Chidambaram is famous for its Lord Natarajar temple and it’s one of the pancha Sabha , known as kanaga Sabhai .
This temple ranks among the 108 Divyadesams of Lord Perumal . The Temple follows Vaikanasa Agamam . As Lord Narayana poses as Nila Thingal Thundan Perumal having inside the Ekambareswar temple premises in Kanchipuram , here at Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja Temple , he poses as Govindaraja Perumal near Lord Natarajar Sannadhi . Presiding Deity is called as Govindaraja Perumal . Govindaraja Perumal’s shrine faces east , while Nataraja’s shrine faces south .
Lord Govindaraja is in a separate temple with his flag post in the temple known as Chitra Sabha. Lord Vishnu’s shrine has its own circumambulatory passage and a set of towers . Standing in the front mandapam , the devotees can have the joint darshan of Lord Nataraja , Lord Govindaraja and Lord Brahmma on his naval chord simultaneously . This Shiva – Vishnu – Brahma darshan is available for the devotees in this temple only .
Lord is in Bhoga Sayanam (Reclining Posture) . Presiding Deity has Sangu and Chakram in his hands . He is accompanied by his consorts Sridevi , Bhudevi and Neela Devi at his feet . Adhishesha is seen with 7 heads and Perumal is wearing Salagrama Malai and Dasavathara Belt . Lord Brahmma with his four faces generally appears in a sitting posture on the naval chord of Lord Vishnu , here he appears in standing posture .
Of the Pancha Bhooda Sthalas – Space – Akash, Fire, wind, water and Prithvi the earth – this place belongs to Akash. Lord Govindaraja Perumal is facing Akash. The Vimana above the sanctum sanctorum is called Sadvika Vimana . Procession deity Devadhi Devan / Parthasarathy is in a sitting posture with Mothers. Another procession deity , Chitrakoodathullan, in a standing posture is with presiding Lord near his feet .
The speciality of this Temple is Lord can be seen in all postures . Utsava Idol Parthasarathy is in sitting posture , another Utsava Idol , Chitrakoodathan is in standing posture and Presiding Deity is in Sleeping posture . Mother is called as Pundarikavalli . Mother Pundarikavalli graces from a separate shrine. There is a shrine for Lord Rama can be seen in his Vanavasa Kolam (i.e poses as in his forest surroundings) in the Temple premises.
The Padukas of Lord are in a shrine in the prakara ensuring salvation to the devotees. Garuda Baghwan holding the devotee elephant Gajendra, Lord Narasimha , Venugopala and Maharshi Patanjali , Sri Andal and Sri Anjaneya also grace the devotees from their shrines in the prakara. There are also shrines for Chakkarathalwar , Udayavar , Narasimhar with Shanku chakram , Yoga Narasimhar , Koorathazhwar , Vishwaksenar , Alwars and Acharyas in the Temple premises .
In earlier days , there seems to have been separate temples for Vishnu and Shiva. This can be seen in Alwar’s praise of Thillai Chitrakoodam . There is said to have been a Nataraja temple known as Chitraambalam . Siru Ambalam signified that the Nataraja temple was small and Chitrakoodam (the Vishnu Lord) was the bigger temple . Chozha kings are believed to have destroyed the Vishnu temple and reconstructed the Nataraja temple and then positioned the Vishnu temple inside .
This sthalam is situated in Chennai , Tamil Nadu . This Kshetram is considered to be more divine in Thondai Naadu divyadesham temples .
Specials : The great seven Munis (Saptha Rishis) – Brighu , Atthiri , Mareeshi , Markandeyar, Sumathi , Jaabali and Saptharomar performed Tapas (thavam) here and as a result of this , the sthalam is also called as ” Brindaranyasthalam “. This sthalam is also known as ” Pancha Veerathalam”.
Lord Vishnu appeared here as ” Sri Parthasarathy ” for King Thondaimaan .
The Lord is installed by Vyasar and Devoted by Aathreyar .
Thirumazhisai Alwar met first Three Alwars (Poigai, Pei and Bhutham) in this sthalam.
The Deities :
The Moolavar of this sthalam is Sri Venkata Krishnan . Along with Rukmani Piratiyar , he holds sword in one hand , Varadha Muthirai on the other hand and his brother Balaraman on his right , Sathaki on his left , son Prathyumnan , Grand son Aniruthan are also found near the Moolavar. This is one of the Sthalam where the Perumal shows his seva along with his three generations. He is found in standing (Nindra thirukkolam) position and facing his Thirumugham towards East direction.
The Thayaar of this Allikeni sthalam is Vedavalli Thayaar.
Sannadhis :
Sri Ramar Sannadhi.
Aranga Nathan Sannadhi.
Moolavar Sannadhi.
Thaayar Sannadhi.
Sri Varadharajan Sannadhi.
Azhagiyasingar( Narasimhar).
Sri Andal Sannadhi.
Mangalasasanam :
Thirumangai Alwar – 10 Paasurams.
Pei Alwar – 1
Thirumazhisai Alwar – 1
– Total 12.
Sri Ramanujar, Sri Manavala Mamunigal has also done mangalasasanam here.
Pushkarani : The Main pushkarani of this Sthalam is Kairavini Saras. Some other theerthams like Agni theertham , Soma theertham , Meena theertham , Indra theertham , Vishnu theertham are also found in this Sthalam. Due to lots of Alli (LILLY) flowers in the pond , this Kshetram is so-called as ” Alli keni “.
Vimanam : The Vimaanam is said to be found of Five Nillays with Seven Kalasams on it. The Five Nillays are :
Ananda
Pranava
Pushpaka
Sesha and
Thaivagai vimanam
Sri Parthasarathy Temple (Divya Desam) This is one of the 108 Divya desams. The name of the place came from the term – Allikkeni , meaning the temple tank of Alli flowers called Kairavinisaras. Per Legend, Thiruvengadamudayan gave dharshan as Krishnan to Chola king Sumathirajan per his request and so the deity is called Venkatakrishnan and the vigraha was installed by Attreya maharishi . The main deity is in the form of charioteer and so has a big moustache and the whole family of Krishnar – consort Rukmani , elder brother Balaramar , younger brother Satyaki , son Pradhyumna and grandson Anirudha are present in main shrine which can not be seen anywhere else. Since Krishnar promised not to take any weapons in His hands during the Mahabharatha war , He is seen here with Sangu only ( without the Chakra ) . The Utsava vigraham bears scars supposed to be from the arrows of Bheeshmar , when he was the charioteer to Arjuna in the Mahabharatha war .
The special significance of the temple being that the perumals of the 5 divya desams – Thirupathi Venkatesa Perumal , Srirangam Ranganathar , Kancheepuram Varadarajar , Ahobilam Narasimhar and Ayodhi Ramar – are present in separate shrines . As a rarity there are two dwajasthambams one for Sri Parathasarathy and the other for Sri Narasimhar. Also during Brahmosthavams , the temple car will run twice.
Ramanujar’s father AasuriKesavacharyar conducted a yagna here and got Ramanujar as his son. Thyagarajar, Muthuswamy Dhikshithar and Bharathiar lived here. Viveknandhar has also visited this temple.
Main entrance of the temple Moolavar UrtsavarParamapatha vaasal
Located about 8kms West of Nagapattinam, off the Nagapattinam- Thiruvarur Highway, is Damodara Narayanan Divya Desam in Thiru Kannangudi, which is also part of the Pancha Krishna Kshetram. This is the final point of Krishnaranya Kshetram, which begins at Naachiyar Koil in Thiru Naraiyur and passes through Thiru Cherai, Kannamangai and Kannapuram.
Sage Vashishta and Lord Krishna The story goes that, Lord Krishna, pleased with Vashishta’s penance, appeared before the sage in the form of a kid. While the Sage was immersed in thoughts of the Lord, Kannan picked up the butter, swallowed it in one go and gave Vashishta the run.
With Vashishta giving him a chase, young Kannan runs through the Krishnaranya Kshetram until he came upon the rishis, who were undergoing penance here. Thrilled to see Kannan come their way, the rishis blocked him.
Explaining his hurry, Kannan wanted them to ask for one wish. By this time, Vashishta too had caught up with the Lord and he fell at his feet. The rishis wanted the Lord to provide darshan to other devotees in this same standing posture at this place. Hence this place came to be called Kannankudi.
4 Interesting stories relating to ThiruMangai’s experience at Thiru Kannangudi
1. Thirumangai’s praise of the Tamarind tree Thirumangai Azhvaar who was to build the huge walls of Srirangam temple came to Nagai to pick up the golden statue of Buddha. On his way back, a tired Thirumangai wanted rest and lay under a Tamarind tree at Thiru Kannankudi. Placing the gold in the pit there, Thirumangai asked the tree to wake him up if someone came there. The next morning when the owner of the plot arrived to resume work, the tamarind tree dropped its leaves on Thirumangai to wake up the Azhvaar.
2. Pending cases at Kannangudi Thirumangai and the owner of the plot argued about its ownership. Thirumangai defended himself saying his papers were in Srirangam and that he would come back in a day or two with the papers. Thirumangai never came back and the case is said to have remained pending. Disputes in ThiruKannangudi don’t see a quick decision.
3. Dry Wells at Thiru Kannangudi A thirsty Thirumangai is said to have walked up to the ladies near the well and asked for water. Having heard about his arguments regarding the ownership of the plot, they were worried that he would fight with them on the ownership of the well and hence refused him a pot of water. An angry Thiru Mangai Azhvaar pronounced a curse stating that the water would not fill up in the well. To this day, wells in Thiru Kannankudi are seen dried up. Even when it fills up, it tastes salty.
4. Lord quenches Thirumangai’s thirst The Lord of Thiru Kannankudi is said to have come and presented a tired and thirsty Thiru Mangai with food and water. With Thiru Mangai finishing his food, the Lord is said to have disappeared. Left wondering, Thirumangai, on his way back, met a man who seemed like one with conch and chakra but disappeared almost immediately. It is believed that Thirumangai had earlier answered the Lord’s enquiry about his background saying he was a vagabond. Hence, the Lord is believed to have given him just one quick glimpse of his full vision and then disappeared.
Pancha Krishna Kshetram Thiru Kannangudi is part of the Pancha Krishna Kshetram, the others being Kapisthalam, ThiruKovilur, Thiru Kannamangai and Thiru Kannapuram.
Garuda’s Posture at ThiruKannangudi Unlike in other Divya Desams where Garuda is seen with folded hands, he is seen here with his hands around his body.
Another unique feature at this temple is the similarity of the Moolavar and Utsavar idols of Goddess, not seen in any other Divya Desam.
Moolavar is Lord Loganathan East facing and in standing posture Goddess Loganayaki Utsavar Damodara Narayanan Thirumangai Azhvaar (10 paasurams) has sung the glory of this Lord .
Located 20kms North West of Nagapatinam (20kms East of Tiruvarur, 30kms South of Kumbakonam and Mayavaram), this is one of the 5 Krishnaranya Kshetrams. Lord Narayana himself re-incarnated as Sowri Rajan at Kannapuram and it is one of the 108 Divya deshams (Cholanadu) .
The Moolavar of this sthalam is Sri Neelamega Perumal. Moolavar is in nindra (standing) thirukkolam facing the East. Utsavar Sowriraja perumal is decoared with false hair and taken out in procession during Brahmotsavam festival The Lord gave dharshan for Kanva munivar, Garudan, Thandaka maharishi
The Thayaar in this sthalam is Kannapura Nayaki and has a separate sannadhi
Mangalasasanams The temple is revered by the verses of Tirumangai alwar,Perialwar,Aandaal,Kulasekara alwar,Nammalwar
History of Sowriraja Perumal Temple
This is the temple where the Lord showed Vibheeshana, brother of Ravana, his walking beauty. After seeing the sleeping beauty of Vishnu as Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, Vibheeshna wanted to see the walking beauty of the Lord, upon which he was directed by the Lord to his “Keezh(akku) Veedu’ (Eastern Gateway of the Lord).
Sowri Rajan – An extra growth of hair on the Lord The legend behind the temple is that once an archahar, (bhattar,priest)called Ranga bhattar, due to poverty, was recycling used garlands to decorate the Lord. Once when the king visited, he noticed a strand of hair in the garland. The angered king asked the priest how a human hair could have got into the garland meant for Narayana. Flustered priest blabbered saying that it was the hair of the Lord Himself. The priest promised the king to show the Lord’s hair the next day. Fearing death penalty, the priest surrendered to the Lord. To save the poor priest Ranga bhattar, Lord appeared with thick hair and gave darshan to the king. Hence he is known as Sowriraja perumal ( Sowri – hair).
In another incident, a devotee named Munaitharaiyar wanted to offer the delicious pongal to the Lord before he would eat it. As it was late in the night, the temple was closed and he could not get in. He stood outside and sincerely imagined of he offering the Pongal to the Lord. Suddenly, there were chimes from the temple bell inside and a fragrance of hot ghee pongal came out of the temple, signifying that the Lord had accepted his offering. Till this day, pongal as nivethyam is offered during the Arthajama pooja ( night pooja) and is called “Muniyodharam Pongal” named after the devotee.
“Om Namo Narayana” is the Thirumandiram and Thirumangai Azhwar was taught by Lord Neelamega perumal itself. This sacred mandiram consists of eight syllables and here Sriman Narayanan is said to live in each syllable and hence this place is also called “Srimathasthakshara Maha Manthira Siddhi Kshetram”.
Here the deity appears as if seeking alms,signifying that He is receiving our hardships on Himself to keep the human kind happy. The Chakra in his hand is Prayoga chakra and appears ready to destroy the evil.
Sri Neervannaperumal Temple, Thiruneermalai is one among the 108 Divyadesams found in Chennai near Tambaram (Thondai Nadu).
In this Sthalam, the Perumal is found in various positions as Nindraan, Irunthaan, Kidanthaan and Nadanthaan Thirukkolam.
This Sthalam is situated in Tamil Nadu, Chengulpet District. We can reach the temple by travelling around 4 Kms from Pallavaram Railway Station, which is about 7 Kms from Chennai.
This Thiruneermalai Kshetram is also called as “Thoyagiri Kshetram” and also as “Thothadri”. Thoya means “Water” and Adhiri means “Mountain” (malai). Since the mountain is surrounded by water, this sthalam is named as “Thiru Neermalai”.
Specials :
The Perumal shows his 4 sevas in this temple (ie) – Nindra, Iruntha, Kidantha and Nadantha Thirukkolmas.
It is said that once Thirumangai Alwar came here to get the Dharshan of the Perumal. At that time, the mountain was fully surrounded by water and he waited for six months to worship the Perumal. After all the water drained, he went up the mountain and worshipped the Perumal. The place where Thirumangai Alwar stayed is called as “Thiru Mangai Alwarpuram”.
Moolavar and Thaayar:
The Perumal gives his seva in four different positions.
Sri Neervannar – Nindra Thirukkolam.
Lord Narasimhar – Irundha Thirukkolam.
Lord Ranganathar – Kidantha Thirukkolam.
Lord Thiruvikraman – Nadantha Thirukkolam.
The Neervannar is found in Nindra (standing) thirukkolam facing his Thirumugham towards East direction. He is also named as Neelamugil Vannan. Prathyaksham (seva) for Thondaimaan, Brighu Munivar and Maarkandeyar.
Lord Ranganathar is found in Kidantha (lying) position facing his thirumugham towards South direction and the Sayana kolam is referred to as “Manicka Sayanam”. He is lying on the Aadhiseshan under Ranga Vimaanam.
Thaayar The Thayaar of this sthalam is Sri Animaa Malar Mangai and found in a separate Sannadhi.
Adivaram temple is Neervannar in nindra kolam . One has to climb about 210 steps to Malai koil to see iruntha , kidantha , nadantha kolam of the Lord . According to Thirumangai Alwar, Thiruneer Malai is referred to:
Thirukoviloor – Ulagalanthaan (ThiruVikrama kolam) Thus, in Thiruneermalai Divyadesam, we can see all the four forms of the Perumal together. In this temple, Muni Valmiki worshipped Eari Kidantha (Aranganathan), Iruntha (Narasimar), Nadantha (Thiruvikraman) Kola seva of the Perumal. After worshipping all the 3 sevas, he came down from the mountain to worship Lord Rama. Knowing this Lord Vishnu gave darshan as Sri Ramar and Lakshmi Piratti as Seetha and Aadisesha as Lakshman and Sangu and Chakram as Baratha chatrukanan. Lord Vigneshwar as Sugreev and Garudan as Hanuman.
Pushkarani: Kshri includes Karunya, Sidha and Swarna Pushkarani.
Kshri Pushkarani for Kidantha Perumal.
Karunya Pushkarani for Nindra Perumal.
Sittha Pushkarani for Ulagalantha Perumal.
Swarna Pushkarani for Veetruntha Paramapatha Emperuman.
The Pushkarani is found along with the Neerazhi Mandapam.
In Kulakarai, Vasantha Mandapam is found.
Vimanam:
Ranga Vimaanam – Sri Ranganathar.
Santha Vimaanam – Lord Narasimhar.
Thoyagiri Vimaanam – Ulagalantha Perumal.
Hill temple Nindran Neervanna Perumal Irunthan sitting posture Sri Narasimhar Nadanthan in walking posture Ulagalantha Perumal Kidanthan in reclining posture Sri Ranganathar
Sri Jagath Rakshaka Perumal temple, Thirukudalur, Tamil Nadu .
Jagath Rakshaka Perumal Temple or Thirukudalur (locally called Aduthurai Perumal Temple) is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi as Padmasanavalli.
The temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval Cholas of the late 8th century AD, with later contributions from Vijayanagar kings and Madurai Nayaks. A brick wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and bodies of water.
Jagath Rakshaka is believed to have appeared to sage Nandaka and King Ambarisha. In this temple v can see a sangu (conch) naturally formed in a jack tree.. during our visit to cholanadu divyadeshams we were lucky enough to see the aani thirumanjanam .
As per Hindu legend , King Ambarisha who immersed himself in the worship of Lord Vishnu , failed to strengthen his army and lost his kingdom . While worshipping , he also did not observe the sage Durvasa who went along that way . The sage got irritated and cursed the king . The king went to Lord Vishnu for rescue , who sent his discus to chase the sage. The sage surrendered to Lord Vishnu for forgiveness . The king Ambarishan is believed to have built the temple and hence the presiding deity is also called Ambarisha Varadhar at this place .
As per another legend , all rivers come to river Kaveri for cleansing themselves . Kaveri wanted to cleanse herself and approached Lord Brahma . She is believed to have worshipped Vishnu at this place and got relieved . A parrot which was devoted to Lord Vishnu was shot down in the nearby forest . Lord Vishnu rescued the parrot and appeased him of his previous birth . Thus it is believed that Vishnu descends here for all forms of life . Lord Vishnu is also believed to have appeared for sage Nandaka . Since all sages came here and prayed to Lord Vishnu , the place is called Koodalur ( Koodal means group ) .The temple is called Vaiyam Katha Perumal as the presiding deity is believed to have saved the world .
Inside the temple Standing in front of the Jack tree u can see the conch applied with turmericEntrance of the temple
Located about 15 kms South of Mayavaram is the Kripa Samudran(Arumakadal) Divya Desam in Sirupuliyur where the Lord is seen as a small kid in sleeping posture (Bala Sayanam).
This is one among the 40 cholanadu divyadeshams.
Moolavar: Kripasamudra Perumal in a south-facing Bhujanga Sayana posture
Thaayar: Thirumaa Magal Nachiyar
It is believed that that the Lord originally gave darshan to the Rishis as Lord Ranganatha (like in Srirangam) in his full form. Because of their old age, the rishis could not see, clearly, the big image of the Lord and hence the Lord gave darshan in a smaller form known as ‘Bala Sayanam’. The Lord Kripa Samudran can be seen as a small kid in sleeping posture. Being the Lord in small form, this place is called Siru (small) Puliyur.
A special feature of this temple is that this is one of the only two Divya Desams where the Lord in sayana kolam (sleeping posture) is facing the Southern direction, the other being Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam.
Sthalapuranam: Gauthama Maharishi was the son of Madhiya Nandhana Maharishi. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva. To offer pure and sweet fruits and fine flowers he requested Lord Shiva to grant him eyes in his hand finger tips and claws like tiger. And he got the name Viyakirapadha rishi. Then he married Vashits Maharishi’s sister and bore upamanyu Maharishi as his son. Once Padanjali, the son of Aadhishesha came to Chidambaram and joined the Maharishi to enjoy the graceful dance of Lord Shiva and attained the eternal happiness in the process. Lord Shiva ordered Vyakrapadha rishi to do penance at Srirangam requesting Lord Vishnu to give him place in Sri Vaigundam. Because of their poor eyesight, the Rishis instead went southward, lost their way and reached Krupa Samudram (present name Sirupuliyur). Here, they prayed to Lord Vishnu saying that they were to come to Srirangam to invoke his blessings but have now lost their way and that he grant them Moksham. It is believed that the Lord originally gave dharshan to the Rishis as Lord Ranganatha (like in Srirangam) in his full form. Because of their old age, the rishis could not able to see the big image of the Lord clearly and hence the Lord gave dharshan in a smaller form known as ‘Bala Sayanam’. The Lord Krupa Samudran (means Ocean of Grace) can be seen as a small kid in sleeping posture. Being the Lord in small form and the saint who worshipped was in the form of a Tiger; hence this place is called Siru (small) Puli (Tiger) yur (Living place). He has also got a place under the lotus feet of the Lord in the Moolavar Sannathi. It’s been said the perumal of this place gave protection to the snake Aadhiseshan from his enemy Garuda. The Lord here is small in size. Thirumangaialwar worried about this. So, Perumal asked him to come to Thirukannamangai to view his very big statue. A special feature of this temple is that this is one of the only two Divya Desams where the Lord in sayana kolam (sleeping posture) is facing the Southern direction, the other being Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam. Garuda does not fly over this place because of an interesting story:
Fight between Garuda and Adhiseshan
Once Garuda(the Vehicle of the Lord) and Adiseshan (on whom rests the Lord) got into an argument as to who was more powerful and devoted to the Lord. Seeing Garuda a little arrogant, Lord Vishnu went in favour of the Serpant God. Worried that Garuda might be angered at this, Adiseshan seeks Lord’s protection, upon which Lord asks him to roll himself and lie under him. It is said that as a result of this anger, Garuda never flies over this place. There is another story that that Adiseshan won the argument and since snakes were sworn enemies of garuda, Adiseshan hid himself under the waters of the temple tank. There is since been a temple for Adisesha. A separate shrine for Sri Adhiseshan is present near to the pushkarani – known as Ananthalwar Temple. It is said that one will be relieved of Naaga Dosham if one visits this place. Unmarried people and childless couple can also visit this temple for solution.
This sthalam is a village which is situated in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu.
It lies in between Mayavaram junction and Kuttralam station on the main railway line between Chennai to Tanjore.
This temple can also be reached by travelling around 7 Kms from Kuttralam and about 8 Kms from Mayavaram.
This Divyadesam is also called with other names such as Azhundoor, Azhundhai, Therazhunthur.
Sthala Puranam:
Uparisaravasu was the king of Sethi Kingdom and was the student of Devaguru Bhragaspathi. He got a chariot from Lord Indra , which floated in the sky .
Once he settled a dispute between the rishi’s and devas and favour it in the Deva’s side.
The rishi’s got angry and cursed the king that his chariot would not fly in the sky.
So as an effect to the curse, his chariot got stuck in this place and the king fell infront of the lord. Henceforth this place is called as Therazhunthur (Ther means Chariot).
Lord Narayana sent Garudan and helped him to fly back. As Lord helped the person loved by deva’s who was a human he was called Devaadirajan from then on.
Moolavar Devaadirajan is of 10 feet tall having Lord Gauruda to his left and prahalatha along with Markanteya Maharishi to his right. He has Gadhayudham (his weapon) in his left hand. River Cauvery too is there kneeling at his lotus feet.
Utsavar Aamaruviappan stands with a very beautiful calf along with his two wives.
Cow and calf belong to the Deva group, buffulo’s belong to Asura group and sheep’s belong to Mankind. Lord Krishna thus saves all the living things. As Jeevatma becomes a tamed cow before Lord Krishna and he too behaves as a tamed cow infront of a pure heart, he is called as Aamaruviappa (ie) Aaa means cow (person who is as soft as a cow). Thus the Lord Aamaruviappa is said to inherit the qualities of Lord Krishna (ie) (he contains Lord Krishnas Amsam).
There is a tale regarding Aamaruviappan’s arrival at this place. Once Lord Brahma stole all the cows of Ayarpadi which were under Lord Krishna’s custody and locked them at Theruzhunthur. Lord Krishna came to know this through his Yoga maya and created a whole new herd of cows. Lord Brahma then asked Lord Krishna to forgive him. He asked Lord Krishna to stay permenantly at this place and bless all the people who seeked his help.
There’s a beautiful unjal Mandapam (Unjal – Joola – Swing) in this temple.
Inside the Rajagopuram, poet kamban and his wives images are beautifully carved. (Poet Kamban was born here only) there are also many beautiful images which are in a demolished state.
Manavala Maamunigal has done Mangalasasanam to his place. Utsavar is brought for Thirumanjanam (ceremony of bathing the lord) in river cauvery many times during the festivities .
Moolavar has golden (helment) Kreedam, Sagasranama necklace, Dasavathara Udhara Malai, Golden anklet, godess Alarmel mangai in his heart diamond Thiruman (sacred symbol of Vaishnavities).
This Sthalam is the birth place of the Great Tamil Poet, Kambar who has created “Kamba Ramayanam”.
The Moolavar of this sthalam is Sri Devaadi Rajan. He is giving his seva in Nindra (Standing) Thirukkolam facing his thirumugham towards east direction. Prathyaksham for Dharma devadai, Uparisaravasu, River Cauvery, Garudan and Agastiyar.
The Thayaar found in this sthalam is Sengamalavalli Thaayar.
The Utsavar found in this sthalam is Aamaruviappan.
This temple is located on the Chennai to thirupathi highway .
The temple is one among the 108 divya desams of vaishnavas and a part of tondai naadu divyadesams. Amavasya days are believed to be auspicious for visiting this temple.
The presiding deity Veera raghava perumal is in a reclining position in the temple. The lord’s right hand is positioned on Salihothra Munivar’s head while the left hand is in the Gnana Mudra position indicating the teaching of the four Vedas to the Lord Brahma.
A sage named Salihotra had his hermitage in this place. He used to grind rice for a living and offered half of the flour to the seekers and used to consume the rest himself. He was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. To test his devotion, Vishnu appeared as a guest to him one day. He requested Salihotra to offer him food, which the sage did. The guest felt hungry and requested the sage to offer more food. The sage offered the other half portion of the flour which he used to consume himself. The guest asked a place to rest and the sage readily offered his hermitage. On arriving at the hermitage, the guest revealed his true form and blessed the sage.
As per another legend, Vishnu appeared in the place to marry Lakshmi, who was born as the daughter of Dilipa, the king of Dharmasenapura. He appeared in the place and married her .The place is also called Thiruevvul and Veshranniem.
As per yet another legend, Shiva was not invited by Daksha, the father of Dakshyani and wife of Siva for a big yagna (sacrifice). Siva, in his anger, opened his third eye out of which Virabhadra was created. He was directed by Siva to kill Daksha and he followed his orders. Siva incurred Brahmahatti Dosham on account of the execution. He was directed to the sacred tank of the temple to propitiate himself off the sins. The shrine of Siva in the form of Theertheswarar on the northern banks of the temple is believed to be place where Siva cleansed himself.
Hrith paapanasini-The temple’s Pond A dip in this holy water is capable of purifying even sins committed by mind.
The temple is one among the 108 divya desams of vaishnavas and a part of thondai naadu divyadesams. Amavasya days are believed to be auspicious for visiting this temple.
The presiding deity Veera raghava perumal is in a reclining position in the temple. The lord’s right hand is positioned on Salihothra Munivar’s head while the left hand is in the Gyana Mudra position indicating the teaching of the four Vedas to the Lord Brahma.
A sage named Salihotra had his hermitage in this place. He used to grind rice for a living and offered half of the flour to the seekers and used to consume the rest himself. He was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. To test his devotion, Vishnu appeared as a guest to him one day. He requested Salihotra to offer him food, which the sage did. The guest felt hungry and requested the sage to offer more food. The sage offered the other half portion of the flour which he used to consume himself. The guest asked a place to rest and the sage readily offered his hermitage. On arriving at the hermitage, the guest revealed his true form and blessed the sage.
As per another legend, Vishnu appeared in the place to marry Lakshmi, who was born as the daughter of Dilipa, the king of Dharmasenapura. He appeared in the place and married her .The place is also called Thiruevvul and Veshranniem.
As per yet another legend, Shiva was not invited by Daksha, the father of Dakshyani and wife of Siva for a big yagna (sacrifice). Siva, in his anger, opened his third eye out of which Virabhadra was created. He was directed by Siva to kill Daksha and he followed his orders. Siva incurred Brahmahatti Dosham on account of the execution. He was directed to the sacred tank of the temple to propitiate himself off the sins. The shrine of Siva in the form of Theertheswarar on the northern banks of the temple is believed to be place where Siva cleansed himself.
Here is the list of the Navagraha temples located in Chennai .
Kollapakkam Sri Agastgeeswarar temple Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Suryan
Somangalam Sri Somanaadheeswarar Temple Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Chandran
Poondhamalli Sri Vaidheeswarar Temple (Uthara Vaidheeswaran Koil) Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Angaaragan
Kovur Sri Sundhareswarar Temple Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Budhan
Porur Sri Ramanaadheswarar Temple (Uthara Raameswaram) Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Guru
Maangaadu Sri Velleeswarar Temple Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Sukran
Pozhichalur Sri Agatheeswarar Temple (Vada Thirunallaaru) Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Saneeswarar
Gerugambaakkam Sri Neelakandeswarar Temple Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Kethu
Kunrathur Sri Naageswarar Temple (Vada Thirunaageswaram) Navagraha Sthalam for Sri Raahu
All these temples are of historic importance and recently Tamilnadu Tourism has started operating package trip to these Chennai Navagraha temples .
KOLLAPAKKAM AGASTHEESWARAR This temple is devoted to Surya Bhagwaan and is said to be built over 1300 years ago . The main deities here are Sri Agatheeswarar (also called Sri Vaakeesa Mahadhevar) and Goddess Sri Aanandhavalli . According to legend , Surya Bhagwaan used to worship Lord Shiva here. The shrines of all other deities face the shrine of Lord Surya . Legend also says that along with Surya Bhagwaan , Sage Agasthiyar also worshipped Lord Shiva here. Thus , the temple is called Sri Agatheeswarar .The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is ” Arasa Maram ” (Peepal tree) and Theertham is called “Amirtha Pushkarani ” which is found adjacent to the temple and is less maintained .
The color of Vasthram (clothing) meant for Sri Surya Bhagavan is Red. The Dhaanyam (grain) dedicated to Him is Wheat and the auspicious day to worship Sri Surya Bhagavan is Sunday. Worshipping Sri Surya Bhagavan on Sunday, by offering red cloth, red flowers and wheat gives success to one in all his deeds. Also, it is said that worshipping Sun God makes one gain the Thejas
SOMANGALAM SOMANADEESWARAR Somangalam lies at about 35 kms south west of Chennai city. One can take the route from Tambaram via Kishkinta to reach Somangalam. The better alternative is to take the road from Pallavaram going to Kunrathur. After reaching Kunrathur junction, one has to take left (towards south) to reach Somangalam. Somangalam is about 10 kms from Kunrathur. Also plenty of busses ply from Porur directly to Somangalam.
Somangalam is an ancient, beautiful village having a temple for Lord Shiva. The main deity here is Sri Somanaadheeswarar and Goddess Sri Kamakshi Amman.
This temple is one of the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) devoted to Sri Chandra Bhagavan (Moon God). According to legend , Sri Chandra Bhagavan (also called Soman) is said to have got cursed by Dhakshan . As a result , he lost his divine charm and forgot all 16 form of arts he acquired . To come out of this , He is said to have created a pond here called Soma Theertham and worshipped Lord Shiva here . After this , he got back his beauty and wisdom . As Sri Soman (Sri Chandra Bhagavan) worshipped the Lord here , Lord Shiva here is called Somanaadheeswarar and the place came to be known as Somangalam .
This temple is a Parihaara Sthalam for those having any Dhosham related to Chandra Bhagavan . Sri Chandra Bhagavan has a separate shrine in the temple , facing west .
POONTHAMALLEE VAIDHEESWARAR Poonthamallee is about 25 kms from Chennai city and has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva , which is more than 1000 years old . The main deity here is Sri Vaidheeswarar and Goddess Sri Thaiyyal Naayagi .
This temple is very similar to the Vaidheeswaran Koil temple near Kumbakonam , which is one of the Navagraha Sthalam for Angaaragan ( Mars in English or Chevvaai in Thamizh ).
This temple is one among the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) for Angaaragan . It is said that Sri Angaaragan worshipped Lord Shiva at this place .
Sri Angaaragan’s Paadham (foot mark) is found in the temple just outside the sanctum under the Panai (Palm) tree sculpted on stone. This temple is a Parihaara Sthalam for Chevvaai Dhosham. Special Poojas are done here on Tuesdays for Sri Angaaragan .
The temple is so huge with very vast praakaarams . The main deity is facing east in the form of Shiva Lingam. Goddess Sri Thaiyyal Naayagi is facing south.
In the inner praakaaram Sri Dhakshinamurthy , Sri Brahma, Sri Subramanyar, Sri Sandigeswarar and Sri Durgai are seen . There are 3 Chakras installed by Sri Aadhi Sankarar in the Praakaaram called Sri Chakram , Subramanya Chakram and Shanmuga Chakram .
On the northern praakaaram there is a Baana Lingam installed facing the entrance .
Though there is an entrance at the eastern side , the temple has its main entrance and Rajagopuram facing north .
There are some beautiful carvings on either sides of the entrance.
The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is Thaazhi Panai Maram (Palm tree). The temple pond (called Vinai Theertha Kulam) is located on the eastern side of the temple , which needs attention .
Surya Pooja happens in this temple in the Thamizh month ” Maasi “. On the 21st , 22nd , 23rd , 24th and 25th of Maasi , Sun’s rays directly fall on the main deity around 6 am in the mornings . This amazing act happens only on these 5 days of the year and never repeats again .
This temple is also called ‘Uthara Vaitheeswaran Koil’. A wonderful temple with amazing architecture .
KOVUR SRI SUNDARESWARAR Kovur is a small town situated about 22 kms from Chennai, on the road going from Porur towards Kunrathur. The temple is located about 200 meters off the main road.
Kovur has a massive temple for Lord Shiva built by Kulothunga Chozha .The main deity of this temple is Sri Sundhareswarar (also called Thirumaeneeswarar) and Goddess Sri Soundharaambigai (also called Thiruvudai Naayagi).Sri Sundhareswarar temple in Kovur is one of the Navagraha sthalams around Chennai. This is the Budhan Sthalam in Chennai.
The temple is located close to 4 kms from Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple . Kovur is a about 10 kms from Pallavaram , on the road going from Kunrathur towards Porur. The temple is located about 200 meters off the main road – narrow roads . The temple has a beautiful tall Rajagopuram . Main deities – Lord Sri Sundhareswarar and Goddess Sri Soundharaambigai. The Lord is also called Thirumaeneeswarar. Other deities are Sri Veerabadhrar , Sri Subramanyar and Navagraha .
According to legend , Goddess Kamakshi was performing thapas on Panchagni (fire) in Maangaadu praying Lord Shiva to marry Her . Her penance was so intense that the whole surroundings became too hot and all living beings suffered because of enormous heat . But Lord Shiva was meditating deeply with His eyes closed . Sages and Devas worshipped Lord Vishnu to save the world from the heat of the penance. Lord Vishnu directed Sri Mahalakshmi to save the world.
Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi came down here to this place in the form of a cow and worshipped Lord Shiva to make Him open the eyes , so that the world is saved . Pleased with Her prayers, Lord Shiva opened His eyes , after which the heat of the place subsided and became cooler .
As Sri Mahalakshmi worshipped here in the form of a cow , the place came to be known as Kopuri ( In Thamil , Ko means cow ) and later corrupted to become Kovur . At later stages Kulothunga Chozha had built this temple beautifully .
The temple is facing south with a beautiful 7 tiered Rajagopuram . The entire Sannadhi street itself is so beautiful with shady trees and ancient houses .
This temple is one among the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) for Sri Budhan (Mercury) .
Lord Sri Sundhareswarar and Goddess Sri Soundharaambigai are said to be so beautiful here and hence they are called so . It is said that , by worshipping Sri Sundhareswarar , one will be cured of many ailments . The temple has undergone Kumbhabhishekam ( consecration ) recently and looks fresh and new .
Other deities present in the temple are Sri Veerabadhrarb, Sri Valli Devasena Samedha Sri Subramanyar and Navagrahams . All 63 Naayanmaars are also present in this temple .
Saint Thyagaraja has visited this temple on his way to Thirupathi . It is said that Saint Thyagaraja traveled on a palanquin towards Thirupathi and passed through this place . He also visited this temple on his way . A local headman called Sundharesan asked the saint to compose and sing some songs on him . Thyagarajar refused and said that he won’t sing praise of any individual and he will sing praise of God only and left Kovur .
While going from Kovur, his palanquin was obstructed by a group of bandits who threw stones on the palanquin and his servants to stop him from going further . The saint Thyagaraja stopped and got down from the palanquin to explain the bandits that he was not so rich to be robbed and also he was on a pilgrimage to Thirupathi . The bandits came near Thyagaraja and asked him who threw the stones back at them . Thyagaraja told them that there were no other people with them except the carriers of palanquin . But the thieves told that they saw 2 youngsters furiously throwing back the stones on them to save Thyagaraja . Saint Thyagaraja realized that they were none other than Sri Rama and Sri Lakshmana who came to his rescue .
Saint also realized that there is some holy power to this place and again came back to Kovur temple and sung 5 compositions ( Keerthanas ) called ” Kovur Pancharathnam ” . The local headman was too proud thinking that Saint Thyagaraja sung in praise of him only . But the saint explained him that the 5 compositions were made in praise of the Lord Sri Sundhareswarar and not the individual called Sundhareswaran . The Kovur Pancharatnams are “Ee Vasudha” (Sahaana Raagam), “Kori Sevimpa” (Karaharapriya Raagam), “Sambo Mahadeva” (Pantuvarali Raagam), “Nammi Vachina” (Kalyani Raagam) and “Sundareswaruni” (Sankarabharanam Raagam).
Most of the compositions of Saint Thyagaraja are in praise of Lord Rama only. This is one of the few places where he had composed Keerthanas on other Gods.
Sri Sekkizhaar , who was born in the nearby place ” Kunrathur” started writing ” Periya Puranam ” from this temple only.
Another rarity of this temple is the Sthala Viruksham called Maha Vilvam tree . The Maha Vilvam of this temple is a very rare one that each stalk of Maha Vilvam has 27 leaves to it. This Maha Vilvam also has many medicinal properties in it .
The Theertham for this temple is called Siva Gangai Theertham. This temple also has a beautiful chariot which requires renovation .
PORUR RAMANAADHESWARAR This temple is located in Porur, very near to Porur junction , on Kunrathur Road.
This ancient temple is connected to the Ramayana period. According to the history, Sri Rama on His way to Sri Lanka rested here in this place which was then a forest . While resting under an Amla tree ( “Nelli” in Thamizh ) , He realized that there was a Shiva Lingam under the ground and his feet had touched the head of the Lingam unknowingly .
Sri Rama acquired a Dhosham as He had touched the Lingam with His feet . So he undertook a penance towards Lord Shiva for 48 days with just one Amla fruit as his food , to recover from the Dhosham and to bring out the Shiva Lingam . Lord Shiva pleased with Sri Rama’s penance came out from the earth and gave Viswaroopa Dharshan to Sri Rama .
Sri Rama overwhelmed by the Lord’s mercy named the Shiva Lingam as Sri Ramanaadheswarar and worshipped Him. Goddess Parvathi too appeared and gave Dharshan to Sri Rama as Sri Sivakama Sundhari .
This temple Sri Rama with sincere prayers worshipped Lord Shiva as His Guru and got to know the directions to reach the place where Sri Sita was kept under custody of Raavana and headed towards Sri Lanka .
As Sri Rama worshipped Lord Shiva as His Guru, this place became a Guru Sthalam among 9 Navagraha Temples of Chennai (Thondai Mandalam ) . Here Lord Shiva Himself is worshipped as Sri Guru Bhagavan .
Also this place is called Uthara Rameswaram , as Sri Rama worshipped Lord Shiva here , similar to Rameswaram . Also according to temple sources , it is said that Porur was called as Uthara Raameswaram in ancient days . It is also said that , this temple is equivalent to Rameswaram and those who are not able to go pilgrimage to Rameswaram can visit this place and be blessed by the Lord.
The main deity Sri Ramanatheeswarar is too gigantic and beautifully decorated , facing east . This huge deity is a Swayambhu Lingam (self evolved) . Goddess Sivakaama Sundhari has a separate shrine in the temple .
The sanctum is built in Gajabrishta shape or Thoongaanai Maadam (தூங்கானை மாடம்) type which is popular in Chozha temple architecture. Sri Vinayagar, Sri Dhakshinamurthy and other Koshta Murthies are found around the sanctum. This temple does not have Rajagopuram at the entrance and Vimanam above the sanctum.
Nandhigeswarar is found on the outer praakaaram facing the sanctum.
Here Sri Sandigeswarar is seen in a peculiar position near Nandhi facing south.
The practice of offering Theertham and Sadaari are generally seen only in Vishnu temples. But, this is probably the only Shiva temple, where Theertham and Sadaari are offered to the devotees.
The Sthala Viruksham is Vembu ( Neem tree ) which is seen on the southern side of the praakaaram . Lord Brahma is seen under the tree facing north . A small Shiva Lingam is kept facing east with Nandhi , adjacent to Lord Brahma . The Neem tree is dressed up with a nice saree which looks like a beautiful woman .
Pournami , Pradhosham , Sivarathri and Guru Peyarchi are celebrated well in this temple .
One can’t stop admiring the beauty of Sri Ramanatheswarar and His magnificence at this temple.
MAANGAADU SRI VELLEESWARAR Maangaadu is a small beautiful village located at the outskirts of Chennai near Poondhamalli . While going from Chennai city on Mount Poondhamalli road, one has to take left from Kumananchaavadi junction to reach Maangaadu .
This temple is located very close to Maangaadu Sri Kamakshi Amman temple. This is a very ancient and beautiful temple for Lord Shiva . The main deity here is Sri Velleeswarar . There is no Ambaal in this temple, as Sri Kamakshi Amman is present nearby .
According to the legend , when Goddess Sri Kamakshi performed Thapas here in Maangaadu , Lord Shiva came down to earth to give dharshan to Her and marry Her. It is said that , Sri Sukran (Venus) worshipped Lord Shiva here . When Sri Kamakshi came here to have dharshan of Lord Shiva, she saw Sri Sukran worshipping the Lord . The Goddess went back as She did not want to disturb the prayers of Sukran .
Later Lord Shiva directed the Goddess to come to Kanchipuram and married Her there. As Sri Sukran (Velli in Thamizh) worshipped Lord Shiva here, the Lord came to be known as Sri Velleeswarar and also called as Sri Bhaargaveswarar .
This temple is Sukran Sthalam among the Navagraha Temples of Chennai ( Thondai Mandalam ) . Sri Sukran blesses people with wealth , prosperity , good family , vehicles , fame and social status .
The main deity Sri Velleeswarar is huge and looks very grand , facing east . Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga are seen at either side of the entrance of the sanctum . Lord Ganesha here is holding a Mango fruit in His hand and is called ” Maangani Vinayagar ” .The place Maangaadu itself had got its name as it was once a vast Mango forest .
Lingothbavar is seen on the outer wall behind the sanctum . Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu are present on either side of Lingothbavar worshipping Him .
There is a separate shrine for Sri Veerabadhrar behind the sanctum . Sri Veerabadhrar is said to have got created from the sweat of Lord Shiva to defeat Dhakshan .
Sri Subramanyar shrine is present at the North West side of the outer praakaaram. Sri Subramanyar is so beautiful and seen with His consorts Sri Valli and Sri Dhevasena. All the 3 deities are made of a single stone. Lord Muruga’s Vaahanam peacock is present outside the shrine facing the shrine .
A beautiful Nandhi is present outside the sanctum , facing towards west. It is said that people visiting Sri Kamakshi Amman temple should also have dharshan at Sri Velleeswarar temple and Sri Vaikunda Perumaal temple in Maangaadu , as all these three temples are interconnected with the history of Sri Kamakshi Amman .
Those having eyesight problems worship this Lord to get clear vision .
POZHICHALUR AGASTHEESWARAR Pozhichalur is about 3 kms from Pallaavaram Railway station off the road towards Kunrathur .
It has an ancient Shiva temple belonging to Chozha period .
The main deity here is Sri Agatheeswarar and Goddess Sri Aanandhavalli .
This beautiful temple is one among the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) dedicated to Lord Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan .
According to legend , Lord Shiva directed Sri Agasthiyar to go towards south to balance the earth during His wedding at Mount Kailash . As per the God’s direction , Sage Agasthiyar came down to the southern part to balance the weight of the earth. While he was on his way to Podhigai hills , he stayed here for many years and worshipped Lord Shiva , a Swayambhu (self evolved) Lingam at this place .
Sage Agasthiyar had a boon that wherever he worships Lord Shiva , he will get the dharshan of the Lord’s marriage with Goddess Parvathi . Sage Agasthiyar is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here and got His dharshan in this place .
Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here . As Sri Saneeswara had been giving ill effects to people , he had gained Dhosham out of it. Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan , wanting to be relieved of his dhoshams , prayed Lord Shiva for help .
Lord Shiva asked Sri Sani Bhagavan to come to this place and worship Him . As directed, Sri Sani Bhagavan came to this place, created a pond called ” Sani Theertham ” and worshipped Lord Shiva and got relieved of his problems.
Hence, Sri Sani Bhagavan here is believed to be Mangala Saneeswarar with no dhoshams or ill effects . People having problems because of Sani ( Saturn ), worship here to reduce the ill effects. This place is also called “Vada Thirunallaaru “.
The main deity , Sri Agatheeswarar is seen facing the east and Goddess Sri Aanandhavalli facing south . The temple is facing north and does not have Rajagopuram .
Sri Sani Bhagavan is facing west towards the main deity in the sanctum. This temple is also a Parihaara Sthalam for Raahu and Kethu .
This temple had been renovated during Chozha period . The sanctum is built in Gajabrishta shape (also called Thoongaanai Maadam) shape .
Lord Ganesha ( Vinaayagar ) is seen under a peepul tree at the south west corner of the temple. At southeast of the sanctum, Lord Anjaneyar (Sri Hanuman) has a separate shrine .
The Sthala Viruksham for this temple ” Maa Maram “( Mango tree ) is at the north western side of the temple .
There is a beautiful Shiva Lingam under the Mango tree along with Sri Nandhi .
The Theertham of this temple is called ‘Sani Theertham’ which is located a little away from the temple . This pond is in a very poor state with encroachments all around.
Raahu Kaalam , Pradhosham , Aarudhra Dharsanam , Sivarathri , Sani Peyarchi and Karthigai Deepam are few of the special days in this temple .
KUNRATHUR NAGESHWARAR Kunrathur is located about 25 kms from Chennai city . One can reach Kunrathur by taking the road off GST road from Pallavaram . One can also take the road from Porur junction leading to Kunrathur .
Kunrathur has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva which is over 800 years old . The main deity is Sri Naageswarar and Goddess Sri Kamakshi .
This temple was built by the famous poet Sri Sekkizhaar who wrote the popular ” Periya Puranam “. Sekkizhaar was born in Kunrathur itself . Once Kulothunga Chozha II wanted to know his intellect and tested him with his questions . Sekkizhaar answered the king perfectly and the king was amazed .
The king made Sekkizhaar his minister at his capital. Sekkizhaar was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and was regularly worshipping Lord Shiva at Thirunaageswaram near Kumbakonam .
During later stages , Sekkizhaar built a temple for Lord Shiva at Kunrathur which is very similar to the Thirunaageswaram temple . He installed the deity ( Shiva Lingam ) with Naagaabaranam ( snake as an ornament ) around the Shiva Lingam and named the Lord as Sri Naageswarar .
This temple is also popularly called as Vada Thirunaageswaram .
This temple is considered the Raahu Sthalam among 9 Navagraha Temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) . The Naagar around the deity is considered the ” Raahu ” for worship. Parihaarams (remedial worship) for Raahu are done here, especially during Raahu Kethu Peyarchi and also during Raahu Kaalam ( 4.30 pm to 06.00 pm ) on Sundays .
The temple is very huge and wonderful . The vast praakaarams add beauty to the temple . Sri Naageswarar is seen facing east and Goddess Sri Kamakshi is facing south . Sri Sekkizhaar also has a separate shrine inside the temple .
A magnificent Dwajasthambham is located on the eastern side of the temple , straight to the entrance .
Sri Nandhigeswarar is seated in a small stone mandapam and is facing east towards the sanctum .
Sthala Viruksham ( holy tree ) for this temple is ” Shenbaga Maram ” and Theertham is ” Surya Pushkarani ” . Surya Pushkarani is very large and beautiful which is seen outside the temple on the south eastern side .
The temple definitely showcases the dedication of Sri Sekkizhaar toward Sri Naageswarar .
GERUGAMBAKKAM NEELAKANDESWARAR Gerugambaakkam is located about 20 kms west of Chennai. While going from Porur towards Kunrathur , one should take left to reach Gerugambaakkam .
Gerugambaakkam has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva , which belongs to Chozha period . The main deity is Sri Neelakandeswarar and Goddess Sri Aadhi Kamakshi .
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 Neelakandeswararv , 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.
Along with these temple we also had a divine dharshan of Kundrathur Murugar temple too .
Recently , Tamilnadu Tourism has made arrangements to organize package tour to all 9 Navagraha Sthalams around Chennai and hence the turnout of people is gradually increasing here .
Kunrathur Murugar temple Kollapakkam Agastheeswarar temple Kollapakkam Agastheeswarar temple suryan sthalam Route map of navagraha temples in Chennai Somangalam Somanadeeswarar temple chandran sthalam Puthan sthalam Sri Sundhareswarar temple Poonthamallee Vaidheeswarar temple Angaaragan sthalam Sri Velleeswarar temple Sukran sthalam Slogan for left eye Slogan for right eye in Velleeswarar temple List of navagraha temples in Chennai Kunrathur Nageshwarar temple raghu sthalam Pozhichalur Agastheeswarar temple sani sthalam Gerugambakkam Adhikandeshwarar temple Kethu sthalam Kethu sthalam Porur Ramanaadheswarar temple guru sthalam Pozhichalur Agastheeshwarar temple
Thiru Ninravur(திருநின்றவூர்)- Sri Bakthavatsala Perumal Sri Baktavatsala Perumal temple is in the suburbs of Chennai, in a small town called Thiruninravur. It is one among the 108 divyadesams. The place derives its name from Goddess Mahalakshmi – Thiru means Lakshmi and Ninravur is the place where she stands forever. The moolavar of this temple is Sri Baktavatsala Perumal and the Goddess lakshmi here is known as ‘Ennai Petra Thayar’
According to the legend, Lord Samudrarajan (King of the Ocean) was longing for a child and his desire was that Goddess Mahalakshmi should be born as his daughter. He prayed to her for many years after which the Goddess appeared before him and granted his wish. One day, he found a beautiful girl child in the middle of a lotus flower in the ocean. Thanking the Goddess Lakshmi he exclaimed ” Ennai Petra Thaaye” (Mother who gave birth to me ) naming the child as Ennai Petra Thaayar.
The little girl grew up into a beautiful young lady and it was time to get her married. But Samudrarajan was not willing to part with his daughter whom he had got after praying for so many years and so when Lord Narayanan came asking for her hand in marriage, he laid a condition that he should stay with them in their house for which the Lord agreed.
The seven feet Bhaktavatsala perumal in Kalyana Thirukolam (wedding attire), and with the words ” Maam Ekam Charanam Vraja” (Take refuge in me alone) written on his right hand (only other place you can see this is in the hand of Uppiliappan in Kumbakonam), is a scintillating sight to watch.
In front of the moolavar is the utsavar (procession deity) called Patharaavi and is accompanied by two consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi.There is a separate sannidhi for Ennai Petra Thayar also called Sudhavalli. The temple also has separate sannidhis for Andal, Chakkarathazhwar, the Alwars and Sri Ramanuja.
Thiruninravur Temple The temple was built during the Pallava era, and is estimated to be 1500 years old. The temple has a 5 tier gopuram at the entrance.
There is a separate sannidhi for Ennai Petra Thayar also called Sudhavalli, the consort of Lord Bakthavasala. On the banks of a lake a few meters behind this temple is another temple for Lord Rama. In this temple there is a beautiful statue of Hanuman lifting Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders. The temple is administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department of Tamil Nadu government. H.H Pedda Jeeyar of Tirupathi is the permanent trustee of the temple.
Inside the praharam When Tirumangai Alwar came to Tiruninravur he did not sing any paasuram about Bhakthavatsala perumal here in this place. As per the legend , when Thirumangai Alwar came here to get the darshan of the Perumal , Lord did not notice him , as He was talking with Periya Pirattiyaar. Annoyed at being ignored , Thirumangai Alwar just worshipped him without doing Mangalasasanam . He then went to Tirukkadalmallai (Mamallapuram) to worship Sthalasayana Perumal. Bhakthavatsala , anxious for his devotee to sing about him , followed him and appeared to the Azhwar in Tirukkadalmallai as Bhakthavatsala Perumal and it is there that the pasuram about Tiruninravur was sung.
Lakshmi Pooja yantra
Lakshmi Pooja As the name suggests , this is the temple for wealth , prosperity and all the wealth in the world . There is a nine squared matrix drawn in front of the Ennai Petra Thaayar Sannathi as shown in the picture , which has specific numbers . By repicating this matrix in your pooja room and placing one rupee coins ( or any coins such as quarters if you are out of India ) on each of the squares, and praying for nine days , it is proven that once prayers and wishes are granted.
The pooja can be performed by drawing the Yantra in the pooja room on a flat surface using white kolam powder or with the card that is sold in the temple. Pooja should be done for nine days by placing one rupee coins ( any coins of same denominations) in each of the boxes, applying sandal paste,Kumkum and flowers on the the matrix and reciting the Lakshmi ashtotram. The coins of the previous day are then removed and stored safely and new set of coins are used the next day. After completing nine days of pooja the 81 coins along with thambulam for nine sumangalis are taken to the temple. The temple priest places the coins at the Thaayaar’s feet and performs archana. The first Thambulam is then offerred to the Goddess. After that, he gives the coins back to the devotee who then deposits the coins in the Hundi outside the shrine. The remaining thambulams are given to other women in the temple.
It is preferrable to start the pooja on Friday. If the Friday happens to be a Full moon day, it still more auspicious.
Temple locationThiru Nindravur,( Chennai suburb) Tiruvellore District
How to reach? Going along the Poonamalli High road from Chennai take right turn towards Thiruvallur. It is around 4 kms on that road. Alternatively you can also take MTH road leading to Chennai – Tirutani highway. There is a flyover connecting towards the temple as you approach the Tiruninravur town.
Other interesting places around Tiruninravur Hridayaleeswarar Temple dating back to the 6th century is nearby. As also the temple of Eri Katha Ramar is very nearby .
Sri Vanjiyam is about 35 kms south east away from Kumbakonam after Nachiyar koil on the road to Tiruvarur . It is about 5 kms before Nannilam . It can also be reached from Tiruvarur the road to Mayavaram .
Legends Of the Temple: Lord Yama was tired that he was being cursed by all for taking lives he wanted a break and to be regarded with love not hate he complained to Shiva at Tiruvarur and was directed here to pray to Lord Shiva who being pleased with him absolved him of curses and built a temple here for him . The honour of first seeing him before seeing the lord is also afforded to him here . Ganga was feeling very dirty after washing all the sins of people hence she sought refuge in the lord who directed here to the pond where she was rejuvenated the pond is called Guptha Ganga as she is still believed to be in hiding here . Lord Surya lost his lustre after attending Daksha’s yagna he prayed to Shiva here to regain his lustre . There is a seperate Shani sannidhi and sannidhi for Rahu and ketu .There is no seperate Navagraha sannidhi here Mahavishnu ( Sri ) did payers to Shiva here wanting to please him to get help to marry Mahalakshmi here hence the name Sri Vanjiyam Those born of Magam, Pooram, Sadayam and Bharani Stars and belonging to Aries ( Mesha ) , Aquarius ( Kumba ) and Leo (Simha) Rashis or Lagna pray here for any adverse planetary problems faced by them . Also those who had lost jobs , aspiring promotions and transfers , separated couples for re-union pray here on Karthika Sundays after a bath in Gupta Ganga in November – December . During the eclipse times the doors of the temple are open though as a tradition in other Shiva temples they are closed. Special abishekam is performed to Lord of Sri Vanjiam during this time. The sthala vriksham is sandal wood and instead of Bhilva leaves sandal leaves are used for archana here The present temple was built by Rajendra Chola in the year AD 850 .There is a 11 tiered Rajagopuram . Once you enter this you have to first wash at the Guptha Ganga on the right . Then you proceed to the Yaman sannidhi which is seen on the far right side . Lord Yama is standing in the sannidhi with his assistant Chitraguptha. After this you proceed to the main temple . In the main temple the presiding deity is Vanchinathan which is a Swayambhu (Self Manifested) Lingam, along with his consort Mangalambikai. Sandalwood is the Stala Vriksham here and Sandal leaves are used to perform pooja to the Lord .
This temple is in Mayiladuthurai and is 35 kms from Kumbakonam it is one among the pancha ranga sthethram and one among the 40 cholanadu divyadeshams .
Moolavar name is Parimala Ranganathar , Sugantha Vana Nathar . Thayar name Parimala Ranganayaki , Chandras Shaba Vimochana Valli . Theertham is Indu Pushkarini .
Indhu means moon . As perumal relieved Chandra ( Moon ) from his curse , this place is known as Indhaloor . Lord Narayana gave dharsan as Vennchudar perumal in the standing posture to the Moon god in Thalaisangaadu . But here at this place he is in reclining ” Veera Sayanam ” posture . There he was full of light being as Vyomajyothi piran . But here he is full of fragrance ( Parimalam ) and hence he is called as Parimala Rangan .
According to legend , King Ambarishan was due to complete his 100th Ekadasi – Dwadasi fasting . The Ekadasi fasting involves fasting and thinking only of the glory of the lord for 12 days , till the Dwadasi . The people of his kingdom were immensely happy that their ruler would be completing a century of this great deed . All preparations were made for a grand celebration in the empire .
But , the gods were unhappy as if the King managed to complete his 100th fast , he would be elevated to the status of a God and the Gods did not want to lose their importance in front of the humans . So , they approached Sage Durvasa for help , known for his cunning temperament . The Sage promised to help them , and went to King Ambarishan’s palace to visit him .
The King was about to consume his food and complete the fast , when Durvasa entered . Glad to have the Sage visit him , the King requested Durvasa to dine with him . Durvasa , cunningly told the king that he would eat after a bath in the river . The King waited for Durvasa , but the time to complete the fast was nearing . The King then consulted his chief pandit who advised him to have a few drops of water and complete the fast as Durvasa was determined to come late and foil the fast .
Knowing the King’s plan with his powers , Durvasa conjured up a ghost and sent the ghost after the king . The King ran , praying to the Lord to protect him . The lord appeared , seeing whom the Ghost immediately backed away . Seeing the lord , Durvasa realized his fault and apologized to the Lord and to the King . The Lord then asked the King for a boon as he had completed 100 fasts . The King asked the Lord stay at his palace forever and bless the people of his empire. Pleased with his devotion , the Lord decided to stay at the palace .
The story goes that Lord Parimala Rangan shut the door on Thirumangai Alwar , who had come for his darshan , reasoning that he was late. Upset at this , Thirumangai Alwar gets into an argument with Lord Parimala Ranganathar .
When a friend keeps a thing that we want and does not want to share with us , we typically say ” keep it to yourself ” in jest . Similarly , here , with the Lord not allowing Thirumangai Alwar an entry into the temple , the Alwar asked Parimala Rangan to keep all his beauty to himself and to enjoy it on his own .
Thirumangai Alwar goes on to argue that the world will talk about the Lord in bad light as he shut the door on the Alwar . The Lord ignores this comment of the Alwar saying that he need not worry about it and that he will take care of any ill feelings.
Despite repeated attempts to impress the Lord to allow him an entry , Parimala Rangan maintains his silence . The dejected and frustrated Thirumangai Alwar decided that he would leave the place as the Lord was stubborn at not allowing Darshan to the Alwar.
Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in his Paasuram says meaning that ” I am leaving you , you , yourself live here and enjoy life “.
Sensing that Thiru Mangai Alwar may leave the place without praising him enough , Lord Parimala Rangan tries to prolong the argument and asks him to sing praise of him . Thiru Mangai Alwar replies saying “How can I shower praise on you when you do not allow me to see you”. Lord Parimala Ranga says ” You who have sung praises of other Lords , sitting in your place , do sing praise of me too so I can listen to your sweet songs .” Thirumangai Alwar finally falls for it and composes 10 Paasurams .
The pillars of this temple are carved beautifully with Krishna leelas .
In front of Parimala Ranganathar temple Carvings in the pillars Carvings in the pillars Beautiful carvings Beautiful carvings in the pillars Corridor
On maatu pongal ( 16th January 2020 ) day my daughter and grand daughter visited us after worshipping Pongal at their place .
We decided to visit our farm near Thiruthani ( Podatur to chittoor road ). There is Lord Murugar temple in Thiruthani , which is one of his abode in ” arupadai veedu “. Since we have visited this temple many times wished to go to Mathur Mahishasuramarthini temple just 3km from our farm .
We started by 10 am having breakfast at home and had a short coffee break at Hotel Akshayam in Thiruvallur from there drove straight to the temple .
The temple is situated at 2.5 kms from Ponpadi railway station and 13kms from Thiruthani Lord Murugar temple .
The Swayambu Amman Idol was found in 1960’s near the Railway track in a place called Sakthi Medu. In 1954, while laying the railway track between Chennai and Tirupathi, this Goddess appeared as Swayambu to a group of workers in this place. Stunned by the charm of the Goddess, they constructed a small temple for her in this place which later developed into a big temple as it is now.
The main temple has a vast corridor with colourful pillars with a scenic backdrop of the Tirupathi hills. The main deity, Mahishasura Mardhini, is about 10 feet height. The Goddess is so charismatic that even while killing the demon Mahishasura with her “Soolam” at her feet, she presents a smiling face, which is a rarity. She is having eight hands (Ashtabuja) with four on either side, each holding a weapon . Another unique feature here is the sthala vritcham the neem tree , the leaves of this tree does not taste bitter .
After worshipping we had lunch by 1pm at GRT Regency and made my grand daughter play in the swing and then went to our farm and spend an hour walking . She was excited to see the cows , goats in the farm and started playing in flowing water .
Then started again by 4 pm we planned to see Thiruvalankadu Shivan temple and a Goddess Badrakali Amman temple near the temple pond .The temple pond is really big and deep .
Thiruvalangadu is a village in Arakonam to Chennai highway .
Tamilnadu Tourism
This Blog gives vivid description about places of interest in Tamil Nadu to help the the tourists visiting this beautiful and enchanting temple . Have shared the legend.
Vadaranyeswarar Temple, Thiruvalangadu – Legends
Oordhva Thandavam:
The legend is that two demons – Sumban and Nisumban had worshiped Lord Shiva to seek his blessings. Impressed by their rigorous penance, Lord Shiva gave them a blessing that every drop of their blood that fell on the ground would turn into a lingam. Having sought Lord Shiva’s blessings, these two demons started terrorizing the celestial gods who in turn complained to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva asked Goddess Parvathi to create “Badra Kali” and this Kali was advised to go to Thiruvalangadu to destroy the demons.
Mother Parvathi created a furious Kali and destroyed the demons. Kali consumed the blood of the demons and their army and grew more furious. However, since she had drunk the blood of the demons, she started losing control of her senses and started acting like a demon herself. She started terrorizing the celestial gods, who one again sought Lord Shiva’s intervention in this matter. To solve this problem, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy came to this place.
Kali who was not in control of her senses, started fighting with Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma, Lord Mahavishnu and Rishi Naradhar intervened and made them accept a dance competition instead of a fight, which the duo agreed to perform. It is believed that the dance performance was witnessed by Goddess Parvathy, Rishi Naradhar, Sage Munjikesa (Sage Anantha) and serpent Karkodaka. Lord Brahma and Lord Mahavishnu are believed to have provided music for their dance.
Lord Shiva performed 17 types of dances which Kali also repeated. Finally, Lord Shiva played his “Oordhva Thandavam” – a dance with very fast movements. Lord Shiva intentionally dropped his right earring on the ground, stood on his right leg, picked up the earring with the toe of his left leg and wore it again during the dance itself. Kali could not repeat this movement and admitted her defeat.
Goddess Parvathy, who was astonished to watch this performance is praised here as “Arukilirunthu Viyantha Nayaki” (goddess who witnessed the spectacular dance performance). The lord here is praised as “Andamura Nimirntharuliya Nayanar” as he performed the Oordhva Thandavam. Kali was very angry to accept her defeat.
To appease her anger, Lord Shiva told her that he would be performing a pleasing dance – “Raksha dance” at Thiruvirkolam temple and she could have his dharisanam there. Lord Shiva said that he alone was equal to her and said further that those coming to worship him here, should worship her first to reap the full benefit of the worship. Since then, Kali has her own temple to grace the devotees.
Pancha Sabha:
Legend has it that when the Lord was once entranced in a deep cosmic dance, the jewels from the Lord’s anklets fell onto the earth and scattered in 5 places, Thiruvalangadu being one of them. It’s called as ” Ratna Sabhai “.
Vadaranyeswarar:
According to the legend, in ancient times this region was a forest densely covered with banyan trees (Aalamaram in Tamil). It is believed that a Swayambu Lingam was discovered under a banyan tree. Later a temple was constructed and the lord was named as “Vadaranyeswarar” (Vadam meaning banyan tree, Aranyam meaning forest and the Easwar represents Lord Shiva).
Devarsingaperuman:
Celestial gods (Devas) are also believed to have worshiped the lord of this temple, he is also praised as “Sri Devarsingaperuman”.
Karaikal Ammaiyar:
Lord Shiva’s dance here was also witnessed by one of his great devotees, Saint Karaikal Ammaiyar. She is also one of the 63 Nayanmars. It is said that she went to Mount Kailash by walking upside down on her head to see Lord Shiva. The lord addressed her as “Mother” (Amma in Tamil) and advised her to go to Thiruvalangadu to see his dance. She came to see the lord in this temple but a Shiva lingam started appearing wherever she put her foot. To give respect, she decided to again walk upside down on her head. She witnessed the dance performance of Lord Shiva, rendered her pathigam (hymn) and attained salvation in this temple itself. It is believed that her last resting place was at the feet of Lord Natarajar. Since her pathigams are prior to the Moovars Devaram, they are called “Mootha Thiru Pathigam”.
Thiru Gnanasambandhar:
Another legend associated with this place is that since Karaikal Ammaiyar had walked on her head at this place, Saint Thiru Gnanasambandhar was afraid to set his foot on the soil. Not wanting to show any disrespect towards Karaikal Ammaiyar, he decided to stay in a nearby village and spent the night there without visiting this temple. However, Lord Shiva of this temple appeared in his dream and asked if he had forgotten to praise him. Next morning, he visited this temple and rendered a pathigam in which he mentioned about the “Neeli story” and God’s reminder to praise him.
Neeli Story:
Another legend associated with this place is that of a lady called “Neeli”. It is believed that she was killed by her husband as he had suspected her of infidelity. After her death, she could not move on to her next birth and started roaming around this place in the form of a ghost. Incidentally, in his next birth, her husband was travelling through this place. Seeing her former husband, Neeli decided to seek revenge. She assumed the form of his present wife and wanted to go with him. He was surprised to see his wife here, he sensed that something was wrong and he refused to let her accompany him.
Neeli went to the locals (velalars) and complained that her husband was abandoning her. The locals interfered and asked him to stay with her at a nearby place and travel with her the next morning. He tried explaining to them that she might not be his wife but they refused to his pleas. Instead they vouched for his safety by saying that if anything were to happen to him, they would also give up their lives.
As soon as they went inside the house that the locals had given to them, Neeli took her original form of a ghost and killed him. In the morning when the locals found him dead, they decided to end of their lives and keep the promise that they made to him. The legend is that 70 velalars gave up their lives by self-immolation (Theekuliyal in Tamil). It is also believed that Lord Shiva gave salvation to all of them.
It is interesting to note that the old Tamil proverb “Neeli Kanneer” (crocodile tears) originated from this story only. The hall where these velalars gave up their lives can still be seen near the Saatchi Boodeshwarar temple in Pazhayanur (at about one 1 Km from Thiruvalangadu temple). It is said that the heirs of those velalars still go to Thiruvalangadu temple for worship and for offering their services.
Mantheeswarar:
Another legend is that Sani Bhagwan (Saturn) advised his son, Mantheeswarar who had accrued a sin (Dosham) when a lizard fell on him, to go to Thiruvalangadu and worship Lord Shiva there. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva appeared before him and blessed him by absolving the sin.
Bharata Muni prayed Lord Shiva for progeny:
The most ancient legend has it that, Bharata Muni and his spouse Subhadra prayed in this Thiruvalangadu village for progeny, after taking bath in the Puthrakameshwarar Theertham.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
It is believed that Lord Murugan, Goddess Lakshmi , Karkotaka , Sage Sunanda and Saint Tirumular have worshiped Lord Shiva in this temple .
After the dharshan buying organic vegetables sold by near by farmers we reached home safely .
Coffee break at Hotel Akshayam The neem tree and vinayagar temple at mathur Paintings on the roof of mathur temple Entrance of mathur temple Nagar idol at the back of vinayagar tempkeNavagraham The main deity Inside the templeLunch break After lunch relaxing My grand daughter took this pic At our farm Backside view from the Mathur temple Pond of Badrakali amman temple at Thiruvalangadu In front of Badrakali Amman temple Oorthava Thandavam posture of Lord shivaEntrance of Thiruvalankadu temple Rishabha vahanam at Thiruvalangadu Oorthava thandavam Inside the temple Sthalapuranam As it was maatu pongal cow was decorated with balloons SahasralingamThiruvalankadu temple Nakshatra sthalam at Badrakali amman temple ( Barani )Karaikal ammaiyarArudhra abishegam at Thiruvalangadu
This Nava Narasimhar sthethram is about 45 kms from Chennai . This temple is in Thalambur near Navalur behind AGS cinemas and is newly constructed and maintained by a private entity . As I often get forwards regarding this temple both in wats up and face book visited this temple recently . It’s a small temple and has all the Nava Narasimhars . The either sides of the entrance of the sanctum, two niche images of Narasimha are found.
The left side has Narasimha in the standing posture, who has four arms. He is named as Divya Narayana.
The right side has Narasimha with two arms, who is in the sitting posture. He is called as Mathi Narayana.
On the prakara, the first image is Veera Narayana. Here, Narasimha is seated with his right leg folded . Ramanuja and Desikar are found in the same shrine.
The next image is Sarva Narayan. He is in the reclining posture similar to Ranganath. Lakshmi is found near his feet.
Then, there is Gnana Narayana, who holds bow and arrow like Ram. His wife is Chenju Lakshmi, who has the typical posture of Sita. Hanuman is also found in this shrine.
Kroda Narayana comes next. Here, Narasimha is found in Adi Yoga form.
Brahaspati Narayana is the next form of Narasimha, where he has four arms and holds book in his left upper arm. Brahaspati is also found in the same shrine.
With Garuda standing nearby and having Lakshmi on his left lap, Deva Narayana is found as the as the next form of Narasimha.
Although it is a new temple, all the representations of Narasimha are unique. When you get an opportunity, go and visit this temple.
Last march 2019 we visited Shirdi . We are from Chennai and got down in Pune railway station early in the morning . Every year we visit Shirdi to get the blessings of Saibaba .
Got freshen up had breakfast and started to Saibaba temple as our room was very near . Being blessed by the divine dharshan of Saibaba.
We went to Dwarakamaye . It was a mosque which Sai named as Dwarakamai and blessed people . This is the place where baba resided for more than 60 years. Baba ki dhuni which he lit is still lighting till date . The ashes are given as dhuni ( Baba’s prasad ) . Baba used to give ash from this dhuni to heal people and change their fortunes .There is chula used by Baba to cook , place where he used to stand and the grinding stone used by him. Also there is a oil painting of Baba. It is close to the Samadhi mandir.
Next we went to chavadi . Chavadi is situated close to Dwarkamai . During the days when Sai Baba was living in the mosque, he came to the chavadi along with his nearest followers on every alternative night to sleep. These days, the visit to chavadi on every alternative night is assisted with palki processions with huge crowd of devotees accompanying the idol of Sai Baba. Palki is decorated with beautiful flowers. Idol of Sai Baba is placed inside the palki. The procession takes place every Thursday .
House of Laxmi Bai Shinde is very near to Dwarka Mai, however, surprisingly its not so popular amongst visitors. Sai Baba had gifted her 9 coins and they can be seen visiting this place.
Then visited the sammadhi of Upasani Maharaj . Upasani Maharaj , one of the disciples of Saibaba stayed for 4 yrs with Saibaba at Shirdi for his treatment and attained self-realization here. He later moved to Sakori on Baba’s instructions. There is a samadhi of Upasani Maharaj and his disciple Godavari Mataji. There is a shevga ganpati that has emerged on a tree trunk of the shevga tree and is believed to fulfill ones wishes. There is a Ek Mukhi Datta Mandir ( Dattathreyar ) .
Kandhoba temple ( where mhalsapathi called Baba as SAI for the first time during a marriage procession ) Satrapathis Shivaji’s family diety Lord Veerabhadra temple and Panchamukha Vinayagar temple
Next day morning we travelled to Panchavati on the way visited Mukthidham mandir in Nasik , from there took a auto to Godavari ghat after sprinkling river Godavari water on our head we started walking for about 2 kms to Kalaram temple . This temple has idols of Lord Rama Goddess Seetha and Lakshmana’s in black ( kala means black in sanskrit ) at a height of 2 feet .
Then to Seetha gufa , a cave where Goddess Seetha stayed during Lord Rama and Lakshmana went in search of food and it is believed from here only Lanka King Ravana abducted Goddess Seetha ( during exile it is believed Lord Rama and Goddess Seetha stayed in this cave , there is a temple inside it and once you enter you have to crawl to come out of it ) .
This place was named Panchavati owing to the 5 banyan trees , opposite to Seetha gufa is the place where Lakshmana cuts off Soorpanaka’s nose .
While returning back we visited Goreram temple ( gore means white here the idols of the lords are made of white marble stone ) another temple of Lord Rama Goddess Seetha Lakshmana and Bharatha along with Lord Hanuman statue .
By evening we had dharshan of Ranjangaon Lord MahaGanapthy temple as it was on the way to railway station .
The 9 coins gifed to Lakshmi bhai shinde by Saibaba Godavari ghat Kalaram temple Goreram temple In front of Seetha gufa Panchavati Lord Ravana abducts Seetha deviRanjangaon Mahaganapathy temple Upasani Maharaj sammadhi (house)Ek mukha Datta mandir Ek mukha Datta mandir Kandoba mandir Lord Veerabhadra swamy temple Kandoba mandir Aao SaiKandoba mandir places to see in Shirdi Places to see in Shirdi Panchamukha Vinayagar temple Mukthidham
This place is 55 kms from chennai and 5kms north of crocodile bank . This is one among the Thondanadu divyadeshams and near to Sthala sayana Perumal temple .
As per legends Kaalava Maharishi did deep penance worshipping Lord Vishnu . Lord Vishnu gave dharshan to him in this place and married his 360 daughters each day one in a year hence the urtsavar is known as NITYA KALYANA PERUMAL .
This place is also called Nithya Kalyana Puri, Sri Puri and Varaaha Puri. As the Lord merged 360 girls into one and appeared with the Goddess on his left on the last day, this place is called Thiru- Idanthai (Thiru-Goddess, Idanthai-left side), which in course of time became ThiruVidanthai.
Those having problems in getting married offer garlands to this temple priests he prays to this Lord and gives them the garland , wearing this garland they have to come around the Perumal along with Goddess Komalavalli and Andal sannidhi 9 times , doing this ritual is believed that they will get married soon .
The main deity is Lord Lakshmi Varaghar and his consort is komalavalli nachiyar .
This temple is about 55 kms from Chennai in Mahabalipuram. This temple is one among the 22 Thondanadu divyadeshams .
It is a small temple with 2 major shrines Lord Sthala sayana Perumal and Goddess Nilamangai Thayar .There is a seperate shrine for Lord Narasimhar also .
It is the avatara sthalam of Boodathalwar . Both Boodathalwar and Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
It is believed as most of the temples in Mahabalipuram has been submerged in sea , this temple is built within the city .
Sthalapuranam : Once Pundarika Maharishi collected 1000 lotuses from a pond and he desired to dedicate these lotuses on to the feet of Lord Vishnu on the way he tried to drained out the ocean water with his hands and became tired and prayed to Lord Vishnu without knowing how to reach him . Lord Vishnu disguised as a old man comes and says he is hungry , keeping the lotus aside Pundarika Maharishi goes to fetch food for the old man . On his arrival with food he sees the ocean drained out Lord Vishnu in reclining position wearing the lotuses as a garland . The rishi now realizes that it was the Lord himself came to give him a divine dharshan and asks to bless him falling on his feet . As the Lord is on reclining position on land this place is called Sthala sayana Perumal .
It is believed those having property disputes or any litigations on their lands will be relieved from these problems if they worship this Lord Sthala sayana Perumal .
This is one of the divyadesham Perumal ( thondanadu ) inside Lord Ekambareshwarar ( Lord Shiva ) temple in Kanchipuram .The moolavar is in standing position and also known as Chandra sooda Perumal .
Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
Once in Kailasha Goddess Parvathi closes the eyes of Lord Shiva playfully , the whole universe becomes dark . Annoyed by this action Lord Shiva curses Goddess Parvathi . To get rid of this curse Goddess Parvathi comes to Earth. Goddess Parvathi creates a lingam with sand under a mango tree and performs deep penance worshipping Lord Shiva in this place .To test her Lord Shiva sends Suriyan ( sun ) . By the suns ray’s the mango tree gets fired Goddess Parvathi couldnot bear the heat , she prays to her brother Lord Vishnu . Lord Vishnu takes the moon from Lord Shiva’s head and sends to cool . Lord Shiva sends Ganges to spoil the lingam made of sand Goddess Parvathi hugs the lingam and protects and asks Ganges to show mercy as she’s is one of her sister .Thus seeing her atmost devotion Lord Shiva blesses Goddess Parvathi and relieves her from her curse . Hence the name Nilathingalthundan .
Another historic event about this temple is the Devas asks Lord Vishnu to bless them with long life . Lord Vishnu suggests them to churn Thiruparkadal to get Amirtham ( a nectar that gives long life ). Devas on one side and asuras on another side Lord Vishnu takes Kurma avatar with Mount Meru on him as stick (mathu) and Vasuki ( serpent ) being the rope during this process Vasuki the serpent gets exhausted emanated poison which turned the Kurma ( Lord Vishnu ) blue to black on the resolution of Lord Brahma , Lord Vishnu worships , Lord Shiva and gets back to normal .
Those who have skin diseases come to worship this Lord and gets relieved from their diseases .
This temple is worshipped by both Saivaites and Vishnavites .
The Thayar name is Goddess Ner oru illa Thai , there’s no seperate shrine for Thayar .
This temple of Ekambareshwarar is one of the pancha bootha sthalam ( Prithvi ) .
Kachiyappa Shivacharya recited his Kantha puranam in this temple .
Nilathingalthundan Perumal The picture of Goddess Parvathi embracing the Prithvi lingaEkambareshwarar koil
This temple is one of Thondanadu divyadesham in Kanchipuram near Sri Astabhujakarathan Perumal temple .
Vel means wish irukai means seat . Since Lord Vishnu himself desired to sit in this place to help his devotees he is named as Thiruvellukai .
Brighu Maharishi wished to see Lord Vishnu in Narasimhar avatar as he gave dharshan to Prahlad to fulfill his wish Lord Vishnu gave dharshan as Lord Narasimhar here .
Sthalapuranam when Asuras became rampant and started troubling mankind , Lord Vishnu in his Narasimhar avatar chased them away and settled down here .
Moolavar is Lord Azhaghiya Singar in yoga posture .
Thayar name is Amirthavalli Thayar .
Peialwar and Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
This temple is in Kanchipuram and one among the Thondanadu divyadeshams .Once this place was with dense grass (dharbha) hence known as Thoopul .
Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord.
This is the birth place of Vaishnava acharya Sri Vedanta desikan . He was a son of a childless couple and was born to them praying to Lord Venkatachalapathy of Thirupathy . God blessed them with the bell in his hands to be born as their son . It is said till date there’s no bell ringing ritual in Lord Venkatachalapathy temple in Thirupathi . He was a out standing scholar and authored ” Adaikala pathu ” on Lord Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchipuram .
There is a seperate sannidhi for Sri Vedanta desikan in this temple.
Lord Lakshmi Hayagriva idol worshipped by Sri Vedanta desikan is still in the temple .
The completion of this temple construction work was done by Nayina Varadacharya (son of Sri Vedanta desikan ) .
Sthalapuranam once Lord Brahma was conducting Aswamedha yagam without inviting his consort Goddess Saraswathy . Annoyed by this Goddess Saraswathy cursed darkness in order to destroy the yagam . Lord Vishnu came in the form of glowing light and helped Lord Brahma to continue his yagam . Hence the Perumal here is called as Deepaprakasar or Vilakoli Perumal .
Thayar name is Goddess Maragathavalli Thayar .
Lord Vishnu compromised reunion between Lord Brahma and Lord Saraswathy .
This is also one of the divyadesham temples in Kanchipuram . The Lord Vishnu here is in standing position with 8 hands along with weapons .
The Lord Vishnu is named here as Adhikesava Perumal , Gajendravaradan or Astabhujakarathan ( which means eight hands ) as astam means 8 in sanskrit .
The Thayar name is Goddess Alarmelvalli , Padmasini or Pushpavalli .
Pei alwar and Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
As per legends once Lord Brahma performed a big yagam without calling his consort Goddess Saraswathy , to disturb the yagam Goddess Saraswathy sent Nakkarrar ( asuras ) in order to perform the yagam successfully Lord Brahma pleaded Lord Vishnu for help , answering to his prayers Lord Vishnu appeared as Astabhujakarathan ( 8 hands with weapons ) and killed the Nakkarrars sent by Goddess Saraswathy . Hence the Lord here gets the name Astabhujakarathan . Astam means 8 in sanskrit .
The only divyadesham having Paramapatha vaasal out of 14 divyadesham temples of Kanchipuram .
Arch of Astabhujakarathan temple Astabhujakarathan MoolavarInside the temple
This temple is situated in chinna kanchi just 1km away from Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple . This is said to one of the oldest temple in Kanchipuram .
The Lord Vishnu is known as Yathokthagari (sonna vanam seitha Perumal ) and is in reclining position on the opposite side .
Thayar name is Goddess Komalavalli .
The first and foremost of the alwars Poygai alwar has sung praising only about this Lord .
Manavalamamunigal explained Sri Bhasyam to the world in this sthalam .
Sthalapuranam once Lord Brahma Goddess Saraswathy and Goddess Lakshmi had an argument within themselves about their superiority so they went to Lord Indra , he judged as Goddess Lakshmi has the supreme power of all . Goddess Saraswathy asked Lord Brahma he too said the same . Goddess Saraswathy got annoyed by this and left Lord Brahma . Meanwhile Lord Brahma did Aswamedha yagam for Universal welfare Goddess Saraswathy did not join the yagam and disrupted taking the form of river Vegavathy . Lord Vishnu interfered the path of the river it was termed as Vegavani and Vegannai and gradually corrupted as vekka . The presiding deity is called as Vegasedhu .
Once Bharghava Maharishi had a son through a celestial dancer Kanakangi . The boy baby was born still . She left it under the bushes and left to the celestial world . By the grace of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi the baby became alright and the baby is said to be the incarnation of Srichakra Lord Vishnu’s weapon . A childless farmer seeing baby crying under the bushes took the baby and named him as Sivavakkiyar and brought up . Once the boy reached his adulthood he was sceptical in choosing between Saivism and Vaishavism . He was defeated by Pei alwar and became his disciple . He was later known as Thirumazhisai alwar .
Thirumazhisai alwar had a disciple named Kanikannan and an old lady serving him . Thirumazhisai alwar prayed to the presiding Lord of this temple changed the old lady to a young lady . The King of this place being attracted to the young lady gets her married . As time pass by the young lady remains the same and the King became old , knowing the truth he asks Kanikannan to sing to Lord and make him younger . Kanikannan refuses and King ask him to quit the country . Knowing this Thirumazhisai alwar says Kanikannan has been asked to quit so come let’s go immediately . The presiding Lord here takes his Adhiseshan bed and walks at the back of Thirumazhisai alwar as it became night they stayed in Orikkai . After Lord left , the country became dark realizing his mistakes the King comes for forgiveness and calls them back . Thirumazhisai alwar this time says the King has called us back come let us go . The Lord takes his Adhiseshan bed hurriedly comes along with him and lies down in a opposite position . As the lord obeyed Thirumazhisai alwar words he is also known as “Sonna vannam seitha Perumal “.
Poygai alwar , Pei alwar , Nammalwar , Thirumangai alwar and Thirumazhisai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
This temple is 2.6km from kanchi kamakshi amman temple and walkable distance from Sri Ekambhareswarar temple . This place is also called as Padagam .
The Lord Vishnu here is in Lord Krishna’s form huge and 25 feet height in sitting position .
As per legends during Mahabharata period when Sri Krishna visited as an Ambassador to Kaurava’s court to establish peace within Kauravas and Pandavas , the Kaurava’s tried to humiliate Lord Krishna (digged a pit and spread it with bamboo sticks and covered with flowers and decorated the seat such that Lord Krishna would fall in to the pit ) and kill him .Lord Krishna took a magnificent form ( Vishwaroopam ) . Even blind Dhrutharastrashan was able to see the divine form .
After hearing this King Janamejaya ( great grandson of Arjuna ) did penance worshipping Lord Krishna for this divine dharshan . Lord Krishna appeared before them once again as Pandava thoothan in Thirupadagam . As the main deity here is Lord Krishna there is a sannidhi for Goddess Rukmini too in this temple .
Roghini ( star ) worshipped Lord Krishna in this temple to get married to Chandran ( moon ) . Its believed those having Roghini Nakshatram as their birth star will be relieved from their troubles if they worship Lord Krishna in this temple .
Another historic event about this place is a learned scholar Acharya Arulala Perumal ( Yagnamurthy ) engaged a debate with Sri Ramanujar for 17 days after loosing became his disciple and both together served this temple .
Boodathalwar , Peialwar , Thirumangai alwar andThirumazhisai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
Sri Pandavathoothan temple Pandavathoothan Perumal (source FB Temples of India page)For those who have Roghini as birth star
This temple of Lord Vishnu is inside the Goddess Kamakshi Amman temple in Kanchipuram .
The Lord Vishnu is named here as Lord Adhivaragha Perumal and his consort as Goddess Anchilai Nachiyar .
Though there is not a seperate shrine one could see this divyadesham Perumal in the pillars of Gayatri mandapam ( back side entrance of Kamakshi ) of Goddess Kamakshi temple .
Thirumangai alwar has sung praising this Lord .
Sthalapuranam : as per legends once Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu had a debate on beauty , Goddess Lakshmi teased Lord Vishnu for his dark complexion irritated by this Lord Vishnu cursed Goddess Lakshmi to loose her beauty and her beauty will be retained only by the grace of her devotees . Goddess Lakshmi did deep penance in this place to get rid of her curse . Later by realizing his mistake Lord Vishnu comes to take back Goddess Lakshmi sees Goddess Lakshmi hiding at the back of pillar who was glowing 100 times more than before seeing this , Goddess Parvathi calls him as Kalvare ( thief) thus the name Kalvanar came to this Lord . Even today one can see the aroopa Lakshmi shrine inside the Gayatri mandapam and devotees apply kumkum to this Goddess and make a wish which is believed to be granted .
This temple is in kanchipuram and covers a area of 3 acres . It’s one of the Thondanadu divyadeshams . This temple is also called as mummudha koil .
The Lord Vishnu in this temple is known as Lord Vaikunda Perumal or Paramapathanathan . Thayar name is Goddess Vaikunthavalli .
Sthalapuranam : This region was once ruled by King Virocha due to the curse in his last birth , he had no heir being a staunch Lord Shiva devote , he prayed to Lord Kailasha (Shiva) of Kailashanathar temple in Kanchipuram . Lord Shiva granted him 2 sons Pallavan and Villavan who are the dwarakapalakas of Lord Vishnu’s temple .These 2 prince’s were Lord Vishnus devotees .They did aswamedha yagam and Lord gave dharshan to them as in Vaikundam .
This is a 3 tier temple and the main deity is in sitting posture and 2nd tier is reclining posture which can be seen twice in a month ( ekadesi day ) . The 3rd tier is under renovation and the Lord here is in standing posture .
Once Lord Vishnu took the form of a hunter and brought up a boy , he was named Parameswara Varman . As the life span of this boy was less Lord Vishnu protected him from the demon King Yaman . He is said to be the first of the Pallava Kings , later he only built this temple so it’s called by his name as Parameswara Vinnagaram .
Entrance of Parameswara vinnagaram temple Beautiful carvings on the walls and lion faced pillars
This temple is foremost of Thondanadu divyadeshams . 3 temples are most important for all Vaishnavaites .
1. Koil 2. Perumal Koil 3. Malai Koil Koil means Srirangam , Perumal koil means Varadaraja Peumal koil and Malai koil means Thirumala .
Kanchipuram is famous for its temples . KA means Lord Brahma ANCHI means worshipped PURAM means city .
Lord Varadaraja Perumal temple Lord Ekambareeswarar temple and Goddess Kamashi temple in Kanchipuram together known as mumurthivasa sthalam .
The main deity is known as Deva Perumal or Devadhi rajan or Hastinan and so on . The Urtsavar is known as Lord Perarulalan .
Sthalapuranam once Lord Brahma did a big yagam worshipping Lord Vishnu without calling his wife Goddess Saraswathy . Annoyed by this Goddess Saraswathy tried many ways to stop the yagam . All Rishis requested Goddess Saraswathy to come and join the yagam as it was done for Universal welfare by Lord Brahma , then Saraswathy comes and joins the yagam . Pleased by the yagam Lord Vishnu appears as Lord Varadarajar in punnyakodi vimanam on Athigiri hills . Varadarajar means the King who gives benediction .The Lord Varadaraja Perumal is in standing posture .
All 12 alwars had visited this place . Peialwar Boodath alwar and Thirumangai alwar has sung songs praising this Lord . Lord Ramanujar resided in this place .
Lord Narasimhar has a seperate sannidhi in this temples . It’s a huge temple with 100 pillars beautiful carvings done on it .The other shrines are Lord Chakrathalwar Goddess Andal . Lord Varadarajar Perumal ‘s consort Goddess Perundevi Thayar , Nammalwar and so on .
Gold and silver lizards are kept in this temple roof top after the Lord Narasimhar shrine . One who touches and worships it are relieved from their sins . As per legends disciples of Gautama Maharishi were cursed to become lizards , they resided in the temple and were relieved from the curse by the divine grace of this Lord . One has to climb a staircase to touch the roof top they collect Rs. 5 from each for this .
The pond of this temple is Ananda saras . Once in 40 years Athivaradhar kept in this Ananda saras is taken and kept for devotees dharshan for 48 days . 30 days in reclining pose and 18 in standing posture . Last year 1st of July 2019 the Lord was kept for devotees dharshan and by August 18th again kept in wooden box and kept in Ananda saras again .Lakhs and lakhs of people from different parts of India as well as abroad came and visited to get the Lord blessings .
Anandasaras temple pondEntrance GopuramInside the temple In front of Sri Varadaraja perumal temple Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple Athivaradhar in reclining position Athivaradhar standing posture
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