Ancient Chola temple at Madambakkam The Siva temple near
Tambaram... an example of architectural excellence. THE SMALL
and little-known suburb of Madambakkam, situated close to
Tambaram, is home to a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord
Siva, known here as Lord Dhenupureeswarar. This temple, dating
back to more than a thousand years, was built during the reign
of the Chola king, Parantaka II, also known as Sundara Chola
(956-973 A.D.), father of Rajaraja Chola I, who constructed the
famous Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. This temple was
probably rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulottunga Chola
I. The main sanctum of this temple, which houses the presiding
deity Lord Dhenupureeswara in linga form, faces east. Unlike
most shrines, which are square or rectangular in plan, this one
is apsidal in shape (called gajaprishta vimana in Sanskrit), a
feature found in some Chola temples in and around Chennai. There
are beautiful sculptures of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu,
Brahma and Goddess Durga in the niches