctum sanctorum. The sanctum sanctorum 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 sanctorum. An image of Nandi faces the main shrine in the Mahamandapa. There are shrines of Ganesha and Kartikeya before the Mahamandapa and the sanctum sanctorum is guarded by Dvarapalas. The presiding goddess Tripurasundari is in the form of a Yoni is housed in the sanctum sanctorum.[2] There also shrines of Shani, Durga, Chandeshvara, Dakshinamurti and Navagraha around the sanctum sanctorum. The rectangular temple tank is located inside the temple and has 35 steps to the basement.[4]
Festival[edit]
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This temple follows Shaivite and Shaktite tradition. The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple has many festivals in its calendar, with Brahmotsavam festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June), Annabhisheka during Aipassi (October - November) and Maha Shivaratri during Masi (February - March) being the most prominent. Saint Ramalinga Svamigal (1823 CE – 1874 CE) has sung praises about Kartikeya in this temple.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Swamy, Prakash A. (15 April 1994). "Hindu Munnani group vows to demolish a Pondicherry church, kicks off campaign". India Today. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "Sri Vedapureeswarar temple". Dinamalar. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Department of Hindu religious institutions and Wakf" (PDF). Department of Hindu religious institutions, Government of Puducherry. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ S., Nadarajan (16 December 2005). "Brimming temple tanks draw delighted devotees in droves". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
External links[edit]
Media related to Vedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry at Wikimedia Commons