Historical PeriodEra
Oral / medieval / documented history
📷 Navaneethpp · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Deities
Kapālīśvara of Mylapore
Kapālīśvara — Shiva of Mylapore, Chennai
Kapālīśvara — Shiva of Mylapore, Chennai
Hindu / Shaiva / Tamil
Kapālīśvara Temple of Mylapore is one of Chennai's oldest and principal Shiva shrines — a Paadal Petra Sthalam sung by the 3 Tēvāram saints. Original shrine at the shore was destroyed by Portuguese 16th c. and relocated 500m inland. The 37-m rājagopura (Nāyak, 16th c.) dominates Mylapore. The Arubathumūvar Peragotsavam (a 63-Nayanmar festival procession, March–April) is famed. The Sambandar-amrita-chelladi (first-meal rite) of Tamil Brahmin boys is traditionally done here.
India's sacred landscape embraces Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian, tribal, regional-folk traditions — each with its own cosmology and priestly lineage. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.
