Varadharaja Perumal Temple - Storehouse of Chola Architecture

Varadharaja Perumal temple is considered to be the oldest Hindu temple in Pondicherry with history dating back to 600 AD. Built in Dravidian architecture, one can find similarities of other temples of Tamil Nadu The idol here is self manifested. Legend has it that the temple was originally built for Lord Ram, an incarnation of lord Vishnu and his family, whose statues were being brought through sea. When one Shiva (Vedapureeswarar) here was destroyed by the French troops in 1748, a devotee named Ananda Ranga Pillai took pains to gather all the idols from the debris and hid them in this temple, according to a note in his diary. The temple is initially accepted as the work by the Cholas and along these lines by the Pandyas from the 12th century. There are engravings in the temple from the time of Rajaraja Chola showing the presentation of Thiruvaimozhi, the renowned works of Alwar saint ‘Nammalvar’. There are a lot of tanks around the temple considered to be medicinal. Devotees practise taking a dip to cure themselves from common ailments. In a Christian dominant area, this temple is a famous pilgrimage spot for the Hindus in Pondicherry.