Tryst with temples - 3

Hi Readers,

Author: Sai Venkateshwaran Srinivasan from Chennai.  

Gnayiru Gramam Pushparatheswarar Temple, Nayur:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take right on Madhavaram and Red hills road – Route passes through small villages – Reach Perumal Kovil Street and travel approx 4 kms.

1.       More than 1000 years old.

2.       Famous temple for Sun God and Lord Shiva.

3.       Those with problems in eyes, those who are willing to go in for any surgery related to eyes can worship in this temple. This temple is a place for blind people to pray and get cured.

4.       Separate sannidhi for Sun God. Sundays are considered sacred since the God is Sun God.

5.       Surya theertha is very famous for recovery from the long pending illness

6.       Wheat is considered the major food of Sun God and hence Prasadam here is majorly made of wheat.

7.       The vegetables sold here are very cheap and fresh.

Sri Agastheeswarar temple, Panchesti:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a U turn at SH 56 to travel approx 500 mts back in national highway to reach the temple (Thatchoor Cross Road)

1.       More than 1500 years old.

2.       Annadhana pariharam (serving food to the needy) here paves way for moksha.

3.       Saint Agasthiar stayed here for a long time and performed five (pancha) yagnas (Ishti) and so called Pancheshti.

4.       The deity here is made of emerald stone and you can see all Mantras written in a Chakra, just like that of a Sri Chakram.

5.       You can see Lord Shiva with lots of Rudraksha above His head and is called Ishtalingeswarar. Any prayers you utter here are believed to be fulfilled.

6.       Sculpture works are most intricate here.

Sri Balasubramaniaswamy temple, AndarKuppam:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 (Thatchoor Cross Road) and travel approx 2 – 4 kms to reach the temple.

1.       Famous Lord Muruga temple.

2.       The deity is old and the temple is now being renovated. Very powerful God.

Karikrishna Perumal temple, Thiruvayarpadi, Ponneri:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 Thatchoor Cross Road)– Ponneri is approx 8 to 9 kms.

1.       Very ancient and old temple of more than 1000 years, where the main deity is Lord Krishna who is worshipped in Shepherd’s form.

2.       The Lord here is slightly tilted and is seen standing on the floor rather than on any pedestal.

3.       The Lord here is a Suyambu moorthy who came out of an Anthill of His own. The Lord has His right hand holding a shepherd’s whip and left hand rested on the hip.

4.       Since the Lord is titled here, all the pillars in the Mandapam are constructed in a titled manner. The pillars are tilted as the Lord. Some may think this as an architecture blunder, but this tilting factor is 100% perfectly planned and constructed.

5.       The Lord is worshipped here by childless couples to be blessed with a child.

Sri Nootreteeswarar temple, ChinnaKavanam, Ponneri:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 Thatchoor Cross Road)– Ponneri is approx 8 to 9 kms – Cross Arani river bridge to reach.

1.       Very old temple with two Lord Shiva sannidhis here. So you will see two Nandiswarar here.

2.       The Sthala Viruksham (temple tree) is called “Eru Azhinjal” in tamil or “Ankola” in Sanskrit. The tree here is more than 2500 years old and is still growing. So you can assume the age of this temple.

3.       Its fruit ripens, falls on the ground and after the essence is eaten by ants and other insects, the seeds get attracted to the parent tree like a magnet signifying that the final destination of the human beings being the lotus feet of the lord.

4.       Sage Agasthiar performed pujas here with 108 lingas and hence is the name. All those 108 lingas fused together to become Lord Ganesh and can still be seen at the base of the temple tree. The statue of Lord Ganesh here is a Suyambu moorthy.

Sri Muthukumaraswamy temple, Perumpedu, Ponneri:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 Thatchoor Cross Road)– Ponneri is approx 8 to 9 kms – Cross Arani river bridge – Take the immediate right after the bridge – Go 7 kms to reach the temple.

1.       Relatively new temple, the Lord is very old. Suyambu moorthy.

2.       The Lord is 6.4 feet tall and has both His wives beside him.

3.       The village is very beautiful and you will travel the entire 7 Kms on the banks of the river.

Sri Ranganathar temple at Devadhanam:

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 Thatchoor Cross Road)– Ponneri is approx 8 to 9 kms – Take Ponneri -Thiruvotiyur Road and cross Anuppampattu railway station  - Travel another 2 kms to reach the temple.

1.       Very old temple. More than 2000 years old.

2.       This place is also called as Uthra Rangam (North Srirangam)

3.       The Lord here is Pallikonda Perumal who is seen lying on His bed with Lord Adhisheshan as His bed. The Lord is 18 feet long and is considered longer than the Lord at Srirangam.

4.       The Lord is carved out of a single stone here, called Saligramam. This stone can be found only in Nepal and I really cannot believe such a big stone was brought from Nepal and the Lord was carved out of it.

5.       The place is called Deva – Dhanam (Deva + Donate) because the Lord here rests in His bed after feeding the Devas with his urn.

6.       You get the same effect of worshipping the Lord of Srirangam if you worship here.

7.       All the deities here are carved out of single Saligramam stones.

8.       The Lord rests here on Lord Adhisheshan with the urn below his head, Lord Brahma coming out from his navel, Goddesses Sridevi and Bhoodevi massaging the Lord’s legs and Lord Hanuman worshipping the God in a trance state.

Lokambihai sametha Sri Paliswarar Temple, Thiruppalaivanam.

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a turn at SH 56 Thatchoor Cross Road)– Ponneri is approx 8 to 9 kms – From Ponneri take the road to Pulicat – the temple is 8 kms from Ponneri and 10 from Pulicat

1.       Very old temple of more than 2000 years old.

2.       The Lord here is made of wood and hence no Abhishekams happen here. The Lord is believed to have come out of a tree called “Palai maram” in Tamil which is the Sthala Viruksham here.

3.       Intricate carvings can be seen at the temple. Carvings of snakes flying, Yazhis can be seen in the pillars.

4.       The priest showed me a sculpture and told that this is nothing but the same animal that comes in Avatar movie where the Hero bonds with the animal using his hair. This could be real or may not, but the sculpture was real to see.

5.       The Pushkarani here has no water animals of frog in it. The interesting reason for this is that when milky ocean was churned for nectar, the nectar was made to a Shivalingam and worshipped by Devas here. Devas, after consuming the nectar washed their hands at the temple tank here. Demons wanted to drink the water mixed with nectar by taking the form of frogs. Realising this, Devars made the temple tank such that it is not livable for frogs and other insects. So even today, frogs and other water living animals cannot be seen in the tank.

6.       Worshipped by Sage Agasthiar and Markandeyar. If you worship here it is believed you will remain like a Markandeyar all through your life.

Sri Maragathavalli sametha Sri Varamoortheeswarar temple at Ariyathurai (Kavarapettai)

From Tambaram – Chennai Bye Pass Road towards Red hills to enter Guntur – Chennai H/W – Take a left between Puduvoyal and Kavarapettai – Travel for 2 Kms in village road to reach the temple.

1.       6000 years old temple at the banks of river Arani.

2.       It is believed that Lord Krishna stood here as Aswatha tree for 1000 years.

3.       Water, believed to be from River Ganges, is flowing out perennially from a pit all though the year, though in small quantity. Due to this, the place is considered more sacred than Kasi.

4.       There are 5 ancient Shiva temples in Chennai representing the 5 faces of Lord Shiva and this is one of them representing the Sadhyojatha face of Lord Shiva.

 

Regards,

Admin

http://www.siddhayogi.in/

 

Tryst with temples - Part 2

Hi Readers,

 

Author: Sai Venkateshwaran Srinivasan from Chennai

 

These temples or either on GST or at max 1-2 kms from GST. So you don’t need a car or bike to visit these temples.

1.       Nandivaram, Guduvanchery – 200 mts from Guduvanchery bus stand – More than 1000 years old.

A very old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple opens at 8 AM in the morning and will be open till 11:30 AM. The Lord here is christened Nandeeswarar as He came over here and sat for His great follower – Nandi. Eminent scholars of bygone eons have written about this temple in their hymns and mantras.

 

Get down at Guduvanchery bus stand – walk 50 mts in Tambaram direction. You will see a board indicating Nandivaram. The temple is just 5-10 minutes’ walk from bus stand.

 

2.       Kalyana Anjaneyar temple – On GST, 50 mts north of Valliammai Polytechinc Stop, on the service road.

This is the only place where you can see Lord Hanuman with His wife. Interesting! The most eligible bachelor too has a wife, by some mythological terms. This temple has a big bell and the vigrahas of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lord Lakhsmana and Lord Hanuman are kept inside the bell. The vigrahas of Lord Hanuman and His wife are now at a village some 8 kms from Uthiramerur. The Lord went some 8 years back to get consecrated over there, but still a picture hangs there with the Lord and His wife showering their blessings.

 

Get down at Valliammai Polytechinc Stop – walk 50 mts in Tambaram direction.

 

3.       Lakshmi Narashimha Swamy temple – MM nagar –100 mts from MM nagar station – Opposite to Ford factory in Vivekananda Nagar.

Though this temple was constructed just 15 years back, the deity here is more than 1200 years old. This temple is maintained by a family and is their own temple. There are no timings for this temple and they help you serve the Lord whenever you go. The main deity is Lord Narashimha and Thaayar. Please note, proper attire is required here because it is a family owned temple and they are very pious and religious.

 

Take the road that crosses the railway track just after MM nagar station. Turn left and travel around 100-200 meters to reach the temple.

 

4.       Kalatheeswarar temple – Kattangulathur – 200 – 300 mts from Kattangulathur bus stand – More than 1000 years old.

This temple is situated to the west of GST road. This temple is famous as Rahu and Kethu Sthalam. Anybody with Kala Sarpa Dosham can go to this temple to get rid of the ill effects caused by it. The main deity here is Lord Shiva and He is a Suyambu moorthy here. You don’t see a navagraha here, but you see Lord Saneeswarar, Lord Suriyan, Lord Rahu and Lord Kethu as separate deities. You can perform your own Paalabishekam (pouring milk over Lord Rahu and Lord Kethu) here if you visit the temple on between 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM on Sundays which is Rahu Kalam. When I spoke to the archakar there he told they do special pujas on alternate Sundays, during Rahu Kalam, to get rid of Kala Sarpa Dosham. You will need to be there personally to perform the pujas.

 

Get down at Kattangulathur bus stand. Cross the railway track. Go straight for around 200 mts to reach the temple.

 

5.       Oushadeeswarar temple, Thirukachur – 2 kms west of GST road on SP Kovil – Oragadam state highway – More than 1000 years old.

This temple is built by Kulothunga Chozhan, the First. This temple is considered very sacred and is perched atop a small hill called Oushadagiri. Oushada is medicine in English, marundu in Tamil. Giri is called hill in English and malai in Tamil. So this temple is called Marundeeswarar also. The main deity here is Lord Shiva and He has the same power as Lord Marundeeswarar in Thiruvanmiyur. It is believed that the great Sage, Agasthiyar, touted as the father of native medicine, got all the medicinal prescriptions from the great Lord directly and wrote everything. It is believed that if you worship the Lord here you will be relieved of all illness. The well water here is called “Oushada theertam”. The Goddess here is called “Andakara Nivarani” which translates in English as “The destroyer of black evils”. There is no cart or Dwajasthambam or Gopuram in this temple which is an interesting part. This is a remote temple and you would need a bike or car to reach this temple, though this is 2-3 Kms from GST.

 

6.       Kachabeshwarar temple, Thirukachur – 2 kms west of GST road on SP Kovil – Oragadam state highway – More than 1000 years old.

This temple is built by Kulothunga Chozhan, the First. The Moolavar here is called “Thiyagarayar” because it is believed Lord Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva here during his Koormavatharam days to grant him greater strength. The Lord here is a Suyambu moorthy. The Lord here is also called as “Virunditeeswarar” – in Tamil as “Virundu + Ittu + Eshwarar”. He was bestowed with this name because He went in the form of a Sanyasi, begging alms to feed His followers. So Annadhanam in this temple is considered very sacred and famous. The Goddess here is called “Anjanakshi”. This temple is very big and the interesting part is that there is no Gopuram for this temple, though there is a Dwajasthambam and Cart. The cart is at a dilapidated state right now. ”. This is a remote temple and you would need a bike or car to reach this temple, though this is 2-3 Kms from GST.

 

 

7.       Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple, Aapur – 6 -7 Kms from GST road on SP Kovil – Oragadam state highway.

This is a small temple perched atop a hill. You will need to climb the hill, say approx 600 steps to reach the temple. This temple is in a very isolated place and hence I would advise to visit in groups. Another problem here is monkey menace. There are lots of monkeys roaming around and they will run towards you when you start climbing. If you go by bike ensure you leave nothing in the bike nor carry anything in your hand. Use a backpack. If you go by car, ensure to lock the doors and cover up the glass windows. Do not try to intimidate the monkeys because they intimidate you back with more intensity and there is no place for you to run. I had a torrid time there with them and my heart was pounding and racing when I went up and came downhill. The steps to the temple are not covered and are at max 5 feet wide. On either side of the steps all you see would be bushes and rocks.

 

Regards,

Admin

http://www.siddhayogi.in/

Tryst with temples - Part 1

Hi Readers,

 

Author: Sai Venkateshwaran S from Chennai

 

The main pre-requisite is either you need a bike or car to visit the temples because of poor public transport available to these temples, situated mostly in remote villages.

1.       Embar temple – Madhuramangalam – More than 1000 years old.

This temple is dedicated to Sri Embar, brother of Sri Ramanujar – a great Vaishnavite to have lived. It is believed that Lord Garuda himself took birth in this village as Embar to spread the good deeds of Lord Vishnu. It is highly believed that anybody with eye ailments will get cured after worshipping Sri Embar and Lord Balaji in this temple. The temple opens at 7:30 AM in the morning and I am not sure of the closing time. When I spoke to the Archakar over there, he told me that depending on the crowd he keeps the temple open. But sadly this temple is not known to most and hence is neglected. The Pushkarani in this temple is called Garuda Pushkarani.

 

2.       Lakshmi Narashimha Swamy Temple – Narasingapuram – More than 1000 years old.

The main deity here is Lord Narashimha with Goddess Lakshmi sitting is his lap. This temple is famous for “Alinga darshanam” where both the Lord and Lakshmi are embracing each other. Generally in Narashimha temples you can see Goddess Lakshmi facing the Lord, but here both the God and Goddess are facing us and showering their blessings. The Garudalwar here is famous with 16 serpents tied around him. It is believed that by worshipping the Garudalwar here one can get rid of his Kala Sarpa Dosham. This temple is open till 11 AM in the morning and is 8 Kms from Embar temple.

 

3.       Jalagandeeswarar temple – Thakkolam – More than 1200 years old – 10 kms from Narasingapuram.

The main deity here is Lord Shiva. The Lord here is also called “Theenda Thirumaeni” because nobody touches the Lord here. Even the Archakar over there uses a fork like equipment to place flowers to the Lord. The Sivalingam here changes its colour from white to red and then back to white every six months. When I visited this temple, the lingam was white and I could see traces of red here and there. This temple is also famous as a Guru Sthalam. People who cannot visit Alangudi in Tanjore district can go here and pray to Dakshinamoorthy. Lord Guru here has his head slightly tilted, legs crossed as if he is hearing all your requests. It is believed that Goddess Sati devi worshipped here before marrying Lord Shiva. The place also gets its name from Goddess Sati’s father – Dakshan.  “Thakkolam – Dhakshanin Olam”. Translated literally in english its meaning is “The Cry of Dakshan”. This place is also famous for a war that had happened hundreds of years before between Cholas and Pallavas. The temple is open till 11 AM in the morning.

 

4.       Thiruvalangadu – More than 1200 years old.

This temple is one of the five Sabhas of Lord Nataraja. There are just 5 Sabhas for Lord Nataraja in the world. They are Courtallam, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Chidambaram and Thiruvalangadu. Sabhas are places where it is believed Lord Nataraja performed dances at different periods of time.

Courtallam – Chithira Sabhai.

Tirunelveli – Thamira Sabhai (Sulphur)

Madurai – Velli Sabhai. (Silver)

Chidambaram – Por Sabhai (Gold)

Thiruvalangadu – Rathina Sabhai (Precious Stones)

 

It is believed that Lord Nataraja performed “Orrthuva Thandavam” here with Goddess Kali and won the dance. A rigorous dance where the Lord stands with just one leg alone and with all the eight hands and the right leg pointing the horizon is called Orrthuva Thandavam. This temple is open till 12 noon.

 

5.       Kooram – 12Kms from Kanchipuram on Vellore – Bangalore highway – more than 1000 years old.

Kooram is a place where Koorathalwar, one of the greatest Vaishnavite to serve God and humanity, was born. Born to a very rich family, it is said that he used to feed 1000 people daily in his house on golden plates. After an incident, he renounced his rich life, went to Kanchipuram and started serving the God. It is said that people with eye ailments, to secure good marks in exams and to lead a prosperous life should visit Kooram and pray to Koorathalwar.