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,

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