Vedapureeswarar Temple (Easwaran Koil)
வேதபுரீஸ்வரர் கோயில் (ஈஸ்வரன் கோயில்)
Shiva temple in the Tamil Quarter, destroyed in 1748 and rebuilt in 1788; with the Varadaraja Perumal temple close by, the nucleus around which the old town grew.
A Shiva temple on Puducherry Tourism’s Tamil heritage walk, where Shiva is worshipped as Vedapureeswarar and Parvati as Tripurasundari. Locally it is Easwaran Koil, and the street outside is Easwaran Koil Street.
History
The temple was destroyed in 1748, during the religious conflicts of the French period; the demolition is recorded in the diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai, the chief interpreter (dubash) of the French governor. While it lay in ruins, its images were kept in the Varadaraja Perumal temple about 50 metres away. Divan Kandappa Mudaliar rebuilt it with public contributions in 1788.
The two temples, Shiva’s and Vishnu’s, are described by Puducherry Tourism as the nucleus around which the town evolved. Today the temple is administered by a trust under the Government of Puducherry’s department of Hindu religious institutions.
What to see
- The rajagopuram, the gateway tower, and the granite walls enclosing the shrines
- The shrines of Vedapureeswarar and Tripurasundari, with Ganesha, Kartikeya and the Navagraha around them
- The temple tank inside the enclosure
- Easwaran Koil Street outside, with its verandas (thalvaram) and benches (thinnai)
Why visit
It is the starting point of the Tamil heritage walk and one of the two temples the old town grew around.
- Wheelchair access
- yes
- Coordinates
11.939856, 79.829781