கபாலீஸ்வரர் கோயில்
Kapaleeshwarar Temple
The iconic temple of Chennai's Mylapore neighbourhood, with a soaring, brightly painted gopuram that has become a visual symbol of the city, and deep roots in Tamil Shaiva Nayanmar devotional literature.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple stands in Mylapore, one of the oldest continuously inhabited neighbourhoods of Chennai, and is considered central to the city's cultural identity. Though the current structure dates largely to the 16th century (the original coastal temple was reportedly destroyed by Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century, prompting the rebuild slightly inland), Mylapore itself and a temple on this site are referenced in the 7th-century devotional hymns of the Nayanmars, the Tevaram. The temple's soaring, intricately painted gopuram is one of the most photographed structures in Chennai, and the temple's annual Panguni Peruvizha car festival draws enormous crowds through Mylapore's streets.
Highlights
- One of Chennai's most recognisable landmarks
- Referenced in 7th-century Tevaram hymns of the Nayanmar saints
- Vividly painted, sculpture-covered gopuram
- Annual Panguni Peruvizha temple car festival
Chennai
Shiva (as Kapaleeshwarar) & Parvati (as Karpagambal)
Current structure c. 7th century CE, rebuilt 16th century by Vijayanagara rulers
Dravidian, colourful Mylapore-style gopuram