CHENNAI: Many areas such as Mylapore, Thiruvellikeni and Thiruvottiyur are generally considered the old hubs of Chennai while Velachery, Madambakkam and Virugambakkam are thought of as newer areas. However, these places, once small villages, each have a wonderful history too. A Vishnu temple in Virugambakkam, not known to many outside this area, is dedicated to Sundara Varadaraja Perumal.
According to tradition, this temple is 800 years old. Unfortunately, there are no inscriptions in this temple, but a stone epigraph found in the nearby Valasaravakkam in a Siva temple is of the Chola era of the 12th century.
The principal sanctum enshrines a small image of Sundara Varadaraja Perumal in a standing posture holding the Sankha and Chakra in His upper hands and with His lower right hand in abhaya hasta (gesture of protection) and lower left hand in varda hasta (boon-conferring pose). This deity is flanked by Goddess Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. The processional image (utsava-murti) of this temple is said to have been consecrated about 75 years ago.
Separate shrines for Goddess Lakshmi, worshipped in this temple as Perundevi Thayar, and Andal are seen here. There are other shrines for deities like Sudarsana (the personification of the discus of Vishnu), Vishvksena (leader of the army of Vishnu) and Hanuman; for the Azhvars (important devotees of Vishnu) like Nammalvar and Thirumangai Alvar; and also for Vaishnavite preceptors (Acharyas), such as Ramanuja and Manavala Mamuni,. In front of the main shrine are the Garuda sanctum, flag-staff (dvajasthambam), bali-pitam and a lamp-post (deepa-sthambam). The monolithic deepa-stambham, used in earlier times to illuminate the temple precincts, reinforces the fact that this temple is several centuries old.