The very name of Vakrakali Amman Temple will slay the evil in us and restore peace and harmony. This is one of the most powerful Amman temples in Tamilnadu.
The very name of Thiruvakkarai Vakrakaliamman Temple will slay the evil in us and restore peace and harmony. This is one of the most powerful Amman temples in Tamilnadu. Though the temple’s prime deity is Lord Shiva Chandra Mouleeswarar, Vakra Kali Amman became quite famous. The whole temple is bounded with mysteries and rare phenomenon. The Goddess Vakrakali graces from the sanctum majestically, She is the slayer of evil and Vakram in Tamil means Anger, the goddess is very angry and furious and so She got the name Vakrakaliamman. This temple is located in Pondicherry.

Location of Vakrakali Amman Temple :

Vakrakali Amman Temple is located in Pondicherry.

Distinctiveness :

The whole temple is a distinct one, apart from Vakrakali Amman Temple, there are separate shrines for Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, And Lord Bhrama. It is a very rare thing to fine Lord Vishnu in Shiva Temple, but here Lord Varadha Raja Perumal is found adjacent to Lord Shiva that too having Chakra in Prayoga stage, which is an unusual thing. Adding to it, this is the only temple where Lord Shiva is found with three heads, each head stands for one God ( Shiva, Vishnu, and Bhrama), The east face is known as Thatpurudam, north face is known as Vaamadevam and the south face is known as Agoram. The Amman has eight hands and wears the fetus as her earring in one of her ears. The Goddess is seen in a sitting posture with one leg hanging down and the skull adorns Her head. Yet another amazing feature of this temple is the Shastra Lingam, this Lingam is carved with 1008 lingams. The Lord Nataraja Perumal in this temple postures in Ruthra thandavam with his right leg raised up, which is also a rare one. To the left of Vakrakali Amman is the Valampuri Vinayaka, which is a rare one. Only one temple out of 108 Shiva temples has Valampuri Vinayaka, so visiting this Vinayaka is equal to visiting all the 108 Shiva temples.

History of the Temple:

The legend has it that, a demon named Vakrasuran did penance towards Lord Shiva with the lingam in his throat, pleased by his devotion Lord Shiva granted him the boon of eternal life. After receiving this boon, the demon became very arrogant and boisterous, He started to pester all the devas and rishis. Unable to bear his torture all the Devas went and surrendered to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva asked Vishnu to kill the demon. Thus Lord Vishu annihilated the demon using his Chakra Ayudha (disc weapon). The sister of demon Vakrasuran was also equally harmful; Lord Shiva gave the responsibility of killing Dhurmiki to Goddess Parvathi. This Dhurmuki was pergant at that time, according to the Vedas, it is a sin to kill a pregnant women, so Goddess Parvathi took the form of vakra Kali, tore the womb of Dhurmuki and wore the fetus as her earring ( Kundalam ) and later Killed the demoness.

Festivals of Vakrakali Amman Temple

On the full moon day, the Goddess is adorned with Sandal paste mask( sandhana Kappu), it is a belief that, if we worship Goddess for the consecutive three full moon days, all our wishes will be granted.
People suffering from adverse planetary affects, visit Thiruvakkarai Vakrakaliamman Temple, Vakra Linkam and Vakra Sani to get rid of their ill luck. A rare way of going around the temple (pradhikshna)is done, first five rounds starts from the right side next four rounds are done from the left side. The goddess Vakrakali Amman is the ruling god of all the planets ( Ragu Kethu), so this temple is always filled with devotees wanting relief from their planetary effects.

How to Reach Vakrakali Amman Temple?

This temple is located near Pondicherry.
Bus: Buses are available from Pondicherry to this temple, but it is best to hire a taxi to reach this temple.
Railway station: The nearest railway station is at Pondicherry.