https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Vedapureeswarar_Temple%2C_PondicherryVedapureeswarar Temple, Pondicherry - Revision history2026-10-30T23:50:54ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vedapureeswarar_Temple,_Pondicherry&diff=543872&oldid=prevOmerRobson4867: Added The Location W/ Refs2025-11-25T07:47:00Z<p>Added The Location W/ Refs</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Hindu temple in Puducherry, India}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}<br />
{{unreliable sources|date=March 2024}}<br />
{{Infobox temple<br />
| name = Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple<br />
| image = Vedapureeswarar temple, Pondicherry (7).jpg<br />
| alt =Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple, Puducherry <br />
| caption =Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple, Puducherry <br />
| map_type = India Puducherry <br />
| map_caption = Location in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]<br />
| coordinates = {{coord|11|56|23.482|N|79|49|47.213|E|type:landmark_region:PY|display=inline,title}} <br />
| country = [[India]]<br />
| state = [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]<br />
| district = [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]<br />
| location = [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] <br />
| deity = Vedapurishvarar ([[Shiva]])<br />
Tripurasundari ([[Parvati]]) <br />
| festivals=[[Brahmotsavam]], Annabhishekam, [[Maha Shivaratri]] <br />
| architecture = [[Dravidian architecture]] <br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple''' in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], is dedicated to the Hindu god [[Shiva]] and Hindu goddess [[Parvati]]. Constructed in the [[Dravidian architecture|Dravidian style of architecture]], the temple is destroyed by French troops and Indian subcontinental peoples in religious riots between Hindus and Christians in 1748 CE. Shiva is worshipped as Vedapurishvarar and Parvati is worshipped as Tripurasundari.<br />
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A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a five-tiered [[gopuram|rajagopuram]], the gateway tower. A Divan named Divan Kandappa Mudaliar expanded the temple with the help of public contributions in 1788 CE.<br />
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==History==<br />
[[File:Vedapureeswarar temple, Pondicherry (5).jpg|250px|thumb|left|Image of the temple tank]]<br />
[[François Martin (Pondicherry)|François Martin]], the first [[Governor-general]] of [[French India]], founded [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], the future capital of French India, in 1674 CE. The [[Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Puducherry|Varadharaja Perundevi Temple]] housed the images of the Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Temple during its destruction and reconstruction by the French troops and Indian subcontinental peoples in religious riots between Hindus and Christians in 1748 CE.<ref name="India Today">{{cite news|title=Hindu Munnani group vows to demolish a Pondicherry church, kicks off campaign|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19940415-hindu-munnani-group-vows-to-demolish-a-pondicherry-church-kicks-off-campaign-809030-1994-04-14|date=15 April 1994|last=Swamy|first=Prakash A.|publisher=India Today|access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> It is known that the temple was totally destroyed by the French troops and Indian subcontinental peoples in religious riots between Hindus and Christians. Divan Kandappa Mudaliar, with the help of public contributions, reconstructed the temple in 1788 CE. The details of the demolition has been recorded in the diary of a chronicler of the period named [[Ananda Ranga Pillai]].<ref name="India Today"/> The presiding deities in the temple are known to have been migrated from the Samba Ishvaran Ishvari Street to the temple during the later part of the 19th century CE.<ref name="dinamalar"/> The temple is maintained and administered by Sri Vedapurishvarar Tripurasundari Devastanams Trust under the Department of Hindu religious institutions of the [[Government of Puducherry]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Department of Hindu religious institutions and Wakf|page=16|publisher=Department of Hindu religious institutions, Government of Puducherry|url=http://py.gov.in/portalapp/citizens/righttoinformation/hindu_RTIManual.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121035735/http://py.gov.in/portalapp/citizens/righttoinformation/hindu_RTIManual.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 November 2015|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref><br />
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==Architecture==<br />
This temple has a seven-tiered ''[[Gopuram|rajagopuram]]'', the gateway tower raising to a height of {{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The presiding god Vedapurishvarar is in the form of a [[Lingam]] is housed in his sanctum sanctorum. The sanctum sanctorum of him is approached from the main entrance through the flag staff hall, Mahamandapa and Arthamandapa. The flag staff is located in the flagstaff hall axial to his sanctum sanctorum. A statue of [[Nandi (Hinduism)|Nandi]] faces his shrine in the Mahamandapa. There are shrines of [[Ganesha]] and [[Kartikeya]] before the Mahamandapa and his sanctum sanctorum is guarded by two [[Dvarapala|Dvarapalas]]. The presiding goddess Tripurasundari is in the form of a [[Yoni]] is housed in her sanctum sanctorum.<ref name="dinamalar"/> There also shrines of [[Shani]], [[Durga]], [[Chandeshvara Nayanar|Chandeshvara]], [[Dakshinamurti]], [[Navagraha]] around the two sanctum sanctorums. The rectangular temple tank is located inside the temple and has 35 steps to the basement.<ref name=hindu>{{cite news|title=Brimming temple tanks draw delighted devotees in droves|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/brimming-temple-tanks-draw-delighted-devotees-in-droves/article27536308.ece|last=S.|first=Nadarajan|date=16 December 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref><br />
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==Festival==<br />
[[File:Vedapureeswarar temple, Pondicherry (10).jpg|250px|thumb|Aerial view of the temple]]<br />
This temple follows [[Shaivism|Shaivite]] and [[Shaktism|Shaktite]] traditions of worship. The temple priests perform the ''[[puja (Hinduism)|puja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple has many festivals in its calendar, with [[Brahmotsava|Brahmotsavam]] festival during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]] of ''[[Tamil calendar|Vaikasi]]'' (May - June), Annabhishekam during ''[[Tamil calendar|Aipassi]]'' (October - November) and [[Maha Shivaratri]] during ''[[Tamil calendar|Masi]]'' (February - March) being the most prominent. The Hindu saint [[Ramalinga Swamigal|Ramalinga Svamigal]] (1823 CE – 1874 CE) has sung songs about Kartikeya who is present in this temple.<ref name="dinamalar">{{cite web|title=Sri Vedapureeswarar temple|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=640|access-date=15 March 2024|website=Dinamalar}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
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==External links==<br />
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{{Famous Shiva temples|state=collapsed}}<br />
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[[Category:Shiva temples in Puducherry]]</div>OmerRobson4867