Madambakkam Siva Temple

Chennai Madambakkam - Dhenupureeswarar Temple

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.

The presiding deity is called Lord Dhenupureeswarar (In Tamil, Dhenu means cow, Puri means village/town, Eshwar means God Shiva) and the Goddess, Dhenukambal. Unlike most temples, where the sanctum is either square or rectangle, this is apsidal in shape which is called as Gaja prishta Vimana (Shaped like an elephant's back) in Sanskrit. This type of feature is found in few other Chola temples in and around Chennai. Even today we can see a scar on the Shiva Lingam, caused by the Cow (Kapila) while it kicked the ground because of the pain when it was beaten up by its master.  

 Lot of contributions have been made to this temple by Vijayanagara rulers. Many sculptures in the walls of this temple, stand testimony to the subsidies given to this temple in the form of lands, livestock, jewels etc., Another rare feature of this temple is, it houses Lord Sarabeswarar on one of the pillars in it. Lord Sarabeswarar is another form of Lord Shiva who took this form to bring down the anger and ferociousness of Lord Narasimha.

Chennai Madambakkam - Dhenupureeswarar Temple சென்னை மாடம்பாக்கம் - தேனுபுரீசுவரர் திருக்கோவில்
Main Deity	Lord Shiva
Deity Name	Sri Dhenupureeswarar and Sri Dhenukambal
Location	Madambakam
Significance	Around 1000 years old, Swayambhu Lingam, One of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites in Tamilnadu
Travel Base	Chennai

Thenupureeswarar got his name because he gave moksha to a cow. Sage Kapila is said to have been reborn as a cow for his sin of having improperly worshiped a Shiva lingam using his left hand. The cow continued to worship Shiva by pouring milk on a Shiva lingam buried in the ground. The cowherd initially punished the cow for wasting the milk, but when the villagers unearthed the Shiva lingam, Shiva appeared and granted moksha (liberation) to Kapila and forgave the cowherd who had mistreated him.

This temple is over 1000 years old (956-973 AD), which is said to have been built during the reign of Parantaka Chola II or Sundara Chola, father of Rajaraja Chola 1 (who constructed Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur). The temple is believed to be rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulothunga Chola1. The Archaeological Society of India - ASI states that the temple has been declared a monument of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites.

How to Reach :  The temple is 8 kms from Tambaram in Chennai. Take the branch road in Rajakilpakkam bus stop. The temple is 3 kms from here. There is no frequent bus facilities from Tambaram.

Near By Temples : 

There is also another rare Siddhar Temple nearby, housing 18 Siddhars, Sri Seshadri Swamigal and Maha Meru (Lalitha Parameshwari) which together with Thenupureeswarar Temple gives divinity to the whole village and every visitor entering there.
Same Sannathi street - A small Sai Baba Temple is there.

Madambakkam 18 Siddhar Temple

Madambakkam Saibaba Temple

Check this link for more temples in and around Chennai - Temples Around Chennai