Thiruvakkarai temple

I came across a person who was talking about a few temples of India which are quite out of norm. Built in a era when temples followed a set practice these temples stood out and have stood the test of time.

One of them is the Thiruvakkarai Chandramouleeswarar temple. What stands out is the idol placement of the temple which is not according to the commonly followed practice. The deity, the Nandi, the dwaja stambam, the Rajagopiram are not in their usual straight line formation. The temple complex houses a Varadaraja perumal shrine along with a shrine for goddess Kali. The place gets its name Thiruvakkarai because of Vakrakali. Another unique feature of this temple is that it is probably the only shrine of Kali which is housed inside a Shiva temple while most Kali temple are found in the outskirts of village or settlement.

According a legend goddess Kali assisted  Vishnu in slaying a demon named Vakrasuran by slaying his evil  and pregnant sister Dhunmukhi. Not wanting to kill the yet unborn child she takes in the child. And the child becomes an adornment, an earring.  After slaying the Dhunmukhi and Vakrasuran both Vishnu and Kali stay back in the kshetra. 

Vishnu's chakra too is out of norm. It is called prayoga chakra and can be seen as a horizontal one as though it is in action as against the vertical and static chakra found in most Vishnu temples. Vishnu stands tall without his consorts. There is no Lakshmi shrine in  this complex.

The Shiva lingam here is said to have worshipped by the demon Vakrasuran who got the boon of immortality from Lord Shiva. Following the boon Vakrasuran went on tormenting the Devas and people alike. This forced Lord Vishnu to intervene with his sister. Kali is believed to have drank Vakrasuran's blood as the blood spill created more Vakrasurans. 

It is also believed that it was Adi Shankaracharya who quelled Kali's anger by installing a Srichakra near her left leg.

It is believed that this temple is more than 2000 years old. Temple edicts talk about a renovation or expansion by King Aditya Chozhan around later 9th century.

The Nandi appears half submerged in water and is way out of  it's usual place in a normal Shiva temple. 

Yet another thing that has stood the test of time and vagaries of climate is petrified fossil woods. Setup in 1940 by the geological society of India this park has about 200 such fossil wood. They are about 20 million year old wood fossils from Miocene epoch and are preserved in Cuddalore sandstone.

How to reach?

Thiruvakkarai is about 25 km from Puduchery. The nearest railhead is Villupuram Junction is 19km away while Puduchery railway station is a little further away at 22km. And the nearest airport is Puduchery is 30km away.