Kanthaswamy Temple, Cheyyur
| Kanthaswamy Temple | |
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 Kanthaswamy Temple
Location in Tamil Nadu
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| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 12°21′09″N 80°02′22″E / 12.35250°N 80.03944°ECoordinates: 12°21′09″N 80°02′22″E / 12.35250°N 80.03944°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Kanchipuram |
| Location | Cheyyur |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Kanthaswamy (Murugan) |
| Consort | Valli, Deivasena |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Dravidian architecture |
Kanthaswamy Temple in Cheyyur, in Kanchipuram district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple was constructed during the Cholas during the 10th century. Muruga is worshipped as Kanthaswamy along with his consorts Valli and Deivasena. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines.
The temple is open from 6 am - 12:30 pm and 4:30 - 8:00 pm on all days. Four daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Vaikasi Visagam, Kanthasasti festival, Soorasamharam, Thaipoosam festival and Panguni Uthiram festival being the most prominent being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
As per Hindu legend, Muruga obtained the Vel (spear) from his mother Parvathi from Sikkal Singaravelan Temple. He slayed Sooran, the demon, the event called Soorasamharam at Tiruchendur. During the war, the Bhutaganas, Shiva's army, is also believed to have helped Murugan. Since Murugan killed Sooran and his son Iranyeswaran, he attained Dosha (sin). To propitiate himself from the sin, he is believed to have installed the image of Shiva as Somanatha at this place and worshipped Shiva. Since the son of Shiva (called Sei) worshipped him, the place is called Cheyyur. The 27 Bhutaganas are personified to the 27 stars as per Hindu mythology.
The place was believed to be ruled by a Chola emperor named Valanvan and the place came to be known as Valavapuri. The shrine of Meenakshi was added by the benevolent contribution by a devotee in 1937. From the inscriptions in the temple, it is believed that it was constructed by the Cholas during the 10th century. The inscriptions from the Vijayanagar Empire during the 15th century indicate that Muslims were employed in the office of the kings. They also indicate that lands were endowed to the temple by the Muslims.
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