Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
Shiva (as Chandramouleeswarar, three-faced lingam) temple · Thiruvakkarai, Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu, India
The Chandramouleeswarar Temple at Thiruvakkarai, a village in Viluppuram district of Tamil Nadu, is a Shiva temple best known to pilgrims for the shrine of the goddess Vakrakali Amman inside it. Shiva is worshipped as Chandramouleeswarar ('he who wears the moon'), also called Chandrasekarar, in the form of a rare three-faced lingam, and his consort as Amirthambigai or Vadivambigai.
It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam, praised in a Tevaram hymn of Thirugnana Sambandar, and has a large body of Chola inscriptions recorded by the epigraphy department in 1904. One of them credits the Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi with building a stone temple here. The temple also has a Vishnu shrine to Varadaraja Perumal, and it is administered by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
Thevaaram.org explains the name Thiruvakkarai from the demon Vakrasura, who is said to have worshipped Shiva here. According to the legend retold by Dinamalar, Vishnu (as Varadaraja Perumal) slew Vakrasura, while Kali slew his sister Dhunmukhi and wore the unborn child as an earring; the goddess, still fierce, is believed to have been calmed when Adi Shankara installed a Sri Chakra beside her. For this reason the place is called Vakra Shanti Thiruthalam, and the goddess Vakrakali.
The lingam in the sanctum has three faces. Dinamalar identifies the east face as Tatpurusha, the north as Vamadeva and the south as Aghora, and thevaaram.org also notes that the Lord here appears with three faces. Wikipedia observes that a Kali shrine inside a Shiva temple is unusual, since Kali shrines in Tamil villages are usually on the outskirts.
The temple is closely associated with the idea of vakra ('crooked' or 'out of line'). Dinamalar notes that the rajagopuram, flagstaff and Nandi are not in a straight line with the sanctum, and that the flagstaff leans slightly. Devotees going through a retrograde (vakra) Saturn period traditionally pray here, and a light (jyoti) darshan is held at midnight on full-moon and new-moon days, when the temple draws large crowds.
Heritage
History of Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
Volume XVII of South Indian Inscriptions, which publishes the records copied at the temple in 1903–04, lists two inscriptions of a Rajakesarivarman, placed under the Chola king Aditya I, on either side of the southern entrance to the central shrine. Wikipedia, citing B. Venkataraman's study of Chola queens' temple art, describes the present stone shrine as dating from Aditya I's reign (c. 870–907 CE).
An inscription of Rajaraja I's 16th regnal year (1000–01 CE), on the base of a now-ruined Shiva shrine in the complex, names Sembiyan Mahadevi, queen of Gandaraditya and mother of Uttama Chola, as having built the stone temple called Sivalokam at Thiruvakkarai, and records the gift of the village of Manali to its deity. Further records of Rajendra I's reign (early 11th century) record gifts of sheep for perpetual lamps and of temple vessels to the god of the central shrine, called Mulasthanam-udaiya Mahadevar.
Wikipedia also records an inscription of Uttama Chola providing for worship of both Chandramouleeswarar and Varadaraja Perumal, and later work on the Vishnu shrine under Rajendra I and Athirajendra. Dinamalar notes that Arunagirinathar sang of the Murugan shrine here in his Thiruppugazh. Today the temple is maintained by the HR&CE Department.
Architecture and sacred features
According to Wikipedia, the temple stands on the bank of the Varaha river, with a seven-tiered rajagopuram set in a rectangular granite wall that encloses all the shrines; the temple tank lies next to the temple. The sanctum is approached through an ardha mandapa and a mukha mandapa, and the first corridor has shrines of Vinayaka, Murugan, Durga, Dakshinamurthy and Chandikeswarar. The second corridor contains a hundred-pillared hall.
The Vakrakali shrine is near the entrance, under the gopuram, and Dinamalar describes the goddess with flame-like hair, a crown of skulls and eight arms, with the Sri Chakra on her left. The Varadaraja Perumal shrine stands in the large outer corridor, as thevaaram.org notes.
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
Dinamalar notes that crowds are largest on Tuesdays, Sundays and on Ashtami and Navami days, and on the full-moon and new-moon nights when the midnight jyoti darshan is held. Dress modestly and follow the temple's rules for circumambulating the Vakrakali shrine and for offerings. Confirm current timings and special-day arrangements with the temple's HR&CE office before travelling.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department before travelling. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Festivals at Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
Chitra Pournami
Full-moon festival with a procession of Vakrakali Amman, listed by Dinamalar and Wikipedia as one of the temple's main festivals.
Float festival of Chandramouleeswarar
Dinamalar lists a float festival for the presiding deity around the Tamil New Year; Wikipedia places the float festival in Vaikasi.
Kaanum Pongal
Celebrated the day after Pongal, according to Dinamalar and Wikipedia.
Aadi and Thai Kiruthigai
Kiruthigai days for Murugan, listed by Dinamalar.
Karthigai Deepam
Festival of lamps, listed by Dinamalar and Wikipedia.
Location
How to Reach Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
Thevaaram.org gives the route from Puducherry: travel about 20 km to Vanur, then about 5 km west along the Tindivanam road. Dinamalar suggests taking a Tindivanam–Puducherry bus via Mylam to Perumbakkam, about 7 km from the temple, and continuing by auto or taxi. Wikipedia places Thiruvakkarai about 20 km from Viluppuram and close to the National Fossil Wood Park.
Dinamalar names Tindivanam as the nearest railway station and Chennai as the nearest airport.
Location: Thiruvakkarai, Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Nearest airport: Chennai
Nearest railway station: Tindivanam (per Dinamalar)
More in Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu · Shiva (as Chandramouleeswarar, three-faced lingam) temples · Temples in Vanur Taluk · Temples in Viluppuram District
Questions
Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the main deity of Thiruvakkarai temple?
Shiva as Chandramouleeswarar, worshipped in a rare three-faced lingam. His consort is Amirthambigai (Vadivambigai). The temple is also famous for its Vakrakali Amman shrine.
Why is the goddess called Vakrakali?
According to legend, Kali slew Dhunmukhi, sister of the demon Vakrasura, here. The place name Thiruvakkarai is also traced to Vakrasura, who is said to have worshipped Shiva here.
Is Thiruvakkarai a Paadal Petra Sthalam?
Yes. Thirugnana Sambandar sang a Tevaram hymn on the temple, according to thevaaram.org.
How old is the Thiruvakkarai temple?
Its inscriptions begin in the reign of the Chola king Aditya I (late 9th century). A record of Rajaraja I's reign (1000–01 CE) says queen Sembiyan Mahadevi built a stone temple called Sivalokam here.
What is unusual about the temple's layout?
Dinamalar notes that the gopuram, flagstaff and Nandi are not aligned with the sanctum, a feature linked to the 'vakra' (crooked) theme of the temple.
Who manages the temple?
The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
How do I reach Thiruvakkarai?
From Puducherry go to Vanur and then about 5 km west on the Tindivanam road, or take a Tindivanam–Puducherry bus to Perumbakkam and continue about 7 km. Tindivanam is the nearest railway station.
Sources and attribution
- Archaeological Survey of India – South Indian Inscriptions Vol. XVII (via whatisindia.com) — Inscriptions collected during 1903–1904: Cholas – Rajaraja I and Rajendra I (Tiruvakkarai Nos. 186–222)
- Archaeological Survey of India – South Indian Inscriptions Vol. XVII (via whatisindia.com) — Inscriptions collected during 1903–1904: Cholas – Aditya I (Tiruvakkarai Nos. 189–190)
- Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department, archived 2020 — Thirukoil – Temple List for Tamil Nadu (TM020341)
- Dinamalar — Sri Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Tiruvakkarai – temple details
- Thevaaram.org (Panniru Thirumurai) — Thiruvakkarai – temple history
- Wikipedia — Chandramouleeswar Temple, Thiruvakkarai
- OpenStreetMap — Temple compound (way 750710853)
Further reading: Chandramouleeswarar Temple, Thiruvakkarai on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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