Mallikesvarar Temple (
) or Mallikarjunar Temple (
) is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temple situated in the neighbourhood of
George Town in the city of
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It is one of the first
Hindu temples to be constructed
[ Srinivasachari, Introduction, p xxix] in the British settlement of Madrasapatnam. There is the nearby
Chenna kesava perumal Temple. They are twin temples. This is also called Chenna Malleeswarar temple. Chenna pattanam may be named after this deities. The word 'chenni' in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.
History
Sources about the history of this temple have the following:
* According to Srinivasan, T.A
The Original twin temples' (
Chenna kesava perumal and Chenna Malleeswarar) location was later occupied by the
High court building.
The original twin temples' history dates back to 1646 CE.
Grants made to the original twin temples by Nagabattar and Thimmappar were recorded.
Attack by other European powers and attack and looting of temples by
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...
's forces caused the devotees to relocate some vigrahams to the
Thiruneermalai
Thiruneermalai is a neighborhood in the city of Chennai Tambaram, situated within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, Tamil Nadu, India.
Originally a town panchayat in Chengalpattu district, Thiruneermalai is now a part of Pammal Zone under Tam ...
Temple. The twin temples were demolished by the British, for the purpose of security and expansion of the nearby
Fort St.George.
Manali Muthu Krishna Mudaliar, translator for Lord Piccode, built new twin temples in 1700 CE in a different location
(at Devaraja mudali Street, later called
Sowcarpet
Sowcarpet is a neighborhood in the northern part of Chennai, India. Sowcarpet is one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city with narrow streets and vintage buildings. It is a bustling commercial area of the city, and a range of wholesale mark ...
). He donated his lands, used his own funds to build and he refused the money from the British, accepting only land from them.
* According to the official
Chenna Kesava temple website: "The original
Chenna kesava perumal Temple was located even in the 17th century AD in the place where the Madras High Court is currently located. When the original temple was present, there were a lot of problems in Chennai such as invasion by French and
Tippu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...
. The British
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
demolished the original temple in 1757 AD. Due to public outcry, the East India Company donated land and some money to Manali Muthu krishna Mudaliar, who built the new Chenna Kesava Perumal temple in the year of 1762, at a different location i.e. at Devaraja Mudali Street in
Sowcarpet area of Chennai city. Along with this Vishnu temple, he also built a temple for Shiva - Chenna Malleeswarar temple, thus Chennai got twin temples at Sowcarpet."
* According to Srinivasachari.C. S,
The Mallikesvarar Temple was constructed by Alanganatha Pillai, assistant chief merchant to the East India Company, in the 17th century AD.
The temple is first mentioned in a document of 1652 as "Mally Carjuns Old Pagoda".
It is also believed to be the Muthialpet Pagoda depicted in a Madras map of 1710.
* According to Muthiah.S,
The Chennakesava Perumal Temple was constructed in 1646.
* According to the Times of India article,
The twin temples of Chenna Kesava and Chenna Malleeswara Swami were originally built by Beri Thimappah, the dubash who brokered the deal between
Francis Day
Francis Talbot Day (2 March 1829 – 10 July 1889) was an army surgeon and naturalist in the Madras Presidency who later became the Inspector-General of Fisheries in British Raj, India and British rule in Burma, Burma. A pioneer ichthyologist, ...
and the local chieftain for the small strip of beach that was to become the city of Madras. The city's regional name "Chennai" is said to have been derived from these temples.
Notes
See also
*
Heritage structures in Chennai
Chennai, with historically rich records dating at least from the Pallava dynasty, time of the Pallavas, houses 2,467 heritage buildings within its metropolitan area (Chennai Metropolitan Area, CMA), the highest within any metropolitan area limit ...
*
History of Chennai in 1700s.
*
Timeline of Chennai history
This is a timeline of major events in the history of Chennai.
Prehistory
* Around 250,000 BCE: An Old Stone Age settlement thrives on Pallavaram Hill.
* 1000 BCE: Megalithic settlement at Kundrathur.
Before common era
* 300 BCE–300 ...
References
*
{{List of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu
Hindu temples in Chennai