Chidambaresvarar Temple, Kotlambakkam

About Chidambaresvarar Temple, Kotlambakkam

This west-facing temple dedicated to Shiva dates to the ninth century Chola period, though evidence suggests worship occurred even earlier given references in Appar's pathigams. The temple was originally constructed of brick and plaster, with the garbhagriham later converted to granite by Kopperunjinga of Sendamangalam in the thirteenth century. The temple holds spiritual significance as the place where the saint Sundarar received pada deeksha, a blessing from Lord Shiva in the form of an old man. The architectural layout includes a west-facing raja gopuram with niches containing Vinayakar and Murugan, followed by a Vinayakar shrine, bali peetham, and Nandi mandapam. The koshtam houses shrines to Durga, Brahma, and Dakshinamurti, while the prakaram contains numerous independent shrines dedicated to various deities and Tevaram saints. The moolavar is Chidambaresvarar with Sivakamasundari as the consort deity.

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