Sri Chandrachoodeshwara Perumal Temple

Sri Chandrachoodeshwara Perumal Temple at Thirunilathingal Thundam in Kanchipuram is a distinctive Divya Desam with a name that evokes both Vaishnavite and Shaivite imagery — "Chandrachooda" means "the One who wears the moon (Chandra) as a crest (Chooda)," a title more commonly associated with Lord Shiva. In the Vaishnavite context, this name celebrates Vishnu's all-encompassing nature — the Lord who subsumes all forms and all deities within Himself. "Thirunilathingal Thundam" means "the sacred place of the crescent (thundam) moon (thingal) on earth (nila)." Thirumangai Azhwar praised this temple, and Thirumazhisai Azhwar — who famously explored both Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions before finding his ultimate refuge in Vishnu — would have appreciated this shrine's inclusive theological gesture. Peyazhwar and Poigai Azhwar, the Mudhal Azhwars born in Thondai Nadu, also venerated the Lord in His myriad forms across Kanchipuram. This temple completes the extraordinary concentration of Divya Desams in Kanchipuram, making it the single city with the most Divya Desams in all of Thondai Nadu.