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Cheyyur is a small village in Chingleput district, 18 miles
from Madurantakam, which was previously known as "Jayamkonda-
Cholapuram". During the reign of the Chola kings, a temple was
constructed here. In those days this place was a dense forest and kept as
a reserve for the Chola kings to hunt.
The Legend Behind The Origin Of The Temple
A Chola king came for hunting once and found that there was another
person already in the forest engaged in hunting. This enraged the King and
he followed him till he disappeared behind an anthill. His disappearance
enraged the king much more and he could not control himself and let go a
shaft from his bow.
\The arrow hit the anthill and blood gushed out profusely, which made the
king curious and he asked his camp followers to dig the anthill open when,
to their utter surprise, they came across a Shiva lingam. Since the Lingam
(also spelt as Linga) was found inside the anthill it was named as "Valmikinathar".
The King constructed a temple over the Lingam (also spelt as Linga). The
name of the consort of the Swayambhulinga is "Muktambikai".
About The Temple
The temple is a small one but has great antiquity and sanctity behind it.
There is another temple near the Shiva temple, which is dedicated to
Subrahmanya in his infant aspect. In Tamil 'Sei' means infant. The name of
the village (Seyyur, later Cheyyur) was derived from this fact. Ballavan
Chola renovated the temple but the origin of the temple is lost in
oblivion. The village was previously known as "Belapuri".
Air: Nearest airport is Meenambakkam in
Chennai; it operates
both national and international flights.
Rail: The nearest railway station is at
Kanchipuram, which is on
Chengalpattu - Arakkonam line.
Road: Tourists can access Cheyyur from Madurakantam, which can be
reached by road either from
Chennai or
Chengalpattu. Private taxis and regular buses ply from Madurakantam to
Cheyyur.
Accommodation is available at the small budgeted hotels in Cheyyur and Chengalpattu.
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