Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam
Shiva (as Atcheeswarar and Umai Atcheeswarar) temple · Acharapakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India
The Atcheeswarar Temple (also written Aatcheeswarar or Aksheeswaraswamy) is a Shiva temple in Acharapakkam, a town in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, close to Melmaruvathur on the Chennai–Tiruchirappalli national highway. The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, which administers the temple, notes that it has two main sanctums, an unusual feature.
The temple is a Paadal Petra Sthalam praised in the 7th-century Tevaram, and the HR&CE Department counts it as the 29th of the 32 Tevaram shrines of the Thondai Nadu region. It is linked by legend to the destruction of the three demon cities (Tripura) and to the Ganesha known as Achu Muri Vinayaka, the 'axle-breaking Ganesha'.
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam
The town's name is explained by a legend recorded by Wikipedia and Dinamalar. When Shiva set out on his chariot to destroy the three demons Tarakaksha, Kamalaksha and Vidyunmali, he did not first worship Ganesha, so Ganesha broke the axle (achu) of the chariot. Shiva then worshipped Ganesha before going on to victory, and the place came to be called Achu Iru Pakkam, later Achirupakkam or Acharapakkam. The same story is told at the Veerattaneswarar temple at Thiruvathigai. Dinamalar adds that Arunagirinathar's first Tiruppugazh hymn refers to the Ganesha of this place.
A second legend explains the two sanctums. According to Dinamalar, a Pandya king whose chariot axle broke here followed a golden lizard into a sarakondrai (laburnum) tree; when the tree was cut it bled, and Shiva later revealed in a dream that he was present there as a self-manifested lingam. The king asked a devotee named Trinetradhari to build a temple, and on his return found two sanctums: one for the king's Lord ('Umai Atcheeswarar') and one for the devotee's ('Emai' or Atcheeswarar). Dinamalar notes that each of the two Lords has a goddess in a separate shrine, Ilangili Ammai and Umayambigai.
The HR&CE Department records that the Tevaram poets Sambandar and Appar sang of the temple and that sages Kanva, Gautama and Agastya, the Saiva teacher Umapathi Sivacharya and Arunagirinathar worshipped here. Dinamalar notes that Appar mentions it in his Kshetra Kovai hymn.
Heritage
History of Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam
Wikipedia records several inscriptions from the reign of the Chola king Kulothunga I (1070–1120 CE), in which Shiva is called Accukkontu Aruliya Tevar and which record gifts of land, gold and sheep to the temple. It also notes that imitation amphorae, a pottery type used in the Thondai Nadu region in the 6th–7th centuries, have been found at the site in excavations.
In February 2019 a consecration ceremony (Kumbhabhishekam) was held at the temple in the presence of Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, according to the Peetham's own report. The temple is administered today by the HR&CE Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Architecture and sacred features
Wikipedia gives the temple's area as about 1.2 acres. A five-tiered rajagopuram faces a temple tank, and the shrines are enclosed in concentric walls. Dinamalar notes that the main flagstaff and Nandi stand slightly away from the gateway and that a meditating Nandi faces the Umai Atcheeswarar shrine. The goddess Sundaranayaki (Ilangili Ammai) has a west-facing shrine.
Images of Saraswati, Lakshmi, the Saptamatrikas and Ayyappa stand in the first precinct around the sanctum, and Dinamalar lists shrines of Murugan, Dakshinamurthy and Srinivasa with Alamelu Mangai. Wikipedia singles out a sculpture of the saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar walking on her hands and a carving of the hunter-saint Kannappa Nayanar below the image of Somaskanda.
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
This is a working temple with regular daily worship. Dress modestly, and follow the instructions of temple staff. The ten-day Chithirai Brahmotsavam brings large crowds. The HR&CE Department publishes the temple's darshan timings on its website; confirm them with the temple office before you travel.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nadu (official website) before travelling. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Festivals at Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam
Chithirai Brahmotsavam
The temple's main festival, lasting ten days, with the festival images taken around the streets on different mounts; the HR&CE Department notes that large numbers of devotees take part.
New moon and full moon pujas
Special pujas are held on Amavasya and Pournami days, according to Dinamalar.
Location
How to Reach Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam
Wikipedia places Acharapakkam at the 79th km of the Chennai–Tiruchirappalli national highway, about 10 km from Maduranthakam, with its own station on the Chennai–Tiruchirappalli railway line. Dinamalar lists Melmaruvathur as the nearest railway station and Chennai as the nearest airport, with buses from Chengalpattu.
Location: Acharapakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India
Nearest airport: Chennai (per Dinamalar)
Nearest railway station: Acharapakkam (per Wikipedia); Melmaruvathur (per Dinamalar)
More in Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu · Shiva (as Atcheeswarar and Umai Atcheeswarar) temples · Temples in Madurantakam Taluk · Temples in Kanchipuram District
Questions
Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam: Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Atcheeswarar Temple have two sanctums?
According to legend, a devotee asked to build the temple installed one lingam for the Pandya king (Umai Atcheeswarar) and one for himself (Atcheeswarar). The HR&CE Department notes the two main sanctums as a feature of the temple.
How did Acharapakkam get its name?
Legend says Ganesha broke the axle (achu) of Shiva's chariot because Shiva had not worshipped him before setting out against the three demons. The place came to be called Achu Iru Pakkam, later Acharapakkam.
Is Acharapakkam a Paadal Petra Sthalam?
Yes. Sambandar and Appar sang of the temple, and the HR&CE Department counts it as the 29th Tevaram shrine of the Thondai Nadu region.
How old is the temple?
It is praised in the 7th-century Tevaram, and Wikipedia records inscriptions from the reign of Kulothunga Chola I (1070–1120 CE).
Who manages the Atcheeswarar Temple?
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Where is Acharapakkam?
In Chengalpattu district, near Melmaruvathur on the Chennai–Tiruchirappalli highway, about 10 km from Maduranthakam.
Sources and attribution
- Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nadu — Arulmigu Aatcheeswarar Swamy Temple, Acharapakkam [TM001755] (archived 1 December 2024)
- Dinamalar — Sri Aatcheeswarar Temple, Achirupakkam
- Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham — Kumbhabhishekam at Acharapakkam temple (February 2019)
- Wikipedia — Aksheeswaraswamy Temple, Acharapakkam
Further reading: Atcheeswarar Temple, Acharapakkam on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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