Margabandeswara Temple

Virinchipuram · Vellore

A 13th-century Śiva temple at Virinchipuram near Vellore, its lord called Marga Bandhu, the protector on the journey, with two Kalyana Mandapas of rare sculpture and inscriptions from the Pallavas to the Vijayanagara kings.

Margabandeswara Temple at Virinchipuram is a 13th-century Śiva shrine whose lord guides the devotee on the road. The three registers below are held apart, as the book records them.

The photographs

Plates

Each temple holds 10 to 25 photographs. Drop them into the temple’s _originals folder and they convert to webp on build; every plate carries its photographer credit, licence and print link.

Architectural

structure & vocabulary

The temple's eastern tower is a testament to its scale, complemented by towers facing several directions. Its highlight is the pair of Kalyana Mandapas flanking the outer corridor, whose pillars and sculptures depict forms of Shakti, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Krishna, Vinayaka, Subramanya and others.

Rare sculptures within these halls include Narasimha emerging from a pillar, Narasimha vanquishing Hiranya, Vishnu with musical instruments, Shiva manifesting as Veerabhadra beheading Daksha, Vishnu praying to a liṅga, Shiva as Gaja Samhara Murthi, and Shiva pacifying Parvathi. These Kalyana Mandapas may have been erected by the Bomma Nayakars, who also contributed to the Vellore Jalakanteswara temple.

The main sanctum, or garbhagriha, is unusual in shape, likened to the rump of an elephant. The temple has two sthala vrikshas, the palm tree, one for the deity and one for the goddess, making it one of the few shrines to hold two sacred trees.

Archaeological

dated & cited

The temple is described as a 13th-century foundation, standing on the Bangalore-Chennai National Highway about 13 km from Vellore Town Railway Station.

Several inscriptions survive from the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Sambuvarayars, Vijayanagara kings, and the Nayakas, detailing land donations to the temple.

Dating

Begun13th century

Described in the book as a 13th-century temple.

Inscription · Sidewall of the Rajagopuram

The most notable inscription records the abolition of the dowry system, ordering that marriages be conducted by Kanyadhana without giving gold as dowry. Under Vijayanagara rule, Brahmins in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada lands had arranged marriages only after obtaining gold from the bride's family; by this order, both the bride's and groom's families would be excluded if found guilty of giving or accepting dowry.

Mythological

as transmitted

The deity is fondly called Marga Bandhu Eeshwar or Margabandeswara, meaning the one who guides us in the right way. Lord Brahma is worshipped here as Virinjan, giving the town its name, Virinchipuram, from the legend that Brahma (Virinchi) worshipped the temple.

The temple is also known as Baskara Kshetram, for the Sun god is said to worship the liṅga when his rays fall on it in the month of Panguni. It is the birthplace of Sri Appayya Dikshithar (1520 to 1593), interpreter of Advaita Siddhanta after Adi Sankara, whose Margabandhu stotram, sung in praise of Margabandeswara, asks for protection of people on their journey, so that one may have Lord Shiva as Marga-Bandhu.

Local legend tells of a tunnel running to the Jalakanteswara temple in Vellore, used to shift valuables and deities during invasions, though the book notes such a length is unlikely.

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