Varadaraja Perumal Temple, Puducherry, Pondicherry India

Varadaraja Perumal temple is situated 3 Kms from the Kanchipuram bus stand and the presiding deity is Vishnu. This is also called as Hastgiri ( Hast means elephant, Giri means hill) and the sanctum is atop a small hill. It is also one of the 108 divyadeshams of Vishnu where Alwars have sung in praise of the Lord. To reach the Varadaraja Perumal's and Perundevi Thayar sannidhi one has to climb a fleet of steps. The sanctum houses the imposing idol of Varadarajar and outside the inner prakaram of this temple there are two sacred lizards sculpted on the ceiling , covered with silver and gold sheets. Sculptures of sun and moon are also visible near this. Pilgrims are allowed to touch these lizards and it is believed that it would wash away their sins and would bring prosperity. This hill is encircled with double storeyed, enclosed verandhas with a terrace and the whole thing forming a beautiful courtyard around the Varadaraja temple. This temple is also more than one thousand years old.

This temple was earlier known as Attiiyurar. The original image of perumal was made of Attimaram (fig tree) and that image is worshipped for 10 days, once in 40 years.

There are sannidhi's for Rama,Yoga Narasimhar, Kannan, the Alwars, and the Acharyas, Kariamanikka Perumaal, Andal and Varaaha Perumaal.  Varadharaja Perumal Temple or Hastagiri or Attiyuran is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the holy city of Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. It is located in part of Kanchipuram called the Vishnu Kanchi that is a home for a lot of famous Vishnu temples, including this one. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava VisishtAdvaita philosophy, Ramanuja is believed to have resided in this temple. The temple along with Ekambareswarar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram is called Mumurtivasam (abode of trio). While Srirangam is referred to as ‘ The Koil’ and Tirupathi as the ‘Malai’ among Divya Desams, Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal temple is known as the ‘Perumal Koil’. This is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnavites.

The front side tower is about 180 feet high and was built in 11th century and was renovated by the Vijaya Nagara kings. The 100 pillared mandpam carved out of a single rock is a real master piece and we can see many pillars embellished with minute carvings.The temple tank is the near the 100 pillared mandapam.

 There is a belief that the temple was first built by the Pallava king Nandivarman II.  Varadharaja Perumal Temple was originally built by the Cholas in 1053 and it was expanded during the reigns of the great Chola kings Kulottunga Chola I and Vikrama Chola. In the 14th century another wall and a gopura was built by the later Chola kings. When a Mughul invasion was expected in 1688, the main image of the deity was sent to Udayarpalayam, now part of Tiruchirapalli District. It was brought back with greater difficulty after the involvement of local perceptor who enlisted the services of general Todarmal. Robert Clive, the British general during the colonial period visited the Garuda seva festival and presented a valuable necklace which is adorned during the special occasion every year. During the war between mughal king Malikapur and Cheran King 'Ravivarman Kulasekaran', The cheran won the battle against kusru khan who is the captain under mughal raj in Kanchepuram with the blessings of Varadharaja Perumal.

 This temple provides a glimpse of 16th century pillared pavilion with an exuberant workmanship.this temple situated on the top of Hastigiri or Elephant Hill. One has to ascend 24 steps up the hill to reach the sanctum sanctorum.Lord Varadaraja is in standing posture facing towards the west with his gracious look. The figure is huge in size with four hands holding the insignias of Sankha, Chakra, etc., and richly decorated with costly jewels.The main Deity of Sri Varadaraja Perumal in this temple is very large, and is believed to be second in size to none other than the Deity of Sri Venkateswara of Tirumala-Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh. Significant among other things in this temple are the sculptures of two lizards carved on the ceiling of the corridor enclosing the Sanctum.