Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, built in the 7th century, is an old shrine located in Mylapore, Chennai. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the most revered and impressive religious places in the city, visited by a large number of tourists and devotees every year. The present structure is believed to have been constructed in the 16th century by Vijayanagar rulers after Portuguese destroyed the original one. The temple showcases the Dravidian style of architecture and features several shrines and halls. What looks the most attractive here are the colourful gopuram (gateway tower) and beautiful pillared mandapa (pavilion). The temple is flooded by devotees and tourists during the prominent Arubathimooval Festival, which is celebrated with great vigour during the Tamil month of Panguni.

There are several interesting mythological stories behind the establishment of this shrine. Legend has it that an angry Lord Shiva turned his wife, Goddess Parvati, into a peacock and ordered her to worship him here to get back to her normal self. Since then, the place has been called Mylapore or the land of peacocks. As per another legend, Lord Brahma once failed to show respect to Lord Shiva, an act that made Lord Shiva so angry that he plucked off one of Lord Brahma's heads (kapalams). Later, in order to please Lord Shiva and do penance, Lord Brahma came down to Mylapore and established a lingam here. The name of this temple is derived from two words—kapalam meaning head and eeshwarar meaning a pseudonym of Shiva.