Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kapileshwar is an ancient temple built by the Pallavas in the 8th century. It is located in Mylapore. It is believed that Karpagambal used to worship the lord in the form of a peacock(Mayil in Tamil), hence the place got its name as Mylapore. It is said that the original temple got submerged in the sea and later it was reconstructed. The mesmerizing Dravidian style of architecture of the temple draws tourists from far and wide. 

There is an interesting legend attached to the temple. According to the legend, desirous to get married to Lord Shiva, goddess Parvati took the form of a peacock.

The temple houses bronze idols of around 63 Saivite saints who were the ardent devotees of lord Shiva. There are also many sannadhis of deities like Vinayagar, Annamalaiyar, Murugar, Durgai, Saneeswara, Chandikeswarar and Dakshinamurthy. All the idols in the temple are meticulously carved. There is also a tank in the temple, which lies at the opposite side of the structure. The temple becomes the venue of celebration every year during the Arupathumoovar festival. The devotees enthusiastically take part in this festival and take out procession, which is quite an attraction. It is during this festival when the temple attracts maximum number of devotees who come here to take Lord's blessings.