T he Virupakshishwarar temple located on Bazzar Road is one of seven important Siva temples in the Mylapore area. There are two entrances to this shrine, via the west and the south. The main sanctum enshrining the Siva Linga worshipped as Virupakshishwarar, facing east has a small mantapa with pillars of delicate workmanship.
The south-facing shrine of Goddess Parvathi, known as Vishalakshi, can be entered through this same mantapa.
Interestingly, in front of the Goddess is a stone image of Nandi the vehicle of Siva and not the lion, the mount of Parvati. The sacred tank, one of the biggest in Mylapore, is situated inside the premises of the temple on the eastern side, close to the main flag-post (dvajasthambha) .
A separate sanctum for Subrahmanya, worshipped as Shanmuga Murti, is located in the outer courtyard and has a separate small dvajastambha in front of it.
Tamil inscriptions dating from the 11th to the 16th Century AD have been found here. Unfortunately, most of them are in a damaged condition and some are hardly visible. They record gifts of cows, goats, lamps, incense and garlands to the temple. The earliest is of the reign of Vira-Rajendra Chola of the 11th Century AD. There are two inscriptions of the 13th Century AD of which one belongs to the Pandyan era and the other to the reign of Kopperunjinga, a valiant but little-known chieftain.
A new ‘Rajagopuram’, 72 feet high, has been constructed at south entrance. It is covered with many stucco sculptures, the most noticeable being the 108 Tandava forms of Siva.