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Thirukameeswarar Temple, Villianur
திருக்காமீஸ்வரர் கோயில், வில்லியனூர்
Shiva temple at Villianur where Shiva is worshipped as Kameeswarar and Parvati as Kokilambigai; its two-acre complex has inscriptions from the 14th century.
The temple that gives Villianur its fame, also called the Kokilamba–Kameeswarar temple. Its shrines stand within concentric rectangular walls on a two-acre site.
History
The original temple is believed to date from the Chola period, with later additions under the Vijayanagara rulers; the present masonry structure is believed to be of the 16th century. Inscriptions of Raja Narayana Sambuvarayar (1339–1363) record a gift of land to the temple irrigated by Ossudu Lake. Its history is told in the Villai Puranam by Veeraraghava Kavi, published in 1940 by the Tamil scholar U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. Today the temple is administered by the Government of Puducherry’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.
What to see
- The concentric walls and gateway towers
- The shrines of Kameeswarar and Kokilambigai
Why visit
A major Shiva temple with medieval inscriptions, close to the Lourdes shrine of Villianur.
- Coordinates
11.914714, 79.755741