Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1805 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early modern · Hindu · India

Chennakesava Perumal Temple, Chennai

George Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu · 13.0839°, 80.2700°

Vishnu as Chennakesava Perumal, with Chenkamala Valli ThayarColonial-era MadrasDravidian
Sacred since
1646 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
rebuilt 18th c. (original 1646)
Colonial-era Madras

History & significance

One of the twin temples of old Madras, first built in 1646 on the ground now occupied by the Madras High Court and demolished by the British between 1757 and 1762 during the expansion of Fort St. George. It was rebuilt on Devaraja Mudali Street in George Town by Manali Muthu Krishna Mudaliar, alongside the Chenna Malleeswarar temple.

Sthala katha — the legend

The name of the city of Chennai is popularly traced to these temples, chenna meaning fair in Kannada and Telugu.

Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Colonial-era Madras