CHENNAI: Thiruverkadu, best known for the Karumariamman temple situated here, is an ancient village as attested to by epigraphical evidence. There is an ancient Siva temple too in this place for God Vedapurishwarar which is one of the Thevara Padal Petra Sthalams (important Siva temples sanctified by the Tamil hymns of the Nayanmars or important devotees of God Siva). It is the 23rd Padal Petra Sthalam in Thondai Nadu (north Tamil Nadu). The well-known Nayanar, Thirugnanasambandar visited this temple in the 7th century AD. Arunagirinathar, the famous devotee of Muruga sang in praise of his favourite deity here in the 15th century.
Chola inscriptions in this temple mention that approximately one thousand years ago, this village was known by the same name and that it was also called Mummudi Chola Nallur. Incidentally, the title Mummudi Chola was held by Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 AD).
A Samskrit inscription mentions the ancient name of Thiruverkadu as Shaktyaranya. It was situated in the ancient geographical sub-division called Verkadu Nadu. The deity now worshipped as Vedapurishwarar was called Thiruverkadu Udaiya Mahadeva and Thiruverkadu Udaiyar.
The Vedapurishwarar temple faces east with a modern five-tier gopuram at the entrance. The outer prakaram (enclosure) has the sanctums for Shanishwara, Agastya and Arunagirinathar. A rare shrine for Moorka Nayanar is here as Thiruverkadu was his birthplace.
The main sanctum, of Chola vintage, is gajaprishta (apsidal) meaning that it is shaped like the back of an elephant. It enshrines the small Siva Linga, believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested). Siva and Parvati are seen in kalyan kolam (wedding pose) behind the Siva Lingam. It is said that Sage Agastya was blessed with a darshan of Siva and Parvati in their kalyana kolam and hence this image.
The inner prakaram around the principal sanctum has stone images of the 63 Nayanmars; Vinayaka; Subramanya (with a Linga in front); Palli Arai, Chandikeshwara; Bhairava; Surya; Chandra; Agastya and Seikizhar (author of the Periya Puranam). The south-facing shrine for Goddess Parvati, worshipped as Balambikai, is near the main sanctum.
The outer walls of the garbha-griha are covered with Tamil inscriptions, the earliest dated 1055-1056 AD, belonging to the reign of Rajendra Chola I. Another epigraph of this king’s reign interestingly mentions a seven-day festival ending on the day of Thiruvadirai in the Tamil month of Aani. Donative inscriptions of Rajendra Chola II, Vira Rajendra, and Kulottunga Chola I are here too. There is a Samskrit epigraph in Grantha script of the reign of a Telugu-Choda chieftain called Tammu Siddhi, dated 1207 AD.
The large and clean temple-tank in front of the gopuram is called Velayudha Tirtham which is said to have been created by Muruga with his vel (spear). The sthala vriksham (sacred tree) is the velvelam (Vachellia Leucophloea) which is used as an antidote for snake bites. According to tradition, this place was full of vela trees and hence it got the name vel kadu, which in course of time became ver kadu and the prefix thiru or sacred was added subsequently.