CHENNAI: This small temple for Siva is the third of the thirty-two Padal Petra Sthalams (temples praised in the Tamil verses of the Nayanmars or sixty-three important devotees of God Siva) of Thondainadu (corresponding to the northern part of Tamil Nadu) and is one of the five Padal Petra Sthalams in Kanchipuram. Sundaramurti Nayanar has praised the deity here and describes this place, Anekatangavadam as having beautiful slopes on which elephants climb. According to the traditional story (Sthala Puranam) connected with this temple, Ganesa and Kubera worshipped Siva in this shrine. The name of the Siva Linga here is Anekathangavadheesvarar.
Although this temple was in existence in the 7th century A.D., since Sunadramurti Nayanar who lived at that time visited it, the architecture of the temple as seen now, is of the later Chola period and probably belongs to the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (1070-1122 A.D.). The main sanctum enshrining a Linga faces east, with the vimanam above having beautiful sculptures like Dakshinamurthi and Narasimha. The niches on the outer walls of the main sanctum have images of Ganesha, Dakshinamurthi, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga.
There are separate shrines for Vinayaka, Subrahmanya with Valli and Deivanai and Chandikeshwara in the spacious outer enclosure (prakaram). There is another sanctum housing the images of the three Nayanmars — Appar, Thirugnanasambandar and Sundaramurti, and another great devotee of Siva named Manikkavachagar. There is a small gopuram over the main entrance in the north.
A few inscriptions have been discovered in the Anekatangavadeeshwarar temple, of which two belong to the Chola times. The earliest inscription found here is dated 1090 A.D. and belongs to the reign of Kulottunga Chola I and mentions a gift of land at a place called Damar near Kanchi by this king to the temple. Another, again belonging to the time of Kulottunga Chola I, records a grant of land to the north of the Kailasanatha temple to the Anekatangavadham shrine. Yet another epigraph mentions that the authorities of this shrine assigned some land to certain Kaikkolars (weavers) connected with this temple.
Padal Petra Sthalam
This temple is one of the five Padal Petra Sthalams in Kanchipuram
Chola epigraphs
The earliest inscription found here belongs to the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (11th century)