Sri Sundareswarar temple, Vadamadurai, Dindigul
Thiru Aavudayar Temple, Nanmangalam, Chennai
Very old temple, history unknown. Lord was found under a small tree inside the forest area. Later localities built a small temple with Gajaprishtam.
East facing sivalingam with square Aavudayar which shows it was worshiped by saints and siddhars.
Powerful Sivan and Nandhi. Daily morning , Annabisekam, and pradhosa poojas are happening regularly.
Contact: Gurukkal Srinivasan can be reached at 9940355514.
Trustee Srinivasan can be reached at 8754470123
Location: Thiru Aavudayar Temple, Nanmangalam
Sri Someshwara Temple, Munnekkolal, Bengaluru
The name Munnekkolal has come as in earlier day lot of Munnis (saints) have lived here and this place had a Kola (pond) which they used.. hence the name “Munigala Kola” (pond of the saints) Munnekkolal.
The Avudayar or the lower part of the moolavar is in square shape which clearly shows it’s been installed and worshipped by saints (Siddhas).
There is no Ambal Sannidhi here and only Shivalingam, Nandhi, Dhwajasthanba along with a veereabadhra statue alone is left of what could have been a big temple.
Currently a new temple is getting built behind the old temple by the efforts of the local villagers and needs to be completed and kumbhabhishekam to be completed soon.
Contact: The priest Mr.Prashanth can be reached at 8618064228.
Sri Pushparatheswarar Temple, Gnayiru Village, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Pushparatheswarar
Amman: Sri Sornambigai
A vey old and beautiful temple in the village called Gnayiru named after the Sun God. It is one of the Pancha Bhaskara kshetram. “Pancha” means five, and this is one of the five temples where sun god prayed here for relief from the curse he got from lord brahma.,
The village has an interesting Sthalapuranam for the temple. Surya Bhagwan had been cursed by Lord Brahma. Because of this curse Sanjana Devi, the wife of Sun God who is the daughter of Vishwakarma, though was happy with her husband, at one stage she felt that she couldn’t bear his heat any longer. So, she left him after leaving her duplicate in her place whom she created from her own shadow (Chaya Devi). When Surya realized the truth, he prayed to Lord Siva at the Arunachaleswarar Temple to unite him again with his wife.
While circumambulating the shrine he saw a light which fell on him by way of blessings and then moved away. Intrigued, he followed the light till it reached the village of Gnayiru. Here he came across a beautiful pond, filled with huge lotuses, some of which even had 1,000 petals. Fascinated, Surya got into the water to offer his prayers to lord Shiva. Touched by Surya's devotion, Lord Siva appeared as a Lingam on one of the lotuses and cured him. Filled with joy and gratitude Surya built a temple for the Lingam, in Gnayiru village. As the lord appeared here on a lotus in the form of a lingam he is called Pushparatheswarar. Surya was also bestowed with an Akshaya Paathram with which he fed thousands of devotees, who came to the temple every year, in search of remedies for their ailments. They believe the Lord here will relieve them of pain and shower prosperity on them.
This temple is one among the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) for Suryan (Sun).
The Navagraha temples around Chennai are as follows:
Pushparatheswarar Temple, Gnayiru Gramam (Suryan Sthalam)
Bheemeshwarar Temple, Mudichur (Chandran Sthalam)
Agastheeswarar Temple, Villivakkam (Chevvai Sthalam)
Karaneeswarar Temple, Saidapet (Budhan Sthalam)
Tiruvalleeswarar Temple, Tiruvalidhaayam, Padi (Guru Sthalam)
Velleeswarar Temple, Mylapore (Sukran Sthalam)
Devi Karumariamman Temple, Thiruverkadu (Rahu & Kethu Sthalam)
This temple is associated with Sundaramurthy Nayanar and Sangili Nachiyar. It is a birth place of Sangili Nachiyar. Gnayiru village has been praised by Sekkizhar in Periya Puranam. Yet there is a debate whether this is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams or not. Also,this place is the final resting place of Shri Kanva maharishi (foster Father of Shakunthala)
Sage Agasthiyar, the author of Adityahrudayam is believed to have stayed here and worshipped Lord Shiva. Adityahrudayam is a sloka recited by Agasthiyar to Lord Rama in the battlefield before the fight with Ravana. The sage teaches Lord Rama the procedure of worshipping Suryan for strength and to gain victory over the enemy. Reciting this sloka of about 30 verses every day is said to be highly beneficial.
It is believed that every Tamil new year Lord Suriya in the form rays fall on the shivalingam and Ambal during the first 7 days of the tamil New Year (April).
The temple has a four tiered small rajagopuram as the entrance. The praharam with garden and the trees are beautifully maintained and the place is very calm and serene.
The huge 'Thiruvodu ' tree is the sthala vriksham here.The sannidhi of Pushparatheswarar faces east.There is a separate sannidhi for mother Swarnambigai on the left side. There is a separate sannidhi for Lord Sun facing the sannidhi of Lord Pushparatheswarar.
Contact: The temple Kurukal Krishnaswamy can be reached at 9952224822
Location: Sri Pushparatheswarar Temple, Gnayiru Village, Thiruvallur
Sri Anandeeswarar Temple, Pakkam Gramam (Chitherikkarai), Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Anandeeswarar
Amman: Sri Anandhavalli Ambal
A
good 1500 years old temple and the local Epigraphic evidences show that
the temple was renovated by Rajendra Chola, son of Raja Raja Chola in
the year 1022.
Sage Agasthya had worshipped in many temples and also
created Shivalingas for his worship. One such temple is of Lord
Anadeeswarar temple in Tiruvallur district in Pakkam Gramam near
Tirunindravur. The temple is in a pleasant and green environment. The
place was then known as Kalila Chaturvedamangalam in the Eekadu Kottam,
Puliyur Nadu of those years.
The temple has no shrine for the
Navagrahas except one for Jupiter-Guru Bhagwan. The rare Kallala banyan
tree is the holy tree of the temple. This is the tree that we all see
Sri Dhakshinamoorthy seated and giving mouna upadesam to sanakadhi
munivars. There is also a two faced Rudraksha tree here. It is believed
that great Siddhas and sages visit the temple invisibly. The 10 pillar
Maha Mandap is built aesthetically and as recently as 8 years ago when
Kumbhabhishekam was done. Interestingly the temple does not have any
other Parivara Murthys other than Ananda Vinayagar and Ananda
Balamurugan at either side of the moolavar Sannidhi in the maha
mandapam. And the Byravar is also called Ananda Byravar.
There is
a small room where the sidhars are believed to meditate even today and
the vibration inside that room is unbelievable and one can only
experience it when you visit here in person.
A peaceful beautiful temple and they perform daily 2 kala pujai. A must visit temple for sure.
Contact: The sivanadiyar Ezhumalai can be reached at 8015196937.
Location:
Sri Anandeeswarar Temple, Pakkam Gramam (Chitherikkarai), Thiruvallur
Sri Kasi Vishwanathar Temple, Kolapakkam, Chennai
Moolavar:Sri Kasi Vishwanathar
Amman:Sri Visalakshi Ambal
A
very peaceful temple on the Vandalur Kelambakkam main road. This temple
is apparently the Jeeva samadhi of Sri Dhamodara sidhar. He attained
samadhi 25 years ago. Moolavar Vishwanathar is facing North and Ambal
Sannidhi is yet to be constructed.
The pillars have idols of all 18 Siddhars including Sivavakiya sidhar, Bhogar, Pathanjali etc. Lot of people have got rid of their ailments by using Vibhuti and the vilvam from this temple.
Very well maintained temple
Contact: The Temple is maintained by a priest called Chandrasekar who can be reached on his mobile 8682025495
Location:
Sri Kasi Vishwanathar Temple, Kolapakkam, Chennai
Sri Kundaleeswarar Temple, Venbakkam, Chengalpattu
Moolavar: Sri Kundaleeswarar
Amman: Sri Yogambigai
A
good 1000 years old temple in the village of Venbakkam on the banks of a
large lake. It is said that this sivalingam could be one of the 108
sivalingam that was installed by sage Agasthiar.
Interestingly this temple is in straight line with Sri Thulaseeswarar, Tenple and Sri Marunderswarar temple.
There
is a small temple tank which is referred as “Neer Kundraa kulam” in
Tamil it means a tank which does not dry up ever and alway filled with
water. Hence based on the name of the temple tank they have have named
the lord here as Kundraesswarar later it’s become Kundaleeswarar.
Contact:The
temple is being maintained by one Mr.Narasiman who can be reached at
9751089926. A kurukal cones every day to perform one time puja here
A beautiful serene atmosphere and a must visit temple for all.
Location:
Sri Kundaleeswarar Temple, Venbakkam, Chengalpattu
Sri Ekanthalingeswarar Temple, Koratur, Chennai
Moolavar: Sri Ekanthalingeswarar
Amman: Sri Ezhilambigai
A
very small but amazing temple in the midst of the residential area of
koratur. Ekanthalingeswarar as the name suggests is peacefully seated
under a small Garbhagraham that apparently was built like some 50 years
ago.
It is said that the sivalingam could be over 1000 years
plus and the avudayar is in square which shows that siddhars must have
worshipped him in those years.
Ambal
Ezhilambigai was installed in later years. Earlier years it was only
the sivalingam and Nadhikeshwarar alone was in an open paddy field.
Around the ghostam there are Dhakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Durgai.
Apparently there is Chandikeswarar.
The locals also narrate a
story about a couple who lost their only son had stated worshiping this
shivalingam by building a small shrine around him. Now they are planning
to build a proper temple and work is planned to start by Jan 2022.
Contact:
The temple is currently maintained by one Mr. Kuppan who can be reached
at +91 9840790462. An old kurukal named Pichaimani is doing regular
puja in this temple and can be reached at 9444517296
This temple
is going to be rennovated soon so any funds that can be donated would be
of great help and Mr. Kuppan is the point person.
Location:
Sri Ekanthalingeswarar Temple, Koratur, Chennai
Sri Valleeswarar Temple, Karunakaracheri, Tiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Valleeswarar
Amman : Sri Valambikai
A beautiful Temple on the banks of river coovam off Chennai Outer Ring Road on the way towards Redhills.
The
moolavar was unearthed when there was some excavation work done over 50
years ago. It is said that the earlier temple was completely destroyed
in some natural calamity and it’s belived that the sivalingam and Nandhi
belongs to 12th century period.
This temple is said to be equal
to Kasi as just like in Kasi the moolavar faces East and a river flows
towards the north direction (utharavahini) just like how Ganga flows in
Kasi. They have the temple built in the style of padupathinath temple in
Nepal. Also another sivalingam was found in the river which is also
kept in a separate Sannidhi and named Arunachaleswarar. Also it is
belived that there is tunnel from here to ThiruAnnamalai.
You
have around 3 other Shivan temples in this village and the famous one
is Sri Prasunakunthalambigai samedha Sri Dhathreeswarar Temple
Sithukadu
has been(and continues to be) a land of Siddhars.Out of the several
Siddhars who dwelled here, the two notable saints (or atleast I must say
those who have been identified) are "Padukkai Jadamudi Siddhar" and "
Prana Deepika Siddhar". Since the Nandi was in the company of these
saints, it was serene and calm and hence there was no need for a noose,
says Kumaran. An image of Prana Deepika Siddhar can be found on the
pillar next to the Nandi here.
The Padukkai Jadamudi Siddhar and
Prana Deepika Siddhar while meditating in this region installed a Shiva
lingam under an Amla Tree because of which he came to be known as
Dhathriswara. They created a beautiful garden here which gave sweet
smelling flowers for the worship of the Lord because of which this place
came to be known as "Thirumanam" - Holy Fragrance. The Nandavanam
probably created by them, is like this today.
Prana Deepika
Siddhar is said to protect people from life threatening ailments and
several people with chronic ailments are said to have prayed to him and
become better. The Padukkai Jadamudi Sithar can be seen with very long
hair on which he is said to lie down in Yoga Nitra and move around
saving people and protecting lives then and now.
Currently the temple has been taken up for Renovation and funds are being seeked from devotees
Contact: Mr.Mohan can be reached on his mobile number +919940303694
Location:
Sri Valleeswarar Temple, Karunakaracheri, Tiruvallur
Sri Ponnambaleswarar Temple, Sembakkam, Chengalpattu
This
temple is the jeeva samadhi of Sri Ponambala Swamigal, his disciples
Chinna ponabalswamigal and Pazhani Swamigal. The moolavar is on the
Jeeva samadhi of Sri Ponnambal Swamigal, Nandhi is installed on Chinna
Ponambala Swamigal and in the outer praharam you can see Sri Phazhani
Swamigal samadhi. The outer praharam has a small Sannidhi for Sri
Annapoorani and Sri Dhandayudhapani.
Sri Ponnambala Swamigal and
Sri Thirumeni linga Swamigal lived in Sembakkam and were called twin
Siddhars since they were always seen together. They, along with another
Siddhar Sri Periya Chidhambara Swamigal (from Velacheri) used to meet at
the Mylapore Chithra Kulam by the mystic act of going from one place to
the other without physically going there.
The tank was called ‘Siddhar Koodum (meeting) Kulam (pond)’ once and became Chithrakulam later. When Ponnambala Swamigal attained Samadhi, the very next day Thirumeni Linga Swamigal also attained Samadhi. The Samadhi of both of them is present in front of the temple near the Ahazhi Theertham.
Note
on Acknowledgement : The legend information here is based on the
Sthalapuranam book of the temple which in turn is based on the age old
hand written notes of Sri Ponnambala Swamigal.
A peaceful dhyana
mandapam with both the Swamigal photos can be seen. Very peaceful with
lots of trees around. Next to the main entrance you can see on either
side Pillayar and Murugan Sannidhi.
The temple is at the end of
an unpolluted calm village in an ideal location for the peace loving
spiritual seekers. The temple is a beautiful one with lot of flower
plants and trees within and outside the temple. One nice thing in this
temple is the colour of the painting. Unlike other temples, the temple
is painted in a single colour that is eye-pleasing and gives a soothing
effect. Possibly, this could have been done due to insufficient funding
but nevertheless it is beautiful and very pleasing.
Contact: Reach Mr.Kuzhandhaivel on his mobile number 9710124577
Location:
Sri Ponnambaleswarar Temple, Sembakkam, Chengalpattu
Sri Someshwara Swamy Temple, Halsur, Bengaluru
This
is one the oldest temples of Bengaluru. Built during the Chola period,
the Someshwara Temple, is one of the most striking examples of ancient
Indian architecture.
The shrine is particularly known for its
magnificent architecture. There are a large number of elaborately carved
pillars inside the temple premise. You can also take a look at the
ancient scriptures inscribed on the walls. Some of the most striking
features of the temple include the Rajagopuram or the temple tower and
the Dhwajastambha.
The most amazing fact about this temple is
that Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma are also worshiped over here. This huge
temple also houses the deities of Kamakshamma, Arunachaleswara,
Bhimeswara, Nanjundeswara and Panchalingeswara.
Large number of devotees come here to pour water on the 'Pancha Lingeswaras' and offer prayers to Lord Shiva.
Location:
Sri Someshwara Swamy Temple, Halsur, Bengaluru
Sri Nanjundeshwara Temple, Doddanekundi, Bengaluru
A very beautiful temple for Nanjundeshwara (meaning the one who drank the poison to save the world) located in the middle of residential locality of Vibhutipura off Marathalli.
Some 15 years ago this temple was built by local people and regular pujas are conducted.
Unlike temples in Tamilnadu, there are no goshta murthies here. A separate Sannidhi for Vara siddhi vinayaka and Durga Parameshwari can be seen in either side of lord Sri Nanjundeshwara.
In
the outer prakaram you have Navagrahas, a small Sannidhi for Sri
Shanieeswara and Nagadevatas.A peaceful and beautiful temple in middle
of hustle bustle of the locality and a must visit temple for sure
Timing: The temple opens by 6 am to 11 am and in evening 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Contact: The pujari Pratheesh Bhattar can be reached at 9886225789 / 9483866870.
Location: Sri Nanjundeshwara Temple, Doddanekundi, Bengaluru
Sri Komaleeswarar Temple, Kolappanchery, Chennai
Moolavar: Sri Komaleeswarar
Amman: Sri Komalavalli Ambal
A
divine temple which is located 5 kms from Poonamallee, located in a
small Agraharam lane. It is said that the temple is 1200 years old and
was built by Nandhi Varman. There pallavas have also contributed towards
the welfare of this tenmple and you can see fish symbols on the ceiling
showing that even Pandyas have also done Thirupani for this temple.
The
earlier Moolavar Kimleeswarar was broken so it was moved under a Neem
and Peepal tree you can find outside the temple and the new moolavar’s
sivalingam was apparently brought here from Kasi and installed in the
80s. Since then there has been no single villager here who has not
visited Kasi from here.
Within the inner paraham there is a
vinayagar as well as Murugan with his consorts valli and Devasena.
Moolavar is facing east and Ambal is facing south. There ia also a
Navagraha Sannidhi within the inner maha Mandapam.
Outside the
temple there a unique well where cows can walk down the steps and drink
water. It is said those days there were many cows in this village and
milk was being supplied to nearby village called Palavakkam.
The
entrance is from the South side and interesting fact is that Ambal
doesn’t have vimanam. The outer praharam has Nandhi mandapam, Balipredam
and Kodi Maram. It seems all Utsavams were being celebrated earlier and
now the temple very badly needs a Rennovation and Kumbhabhishekam to be
performed.
Contact:
The kurukal Hariharan can be reached at 9003154640
Timing: The temple opens by 7:30 am to 8:30 am.
Location:
Sri Komaleeswarar Temple, Kolappanchery, Chennai
Sri Jambukeshwarar Temple, Korattur, Chennai
Moolavar:Sri Jambukeshwarar
Amman:Sri Akhilandeswari Ambal
A
nearly 1000 years old temple in midst of the residential locality of
Korattur. Swamy Sri Jambugeswarar Sannidhi is facing east and Ambal
Akhilandeswari is facing south. There are 2 entrances both from east as
well as south to this temple.
Few unique things about this temple
is there are twin vinayagar outside Sivan Sannidhi and you can also see
Murugan with his consorts valli and deivayanai. You can see lot of
Siddharas carved on the pillars showing that this place has been
worshipped by siddhars in the past. One of the famous siddhar Sri
kakabhujandar also can be seen on one of the pillars.
As far as
the inscription goes there are only 2 pillars near Ambal Sannidhi with
full of inscriptions. Within the inner prakaram you have Sannidhi for
Nalvar, kalabiravar and suryan. The ceiling has the snake and moon
carved representing that this could have been a parihara sthalam.
Interestingly
there is no vimanam for both Ambal and Swamy and the outer Praharam of
the moolavar Sannidhi is in the gajabrishtam or semi-circular model.
There are no ghoshta murthies outside. It is said that there was a
dhwajasthambam earlier and in time it got destroyed and a new one has
not replaced yet.
The outer praharam is fairly big and it has lot
of trees including vilvam, pavazhamalli, jambu tree etc. Also you can
see separate Sannidhi for Navagrahas.
Contact:
The temple opens by 5:45 am and the Sivacharyar can be reached at 9080481867 and also 9444244449
Location:
Sri Jambukeshwarar Temple, Korattur, Chennai
Sri Meghanadheeswarar Temple, Melkottaiyur, Kelambakkam- Vandalur Road
Moolavar:Sri Meghanadheeswarar
Amman: Sri Megambigai
It
is believed to be built by king of Chola king around 8th century.
Only the moolavar, Sri Meganadeeswarar Ambal, Nandhi and Muis believed
to be 1300 years old. But the rest of temple structures has been built
during the year 2013 as the old structure has been completely destroyed
in time.
It is said that Varuna bhagavan worshipped
Mehanadheeswarar here to get rid of his curse from Dhurvasa muni. The
Avudayar unlike most the South Indian Siva temples is almost at the
ground level and is in squared shape. It is said that during Renovation
time people tried lifting the linga banam to a put it on a pedestal, but
realised that the banam has several feet going below the ground and
hence they left it as it is.
It
is believed to be a parihara sthalam and mostly Pradhosham Abhishekam
is believed to be the pariharam for all kind of ailments and wishes that
the devotees have. Every pradosham 108 sangu abiskegam is performed
without fail. One can feel very strong vibration in this temple.
You
can see a beautiful temple tank outside. The other sannidhies are
present as well like you find in any other Sivan temple. There is a
small Kodimaram which shows that Brahmotsavam is performed regularly in
this tenple and also Shivaratri is said to be performed at a grand
scale.
Contact:
The temple Dharmakartha Murali can be
reached on his mobile number 9840155627 and the Kurukal can be reached
on his mobile 9962267285
Location:
Sri Meghanadheeswarar Temple, Melkottaiyur, Kelambakkam- Vandalur Road
Sri Irattai Lingeswarar Temple, Mangadu
A beautiful Twin Shivan temple in Mangadu known as Sri Mangalapureeswarar and Sri Dhenupureeswarar.
Mangadu
is known for the temple of 'Tapas Kamakshi" or the Kamakshi Ambal
performing penance. This is the place where the goddess performed her
penance to marry and re-unite with Lord Shiva. All 32 types of Dharmic
rituals were performed here by the goddess.
The
mythology is that when Lord Shiva and Parvati where in Mount Kailash
the Goddess playfully closed the eyes of the Lord Shiva and as a result
the whole universe fell into eternal darkness. So the Lord ordained her
to perform Tapasya.The Goddess came down to this place and performed
penance amidst "Panchagni" resting her left leg on the sacred fire and
folding her right leg. She holds a "Japamala" or rosary in her hand as
she meditated on Lord Shiva who asked her to come to Kanchipuram for
marriage.After the goddess left the place, the heat of the fire that she
had created caused great discomfort and became unbearable for all
living beings there. Sri Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have visited
Mangadu and installed a Sri Ardhameru Chakram at this place. This was
done to calm down the heat of the fire created by the Goddess and at the
same time make it into a place that is soothing for all living beings.
When
Devi Kamakshi performed the penance it is said that she was sorrounded
by 108 shivalingams and these 2 shivalingams are part of those 108.
Also
there is a plan to build an actual temple around the current sheet
structure as the land belongs to Mangadu Kamakshi Temple.
Timing: The temple is opened by 7 am
Evening : 6PM - 8PM
Contact:
Mr.Dhayalan who takes care of the temple can be reached at 9840673180.
For any kind of abhishekam and Pooja Dhayalan can be reached out.
Location:
Sri Irattai Lingeswarar Temple, Mangadu
Sri Thiruthaleeswarar Temple, Aranvoyal, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Thiruthaleeswarar
Amman:Sri Maragadambikai Ambal
A
1200 year old temple which was built by Pallava Ruler Nandhivarman II
and later renovated during the Chola period. Inscriptions about Aditya
Chola period are found in the temple. It is a Nagha dhosa parihara
sthalam as per what the locals and the temple kurukal has to say.
The
Swamy is called Thiruthaleeshwarar as he was found under one of the
types of palm tree which is called Thali whose leaves were used those
days to write and hence he is called Thiruthaleeshwarar. It is said that
Murugan worshiped him here before going to the sura samharam and you
can see the murugan with North facing peacock which is called Deva
Mayil. After the samharam he has a peacock which faces south called
Asura Mayil.
The temple is situated in a huge ground area of 14
acres of which 7 acres (approx.) is occupied by the holy temple tank.
The temple has a built up area of around 5000 sq. ft. At the entrance of
the temple, an old idol of Ganesha is found, which looks attractive.
This
is a south facing temple with 5 tiered newly built Rajagopuram. The
ancient temple has been renovated recently and looks more like a modern
day temple now though you do find the stones with inscriptions on them
which shows its antiquity.
The moolavar Thiruthaleeshwarar
sannidhi is facing east and is in the Gajabrushta architectural style.
ln the ghoshtam you can see the sculptures of Ganapati, Dakshinamurthy ,
Vishnu, Brahma and Durgai as found in most Shiva temples. The
Dhakshinamurthy has a small idol inscribed in the hair knots which looks
like an alien which has the reference to Mayan and the Mayan calendar.
Goddess Maragadambikai’s sannidhi is facing south and The temple has many pillars with beautiful sculptures.
The
prakaram has the upasannishi of Pillayar, Murugan with Valli and
Devasena, Vishalakshi and Vishwanathar, Nataraja-Sivakami,
Meenakshi-Chokkanathar, Somaskanda Murti and of Utsava idols such as
Uma, Chandrasekhar, Ganesha and Murugan with his two consorts.The
murthies of Surya, Chandra, Manikyavachagar and Bhairava are also found
in the prakaram. The Kali urchava vigraham is very beautiful and one can
see the scenes of asura Bali shown under her feet.
There is a
special shrine where Vishnu is found along with Lakshmi on his lap. He
is called as Bhoga Murti. Under thst sannifhi there is a Suranga padhai
through which the munivars and rishies used to come to worship this
lord. One can also see a lot of inscriptions and markings on the temple
walls and also the murtham of Nandhivaram II and other rishis is found
on the pillars.
A beautiful temple with serene and peaceful atmosphere and as always a must visit shiva temple for people in and around Chennai.
Timings: The temple opens by7:30 am
Contact: The priest Bhubalan can be reached on his mobile number 9444532886
Location:
Sri Thiruthaleeswarar Temple, Aranvoyal, Thiruvallur
Sri Ekambara Nadheswara Temple, Navalur Serpananchery, Padapai
Amman: Sri Kamakshi Ambal
A very old depleted temple which looks to be easily over 500 years. The temple is facing east and Ambal kamakshi is facing south. All the other Sannidhies have been lost in time and you can only see few remains. There is also a very old murugan temple too in the village, which was built in 1941. It is said that temple is in the south east of Kanchi Ekambareswarar temple.
Sri Subramanian along with valli devasena is kept in the ambal’s Arthamandapam.you can see Chandikeswarar vigraham which is broken.
The sun light directly falls on the moolavar Sri Ekambara Nadheswarar.
There are two Nandis next to each other which is very unique and is not found in any shiva temple.It is said that one Nandhi is looking at the moolavar here and the other Nandhi is looking towards Thirvannamalai.
It is said that if you visit this tenple it is equal to visiting both Kanchi Ekambareswarar as well as Thiruvannamalai at the same time.
Contact:
The temple kurukal Ranjit can be reached at 8124890061
Location:
Sri Ekambara Nadheswara Temple, Navalur Serpananchery, Padapai
Sri Neelakandeswarar Temple, Gerugambakkam
Moolavar:Sri Neelakandeswarar
Amman:Sri Aadhi Kamakshi
Gerugambaakkam has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva, which belongs to Chozha period.
This
temple is one of the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam)
devoted to Sri Kethu Bhagavan. There is a separate shrine for Kethu
Bhagavan on the southern side of the sanctum. Special Poojas and Homams
are performed to Sri Kethu Bhagavan during Raahu Kethu Peyarchi. This is
also a Parihaara Sthalam for people having ill effects in their lives
because of Kethu’s position in their Horoscope.
The main deity
Sri Neelakandeswarar is situated in a small and beautiful sanctum. The
Lord got His name Neelakandeswarar, as he swallowed the Aala Kaala
Poison which evolved during the churning of the ocean, after which His
neck turned blue. In Thamizh ‘Neela’ means blue and ‘Kanda’ means neck.
It
is said that the Nandhi in front of the Lord is so powerful, as he
absorbs the poisonous breath of the Lord after He consumed poison.
Sri
Aadhi Kamakshi is present just outside the main sanctum, facing south.
Sri Aadhi Kamakshi is tall and looks very beautiful. She is said to be
the first among 5 forms of Kamakshi.
Navagraham is present at the
north east side corner of the temple. There are carvings of image of
snake on the ceiling of Navagraha shrine, which indicates that this
temple is a Parihaara Sthalam.
Location:
Sri Neelakandeswarar Temple, Gerugambakkam
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Agaram, Chengalpattu
Moolavar: Sri Kailasanathar
Amman: Sri Akilandeswari Ambal
A
Pallava and Chozha period temple in a beautiful village of Agaram.The
Original temple might have been constructed during Chozha's period and
latter extended during Vijayanagara's period. The Temple is about 3 feet
above the ground level with a flight of 5 steps and resembles
maadakovil structure.
The temple is facing east with and entrance
arch. The sanctum sanctorum consists of Sanctum, antarala, artha
mandapam and a maha mandapam. Moolavar shivalingam is big and looks
majestic.
The
artha mandapam was built during Vijayanagara period and are supported
by 16 pillars with reliefs like Garudan, Natarajar, Hanuman playing
Mridangam, etc. The adhisthana has 12th to 13th Century and 16th century
inscriptions.
In koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu,
Brahma and Durgai are seen as per the agama concept of any shiva tenple.
In the prakaram Ambal sannidhi facing east. In the maha mandapam
Vinayagar, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar, some loose sculptures,
Bhairavar can be seen . The Navagrahas are in sitting posture on their
respective vahanas.
Time: 7:30 a.m, Oru kala poojai only
Contact:
The
temple has oru kala pujai so the kurukal comes late, so we can reach
the local person Shanmugam at 9444865674. He opens the temple when you
want to have Dharshan.
A must visit temple for sure.
Location:
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Agaram, Chengalpattu
Sri Vaidhyanathar Temple, Valathaanchery, Pondhur village, Sriperumbuthur
Moolavar: Sri Vaidhyanathar
Amman: Sri Azhagammai Ambal
A small beautiful temple in a remote village of Kancheepuram surrounded by farm lands and beautiful ponds.
Few
decades ago the local villagers have found the shivalingam, Nandhi and
goddesses Azhagammai inside a big ant hill. The Ambal vigraham was in
broken condition. The villagers have talked the rest of the idols and
have created a small shed temple.
Interesting fact about the
shivalingam is once during a pradhosham abhishekam the lingabanam tilted
few inches towards the right and by next pradhosham abhishekam got back
to be straight. You can see this in a picture attached which has before
and after.
Many people have gotten cured of their illness by performing abhishekam to this lord.
Contact:
The kurukal Mr.Pazhani can be reached at 9629759270.
Location:
Sri Vaidhyanathar Temple, Valathaanchery, Pondhur village, Sriperumbuthur
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Kovalam, Kanchipuram
Moolavar: Sri Kailasanathar
Amman: Sri Kanakavalli Ambal
A
beautiful old temple built during the 13th century. A unique temple
where the Avudayar (Avudaiyar is the base of the Shiva Lingam) of the
shivalingam itself has inscriptions on it. Perhaps, the only temple with
inscriptions on the avudaiyar. The inscription says 'Sri Satheruman
Murthiper'. 'Sat' means trade guild and this refers that the place
served as a port. According to the ASI (Archeological Survey of India)
the script on the inscription is Palaeography Script which again is not
very common.
The base of the maha mandapam has a 3 line inscription throughout. At certain places they have been painted red recently to enable easy reading of the inscriptions. At one spot you can spot the word 'Kovalam'. Its a 13th C inscription and this place has been called Kovalam ever since then!
The ardha mandapam has some exquisite bronzes - Shiva Parvathi with Somaskandha with a cute little Nataraja on the arch with a Standing Vinayaka, Ambal etc. The Maha Mandapam has 3 shrines of 3 Vinayakas - Kubera Vinayaka, Vijaya Vinayaka & Siva Sakthi Vinayaka.
In the external Ghomatham you can see Dakshinamurthy, Brahma, Sathya Narayana etc. The mandapam that housed Navagraha was visibly very old and almost dilapidated with roots of creepers all over them. The little shikara and stupi atop the Rishaba Mandapam and the Vimanam were so eroded, thanks to the construction made of lime-sand bricks unlike the sturdy granite, with which the huge temples are usually made of!
There
are are few vigrahams in the outside mandapam like perumal, one
separate shivalingam and kalikambal which all have been gotten in the
sea.
Timing:
This temple is opened only by 8:30 am as they don’t have a permanent kurukal yet.
Contact:
The contact person Mr.Ramesh can be reached at 7299534793 and the
person next to temple Mr.Devadas can be reached at 9444225634
Location:
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Kovalam, Kanchipuram
Sri Vrudhikeshwarar Temple, Unamancheri, Tambaram
Moolavar:Sri Vrudhikeshwarar
Amman: Sri Vridhambikai
A
beautiful temple built during the period of Krishnadeva Raya of
Vijayanagara empire 16th century located in Unamancheri a small village
located near Tambaram.
As per the legend, a physically
challenged king visited the Ramar temple of this village which is hardly
at a distance of about 200-300 meters from the Vrudhikeshwarar temple,
and, he got rid of his limp with the blessing of the deity. Hence, the
village is called as Unamancheri (the Tamil word Unam refers to limp
here).
The Shiva temple is facing east and has a huge lingam in
the sanctum by the name Sri.Vrudhikeshwarar Ambal Sri Vridhambikai is
facing south and both sanctums are in the inner prakaram connected by a
maha mandapam. The pillars in the maha mandapam have many interesting
sculptures. At the entrance of this entrance, the murthies of Ganesh and
Subramanya along with Valli-Devasena are found. The entry to the tenple
is from the south side. Nandi mandap and bali peedam are towards the
east and there is no Dhwajasthambam found here. Signifying that no major
Brahmotsavam happens in this place.
On the ghostam you can see
Nardana Ganapati, Dakshinamurit, Vishnu, Brahma and Vishnu Durgai. All
these murthies seems to installed in later years as they do not seem to
belong to the original period. Lord Bhairav and Navagrahas along with
their respective vaahans are also found in this temple.
You
can see the fish and snake symbol on the roof representing that this is
parihara sthalam and the fish representing that Pandya rulers have
constructed this much before the Vijayanagar empire.
Now coming
to the Ramar temple which was built by by Achyuta Raya, the brother of
the famous Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar Kingdom, Although it is not
rare, it is not common to find all the four brothers together in a
single shrine. Rama is found in the form of Kothanda Rama. Rama has Sita
on his right side and his brother Lakshman on his left side. Bharat and
Shatrughna are found in either corners with their hands folded and
placed towards their chest (namaskar posture).
In the sanctum, Hanuman is also found. He is found at a corner and faces towards Ram.
A must visit ancient temples in Unamancheri which truly shows that Shaivam and Vaishnavam coexisted in the same era.
Contact: The temple manager Lakshmanan can be reached at 9444813816 and Kurukal Naganathan can be reached at 8608784974.
The temple is opened by 7 am.
Location:
Sri Vrudhikeshwarar Temple, Unamancheri, Tambaram
Sri Iraiaayiramudayar Swami Temple, Amoor, Thiruporur
Moolavar: Sri Iraiaayiramudayar swami
Amman: Sri Tripurasundari Ambal
A
beautiful old temple surrounded by lush green farm lands. It is said
that there were 1000 cows in this area and hence the Swamy’s name has
come up as Iraiayiram Udayar.
The shivalingam banam is white in
color which is very unique. The Avudayar is square representing that
siddhars have worshipped and lived here years ago.
The
sthala vriksham is sarakondrai tree. There is no Navagraha Sannidhi
here which shows the ancientness of the temple. There is also a vigraham
of Jeshta Devi at the
backside of moolavar.It is said that the
byravar here has been growing continuously.A must visit temple and apt
for meditation and other spiritual endeavours.
The temple is opened by 6:30 am. Inform the contact person before visiting the temple.
Contact: The temple contact is Sri Pandiyan can be reached at 8248381610 and Srikumar is the trustee and can be reached at 9840594050.
Location:
Sri Iraiaayiramudayar swami Temple, Amoor, Thiruporur, Chengalpattu
Sri Thiripurandhaga Easwarar Temple, Kuthambakkam, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Thiripurandhaga Easwarar
Amman: Sri Thirupurasundari Ambal
Another
temple in Thiruvallur District with the same name as what we see in the
Padal Petra sthalam of Koovam, Sri Thirupuranthageswarar but probably
built 900 years ago.As the name itself suggest the lord who did
Thiripura Samharam, Thiri meaning three, Puram meaning town and Samharam
meaning destroy. The actual legend is connected to the Koovam temple
only, but this is just another temple with the same name.
The Temple is present in the northeast direction of village which is so special that the direction(dikku) is called as Eesanya dikku which is owned by “Eesan" himself who is one amonng the Dikbalakas or those protecting the directions.
The temple is completely built in granite and interestingly there is no vimanam for both Ambal and Swamy or any Gopurams. There is no Byravar Sannidhi in this temple which is very unlike any other Sivan. The Navagraha can be seen within the inner sanctum itself.
You
can seen snake engraved on the roof representing this as a parihara
sthalam. They say Nagha Dosa gets cleared if you worship Thiripurandhaga
Easwarar here.
The Temple has Maha Vilva and Nagalinga trees as
its sthala vriksha and also has trees associated for all the 27 starts
respectively. The details of the trees with their Indian names, English
names and Botanical names given below for reference.
1. Ashwini Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Kanjiram/ Yetti/ Etti/ Kuchala
English Name: Strychnine
Botanical Name: Strychnos nux-vomica
2. Bharani Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Nelli/ Perunelli/ Aavali/ Amla/ Amalaki
English Name: Indian Gooseberry/ Amla
Botanical Name: Phyllanthus emblica/ Emblica officinalis
3. Krittika Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Athi/ Ambar/ Udumbara/ Gular
English Name: Cluster Fig/ Country Fig/ Fig
Botanical Name: Ficus glomerata/ Ficus racemosa
4. Rohini Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Naval/ Jambhali/ Perunjaval
English Name: Jamun/ Black Plum
Botanical Name: Eugenia Jaambolana/ Syzygium cuminii
5. Mrigasira Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Karingali/ Karungali/ Kher
English Name: Cutch Tree/ Milmesha/ Ebony
Botanical Name: Acacia catechu/ Diospyros ebunum
6. Ardra Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Kari /Kumbil/ Karai/ Thippilli/ Agar/ Krushnagus/ Agalichandanum/ Akil/ Sen Santhanam/ Aguru
English Name: Cashmere Tree/ Long Pepper/ Red Sandal
Botanical Name: Diospyros melanoxylon/ Ptero carpus santalinus/ Aquillaria agallocha
7. Punarvasu Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Mula/ Moongil/ Velu
English Name: Bamboo
Botanical Name: Bambusa vulgais/ Bamboosa arundinorea
8. Pushya Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Arayal/ Arasamaram/ Pimpal/ Pipal/ Aal
English Name: Sacred Fig/ Peepal/ Ficus
Botanical Name: Ficus religiosa
9. Ashlesha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Punna /Punnai/ Nagapoo/ Naagchafa/ Nagkeshar/ Nahar
English Name: Messua Tree/ Alexandrian Laurel/ Beauty Leaf Poon
Botanical Name: Calophyllum indophyllum/ Mesua ferrea
10. Magha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Peral/ Alamaram/ Vatt/ Bargad
English Name: Banyan Tree/ Indian Fig
Botanical Name: Ficus benghalensis
11. PurvaPhalguni Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Plasu/ Chamata/ Palas/ Khakda/ Modugu/ Murikku/ Parasu/ Polash/ Desuka Jhad/ Dhak/ Chalcha
English Name: Flame of the Forest/ Parrot Tree
Botanical Name: Butea monosperma
12. UttaraPhalguni Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Ithi/ Itti/ Arali/ Payari
English Name: Indian Laurel/ Rose Laurel/ Indian Cleaner
Botanical Name: Ficus tinctoria/ Nerium indicum/ Ficus arnottiana
13. Hasta Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Ambazham/ Marima/ Nalini/ Kaatuma/ Velam/ Chameli/ Mulla/ Mullai
English Name: Hog Plum/ Neem/ Royal Jasmine / Azadirachta indica/ Jasminum grandiflorum
Botanical Name: Spondias pinnata / Azadirachta indica/ Jasminum grandiflorum
14. Chitra Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Koovalam/ Vilvam/ Bel/ Bilvam/ Bilwa/
English Name: Beal Tree/ Bengal Quince/ Stone Apple/ Wood Apple
Botanical Name: Aegle marmelos
15. Swati / Swathi Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Maruthu/ Neermaruthu/ Marutham/ Jarul/ Arjun
English Name: Arjuna Tree / Queen’s Flower
Botanical Name: Terminalia arjuna/ Lagerstroemia speciosa
16. Vishakha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Dadhipala/ Vayamkatha/ Vilamaram/ Kaith/ Naagkeshar/ Nahar
English Name: Governor’s Plum/ Wood Apple/ Ceylon Ironwood/ Indian rose chestnut
Botanical Name: Feronia elephantum/ Feronia limonia/ Mesua ferrea/ Limonia acidissima
17. Anuradha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Elanji/ Magizh/ Magizham/ Maulshree/ Naagkeshar
English Name: Bullet Wood Tree
Botanical Name: Mimusops elengi/ Mesua ferrea
18. Jyeshtha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Vetti/ Pachotti/ Kuttipala/ Prayan/ Sambar
English Name: Bodh Tree/ Stunted Jack
Botanical Name: Aporusa lindleyana/ Calammus rotang/ Connatus wightii
19. Moola Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Kunthirikkam/ Veluthakunthirikom/ Acha/ Anjan/ Mamaram/ Raal/ Sal/ Shala/ Ashvakarna/
English Name: White Dammar/ Hardwickia/ Sal Tree
Botanical Name: Boswellia serrata/ Mangiferus indicus/ Shorea robusta/ Hardwickia binate
20. PurvaShadha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Aattupala/ Aatrupalai/ Samudrakai/ Vanchikodi/ Vet
English Name: Fish Poison Tree/ Tinospora
Botanical Name: Salix tetraspeama/ Tinos pora cardifodia/ Calamus pseudo-tenuis
21. UttaraShadha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Plavu/ Pila/ Pala/ Sakkai Pala/ Phanas
English Name: Jack Fruit Tree/ Bread Fruit
Botanical Name: Artocarpus heterophyllus/ Autocarpus cummunis
22. Shravan Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Erukku/ Vellerukku/ Rui
English Name: Gigantic Swallow/ Swallow Wort
Botanical Name: Calotropis procera/ Calotropis gigantea
23. Dhanishtha Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Muringa/ Paarampu/ Muringai/ Vanni/ Vilaytikikar/ Shashi
English Name: Indian Gum Tree/ Indian Mesquit/ Kejari
Botanical Name: Moringa oleifera/ Prosopis cinenaria/ Prosepsis speciosa/ Prosopis julifl ora
24. Shatataraka Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Kadambu/ Kadambam/ Katampu/ Valanch
English Name: Kadam Tree/ Indian Oak
Botanical Name: Anthocephalus cadambu/ Mitragyna parvifl ora/ Neolamarckia cadamba
25. PurvaBhadrapada Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Thembavu
English Name: Saaj
Botanical Name: Terminalia Elliptica
26. UttaraBhadrapada Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Kudappana
English Name: Bajarbattu
Botanical Name: Corypha umbraculifera
27. Revati Nakshatra Tree / Plant
Indian Name: Eluppa/ Iluppai/ Moha
English Name: Butter Tree
Botanical Name: Madhuca longifolia/ Maduca indica
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 AM
5:30 to 7:30 PM
Contact: The temple Kurukal Bharathdwaja can be reached at 9448904458
Location:
Sri Thiripurandhaga Easwarar Temple, Kuthambakkam, Thiruvallur
Sri Vaitheeswaran Temple, Pillaipakkam, Sriperumbudur
Moolavar: Sri Vaitheeswaran
Amman: Sri Thaiyalnayagi Ambal
A
Pallava era temple renovated later by Paranthaka Chola II (Sundara
Chola). Apparently this temple was destroyed by the invasion of Golkonda
Nawabs around 550 years back and was renovated in 1977 by Sri
Namachivaya Chettiar of this village.
The shivalingam is on the Padma peedam and has a round Avudayar. Very Huge shivalingam and Ambal is facing south.
This
temple is called as Vada Vaitheeswaran Temple. The vimanam is
Gajaprashta Style. The Dakshinamoorthy in the ghostam is very special
here and called as Kala Dakshinamoorthy. He is seen with Sulaayutham
(Trident) and Nagabaranam and so he is considered to relieve people from
Naga Dhosham. As a special feature, Chandikeshwari also present along
with Chandikeswarar. You can only see Chandikeshwari in only 4 temples
in and around Tamilnadu.
As per the legend of this place,once the son of the temple’s Archagar was bitten by a snake and the Archagar put him in front of the Lord and prayed to him. The Lord then came in the form of a cow and licked the part of the boy which was bitten by the snake. He got cured and thus the Lord Vaitheeswaran’s curing power came to light. The village was then known as “Pillai Nakkiya Pakkam” (the place were kid was licked) and became Pillaipakkam in later days. Sozhavalavan Nadu was the earlier name of this village and after this incident it started to be known as Pillai Nakkiya Pakkam
The Swamy was known as Marundeeswarar after he treated the kid of the snake poison he started to be known as vaiydhyanatha Swamy.
A
very serene and beautiful place. The Temple is very peaceful and you
really can feel the vibration. A must visit temple for all those in and
around Chennai.
Contact: The temple priest Mr.Prakash can be reached at 9894167707.
Timing:The temple is opened by 6 am and will be opened till 8 am.
Location:
Sri Vaitheeswaran Temple, Pillaipakkam, Sriperumbudur
Sri Amirthagadeswarar Temple, Selaiyur, Chennai
Moolavar: Sri Amirthagadeswarar
Amman: Sri Abhirami Ambal
A
250 plus years old temple at Selayur in Chennai and is considered as
the Thirukadaiyur of Chennai. (Thirukadaiyur is a famous temple town
near Mayiladuthurai which is considered to be the apt place for
conducting Shastiabthapoorthi (60th Birthday).
The Legend of the actual Thirukadaiyur -It is a Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam. According to legend, during samudra manthana Sri Ganesha stole the pot of Amrita and hid it in Thirukkadaiyur. Sri Ganesha also worshipped a Shiva Lingam with some Amrita and so the Shiva Lingam came to be known as Amritaghateswarar (Amrita means nectar and Ghata means pot). Thirukkadaiyur is also the place where Lord Shiva is said to have saved his devotee Markandeya from the clutches of Yama on the day of his death.
Thirukkadaiyur is also the place where the devotee Abirami Pattar sang the Abirami Antati, a hundred praises of Mother Abirami, whereby the Divine Mother appeared before him and saved him from the clutches of death.
So the Chennai Thirukadaiyur temple faces west and has a small Gopuram.. The main shrine of Amridhagadeswarar faces the east direction.The Goddess Abhirami is found in a separate south facing shrine. Both Amirdhagadeswarar and Abhirami have separate Nandi idols placed in front of their respective shrines. Usually, we don’t find Nandi in front of Goddess in Chennai region.
In the ghostam you can see Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga.
There are separate Sannidhis for Ganesha, Subramanya-Valli-Devasena, Ayyappa, Chandikeshwara, Balaji-Padmavathi, Garuda, Hanuman, Surya, Chandra, Navagraha, Natarajar, Bhairava, and Nalvar.
A
big temple pond is found within the temple complex. The holy tree and
few serpent (Naga) idols beneath that are also located within the
temple. There are many images of Goddess Lakshmi on all the pillars with
yendiram prathistai in the temple and the forms are-
Devi Arogya Lakshmi (ஆரோக்ய லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Samrajya Lakshmi (சாம்ராஜய லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Shakti Lakshmi (சக்தி லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Sowbhagya Lakshmi (சௌயாக்ய லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Kirti Lakshmi (கீர்த்தி லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Veera Lakshmi (வீர லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Vijaya Lakshmi (விஜய லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Santhana Lakshmi (சந்தான லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Pusti Lakshmi (புஷ்டி லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Tusti Lakshmi (துஷ்டி லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Medha Lakshmi (மேதா லக்ஷ்மி)
Devi Vidya Lakshmi (வித்யா லக்ஷ்மி)
Those
who cant go all the way to Thirukadayur to perform their 60th birthday
can visit this temple to get that their Shastiabthapoorthi completed.
Location:
Sri Amirthagadeswarar Temple, Selaiyur, Chennai
Sri Boothagireeswarar Temple, Sirudavoor, Chengalpattu
Moolavar:Sri Boothagireeswarar
Amman:Sri Aaranavalli Ambal
A
beautiful 9th century Pallava temple which apparently has inscriptions
both of 8 to 9th century as well as of 11th to 12th century which is the
Chozha period. As an existing Vishnu temple in this place was built in
9th century, it is believed that this also must be built during the same
time frame. There are inscriptions from Vijayanagar period as well.
The
legend behind the name Bhoothgireeswarar goes like this, once lord
Brahma performed a yagam at Kasi kshetram and to attend the event lord
shiva has sent all his Bhootha Ganam, after attending that yagam and
before returning to Kailash the Bhootha Ganam have been belived to have
worshiped this Shivalingam here and hence the name Bhoothagireeswarar.
This
temple is interestingly situated in the North East corner of this place
called Sirudavoor. And also given that the shivalingam is white in
color and absorbes all colours he is called “Palavarnanathar” which
means the lord who can manifest in different colors.
The Nandhi
is very unique and completely turned towards south, apparently Yama
dharmaraja came from south to take the soul of a sivanadiyar and lord
Siva instructed the Nandhi to look towards the direction to stop Yama
from coming and accordingly Nandhi turned his neck towards the south
direction.
The Vimana is of Gajabirushta style.The sanctum
sanctorum consists of sanctum antarala, arthamandapam and open mukha
mandapam. Moolavar is of swayambu, white in colour. Ambal, Shivalingam,
Murugan, Chandikeswarar and Nandhi all seemed to be from 9th century.
In
koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma and Lingothbavar
are seen as in most of the shiva temples, but these koshta vigraham
belongs to recent years.
Kumbhabhishekam has been just performed in 2019.
Contact:
Kumar Kurukal and his young son Akash takes care of the temple and can be reached at 7305648923
Location:
Sri Boothagireeswarar Temple, Sirudavoor, Chengalpattu
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Thirunindravur, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Kailasanathar
Amman: Sri Parvathambigai
A
beautiful temple that was built by during the Chola period. Not many
will know that goddess Mahalakshmi did penance or Tapas standing in this
place, hence the name Thiru (meaning Lakshmi) Nindra (meaning stood)
vuru (place) giving its name Thirunindravur. This temple is considered
to be present even before the Bhaktha Vathsala Perumal Tenple and
Hrudayaleeswarar Temple.
So this temple is connected with the history of one of the 63 Nayanars called Pusalar Nayanar, who is belived to have built a shiva temple with his thoughts in his heart and performed kumbhabhishekam. And that’s how the Hrudayaleeswar tenple has come up. You can read more about Hrudayaleeswar in story of Pusalar Nayanar.
The ancientness of Sri Kailasanathar tenple can be understood through the 10 songs of the Tamil poet Shankaralinga Nadar. Apparently it is belived that Pusalar Nayanar himself has worshiped in this temple.
Sri Kailasanathar is seated as both the moolavar and Urchavar in this tenple. Ambal is called Parvathambigai. The sthala Viruksham (tree) is vilvam.
Actually this temple is located in the North East corner of the town Thirunindravur, north east corner is called Esanya moolai and hence Sri Kailasanathar is also known as Sri Esanyeswarar too.
This
temple is considered to be a parihara sthalam for all black magic or
otherwise called pilli, soonyam, eval etc. The pariharam is done at the
Shakthi Vigraham which is in front of lord shiva.
Contact: The temple Kurukal Srinivasan can be reached at 9841839399 and the Dharmakartha Purushotham can be reached at 9840241195
Location:
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Thirunindravur, Thiruvallur
Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple, IIT Madras Campus, Adyar
Amman: Sri Devi Kathyayanii Ambal
A beautiful Shiva temple in a serene environment and away from the city disturbances within the IIT campus premises surrounded by lush greenery.
Sri Jalakandeswarar apparently was recovered from earth while during civil work evacuation when infrastructural developments happened here in early fifties. So it is said to be a 300 to 400years old temple.
An excellent place to meditate and get the blessings of Lord Shiva. The temple Kumbhabhishekam was performed by Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal along with Sri Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal from the Kanchi Kamakoti madam in 2014.
Occasionally one can sight deer coming closer to the temple premises and people do try to feed it. Along with sivan temple there are separate Sannidhi for lord Rama, Krishna, Hanuman and Ayyappan. Navagraha Sannidhi also present.
Absolutely a peaceful place for quite contemplation and meditation and a must to visit temple for people in Chennai.
Location:
Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple, IIT Madras Campus, Adyar
Sri Thiripuranthakeswarar Temple, Koovam, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Thiripuranthakeswarar
Amman: Sri Thiripurasundari
A
Padapal Petra sthalam (sung by Thirugnanasambanthar) and 14th Shiva
Sthalam in Thondai Nadu and is believed to be built by the kings of the
Chola dynasty. The temple is situated at the origin point of the Coovam
river. The Tamil name for the lord is Sri Thiruvirkolanathar and Ambal
as Thiripuranthaki Ammai
As the name of the temple itself suggest
this is the place where Thiripura Samharam happened- Thiri meaning
three, Puram meaning town and Samharam meaning destroy.
The
legend goes like- Tharakatchan, Kamalakshan and Vidyunmali 3 demons or
Asuras had obtained the blessings of Lord Shiva through rigorous
penance. Using the boon that they got from Lord Shiva they constructed
three forts made of gold, silver and iron respectively in three
different towns for their protection and these forts became impregnable
to any kind of retaliation by anyone. The demons started terrorising the
celestial gods and sages who went to Lord Shiva to seek his help.
So
based on the prayers by the devas lord Shiva decided to destroy these
demons. For which he turned the world into a chariot, Suryan and
Chandran became the drivers (Saradhi), the celestial gods (Devas) form
the wheels and Meru, Vasuki and Agri became the bow, the arrow and the
arrow’s tip respectively. This event is called “Thiripura Samharam”.
While
they marched at a place the axle of the chariot broke into 2 pieces
because the celestial gods forgot to worship Lord Vinayakar. The place
where the axel (achu in Tamil) broke is Achirupakkam ( Achu irru bagam).
They
all realised their error, worshipped Lord Vinayakar and sought his
blessing to help them succeed in their mission. It is also believed that
it was Lord Mahavishnu who held the chariot from falling down when the
axle broke. Since this is the place where the axle (Kooram in Tamil)
fell this place got the name “Kooram” which has later changed to Coovum.
Since Lord Shiva had resumed his march for the “Thiripura Samharam”
from this place, he is also praised here as “Thiripuranthakar”.
As
Lord Siva carried the bow and arrow in his hands. Hence, he is also
praised here as “Thiruvirkola Nathar” (“Vil” meaning bow and “kolam”
meaning appearance in Tamil) and the place is also called Thiru
Virkolam.
The
unique feature of this temple is that Lord Shiva’s procession idol
(Utsavar) can be seen holding a bow and arrow in his hands. Such an idol
is very rare and cannot be seen anywhere else.
The Shiva lingam
here is “Theendaa Thirumeni” and is always covered by an armour (metal
cover). It’s not touched by human hands, not even by the priests.A
unique custom followed in this temple is that
devotees are to worship Goddess Thiripurasundari before worshipping Lord Thiripuranthakar.
Another
speciality of this temple is that Goddess Thiripurasundari’s shrine is
situated on the right side of Lord Shiva’s shrine. This is considered to
be more auspicious.
The
significance of this Shiva lingam is that its colour changes to white
before heavy rainfall and to red when the rain is less. This used to
serve as an indication for rainfall. Saint Thiru Gnanasambandhar in his
hymns on Lord Shiva of this temple has mentioned about the changes in
colour of this lingam. However, now the colour of the lingam does not
seem to change. Apart from this phenomenon, Saint Thiru Gnanasambanthar
also talks about the Thiripura Samharam in his hymns.
It is
believed that worshiping the lord here can relieve devotees from the
sins of their previous birth. It is also believed that any sort of
misunderstanding between husband and wife can be resolved if they
worship the lord here.
The temple is opened between 06.00 AM to 12.00 Noon and 05.00 PM to 08.00 PM.
Location:
Sri Thiripuranthakeswarar Temple, Koovam, Thiruvallur
Sri Varamuktheeswarar Temple, Erumai Vetti Palayam, Thiruvallur
Moolavar: Sri Varamuktheeswarar
Amman: Sri Kamakshi
A
nearly 1,800 years old temple built by the pallavas in a beautiful
location of Erumai Vetti Palayam in Thiruvallur district around 41 kms
from Chennai airport.
The olden days name of this place was Mahishasuramardhanam, which directly got translated in Tamil as Erumai Vetti palayam.
The
legend goes like this, Lord Rama’s consort, Sita Devi,once came to take
bath in Kusasthalai river nearby. Mahishasuran came and disturbed her
peace. Getting scared, Sita Devi came running and sat on the left thigh
of Lord Rama. Mahishasura had already done penance and obtained a boon
from Lord Siva, according to which only women can end his life.
Accordingly, Lord Rama placed four Dharbai grass in the four directions.
They took the form of four Devis and ended the life of Mahishasura.
Even today, those four Devis, Angala Parameswari, Ponniamman, Mulakkal
Amman and Kekaithamman remain as the guarding deities (Kaval Deivam) of
this village. As Mahishasuran was killed here it’s was called
Mahishasuramardhanam. There is also a Bhadrachalam Ramar temple here in
this village.
The Temple is east facing with four tiered
Rajagopuram. Most of the temples in Tamilnadu have Rajagopuram in odd
numbers like 3,5,7 etc, but hardly one or 2 temples only has even
numbered Rajagopurams which is an unique thing of this temple too. The
entire temple is completely built in granite including the compound
walls. The praharam has pillared mandapams. Also, both Kamkshi Ambal and
Varamutheeswarar are facing east which is considered as the kalyana
kolam and many devotees offer prayers for removing delays in getting
married. The speciality of this tenple is that on every Tamil month of
Panguni and on Uthiram star day, sun directly falls both on the
shivalingam as well as on the face of kamakshi Ambal. Panguni, Uthiram
as most of us know is the wedding day of Shiva and Parvathi. No wonder
this place is considered as a parihara sthalam for delayed marriages.
A must visit temple for people living in and around Chennai.
Contact:
The sivanadiyar Jyothi can be reached on his mobile number
+91 93616 30023.
Location:
Sri Varamuktheeswarar Temple, Erumai Vetti Palayam, Thiruvallur
Sri Agathiswarar Temple, Sikkarayapuram
Moolavar:Sri Agathiswarar
Amman: Sri Tiripurasundari Ambal
A
recently built temple around 3 years ago. You can see an old shiva
lingam at the backside under the peepal tree which is called Aadhi
Lingam and few years ago a Siddhar like person came to this village and
found this shivalingam under the tree and told the villagers to build a
shivalingam.
So last 3 years ago a new shiva tenple was
constructed and named Agathiswarar. A small temple where Agathiswarar is
facing east and Ambal Tripurasundari is facing south. All the ghostam
murthies can be seen around and a separate Sannidhi for byravar alone is
there.
Under the peepal tree at the backside they have the aadhi lingam, Aadhi Pillayar and sage Agastheeswar.
Contact:The temple person Sathyan can be reached at 7550188481. The priest Arulkumar can be reached at +91 73055 45462
Location:
Sri Agathiswarar Temple, Sikkarayapuram
Sri Parashakthi Eswaran Temple, Chembarambakkam
Moolavar: Sri Parashakthi Eswaran
Amman: Sri Parashakthi Eswari
The
tenple is said to be 1200 years and in the earlier days he was called
Shozumbu and later it has changed in days to the current name.
The name Chembarambakkam came from the lord Shozumbu in days it known with the current name.
The ghostam has had only Dhakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu and Bramha. Recently they have installed Ganapathy and Durgai.
The Muyalagar below Dhakshinamurthy is facing East which is never seen in any Dhakshinamurthy statues in all Shiva temples.
The
outer prakaram has separate Sannidhi for Shakthi Ganapathy, Valli
Devayanai samedha Sri Subramaniam and also a separate Sannidhi for
Ayyappan.
Also you can see Sri Raghavendrar and Sri Ganapathyswamigal
Pooja is happening 2 times a day.
Contact:
Suryanarayana
Kurukal can be reached at 9600883818 and 9444423585 and the trustee
Veerabadira Chaudhry can be reached at 9789827694, 044-26810604.
Location:
Sri Parashakthi Eswaran Temple, Chembarambakkam
Sri Aadhi Kuberagiri Gnanapureeswarar Temple, Pazhaveli, Chengalpattu
Moolavar: Sri Aadhi Kuberagiri Gnanapureeswarar
Amman: Sri Adhignana Vaalai
A
very old temple on the foothills of Kuberagiri on the Chengalpattu main
road. Swamy is facing west and Ambal facing south. Ambal has a bunch of
olachuvadi in her left hand, it is said to be the naaadi of all
Jeevarasi. The Swamy is Swayambhu and it is said it could be a
jeevasamadhi of a Siddhar. The ghostam is in hexagon shape and has all
Ghoshta murthies.
There is Mahakalingaraya Eeshwarar temple on
top of the Kuberagiri. A small shivalingam with Nandhi and Bali peedam
under a shed that’s been built like 6 months ago. An amazing trekking
experience to the top of the hill with beautiful view from top. His
consort Moongil Amman is at the foot hill and she is the Gramadevathai
of Pazhaveli. It is said to be over 800 years old. It is said that there
were 108 Siddhars who have lived on top of this hill.
A must
visit temple specially on top of the hill. Serene, Pleasant and Peaceful
place. Karthigai Deepam is lit on top of the Kuberagiri during
Karthigai month. People also go Girivalam here.
Contact:
The temple priest Mr.Arun can be reached at 8610774464
Location:
Sri Aadhi Kuberagiri Gnanapureeswarar Temple, Pazhaveli, Chengalpattu
Sri Malayapadasar Temple, Manimangalam
Moolavar: Sri Malayapadasar
Amman: Sri Mangala Eswari
A
Chola period temple which was completely destroyed in times and
currently under a small made shift sheeted roof temple. Earlier the
sivalingam and Nandhi alone was found buried in the ground and the local
villagers have taken it out and made a small temple.
Manimangalam
is a historical site. The great battle between the Chalukya King
Pulikesi and the Pallava King Narasimha Pallava was fought in
Manimangalam in the 7th century CE. The locality has few ancient temples
and a must visit for all.
Now a small sannadi for Mangalamurthy Vinayagar and Valli Deivayanai samedha Subramaniam Swamy can be seen.
Ambal Mangalaeswari is facing south in a small sannidhi and daily pujas are conducted by a sivanadiyar.
Contact: The sivanadiyar Mr.Kandan can be reached at 9751326747
Location:
Sri Malayapadasar Temple, Malaipattu, Manimangalam
Sri Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Poonamallee
Amman: Sri Kasi Visalakshi Ambal
A beautiful twin temple one for Kasi Viswanathar and one for Venugopal Swamy. The temple is in a shambles with structures disintegrating. It would be hard to believe that the temple owns 177.7 acres.
The origin of the temple dates back to the 1800s when a zamindar called Venkaiah travelled to Varanasi by walk to pray for getting kids. There, he came across a Aghori who gave him a Shivalinga the size of a small ball. The Aghori had asked Venkaiah to build a temple for the Shivalinga at a place where he finds the land gold in colour. And where the lingam falls from his hand he had to build a Shiva Vishnu Tenple there.
On his way back, Venkaiah found that at Pappanchatram the land was gold in colour and also the lingam fell here. He proceeded to buy some 1,750 acres there. He then built the Shiva temple there along with one for Vishnu. In addition to the temple, a quarters was constructed for temple priests to live, while the two big halls also came up.
Before breathing his last, Venkaiah, in his will, wrote in all the lands of two villages – Irunkottai is the other – he owned for the temple so that poojas could be conducted without any hurdle, and the premises could be maintained properly. There are three inscriptions in the temple that vouch for the donation of the lands to both temples.
The temple has Sannidhies in the internal prakaram for Aadhi Shankarar, Varasiddhi Vinayagar, Valli Devasena Samedha Subramania Swamy. Also, there is a sannidhi for Anna poorani and Sri Thripurasundari Samedha Sri Thrikalagnaneshwarar sannidhi.
The perumal temple also has some beautiful and rare sculptures.
A very old and beautiful temple needs complete renovation.
Contact:
The temple Management can be reached at 9444207020 and 9962522080
The Kurukal Mr.Doraiswamy Sivacharyar can be reached at 90034 02104
Location:
Sri Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Pappanchatram, Poonamallee
Sri Vada Vaidheeswaran Temple, Sastrapakkam, Chengalpattu
Moolavar: Sri Vaidheeswaran
Amman: Sri Thaiyalnayagi
A
temple which is called Vada Vaidheeswarran, Vada in Tamil means north.
This is equivalent to the Vaidheeswaran Kovil in Nagapattinam district.
Swamy is facing east and Ambal Thayalnayagi faces south. Big prakaram
with Sannidhi for Pillayar, Murugan, Byravar and Navagraha. There is
separate Pillayar and nagar under the peepal tree. A small sannidhi for
Anjaneyar can also be found in the mahamandapam.
A beautiful
temple in middle of nowhere and apparently been worshipped by Siddhars
in this area. It is said that there was a Siddhar here who has worshiped
this Sivan for many years. The place Sastrapakkam has come as those
days the horoscopes were read in this place by brahamins. It is said
that if you keep your horoscope at the feet of the lord Vaidheeswarran
he can rewrite your fate.
In earlier days the shivan here was called as Mrithunjayaeshwarar and Ambal was called Bhavaroganivarini.
Doing
mahamrithunjaya Homam at this temple is belived to remove all ailments.
They perform abhishekam to the lord with various herbs and during
Shivaratri they perform 54 kind of abhishekam.
A very peaceful and beautiful tenple and a must visit for all Shiva devotees.
Contact:
The temple priest Sethumadhavan can be reached at 9444075856
Location:
Sri Vada Vaidheeswaran Temple Sastrapakkam, Chengalpattu
Sri Kotteeswarar Temple, Kotturpuram
Moolavar: Sri Kotteeswarar
Amman:Sri Kotteeswari
1000
years old sivan temple placed under a small shed with east facing.
There is an elegant Perumal temple near by and it is believed that this
sivan also was part of the Venkatesha prasanna temple once upon a time.
It was worshiped by Sage Sandi and related inscriptions were found in the temple. Original name was Jambukeswarar and still history of the temple is a mystery.
Neatly maintained temple and daily pooja is happening at 5 AM.
Contact:
Mr.Venkatesan can be contacted at 9840739797
Location:
Sri Kotteeswarar Temple, Kotturpuram
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Kadambur Village, Maraimalai Nagar
Moolavar: Sri Kailasanathar
Amman: Sri Balambigai
During
the 8th century, Rajasiman the king had built many Kailasanathar
temples across Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram. When he constructed this
temple, it was left unfinished for a long time and Sri Krishnadevaraya
took over and had completed the temple. Around 5 acres of land was given
to this tenple by him.
A
good 1200 years old temple which was in a completely depleted condition
was renovated and kumbhabhishekam performed in Feb 2019. The Sivalingam
here has been said to been worshipped by sage Agasthiya, one of the
saptha rishis & great siddhar.
The
Kadambur village has been given as a gift to the Nayakar Kings and huge
amount of land was given to this temple for maintenance. All these
details of who the kings were are given in the stone inscriptions.
A
beautiful serene village and the Temple facing east. There a huge lotus
pond right in front of the temple. There are separate Sannidhis for
Vinayagar, Murugan and Navagrahas.
Contact:The temple is maintained by Mr.Pugazhendhi and can be reached at 9840400415 and Mr.Rajan at 9841013020
Location:
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Kadambur Village, Maraimalai Nagar
Sri Agathiswarar Temple, Pudhupakkam
Moolavar: Sri Agathiswarar
Amman: Sri Akhilandeswari
An
old Shiva temple and been renovated really well. It dates back to
around 1000 years. Here in backside of the grabhagraham you can see Sri
Aadhi Agastheeswarar which is belived to be the the original lingam
which was resurrected from ruins. As it had some damages a new lingam
has been erected in the Grabhagraham
There are many Sannidhis for SriSaibaba, Panchamukha Anjaneyar, Sarabeshwarar and also for Aruvathumoovar is coming up and under construction.
People willing to contribute can make use of the account details that has been posted as an image below
Contact: The temple head Mr.Vasudevan can be reached at 9444118745.
Location:
Sri Agathiswarar Temple, Pudhupakkam
Sri Siddhapureeswarar Temple, Padapai
Moolavar: Sri Siddhapureeswarar
Amman: Sri Sidhanayagi Amman
The
temple is open to sky with a Shivalinga, Nandhi, Balipedam and a Siddha
Vinayagar. A Gajalakshmi panel was installed near Shivalinga, in which
Lakshmi is in sitting on Lotus with both legs are touching the floor.
She is shown with two hands holding lotus flowers and a Pallava period
makuda. Elephants are shown on the sides. This is the only remains now
to show that this temple belonged to the Pallava time.
A
small temple under neem trees with Siddhi Vinayagar,Vallideivayanai
sametha Subramaniyan and Sidhanayagi all in same pedestal. Very
peaceful and a great vibration is what you can feel in this place
Also there are many old Shiva temples in and around this area like Orathur, Karasangal,Manimangalam and Vankadu.
It is said there was a Pallava period Shiva Temple that existed exactly at the the same place and inscriptions are also recorded as an evidence to this. Mahashiva rathri was also celebrated in a grand manner.
By his grace we were able to perform abhishekam to him with our own hands for the 200th week
Contact: The temple priest Vedha can be reached at 72998 98927, 9551495534, 8807574903
Location:
Sri Siddhapureeswarar Temple, Pushpagiri, Padapai
Sri Pasupatheeswarar Temple (Esanya Lingam), Thiruverkadu
Moolavar: Sri Pasupatheeswarar
Amman: Sri Parvathi Devi
This
is the 8th and the last of lingams of Lord Shiva.Located around
Thiruverkadu. The Pasupatheeswarar Temple is found on the north-eastern
side of the Vedapureeswarar Temple.
Easanya Shivan is the provider of Mukthi which is not easy to attain for mere mortals.
The Lord, a favourite diety of the Cholas, who started any new task only after worshipping him. The size of the lingam can help one well imagine the size of the temple, once built by Anabaya Cholan would have been. It is presumed to be from the time of the reign of the great CHOLA King KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II, (1133 - 1150 CE) about 800 years ago or more and must have passed through many dynasties.
This
temple is also referred to as Gnaneswari Samedha Easanya lingam.
Worshipping this Shiva brings removes hurdles and barriers, brings
success in life and grants liberation.
Contact:Sargunam Parthiban @ 9003039515
Location:
Sri Pasupatheeswarar Temple (Esanya Lingam), Thiruverkadu
Sri Kubera Eswarar Temple (Kubera Lingam), Sundaracholapuram
Moolavar: Sri Kuberaeswarar
Amman: Sri Vembunayaki
This
temple is found to the North of the Thiruverkadu Vedapureeswarar Temple
and is the 7th lingam in the Ashta lingam around Thiruverkadu.
The
temple is in middle of the village and in earlier days the sivalingam
was beneath a Neem tree from which the villagers found milk flowing out.
After looking at it carefully found a sivalingam and built the current
temple and named the goddess Vembunayagi.
Sundaracholapuram is western suburb of Chennai coming under Chennai Metropolitan Area.
It
is presumed to be from the time of the reign of the great CHOLA King
KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II, (1133 - 1150 CE) about 800 years ago or more and
must have passed through many dynasties.
To sum up all the Ashtalingam with their names, direction and location please the list below-
Indra Lingam – East – Vallikollaimedu
Agni Lingam – South East – Noombal
Yama Lingam – South – Senneerkuppam
Nirudhi Lingam – South West- Parivakkam
Varuna Lingam – West – Mettupalayam
Vayu Lingam – North West – Paruthipattu
Kubera Lingam – North – Sundaracholapuram and
Easanya Lingam – North East - Chinnakoladi
Contact: The temple trustee Mr.Janaki Raman can be reached at 9003150529
Location:
Sri Kuberaeswarar Temple, Sundaracholapuram, Tiruvallur
Sri Vazha Vantha Vayulingeswarar (Vaayu Lingam), Paruthipattu
Moolavar: Vazha Vantha Vayulingeswarar
Amman: Sri Viruthambigai
This is the 6th of the 8 Lingams of Lord Shiva around Sri Vedapureeswarar of Thiruverkadu. The temple is located at paruthi pattu on the Poonamalle-Avadi road. This temple is found to the North West of the Thiruverkadu Vedapureeswarar Temple, which is the Vayu moolai or corner as per Vasthu shasthram.
Ambal
Viruthambigai is also facing East like sawmy which you do not see in
many Siva temples. Also you can see Nandhi in front of Ambal Sannidhi
instead of a lion.
There is separate Sannidhi for Sri Sathyanarayana on the west side of the prakaram facing west.
In
front of the moolavar you have small Sannidhi for Bala Ganapathi and
Balamurugan. The separate Pillayar Sannidhi here has Vinay Theertha
Pillayar and also there is a separate Sannidhi for valli Devanesa
Samedha Sri Subramaniam.
The vimanam has some very old and unique sudhai murthies which we have not seen before in any temple.
Sri Vayulingeswarar is worshipped for getting remedies for air borne diseases and also recover lost property.
The Kurukal Ramanathan can be reached at 9600509560
Location:
Sri Vazha Vantha Vayulingeswarar (Vaayu Lingam), Paruthipattu
Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple (Varuna Lingam), Veerarangapuram, Avadi
Sri Paleeswarar Temple (Niruddhi Lingam), Thiruverkadu
Moolavar: Sri Paleeswarar
Amman: Balambigai Amman
This is the Nirudhilingam of the Ashtalingams that is around the Vedapureeswarar of Mangadu. It is presumed to be from the time of the reign of the great CHOLA King KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II, (1133 - 1150 CE) about 800 years ago or more and must have passed through many dynasties.
The temple is in a fairly large compound, without a Rajagopuram,on entrance you can find a small but beautiful Nandi Mandapam with Nandin. After this is the mukhamandapam with multiple pillars decorated with fascinating sculptures.
On the far end of this Mandapam is a small antarala which leads to the Garbhgriha of the Lord as a Lingam facing east known as BALEESHWARAR. To his left is the sanctum of Goddess Parvati as BALAMBIGAI. On circumambulation the Koshtha walls of the Garbhgriha is lined up with Vinayaka,Dakshinamurthy,Lingothbhavar,Brahma & Durga.
There is a shrine for Kalabhairava in the precinct. The temple is well maintained.
The word Nirhti means devoid of "Rta". ( In the Vedic scriptures "Rta" is the natural order of functioning of the Universe and everything that is contained in it. The guardian of absence of Cosmic disorder. Nirhti is mentioned in the Rigveda, for seeking protection from herself. As per the Shatapatha Brahmana she is the regent of the SOUTH - WEST quarter of the cardinal directions and is one of the Eight and only goddess Dikapala. In Puranic stories she is known as ALAKSHMI the opposite of LAKSHMI. Lakshmi married Mahavishnu & Alakshmi married Shiva. During the churning of the Ocean, Alakshmi came first and then came Lakshmi
Contact: The Temple priest Kanakasabai can be reached at 9884854854
Location: Sri Paleeswarar Temple (Niruddhi Lingam), Thiruverkadu
Arulmigu Indrasenapatheeswarar Temple (Indira Lingam), Thiruverkadu
Devotees who perform the Giri valam around Tiruvannamalai worship the eight lingams around Arunachaleswara, one for each direction, namely
Indralingam
Agnilingam
Yamalingam
Nirudhilingam
Kuberalingam
Vayulingam
Varunalingam and
Eesanyalingam
to
maximise the benefit of worship and to be bestowed of the grace and
blessings of these lingams installed and worshipped by the lords of the
eight directions.Not many of us are aware that similar Ashtalingams, one
for each direction, are found around the Vedapureeswarar Temple in
Thiruverkadu. These lingams are located over a radius of 24 kms around
this temple and several people undertake to visit all eight lingams on
special days like Full Moon days, New Moon Days, Mondays and Monthly
Sivarathri. Performing this Pradhakshina on Wednesdays is said to bring
all sixteen elements of prosperity to the worshipper.
The
Indrasenapatheeswarar Temple is to the East of Vedapureeswara Temple at
Vallikollaimedu, which is quite close to the Karumariamman temple at
Thiruverkadu. This lingam is said to have been worshipped by Lord Indra
to regain his status as King of Indraloka. People worship this lingam to
gain promotion at work and to obtain or complete Government related
work or orders.
When Sage Agasthya was going down South to
balance the Earth during the celestial wedding of Lord Siva and
Parvathi, he installed Shivalingams at several places. Since he could
not participate in the wedding, Lord Shiva agreed to grant him the
vision of the divine marriage at will. When Agasthya came to worship at
Thiruverkadu, he sought to see the Lord's marriage there. So the Lord
appeared before him along with Goddess Parvathi in the Marriage Kolam as
Vedapureeswarar. Goddess Parvathi teased the Lord saying that while he
immediately manifested in whatever form the Sages wanted, what would he
do for simple devotees? With the smile, the Lord manifested himself in
the form of Lingams on all eight directions around.
Vedapureeswara,
much to the delight and happiness of Goddess Parvathi. King Anabaya
Cholan (Kulothunga II) had constructed the Vedapureeswarar temple as
well as temples for eight lingams around it.
However, with the
passage of time, and several invasions, the temples have become lesser
known shrines. This is not well known around is on the main road itself.
Lot of encroachments have reduced the space for the temple.
Contact: Daily pujas are performed by Sivanadiyar Gopi he can be reached on 9840759637.
Location: Indrasenapatheeswarar Temple, Vallikollaimedu,Thiruverkadu
Paleeswarar Temple, Kayar - Thaiyur forest
This 1000 year old Shiva idol found inside forest by locals and the same is taken care by locals. It has a great vibe and it also involves a trecking experience. There absolutely nothing around and only the lingabanam is seen under a neem tree. There is a small shed above him. No facilities at all, you have to carry even water for abhisekam if you are planning to.
Temple is open 24 hrs.
Location:
Paleeswarar Temple, Kayar, Thaiyur
Kailasanathar Temple, Thalambur, Navalur
Moolavar: Kailasanathar
Amman: Kamakshi Ambal
Place: Thalambur, Navalur
A
good 2000 years old sivalingam along with Nandhi under a shed is all
that remains of this temple. It’s Behind Navalur main road and in midst
of lot of offices . The Temple has a huge property around and can be
utilised to build a beautiful temple.
The
sivalingam seems be Swayambu Murthy with circular Avudayar. An
interesting thing here is there is peepal tree and within that there is
palm tree grown together.A serene peaceful temple in the midst of all
software companies and a must visit place.
Contact:
Sri Balasubramaniam is the Kurukal and even at his old age is regularly performing puja here. He can be reached at 91761 03629
Location:
Kailasanathar Temple, Thalambur, Navalur
Thiruvalishwarar Temple, Athananchery, Padapai
Place: Athananchery, Padapai
A beautiful Chola period temple and has a wire big Praharam.The entrance has a good sized Rajagopuram and enough space for parking.
Daily oru kala poojai is happening and temple opens at 6AM
Arulmigu Kubera Somanatha Swamy Temple, Tharapakkam
Moolavar: Kubera Somanatha Swamy
Amman: Akilandeswari Amman
Place: Tharapakkam
A very old temple renovated recently. It has one Raja gopuram.
East
facing Somanatha Swamy has a big square avudayar which is believed that
sage Agathiyar worshipped here . There is a Agathiyar statue kept in
the entrance. Daily morning sun rays are garnishing sivalingam.
Akilandeswari ambal facing south. Only siva lingam was identified and a
Jain person helped to build this temple. Temple built beautifully
around big peepal tree along with all prahara sannidhis. Seperate
sannidhi for Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga and Lord Iyyapan along with
Navagrahas. Madapalli is available.
Temple priest Karthikeyan can be reached at 9941862392
Arul Vallal Nathar Temple, Thirumananchery, Kundrathur
Moolavar: Arul Vallal Nathar
Amman : Kokilambal
Place: Moondram Kattalai, Kundrathur
East facing Easwaran placed under a Neem tree along with Kokilambal.
Looks
very old lingam and big in size, near by village people constructed a
small hut and worshiping daily. Oru kala poojai happening at 8 AM by
sivanadiyar Shanthi and her son.
Contact : 8925416275
Location: Arul Vallal Nathar temple
Sri Anganeeswarar Temple, Moondram kattalai
Moolavar: Sri Anganeeswarar
Amman: Sri Soundarambikai
Place : Moondram kattalai, Kanchipuram
1500
year old sivan temple renovated recently with marble structure.East
facing temple. The structure has been designed in a way that sunlight
fall on lingamoorthy directly during 7,8,9,10 of Puratasi and Panguni
tamil months.
This Temple is also believed as one of the Sukran
parikara sthalams.There is a floating stone received from rameshwaram
kept infront of Anjaneyar.
Temple opens little late around 9am.
Contact : Temple trustee Sankar can be reached @9444461441
Location:
Sri Anganeeswarar Temple, Moondram kattalai
Sri Swaranambikeswarar Temple, Agaramel
Moolavar: Sri Swarnambikeswarar
Amman: Sri Swarnambikai
Place: Agramel
It
is believed that 4000 years old Linga banam along with Ragu,Kethu found
during the construction of the Iyyppan temple. Siva lingam is almost 4
feet height. There is big temple pond near by temple which is maintained
well. Sivan facing east and Ambal towards south. All prakara gods and
navagrahas installed and worshiped here. Beautiful Iyyapan temple along
with Maalikaipurathu amman.
Contact: Temple priest Iyyappan can be reached at 9941464845
Location: Sri Swaranambikeswarar, Agaramel
Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Pranava malai, Thiruporur
Sthala Puranam:
Lord Vishnu and Goddess Mahalakshmi in order to get relieved from the curse of Kanva Maharishi prayed to Lord Shiva as Vanmeekanathar in Tiruporur.
Goddess Mahalakshmi took the form of a Neem tree in Tiruporur and did penance. There is a temple for Lord Vinayaka under this Neem Tree near this Pranavamalai-Known as Vembadi Vinayakar.
Lord Mahavishnu and Goddess Mahalakshmi are said to have worshipped Lord Kailsanatha and Balambika on top of Pranavamalai Hill
Pranavamalai Girivalam:
Performing Giripradakshina around PranavaMalai on all days is good. It is around 2-3 Km and takes 30-40 minutes to perform girivalam around the hill
Reference:
http://suparnidevi.blogspot.com/2016/03/pranava-malai-in-tiruporur-near-omr.html
Sri Pathangeeswarar Temple, Palur
Moolavar - Sri Pathangeeshwarar
Amman - Sri Bramarambigai (Vandarkuzhali Mangai)
Place - Palur, Chengelpet, Kanchipuram District, Tamilnadu
Pathangeeswarar Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva located at Palur Village near Chengalpet town in Kanchipuram District of Tamilnadu. This is one of the very old Pallava, Chozha and Kadavar period Shiva temple on the north side of River Paalar. Palur was once called as “Thirupathangadu".
There are many Tamil inscriptions found around the Sanctum and front artha mandapam walls. Suryan (sun) worshiped Lord Shiva of this temple to get cleansed from the graha dosham as per the advice of Lord Vishnu. Suryan is also known as Pathangan, Parithi, Baskaran, and Aathithan. Since Suryan, Pathangan worshipped Lord, he is called as Pathangeeswarar and the place was called as Thirupathangadu.
The temple is facing east. While entering the temple arch, there is a vast open space on both sides. Nandhi and Balipeedam are in front of a small 2nd level Rajagopuram. There is no Dwajasthambam. Vinayagar, Ambal, Suryan, Kalabairavar, Navagrahas, Sandikeswarar Sannadhis are located in the outer prakaram. There was no Navagraha Sannadhi during old period and the present Navagraha Sannadhi was built during recent years.
In koshtam, Idols of Vinayagar, Dhakshinamoorthy, Lingothbhavar, Brahma and Vishnu Durgai are located. Ardhamandapam can be accessed via east side mandapam through south side entrance. In the inner prakaram, Sannadhi for Murugan with valli and Deivanai and Naalvar are located. The Murugan has six faces sitting on his vahanam peacock with Ohm arch behind. All this are chiseled from a single sand stone.
Murugan Sannadhi is on the left side facing north (A rare position). Latter addition of walls, his vahanam and Pali peedam are forced to the outer prakaram. The additional wall constructed also obstructs the direct circumference path to Moolavar Karuvarai. Sundarar Idol is not matching the regular moortham available in many temples. (Headgear – greedam - is missing)
The Idol of Sundarar was installed in the old period. Originally Naalvar was in the outer prakaram and latter brought inside- During this period the moortham might have changed. An abandoned relief of a warrior in the ground on southeast corner of the temple outside compound wall – This is a Nadukal who ends his life by cutting his head through his own sword. The practice is called Navakandam.
There is no regular Dwarapalakars and the recent period sudhai Dwarabakars in standing posture. Moolavar looks majestic with Nagabarana Alangaram. Amman Vandar Kuzhali is in a separate temple facing east in standing posture. Her vahanam simam is in front. Amman is with four hands with Rudrakshamala, Kamandalam in the upper hands and abhaya and Vara Hastham in the lower hands. Theertham well is dry now and was not utilized for long period
Reference:
https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2016/12/pathangeeswarar-temple-palur-kanchipuram.html
Location:
Sri Pathangeeswarar Temple, Palur
Sri Marundeeswarar Temple, Tiruvanmiyur
Moolavar: Sri Marundeeswarar
Amman: Sri Thirupurasundari
Place: Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai
It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams and no Navagraha where the two of the most revered Nayanars (Saivite Saints), Appar and Tirugnana Sambandar have glorified the temple with their verses during the 7th-8th century. The temple has been widely expanded by Chola kings during the 11th century.The temple has two seven tiered gateway towers, a huge tank, with the overall temple area covering 1 acre. The Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of curative worship for people with diseases.
The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions are attributed to Vijayanagar rulers. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Legend:
Marundeeswarar is known so because he imparted sage Agastya on curative properties of various herbs and plants.Since then the Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of worship for people with diseases and various problems with their health. It is said that sage Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, worshiped Shiva in the temple. Since Valmiki was blessed here, the place was to be known as Thiruvalmikiyur, which is pronounced as 'Thiruvanmikiyur' in Tamil, the name gradually changed to Thiruvanmiyur. There is a place present in Thiruvanmiyur called Valmiki Nagar in his honour. There is also a shrine for the sage on the Western side of the temple on what is presently called the East Coast Road (ECR).The lingam for which Hanuman performed pooja, the lingam (Meenakshi Sundareswarar) that cured the curse of Indra, the Lingam for which Saint Bharadwaja performed pooja are present here. Markandeyar performed a penance and prayed to Shiva here, Brahma conducted a festival here for Shiva. The presiding deity is also called Palvannanathar as Kamadhenu, the sacred cow, is said to have performed oblation on the Sivalingam with her milk. As per another legend, Sun and Moon perform their worship practices daily during sunset on account of which the main shrine is believed to be facing west.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marundeeswarar_Temple
Location:
Sri Marundeeswarar Temple, Tiruvanmiyur
Sri Kanthazheeswarar Temple, Kundrathur
Moolavar: Sri Kanthazheeswarar
Amman: Sri Nagaimuga valli
Place: Kundrathur
The 1000 year old Lord Shiva Temple by then King Kulothunga II.
(Dirt) Azhippavar(Remover) form our hearts( or Lord who removes evil from our hearts and purify it). Is the name of the lord in this temple of Kandhazheeshwarar who is in the form of a Lingam of around five feet. The Avudayar or Pindika is square inside a Garbha Griha, which is in the Gaja prishtha form or Apsidal or D shapes, with a Vimana matching it's Garbhagriha.Towards his left is the goddess Nagaimukavalli, standing beautifully facing South.
Granite temple worshipped by Sri Deiva Sekkizhar who wrote Perriyapuranam in praise of 63 Nayanmars.
There is another sivalingam inside the temple with the name of Sri Balambikai sametha Sri Valeeswarar.
Near by this place a temple built for Sekkizhar and a Sri Ooragaperumal temple also.
Location: Sri Kanthazheeswarar Temple, Kundrathur
Sri Sadayandeeswarar Temple, Kundrathur
Moolavar: Sri Sadayandeeswarar
Amman: Sri Balambikai
Place: Kundrathur
It is a vibrant place with Jeeva Samadhi of Sri Sadayandi Siddar. Granite temple built 1200 years ago. This temple is located just back side of Kundrathur Sekkizhar Ragustalam. The consort is Sri Balambikai. Very calm and silent temple. Temple has been maintained very well.
Contact: 8825838939/9092861307
Location: Sri Sadayandeeswarar Temple, Kundrathur
Sri Jalagandeswarar Temple, Ettiyapuram, Somangalam
Moolavar: Sri Jalagandeswarar
Amman: Sri Akilandeswari
Place: Ettiyapuram , Somangalam
Unknown history, but it's square avudayar shows 500 years old. No other prahara moorthies. Elegant Nandhi and Easwaran facing east.
It is placed in a small hut under a beautiful big vembu tree. There is an Ettiamman temple near by which is also believed as very old.
Daily morning poojai happening by Sivanadiyar Gopi.
Contact: 9941448418
Location:
Sri Jalagandeswarar Temple, Ettiyapuram , Somangalam
Sri Ramalingeswarar Temple, Kelambakkam
A beautiful old temple renovated 16 years back by Ramalinga swamigal Trust. Big Linga moorthy named as Ramalingeswarar facing east and ambal as Parvathavarthini.
This temple has Vinayagar, Murugan, Thakshinamoorthi, Bramha, Durgai, chandigeswarar and kala bairavar in the outside prakaram. It also has Navagraha peetam.
Some special things in the temple are,
A Vinayagar named as Ramalinga Vinayagar along with Raghu and Kethu.
Small Lingam named Gubera lingeswarar placed under Vilva tree.A diyana Mandapam in the name of vallalar swamigal.
Location:
Sri Ramalingeswarar Temple, Kelambakkam
No comments:
Post a Comment