temples around chennai listed below are many of the ancient temples around chennai that have great legendary significance. tambaram - chenglepat guduvancheri kalyana anjaneyar temple is located at thailavaram village near maraimalai nagar/ guduvencheri. anjaneya swami is seen with his wife suvarchala (i don’t know any other temple of anjaneyar with his consort) sri lakshmi narayana swamy temple at madambakkam this temple is located at madambakkam (this is different form the madambakkam near rajakilpakkam/ selaiyur) 2 km to the west of guduvancheri. this is considered to be a pallava temple. navagraha shrine normally not present in a vishnu temple is seen here. in the sanctum sanctorum, sri lakshmi narayana perumal perumal is seen keeping sridevi at his left lap embracing her. her. ladies do the kedhara gowri vradha the day after deepavali; marriage prayers are answered. sri kalatheeswarar temple at kattankulathur considered equivalent to kalahasthi sri lakshmi narasimhar temple at maraimalai nagar this temple is situated opposite ford car factory at vivekananda nagar at maraimalai nagar. though the temple was constructed in the 1990s, the deity enshrined here has an ancient history. history. more information here thirukachur the shiva temple here is is a thevara padal petra sthalam, famous for girivalam. about 6kms from maraimalai nagar and 2 kms from singaperumal koil towards west. more information here aappur nithyakalyana perumal temple nithya kalyana perumal temple is situated situated at 5 kms from thirukkachur towards sriperumbudur sriperumbudur,, at a village called aappur, aappur, in a small hill called aushadagiri (hill (hill of medicinial herbs). by climbing about 500 steps you can reach the hill the steps are somewhat steeper than than usual. in the hilltop you can see the beauty of the nityakalyana perumal as well as beauty of the nature with with full of lakes and reserve forests. sri yoga hayagreevar temple at chettipunyam chettipunyam village is at about three km west of singaperumalkoil, near chengalpattu. padaladhri narasimhaswamy temple at singaperumal koil when you go from tambaram it is on the left side of gst road at singaperumal koil, just about 100200 meters away from the gst road. more details here agora veerabadra swamy (shivan) temple at hanumanthapuram from singaperumal koil 10 kms towards east at hanumanthapuram, temple for agora veerabadrar.
the temple can also be reached by the thirupporur-chenglepat route. this temple is famous to cure mentally ill people and there will be many such people wandering over. the road to the temple is deserted with govt reserved forest area for a few kms. so you may not want to visit during the nights. vyagrapureeswarar temple at pulipparakkoil/ pulipakkam on the way to chengelpattu from chennai, immediately after the tollgate, one can see a board written “siva, siva” on a roadside hillock on the right side. the tollgate is located in the pulipakkam village. atop the hill is the vyagrapureeswarar temple with rich historic value. we can have a clear view of the chengalpattu lake and is a nice scenic spot to visit. more information here. lord varadaraja temple at pulipparakkoil/ pulipakkam this temple is located at a place called arasarkoil just one-and-a-half km away from the vyagrapureeswarar temple. it is said to be older than the kancheepuram varadaraja temple. according to legend, brahma penanced here praying to lord narayana a nd got his dharshan along with his consorts sridevi and bhoodevi. per another legend when brahma collected holy earth from the palar river to set up the yagakunda in kancheepuram, the idols of lord varadaraja and his consorts were unearthed and he kept them in this temple built by the divine sculptor and worshipped them. hence this temple, it is claimed, is more ancient than the kancheepuram temple. chenglepat sri kothanda ramaswami temple when you are inside this beautiful temple for sri kothanda ramaswami temple in the serene atmosphere surrounded by green looking mountains on the backdrop, you will feel you are not in a town by name chengalpat but in heaven. there is a separate sannadhi for veera anjaneya where he is in a unique posture pinning sri sani bhagawan to the ground. more information here thirupporur - chenglepat murugar temple at thirupporur significance: ancient shiva temple known for subrayamanya swamy. swamy. location: in the old mahabalipuram road (it highway), between kelambakkam and mahabalipuram, 36 km from adayar. there is also link from chenglepat and guduvancheri. 25 km from chengalpet. main deity: swayambu linga known as vanmeega nadhar and swayambu subramanyar with valli & deivanai. legend: vishnu to overcome the curse of sage kan va worshipped shiva here and was blessed. subramanya fought with demons and preached gyana (knowledge) in this place. sthala vruksham: vanni. theertham: saravana poigai. sembakkam jambukeswarar temple this ancient, beautiful and cleanly maintained shivasthalam is located in a calm village called sembakkam, 7 km from thirupporur and 20 km from chenglepat. this is called north thiruvanaikka (south thiruvanaikka is near srirangam, a pancha bootha sthalam for water). agasthiar worshipped shiva here.
more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. tiruvidaisoolam or thiruvidaichuram significance: one of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns; 7th century temple. location: 9 kms from chinglepat and 18 km from tirupporur in the chenglepat-thirupporur road. the village is in a beautiful location between two hills and so the name idai-churam (churam meaning a place of hills and forests). main deity: swayambu maragatha linga known as idaichuranathar with emayamadakkodi ammai in separate shrines. also known as gyanapureeswarar and govardhanambikai. legend: goddess parvathi came here as kamadhenu (cow) with her brother lord vishnu and worshipped shiva by pouring milk on the shivalingam. sages gowtama and sanathkumarar worshipped shiva here. temple: maragadha linga glitters during harathi time. santhana prapthi (child boon) is the special worship benefit of this temple. theertham: mdhura teertham. sthala vruksham: padhiri. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. chenglepat - mahabalipuram nenmeli puja for ancestors/ forefathers on amavasya: nenmeli is situated at about 6 kms from chingleput, on the road leading to mahabalipuram, near thirukazhukundram. nenmeli is also known as pundarikanallur or pindam vaiththa nallur as the lord srartha samrakshana narayanan at sri lakshminarayana perumal temple here accepts offerings for the ancestors and forefathers called pithrus. any offerings made here are considered as offerings made at gaya for the pithrus. lord srartha samrakshana narayanan himself is considered to perform the annual rites and ceremonies for the departed souls for and on behalf of the persons who are unable to offer prayers, rites and ceremonies for their ancestors. pon vilaintha kalathur sri kothanda ramaswamy temple: p v kalathur village is the abode of historically famous temples. this village with high green fields is 10 km south of chengalpattu and 10 km west of tirukazhukundram. it is said that the village derives its name because many years back gold was harvested in the fields. more information here pon pathir kudam chaturbuja raman is only 4 miles away from pon vilaintha kalathur. thirukkazhukundram sri vedadireeshwarar temple. more information here east coast road (ecr) nithya kalyana perumal temple at thiru vidanthai significance: one of 108 divya desams.
location: in chennai - mahabalipuram ecr, after kovalam, about 10 kms before mahabalipuram. the temple arch can be seen on the ecr road itself on the right side. main deity: lakshmi varaha perumal in standing posture. utsavar: nithya kalyana perumal and komavalli thayar. legend: vara perumal married 360 daughters of sage klava and he is known as nithya kalyana perumal. all 360 were united into one and named as lakshmi and he has her on his lap, so the name as thiruvidanthai. theertham: kalyana teertham & varaha teertham. sthala sayana perumal temple at thirukkadalmallai (mahabalipuram) significance: one of 108 divya desams. location: near mahabalipuram bus stand; 60 kms from chennai; 11 kms from thiruvidanthai. main deity: sthala sayana perumal in sleeping posture; bujanga sayanam with his right hand on his chest as upadesa mudra; thaayaar - nilamangai thaayaar theertham: pundareeka pushkarini, garuda river. pandurangan temple at vittalapuram this is located in the ecr, after mahabalipuram, 2 km from pudhupattinam. built during the vijayanagara king krishna dhevarayar period (1507-1529). unlike the other panduranan temples, 5 feet tall pandurangan here is seen with rukmani and sathyabama. mahalakshmi also has a separate shrine here. chenglepat - kanchipuram pazhaya seevaram narasimha swamy and thirumukkoodal appan venkatesa perumal while going from chenglepat, pazhaya seevaram is just before wallajabad on the main road itself on the banks of palar. thirumukkoodal is just on the opposite bank of the river. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. cheetanancheri kaleeswarar temple at 2 kms from pazhaya seevaram near wallajabad, this is an ancient and beautiful temlple. ilayanar velur murugan temple 8 kms from walajabad and 2 kms from kavanthandalam, this is a beautiful murugan temple and has a legend link with maagaral and kadambar koil temples of kancheepuram town kanchipuram was the capital of pallava regime and is well known for temples and silk sarees. it is the seat of the kanchi kamakoti peetham established by aadhi sankaracharya. it is believed that sankaracharya attained samadhi at kanchipuram, although another school of thought holds that kedarnath in the himalayas is the site of his samadhi. the town has 5 out of 275 shiva temples glorified by the thevara hymns and 14 out of 108 vishnu divya desams. kamakshi amman forms the central amman shrine for all the shiva temples here and so none of the shiva temples within kanchipuram will have amman shrines. ulagalandha perumal and pandava thoodhar are temples with stunningly huge moolavars. kailasanathar temple and vaikunda perumal temple are the places must be visited by everyone just for the sheer beauty of the of art and architecture.this is a temple town and there are more than 150 ancient temples and only some of them are listed here. for a full version, click here.
vishnu temples glorified as 108 divya desams: vishnu kanchi: * thirukachi (hastigiri) varadhraaja perumal * ashtabhujakaram * thiruthanka * thiruvelukkai * thiruvegha shiva kanchi: * thiru ooragam, thiru neeragam, thirukkaragam and thirukkaarvaanam in the same temple complex * thiruppaatakam * nilanthunagal tundam * thirukkalvanur * thiruppavalavannam * parameswara vinnagaram shiva temples glorified as 275 thevara padal petra sthalams * ekambareswarar temple * sri thirumetralinathar temple * thiru onan kandhan thali * anekathangavadham * kachi nerikkaaraikkaadu temples being maintained by archeological society of india: * iravatanesvara temple * jvaraharesvara temple * matangesvara temple * muktesvara temple * pirvatanesvara temple * vaikunta perumal temple * kailasanatha temple if you take the padappai-walajah-kancheepuram road, the recommended way to visit all the temples of the kanchipuram town in the shortest time would be in the following order. 1) sri varadarajar perumal temple 2) thiruvekka 3) ashtabuyagaram 4) thiruvelukkai 5) thiruthanka 6) sri vaikunta perumal temple 7) sri ulagalandha perumal temple 8) sri kamakshi amman temple 9) thiru pavala vannan and pachai vanna p erumal temple 10) sri ekambareswarar temple - thiru nilathingal thundam is here 11) thiru padagam temple sri kamakshi amman temple
significance: this is known as aadhi sakthi peetam. this temple forms the amman shrine for all the shiva temples within kanchipuram since she is wholly present in kanchipuram. due to this, none of the shiva temples in kanchipuram will have a separate shrine for goddess. legend: the temple is known as kamakottam. brahma vishnu and rudra were creations of her eyes, hence the name kamakshi. she is tapas kamakshi at mangadu and kalyana kamakshi at kanchipuram. she was under stringent penance standing on tip of left leg on fire at mangadu and upon satisfying shiva, came here to marry him. here she worshipped a shivalingam made out of sand under a mango tree. temple: the temple covers an area of about 5 acres and the sanctum is crowned with a gold plated vimanam. kamakshi is enshrined in a seated penancing posture with four hands in the sanctum and is referred to as the parabhrama swarupini, seated with bhrama vishnu rudra eswara and sadasiva. it is believed that kamakshi was originally an ugra swaroopini, and that aadhi sankaracharya, installed the sri chakra in front of her and personified her as the shanta swaroopini. it is believed that during the days of aadhi sankara, the presence of the ugra swaroopini was felt outside the temple precincts, and that sankaracharya had requested her not to leave the temple complex. symbolic of this, the festival image of kamakshi, takes leave from sankaracharya, at his shrine in the inner prakaram, each time she is taken out in procession. in the inner praharam, bangaru kamakshi, maha saraswathi and aadi sankaracharya are present along with ardhanareeswarar, soundaryalakshmi and varaahi. when we come out after worshipping kamakshi we can see annapoorani in front. there is also arupa lakshmi and the kumkum prasadam should be first put in front of arupa lakshmi and then taken out from there. the outer praharam houses the temple tank and several mandapams such as the 100 pillared hall, the dwajaarohana mandapam etc. festivals: the annual festival is celebrated in the month of maasi. the silver chariot festival falls on the 7th day. other festivals include navaratri, aadi and aippasi pooram, sankara jayanthi and vasanta utsavam in vaikasi. sthala vruksham: sanbagam. thirukkalvanoor significance: one of the 108 divya desams within the kamakshi amman temple complex main deity: kalla perumal with thayar anjilaivalli nachiyar legend: parvathi when penanced upon shiva sought the help of her brother lord vishnu. it is also said that parvathi sighted lord vishnu overhearing the conversation between her and lakshmi, upon which she addressed him as kalvan. temple: images of vishnu (ninraan, irundaan, kidandaan) are seen near the temple tank. theertham: nithya pushkarani vimanam: vamana vimanam sri varadharaja perumal temple at thirukkachi significance: one of 108 divya desams in a sprawling 20 acre area location: vishnu kanchi, chinna kancheepuram main deity: varadharaja perumal in standing posture and perundevi thayar in separate shrines legend: brahma worshipped lord vishnu in this kshetram in krita yuga; gajendra in treta yuga; brahaspathi in dwapara yuga and aadhisesha in kali yuga. it is believed that iravatham, indhran’s elephant, in the form of a hill bears the image of lord vishnu. the lord is also called in several other names like devaraja perumal, giri varadhar, karivaradhar and athigiri arulala perumal. sages brugu and naradha, goddess saraswathhi and indhra were blessed by va radharajar. hayman and sukran were transformed into lizards for their sins and they penanced here and got blessed by vishnu. there are two lizards at roof of the temple and everyone is allowed to touch them to get relieved of all ailments. temple: this is a massive temple in a sprawling 20 acres site, patronized by chola and vijayanagara kings. the first praharam of the temple is on the holy mound called ‘hasthigiri’. the main sanctum is 40 feet height with 43 steps to go. in the basement, we see azhagiya singa perumal in sitting posture and arithra devi thayar. the 100 pillar mandapam with stone chains by
the side of the temple tank is a shining example of art and architecture of that period. on the banks of the holy tank is the chakrathazhwar shrine with chakrathazhwar in front and aadhiseshan holding narashima moorthy at the back. valampuri vinayakar temple is found in the inner court of the temple. the original figure of lord varadharajar made out of fig-wood (atthi) is kept at the bed of the temple tank and is taken out once in 40 years for worship for 10 days. sages such as peyalwar, budhathalwar and thirumangai alwar have sung on this deity. the temple festivals garudasevai and the chariot festival are special, celebrated with great religious fervor and have won fame all over the world. theertham: vegavathi, ananthasaras brahma theertham and well. vimanam: punyakoti more details in the vikatan publication’s ‘aalaya dharisanam‘ book. sri yadhothakaari temple, also called thiruvegka significance: one of the 108 divyadesams; poigaiaazhwar avatarastalam location: near rangaswamy tank at small kanchipurm; closer to varadharaja perumal temple main deity: ‘sonnavannam seidha’ perumal in sleeping posture and kamalavalli thayar in different shrines. legend: vegavathi (saraswathi) river started flooding by the act of demons to disturb the yagna performed by brahma. at the request of devars, vishnu came to the rescue and laid down on aadhisesha in the way of the river in 3 places forming dams. the places are pallikondan (called vadavarangam), thiruparkadal and this place. so the place was called vegavathi anai and later vegka. it is said that poighai azhwar took birth in a lotus flower representing ‘panchajanyam’ in the poigai pushkarani. it is also said that kanikannan, a disciple of thirumazhisai azhwar was banished from the kingdom by the then ruler when he refused to sing on the king. when thirumazhisai azhwar left the place in search of him, lord vishnu at the request of azh war, rolled adisesha in his hand and followed azhwar. once lord vishnu left the place, the whole town faced several problems. the king realised his mistake and begged azhwar to forgive and return back to the kingdom. azhwar then returned to the place requesting vishnu once again to follow him and he did. since vishnu did as asked by his disciple, he got the name ‘sonnavannam seitha perumal’, signifying the respect the disciples commanded from their master and also the humility of the master towards his disciples. temple: in this place, perumal is in a unique resting posture with his head to the right of the devotees unlike the other temples. theertham: poighai pushkarani vimanam: veda saara vimanam deepa prakasar temple at thiruthanga significance: 0ne of 108 divya desams; avathara sthalam of vedantha desikar location: the temple is to the west of ashtabujakaram temple and it is easy to locate the temple in the name of deepa prakasar or vilakoli perumal or desikar temple. main deity: deepa prakasar in standing posture with maragdha valli thayar. legend: brahma started an yagna in a nandavanam (which was cool and hence the name thanga), without informing his consort saraswathi. she was not happy about this and requested demon mayanalam to disturb the yagna, who in turn made the whole world dark by his power. brahma in turn sought the help of vishnu, who manifested himself as bright light and hence the name deepaprakasar. temple: there is a shrine for vedantha desikar with lakshmi hayagreevar theertham: saraswathi theertham vimanam: sreekara vimanam ashtabujakaram
significance: one of the 108 divya desams location: south of rangaswamy tank, small kanchi. main deity: aadhi kesava perumal, also called gajendhra varadan, in standing posture with consort alamelmangai thayar in different sanctums. legend: at the request of brahma, lord vishnu with eight weapons in eight hands warded off the demon intruders of the yagna conducted by brahma. hence the name, ashtabujakaram. even today, shiva is seen guarding the yagna sala in the form of sarabesan. sage mahasudha was in penance here. indhra was worried of his seat and he deva kanyas to disturb muni and kanyas took the form of elephant and diverted munis attention. he changed himself into an elephant and started living with them. after many years he came to know that he was fooled by them. once when he realised his mistake he approached sage markendaya to help him out. markandeyar asked him to worship vishnu in this place ashtabujakaram. he worshipped vishnu with lotus flower, in the same form of elephant. one day the elephant’s leg was caught by a crocodile and to free himself the elephant took the name of vishnu as narayana and he was rescued by vishnu and attained his previous form of human being. peyaazhwar got the dharshan of gajendhra moksham at this shrine. temple: the main deity ashta buja perumal is seen with ashta bujam (eight hands) having weapons - chakram, knife, flower, arrow, sanku, bow, kedayam and gadha - in each hand. the tradition here is to first worship goddess pushpakavalli (alarmelmangai) and then the p erumal. festival: gajendhra moksham festival in the tamil month of aadi theertham: gajendra pushkarani vimanam: gaganakriti vimanam sri azhagiya singa perumal at thiruvellukai significance: one of the 108 divya desams location: the temple is opposite to vilakoli perumal temple. it is easy to locate the temple in the name, yoga narasimhar. main deity: sri azhagiya singa (narasimha) perumal in sitting posture and sri vellukai valli thayar in different shrines. importance: once lord narashimar at the hastishaila caves in attigiri sanctum hill, came to this place while chasing the demons. he found this place very cool and nice and also the demons were not to be seen. so he stayed here as yoga narasimhar deciding to take care, if the demons return again. since the lord stayed here at his pleasure (vel means desire), this place is called velukkai. theertham: kanakasaras theertham vimanam: kanaka vimanam sri pandava thoodha perumal temple at thiru paadagam significance: one of the 108 divyadesams; imposing 28 feet perumal in sitting posture location: near ekambareswarar temple main deity: pandava thoodha perumal in sitting posture with thayars rukmani and sathyabama legend: king janameyajeyan listened to the story of mahabaratha from sage vaisambhavana and got enlightened by the event of sri krishna revealing himself through the viswaroopa dharshan when he went to hasthinapuri as an ambassador of panda vas. the king wanted to have the same kind of dharshan of vishnu and so performed an aswamedha yaga here and got the v iswaroopa dharshan as he wished. temple: the temple is 1000years old and was built by king rajakesari varman. if the lord was standing in ulagalandha perumal temple, he is sitting here as lord krishna. everyone will be amazed by both of the imposing deities. the designs on the lord’s garments are also fantastic. theertham: mathsya theertham vimanam: bathra vimanam more details of the temple in vikatan publication’s book ‘nimmadhi tharum sannidhi’ part 2
ulagalandha perumal temple this is a temple of 4 divya desams within a single temple complex. apart from the main deity of ulagalanda perumal, there are three other deities in the same complex which were in different places nearby. details of the original temple, sthala vruksham and pushkarani are not known excepting the informations from the azhwar ’s pasurams. thiru neeragam: this is a small shrine in the northern praharam. sri jagadeesa perumal and neelamangala valli thayar are the main deities. only the utsava vigraham is present and the whereabout of the moolavar vigraham and the original temple are not known. the theertham here is known as akrura theertham and the vimanam jagadeeswara vimanam. thirukkaragam: this shrine is also located in the praharam of ulagalandha perumal temple. the utsava moorthy is sri karunakara perumal and the thayar is padamamani nachiyar. details of the original temple, sthala vruksham and pushkarani are not known excepting the fact from the thirumangai azhwar’s pasurams that the main deity is in standing posture. the theertham is akraya theertham and vimanam is vamana vimanam. thiru karavanam: this is another divya desam shrine in the praharam of ulagalandha perumal temple. details of the original temple, sthala vruksham and pushkarani are not known excepting the fact from the thirumangai azhwar’s pasurams that the main deity is thiru kalvar in a standing posture and the thayar is kamalavalli nachiyar. only the utsava moorthy is present. the theertham is gowrithadakam and the vimanam is pushkala vimanam. thiru ooragam: significance: the main deity is imposing 35 feet height and 24 feet width location: near kamakshi amman temple main deity: trivikrama called ulagalandha perumal and aranaravalli nachiyar in different shrines. legend: during trivikrama avathara, vishnu asked for 3 steps of land from king mahaballi. mahabali agreed to give and for one step of vishnu, mahabali was already under the feet of vamana and was unable to get the full dharshan of trivikrama. he penanced here to have a full dharshan and trivikrama reappeared in front of him and even then he was not able to see the complete form. per his request trivikrama in the form of aadhiseshan is present in the same temple. temple: the main deity ulagalandha p erumal is magnificent in size with his left leg lifted up to sky. everyone will be stunned with the the size of the deity. theertham: naga theertham vimanam: sarasreekara vimanam thiru pavala vanna and pachai vanna perumal location: 1 km from kamakshi temple. significance: these are two separate temples situated in opposite directions in the same street. it is said that if one visits one temple, visiting the other is mandatory. another uniqueness is that these two temples collectively form a single divya desam. thiru pavala vanna perumal temple main deity: pavala vanna perumal in standing posture with pavalavalli thayar theertham: chakkra theertham legend: the main deity is of red shade which is u nique. when saraswathi sent demons to spoil the yagna done by brahma, vishnu came to the rescue of brahma and fought the demons. so he is seen here in red colour with blood stains. thiru pachai vanna perumal temple
main deity: pachai vannan in a seated posture on aadhisessha, also called paramapadha nathan legend: sage brugu performed an yagna here to have laksmi devi as his daughter and he married her to vishnu here. theertham: chakratheertham vimanam: pravaala vimanam vaikunthanatha perumal temple at parameswara vinnagaram significance: one of the 108 divya desams; held in high esteem as ‘parameswara vinnagaram’; apart from the divinity, a must-visit temple for the history and art lovers for its sheer beauty of art and architecture; maintained by archeological society of india as a ‘protected monument’ location: situated in the street that separates from the east raja street at big kanchipuram, very close to the bus terminus. the temple lies further up the street. main deity: vaikuntanathan and the thayar vaikuntavalli legend: dwarapalakas of vaikuntam were reborn as pallava and villava and they performed an ashwametha yagna here and the lord gave them dharshan as paramapatha nathan temple: the temple, built by nandhivarma pallavan, is a fine example of art and architectural skill and this has already become a famous tourist centre. the holy figures carved out of stone in the inner walls of the temple are really marvelous. the vimanam has 3 tiers. in the first tier, the lord gives dharshan in the sitting posture; in the middle tier as ranganathar in the reclining posture with sridevi and bhoodevi; and in the top tier in the standing posture. theertham: iyramada theertham vimanam: mukunda vimanam sri ekambareswarar and sri nilathunda perumal temple significance: sri ekambareswarar temple is one of 275 sacred shiva temples of tamilnadu (one of the 5 of kanchi) glorified by the thevara hymns and also one of the pancha bootha temples representing land. sri nilathunda perumal shrine within the same temple premises is one of the 108 vishnu divya desams. sri ekambareswarar temple main deity: ekambaranadhar and elavarkuzhali ammai in separate shrines legend: once parvathi closed the eyes of shiva for fun and the whole universe went dark. shiva got angry and punished her to be born on earth. she chose the place near kamba river and made a linga of mud, placed it under ekamba tree a nd started to worship. one day, due to flood, the whole town was full of water and she embraced shiva linga to protect him from dissolving in flood water and started doing her worship. shiva was pleased with her devotion and he agreed to marry her. temple:the linga is made of sand. we can see both shiva and parvathi together at the back of linga in the main sanctum. other main deities are vellakambar worshipped by brahma, kallakambar by vishnu and nallakambar by rudra. other deities are vikata chakra vinayakar, arumugar, 1008 lingas, 108 lingas, 63 nayanmars, markendeyar, bikshadanar, nataraja, pralayam katha ammai and navagrahas. the main rajagopuram was constructed by krishna deva rayar. sambandhar, navakku arasar & sundrar sang hymns on shiva here. arunagirindhar sang thirupugazh on subramanya. on ratha sapthami day sunrays falls on siva here. ganapathy near gopura vasal is on peacock which is different here. sthala vruksham: 3600 years old mango tree with 4 branches related to 4 vedas. unfortunately the tree is no more alive but a large piece of the tree has been kept in the mandapam. theertham: siva ganga teertham and kamba river sri nilathunda perumal temple significance: one of 108 divya desams
location: the shrine is to the north east of ekambareswarar shrine within the inner praharam of the ekambareswarar temple main deity: nilaattingal tunda perumal in standing posture with sapthagnaga legend: shiva tested paravthi’s commitment in performing tapas by setting fire to the mango tree under which she was seated. parvathi prayed to her brother lord vishnu, who caused waves of nectar to cool down the scorching rays. lord vishnu as vamana continues to stay here at the behest of parvathi. it is also said that, at the time of churning of milky ocean to get nectar, the god of ocean vishnu became warm and to cool himself, he requested shiva to alleviate the discomfort through the cool rays of the moon adorning shiva’s head. hence the name nilaa-tingal tundattan. more information on the temple here sri kailasanadhar temple location: 2 km from ekamberaswarar temple and to the west of putheri street (s.v.n pillai street) street at big kanchipuram. it is found next to kachiyanegathangavatham. significance: being taken care by the archeological society of india this is a treasure house of sculptures. along with vaikunthanatha perumal temple, this must be visited by everyone just for the sheer beauty of the art and architecture main deity: shiva in the form of linga with 16 stripes, called kailasanathar legend: there were thiripuraris-tharakatchan, kamalatchan and vidhyamali who were ardent devotees of lord shiva and were graciously granted three worlds .the three worlds are iron world, silver world and bronze world. the demons other than the thiripuraris were by nature very unruly, harassed the celestials to the greatest extent possible. lord vishnu, who wanted to destroy the demons, came to understand that lord shiva was the only divine power who could destroy the demons. so lord vishnu set about his task of destroying their (demons) faith and devotion to lord shiva. firstly lord vishnu created aadhibuddhan as a form of his own self and sent him along with sage naradha to the demons. both of them (sage naradha and adhiputhan) succeeded in their endeavor to destroy the faith of all the demons (including the thiripuraris). after destroying the demons, sage naradha and aadhibuddhan reached kanchi and here they felt as if the sins wanted to get away from them and did not want to burden them any more. so the place (within the city of kanchi) came to be known as paruthimalai kundram. a little distance away from kanchi both sage naradha and aadhibuddhan established an idol of lord shiva and worshipped him for many years. god then, appeared before them and said that they can atone for their sins only by undergoing suffering in their different births. in the temple, there is small passage around the sanctumsanctorum with two entrances - janana (birth) entrance and marana (death) entrance. shiva suggested to them to enter and exit through this passage many times to get rid of their sins. temple: this is the first temple made of stones by rajasimha pallava. after the completion of the temple they fixed a date for kumbabhisheham. shiva came in the king’s dream and asked him to postpone the date since he wanted to honour the invitation of saint poosalar for the kumbabhisheham of his temple at thirunindravoor which he (poosalar) built brick by brick by mentally (not physically) just by sheer devotion. this is inscribed in the temple and sekkizhar also has mentioned this in his work. sri kachabeswarar temple location: the temple is situated in the southern corner of the west raja street at big kanchipuram, 1 km from ekambareswarar temple. main deity: swayambu linga known as kachabeswarar and soundrambikai ammai. legend: mount madura which was used as the churning stick for the churning of the milky ocean to get amruth, started to sink into the ocean bed. thereupon, vishnu assumed the form of tortoise (koorma avatar), dived to the bottom and let them use his back as a pivot upon which the churning stick could turn. at the end, lord vishnu was overcome with pride and thought that it was only through his efforts that the celestials succeeded in getting amruth from the sea. overwhelmed with pride, lord vishnu caused the waters to more. all the creatures trembled with fear. at this juncture, lord shiva destroyed the tortoise and strung its shell on the sacred garland
worn about his neck. lord vishnu, who regretted for his act, came to kanchi and worshipped lord shiva and got his blessings. lord shiva and lord vishnu then redeemed the office of leadership for vaikuntam. also, brahma and saraswathi worshipped here to get the blessings of shiva for his work of creation. asura guru sukracharya worshipped here to get mruthsanjeevini and vajrayakkai. temple: it is a temple which has a wide court around it. other deities in the temple are chaturmukeswarar, saraswathi, vinayakar, sastha and bairavar. around the pond there are temples of dharma siddheswarar, kama siddheswarar, artha siddheeswarar and moksha siddheswarar. to the west of the idol of lord kachabeswar is the shrine of lord vinayaka (satyamoli vinayakar) worshipped by lord vishnu. people who worship this lord would be able to overcome all troubles and sufferings in life and fulfill their wishes. theertham: ishta siddhi theertham. sri thirumetralinathar temple significance:one of 275 sacred shiva temples glorified by the thevara hymns and one of the five of them in kanchipuram location: the temple is in pillaiyar palayam (kanchi), in thirumetralli street, 2 km from ekambareswarar temple. on one side of the street, there is a temple in honor of thirugnana sambhandar (also called aaludaiyapillai and hence the name pillayar palayam) and on the other side is the thirumetralli temple. the uttruketta mutheesar temple stands between the two temples. legend: vishnu meditated upon shiva here to attain shivaroopam. as per holy command of lord shiva, thirugnanasambhandar set his holy foot here, sang hymns in praise of lord shiva standing at the end of the road. lord vishnu listened to the songs with great piety and melted into linga form. sambandhar also attained shiva saroobyam here. budha, one of the navagrahas worshipped shiva here temple: metralinadhar linga is facing east and vishnu linga is facing west. there are 2 other shivalingams in this shrine - odha urigeeswarar and mutheeswarar. theertham: vishnu theertham. onakandeeswarar temple at thiru onan kandhan thali or jalantharesam significance:one of the 275 sacred shiva temples glorified by the thevara hymns and one of the five of them in kanchipuram location: located at about a km to the west of the ekambareswarar temple near the sarvatheertham in a corner of the road that leads to a rakkonam, just opposite to the panjupettai electricity board sub-station. legend: once, onan and kanthan, the commanders of the demon vanasuran, worshipped shiva here and the 2 shivalingams oneswara and kantheswara are present in different shrines. to the south of the temple outside, there is an idol of lord shiva, jalandareeswarar, worshipped by jalandaran known by the holy name jalandaresam. sundaramoorthy nayanar is closely associated with this shrine. there is a story that when sundarar sang hymns, shiva hid himself in a tamarind tree nearby and when he sang another song shiva was pleased and dropped tamarinds from the tree which turned into gold coins. temple: this is a small temple. there is a vinayagar deity at the thiruvonakandan mandapam at the entrance and if you put your ear, you will get a kind of omkara sound. theertham: onakandhan teertham kachi anekathangavadham temple significance: one of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns; one of the five of them in kanchipuram. location: this small temple is situated to the left of the path that leads to the kailasanathar temple in a serene environment adjoining the s.s.k.v school, to the west of putheri street in the north western part of kanchipuram. place: the fields in the vicinity are known as ‘aanaiyurittaan vayal’. this is known as kachi
anekathangavatham since there is another sacred place known as anekathangavatham on the slopes of the himalayas. main deity: swayambu linga known as anekathagavadeswarar legend: lord vinayaka established lord shiva idol in the name of ‘anekabeswarar’ and set out to eranyapuram to destroy the demons. beginning from kasi, a demon, he separated their powers from their embryos and united all the powers into one supreme power called ‘vallabai’ and got wedded to it. lord gubera also worshipped here. kachi nerikkaaraikkaadu or thirukkalimedu significance: one of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns; one of the five of them in kanchipuram. location: the place is known as satyavratam and indiresam. the path opposite the head post office leads to this temple and the place is called thirukkalimedu. in ancient times, people used this path to gain access to kanchipuram. since the path is full of spiny plants, the sacred place came to be called by the name kachinerikkaraikkadu. main deity: the presiding deity is a swayambumurthi known as kaaraittirunatheswarar or satyanatheswarar and the consort, brahmmaraambigai. legend: lord indra, the king of the devas and lord mercury worshipped shiva here. temple: the temple tank is known as indra theertham and budha theertham and it is believed that one who has a holy dip in temple tank and worships the god here would be endowed with the best benefits. lord mercury rose to the position of a planet only after worshipping the god here. it is believed that sesame oil offered during ablutions are absorbed by the shivalingam. there are two prakarams and a three tiered rajagopuram. theertham: indra theertham and budha theertham kachi aayaarohaneswarar guru temple location: near pillarpalayam pond on the banks of the river vegawathi. main deity: kayaroganeswarar and kamalaambigai legend: once, lords brahma and vishnu were very disappointed as their life time was drawing to a close. shiva, who is beyond time limit took both of them to his shoulder and started dancing. since lord shiva allowed them to take refuge on his back and blessed them, he is called kayarohaneshwarar. goddess mahalakshmi showered the leaves of the holy bael tree worshipped kayarohaneshwarar to be blessed with a holy husband - lord vishnu. this temple is p opularly known as guru sthalam since lord jupiter (lord guru) came here to worship shiva and was blessed with unfailing devotion towards him. every thursday, people throng the temple. the place of sri bhaaskhara maharishi is situated very close to this temple. theertham: kayarohana theertham. the kanchi puranam lays emphasis on the greatness of this place by saying that those who bathe in the kayarohana theertham and worship shiva and goddess lakshmi here would be bestowed with all wealth and wisdom. jurahareswarar temple at juragaresam location: the temple is to the south of sannidhi street of ekambaranadhar temple. main deity: shiva in linga form known as jurahareswarar. legend: demon juragan was destroyed here. devas worshipped in this place to cure themselves from disease due to heat and they were cured. shiva here, is known to cure the devotees of their ailments such as fever, relieves them of the heat present in their body and helps to maintain the normal body temperature. temple: the sanctum - sanctorum o f temple is circular. it is a shining example of the architectural skill. the whole temple is built of stones and many holy figures are engraved on them. it is a magnificent temple that attracts countless number of devotees. the idol of juvarahereswarar here is one of the 64 holy idols (formless form of lord shiva). there are two kinds of divine treasures in the temple. there is a statue of lord gubera (god of treasure) in this temple. theertham: the temple tank is called ‘vepperi kulam’ and now the temple is popularly known as
‘upperi kulam’. kumarakkottam subramanyaswamy temple. location: the temple is situated in west raja street legend: once lord brahma, the god of creation was imprisoned since he did not know the meaning of the pranava mantra ‘ohm’. lord muruga executed the great task of creation all by himself and the sanctum sanctorum of the temple presents lord muruga as a creator, brahma subramanyar. subramanya made a shiva linga known as deva sena padeesar and worshipped him. arunagirinadhar sang thiruppugazh on subramanya here. temple: this is an ancient temple held in high esteem since the holy text - kantha puranam was published here. the holy scenes from the sacred text were staged at the rock hall here which has now been functioning as kachiappar library. scenes from the kantha puranam adorn the walls. there are separate shrines for lord vinayaka, palaniandavar, shanmuga, urugum ulla perumal, navagrahas, arunagrinathar and goddesses valli, theivani. there is a sacred hall set aside for meditation. the holy figures of kachiappa sivacharyar and vallalar ramalinga swamigal are found in the court of the temple. the official website is available here around kanchipuram sri vedhanadhar temple at thiruvothoor (cheyyar) significance: one of 275 sacred shiva temples glorified by the thevara hymns. location: 28 kms from kancheepuram in cheyyar main deity: swayambu linga known as vedanadhar and elamula nayakai. legend: shiva preached meaning of veda to devas and sages in this place, hence the name thiruvothoor. vishnu worshipped shiva here and got his chakrayudam. sambandhar sang and transformed male palm trees to female palm trees here. temple: we can see vishnu’s sculpture in the name of aadhi kesava perumal. nandhi before kodimaram is facing the entrance. there is a stone sculpture of the palm tree in the temple premises with shiva linga under the tree and sambandhar worshipping it. arunagirinadhar sang thirupugazh. theertham: cheyyar and kalyana teertham. sthala vrukaham: panai sri panangateeswarar temple at thirupankottore significance: one of 275 sacred shiva temples glorified by the thevara hymns location: 10 km from kanchipuram main deity: swayambu linga known as panangateeswarar and amirtha valli ammai. name: the place was full of panai (palm) trees and hence the name panangattore. legend: when sundarar visited this place shiva appeared before him in the form of an old man and offered food. sundarar laughed at him and said when there is no water what is the use of food. the old man scratched the land under his leg and water started flowing. the old man disappeared and sundarar was surprised and sighted out the temple and visited it. he sang hymns on siva of this place. temple: there are two deities one worshipped by sage agasthiar and the other by saint pulasthiar known as krupadeeswarar and krupagambikai. the temple is constructed in gajaprushta form (elephant back). theertham: jada gangai and sundara theertham. people say that the level at sundara theertham is just 3 feet even today. sthala vruksham: panai tree kooram
this village is about 8 - 9 kms away from kanchipuram and is the birth place of koorathazhwar, a.d 1008. the moolavar of the temple here is sri aadhi kesa va perumal in nindra thirukkolam. more information here kanchipuram - vandavasi ayyangarkulam kailasanathar temple valesswarar temple at kuranganil muttam location: 8 km to southwest of kanchepuram. after crossing the palar bridge in the vandavasi/ cheyyar route, you will see dusi village at around 4 kms. there is a road diversion to kuranganilmuttam there and the temple is around 2 kms from there. significance: one of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns main deity: swayambu linga known as valeeswarar with valai ammai in separate shrines. legend: vali, indhran and yama worshipped shiva here in the form of kurangu (monkey), anil (squirrel) and muttam (crow) respectively and that’s why the name. this shows that the animals and birds have worshipped and attained salvation. vaali worshipped shiva and hence the name vaaleswarar. temple: the temple is located in a beautiful place surrounded by fields. other deities are vinakaya, subramanya, kasi viswanadhar, visalakshi, durgai, brahma, chandeeswarar, bairavar vishnu, sapthamadhar, dakshinamoorthy, & navagraha. sthala vruksham: elanndi more details in vikatan publication’s ‘thevara thiruvula part 2‘ book note: there is also pandavas rock at kuranganil muttam pesum perumal temple at koozhamandal this temple is 20 km from kanchipuram in the kanchipuram-vandavasi route. from the main road, the temple is about 200 meters away towards west. this is a small temple with a single shrine but the perumal is gigantic and beautiful. it was discovered from the field and installed here. shiva temple at koozhamandal this temple is about 200 meters to the east of the main road. ambujavalli nayikaa samedha lakshmi narayana temple at akkur as holy as tirumala: about a km further to the west of pesum perumal temple at koozhamandal is this temple. nestling in the obscure and remote village of akkur is the ambujavalli nayikaa samedha lakshmi narayana temple. the ancient temple may not attract devotees from far and wide to its precincts daily, yet it has its own unique features. the temple is very small but beautiful and apart from the sanctum sanctorum, there are only a couple o f other shrines dedicated to andal and ambujavalli thayar. thennangur thennangur has become a popular tourist place because of the beautiful pandurangan temple and is 6 km before vandavasi and about half a km to the west of the main road. ragumayi sametha pandurangan temple
the uniqueness of this temple is reflected in the following: the garba-griha, gopuram (sanctumsanctorum) on the model of puri jagannath; the chola type of rajagopuram in its artistry and the presiding deities from maharashtra. the tiny idols of panduranga-raghumayi manifested to a bigsize (viswarupam). the speciality of this temple being the daily alankarams and the mural paintings of the mandapam. on any day pandurangan is adorned with beautiful alankaram. more details of the pandurangan temple in my travelogue here meenakshi sundareswarar temple per legend, thennangur is the birth place of sri meenakshi. this temple for for meenakshi and sundareswarar has beautiful paintings of their marriage in the ceiling and all the navagrahas with their spouses (may be they are attending the meenakshi - sundareswarar marriage?). every year the meenakshi-sundareswarar kalyanam and other festivals are performed in this temple. lakshmi narayana temple this is an ancient temple renovated by sri haridoss giri swamigal. it is customary in this temple to have sita kalyanam festival, every year conducted by the bhagavatha bakthas in the bhajan tradition. chennai - kanchipuram - vellore (bangalore highway) note: a geographical map is available here showing almost all the temples listed here (and more as well). the webpage from platial is slow and you have to be little patient. thirumazhisai thirumazhisai is a small town at 5 kms from poonamallee on the chennai-thiruthani highway. there is a temple dedicated to lord shiva and another to lord vishnu, very near to each other, both dating to the chola period. jagannatha perumal temple: this temple comes on the left side of the highway when we go from chennai. thirumazhisai is the birth place of thirumazhisai azhwar and there is a separate sannidhi for thirmazhisai azhwar in this temple. this temple is one of the three jagannatha kshetrams and is referred as madhya jagannatha kshetram. puri is the uthra jagannatha kshetram and thirupullani is the dakshina jagannatha kshetram. othaandeeswarar (shiva) temple: this temple comes on the right side of the highway when we go from chennai. once when king kulothunga chola was on his way, he found a creeper blocking his way and cut it with his sword. he saw bloodstains in his sword and when he removed the creeper, there was a siva lingam with blood oozing from it. the repentant king cut his arm, and then the lord appeared before him and restored his hand. the king built a temple at that place and hailed the lord as “kai thantha piran” more information here sri adhikesava perumal temple at sriperumpudur significance: birth place of sri ramanujar main deity: sri adhikesava perumal with his consorts sridevi and bhoodevi in standing posture and goddess ethiraja valli thayar in separate shrines. legend: the place is known as aranyaranam and boodhapuri. to get rid of shiva’s curse, boodha ganas penanced here and were blessed by vishnu. in turn, they built this temple for vishnu and so this place came to be known as boodhapuri which later became bhoodur and after ramanujar’s birth, became sri perumbhoodur.
temple: there is an idol of ramanujar here which was embraced by ramanujar himself. at the time of eye opening ceremony of ramanujar’s idol here, ramanujar was preaching at srirangam and it is said that at that instant, blood oozed out from both real-life ramanjuar (at srirangam) and the idol here. other deities like rama, andal, udayavar, desikan, and alavandhar are there. theertham: anantha saras more information of the temple in vikatan publication’s ‘nimmadhi tharum sannidhi part 1‘ book murugan temple at vallakottai this ancient murugan temple is 12 kms south of sriperumpudur on the sriperumpudur-chenglepat road. the height of the deity is more than 2 meters. and a travelogue here triad of sacred spots (thiruputkuzhi-thiruparkadal) thiruparkadal is famous for its twin temples, where the lord is seen in lying and standing postures. these two temples, along with thirupputkuzhi, where the lord is enshrined in a sitting posture, make a triad of sacred spots. both places are close to each other. vijayaraghava perumal temple at thiruputkuzhi significance: one of the 108 divya desams; jataya attained moksha here. location: 10 kms west of kanchipuram; on the chennai - vellore highway, half a kilometer inside from baluchetti chattiram at the main road main deity: vijaya ragava perumal in sitting posture with maragadavalli thayar in separate shrines. worship significance: women who want to have babies come here. they fry some green gram wash it and tie that to their stomach and sleep in the temple premises that night. next day if it sprouts, it is considered that their wish will be fulfilled. legend: rama, when he was in search of sita, performed last rites to jatayu here. jataya attained moksha here. yadava prakasar, guru of ramanujar preached vedanta here. theertham: pond, jatayu theertham, was created by rama more information here thiruparkadal thiruparkadal is on the chennai - vellore (bangalore) highway, beyond kanchipuram, proceed further for another 30 kms, you will come across kaveripakkam. take left there and another 3 kms drive will take you to the two beautiful vaishnavite temples. it is said that this place can be considered to be the 107th divyadesam. the location of the temples is awesome a) prasanna venkatesa perumal temple: this temple is considered to be testimony for the unity of shaivism and vaishanavism. the lord here, stands on “aavudaiyaar” (base of lingam”) b) ranganathar temple: the main deity in this temple is made of wood from the tree of “aththi”. it is believed that yama’s assistant chitraguptan was releaved of his diseases here and hence this place is said to have healing powers. more information here pancha lingeswarar temple at konda puram location: the temple is 20kms away from kancheepurm in kaveripakkam. main deity: swayambu linga knnown as pancha lingaeswara and kamakshi. legend: the pancha lingas were made by kamakshi representing pancha boodha and worshipped here before starting her penance near kamba river.
gangadheeswarar temple at thakkolam (also called thiruvooral) significance: one of the 275 ‘thevara padal petra sthalams’. main deity: swayambu lingam known as thiruvooral mahadevar/ jalanatheswarar with goddess girija kannikamba. location: it is situated in the vellore district, in the kanchi - arakonam main road, 30km north of kanchi and 12 km south of arakonam. on the chennai-bangalore highway, beyond kanchipuram take right to the kanchipuram-arakonam main road. proceed further for another 10-11 kms to reach thakkolam railway station. turn right and proceed further for another 6kms to reach the temple. also you can go via perambakkam. legend: at the behest of sage uthandi, nandhi devar brought river ganges to this place. water is coming out of nandhi devar‘s mouth and springs out near the feet of shiva and hence the name thiru vooral. kamadenu, chandra, yama, surya, vishnu & saptha kanniyar worshipped shiva here. theertham: parvathi teertham, sathya gangai and kusasthala river. sthala vruksham: thakkolam timing: 7am to 12 noon & 4 to 9 pm more information here and also in vikatan publication’s ‘nimmadhi tharum sannidhi - part 2′ book. thirumalper and govindavadi they are situated at opposite banks of palar. govindaraja perumal stayed at govindavadi with sridevi and boodevi, worshipped shiva da ily at tirumalper after taking bath at palar. since govindaraja perumal stayed, the place is called govindavadi. thirumalper significance: one of the 275 thevara padal petra sthalams main deity: thiru manikandeeswarar and goddess anjanakshi ammai in separate shrines location: 12 kms from kancheepuram. in the kanchi-arakkonam route, take a diversion to go through pallur. thirumalpoor station is also there in the kanchi-arakkonam rail route. the temple is 5 kms from the station. theertham: cheyyar theertham. sthala vruksham: vilvam. legend: vishnu is said to have been blessed with his chakrayudam upon worshipping shiva here hence the name tirumalper or harichakrapuram. once lord vishnu lost his chakrayudha when he applied it against sage thadisi since it will not be of any use against sages. on knowing that shiva can give a sudharshana chakra he started praying to shiva with 1000 flowers daily. one day shiva wanted to test him by hiding one flower. vishnu, on coming to know at the end of the pooja that he is short of one flower, immediately plucked his eye, offered it and finsished the pooja. shiva was very pleased and offered him the sudharshana chakra. temple: dwarabalaka are huge in size. there are some unusual postures of gods like nandhikeswarar in standing posture; vinayahar with ten hands as ‘vallabha vinayakar’; durga devi with 8 hands; vishnu in standing posture with both hands together. the utsava vigraha is with flower in one hand and an eye in the other hand. pooja is done without touching the deity since shiva here is ‘theendaa thirumeny nadhar’ with kavacham always. more details in vikatan publication’s ‘thevara thiruvula part 1‘ book govindavadi significance: dakshinamoorthy, as yoga guru, is special here. location: govindavadi is near agaram on the kanchi-arakkonam route, 1.5 km from the kammavarpet railway gate; 12 kms from kancheepuram, towards arakonam. main deity: kailasanadhar
temple: this is well known as gurusthalam. this is unlike most other temples where shri dhakshinamoorthy is worshipped as guru. every thursday is considered as a special occasion. more information here ilambiankottur (or elumiyankottur) and thiruvirkolam (or cooum) both these temple are part of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns. the tiny village of cooum lies at about 70 km. away from chennai, 10 km south of kadambattur on the chennai arakkonam suburban railroad. the sacred shiva temple is situated almost at the source of the cooum with its sparkling, clear waters. on the other (western) bank of this lake, 2 kms apart, is ilambaiyankottur, the other sacred shiva temple.. one route leads from sunguvarchathiram through sogandi, maduramangalam, ekanapuram and sellampattidai, to elumiyankottur. it would have to be a jeep ride over non-existent village roads. the other route is more comfortable although somewhat circuitous. one would have to take the national highway from chennai to tiruvallur and drive along tolerably good roads past thiruppachur (another lauded temple), kadambathur, satharai, perambakkam and narasingampettai. ilambiankottur main deity: swayambu lingam known as arambeswarar with goddess kanaka kujambikai. legend: shiva at elimiankottur is said to have been worshipped by the celestial nymph rambai and hence the name arambayamkottur, which over a period of time became ilambayankottur. legend also has it that chandra worshipped shiva here. theertham: chandra theertham sthala vruksham: vilvam. timings: 7 am to 12 noon & 4 - 7 pm more information available here thiruvirkolam main deity:swayambu lingam known as tripuranthakar & thirupurasundari ammai. legend: when shiva decided to destroy the demons thirupurasuran, kamalakshan and vidunmali, the world turned into a chariot and surya chandra as saradhi, devas as wheels, meru as bow, and vasuki as arrow and agni as tip of arrow. it was at this place the axle broke because they forgot to worship ganesha before commencing. they realised their mistake and worshipped ganesha for success in their mission. utsavar idol of shiva here is with bow and arrow. temple: shiva linga here is known as ‘theendaa thiru meniar’ so that the linga is always covered by kavacham. even sivachariars are not allowed to touch. sambandhar in his hymns about the shiva here says that linga changes its colour when it is going to rain heavily, and to red colour before the break of war as an indication. theertham: kuvagni teertham. sthala vruksham: vilvam. kadambathur one of the major hubs for the ne arby villages. kadambathur has lot of ancient monuments like temples in its surrounding villages which depicts cholas and pallavas creative skills. 5 miles from kadambattur is situtated sri krishna anjaneya raghavendra swami temple, which is a dakshin mantralaya. thirupachur
significance: one of the 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns location: in the chennai - arakonam route the temple is at 3 km from kadambathur, 5 km west of thiruvallur. there is a rail station at kadambathur. main deity: arulmigu pasoor nadhar with goddess pasupathi nayaki. legend: parvathi devi worshipped shiva here and got the left side of shiva to reside. vishnu worshipped shiva here to get rid of his sin of ‘madhukaitapa vadham’ and was blessed by shiva. sun god and moon god worshipped shiva. temple: there are 16 ganapathies representing shodasa ganapathy. shiva linga here is known as ‘theendaa thiru meniar’ so that the linga is always covered by kavacham. even sivachariars are not allowed to touch. theertham: chozha teertham. sthala vruksham: bamboo.
kaveripakkam - sholingur kaveripakkam is a place in the chennai - bangalore highway between kanchipuram and wallajapet, 97 km from chennai. it is well known for its lake which is the biggest in this district. it was built by king nandivarman iii of pallava dynasty (8th century ad). the length of the bund is 8.35 km murugan temple at jnana malai location: jnanamalai temple is located in a small village called govindacheri, in the kaverippakkam - sholinger road at 13 km from kaveripakkam. temple: this 700 years old murugan temple on a small hillock, surrounded by lake and fertile plains, was discovered in 1998 and there were no proper steps when discovered. now, with the dedication of the jnanasramam trust, proper steps have been built to the hilltop. this small temple is in typical pallava style with a small sanctum and a mandapam. the lord is in the form brahmasasta having rosary and kamandala in two hands. the other two hands are in abhaya mudra and resting upon the hip. generally in thondai mandalam (north tamil nadu) pallava and early chola images conform to this brahmasasta form. near the temple there is a small natural water source from which water is brought for temple services. rock temple at mahendravadi mahendravadi is about 20 km to the north of kaveripakkam/ panapakkam. the cave temple here, maintained by archeological society of india, belongs to the period of pallava king, mahendra varman i (ad 580-630). according to the inscriptions, this was excavated by gunabhara on the bund of a large tank called mahendra thataka in the city of mahendrapura. the cave temple is formed by completely scooping out a large free standing boulder. the sanctum sanctorum houses an image of lord narsimha. kanchipuram - uthiramerur maagaral shiva temple a beautifully maintained thevara padal petra sthalam. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. kadambar koil a calm and neatly maintained shiva temple, more sacred than kasi. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue.
thiruppulivanam shiva temple, in a dilapidated condition. more information here uthiramerur there are 3 temples here. a) sundara varadar (perumal) temple. this is the most popular one here. besant nagar ashtalakshmi temple was constructed based on this architecture only. b) immediately next to it, there is a balasubramania swamy temple. c) right at the bus stand, there is an asi maintained shiva temple which has the inscriptions for conducting a democratic rule. more information here as well as here. chennai - redhills - thiruvallur thamaraipakkam a 45 feet high shivalingam, 65 feet from ground level is built by l&t at sarveswar meditation centre for chimaya seva trust. the shivalingam can be seen from a mile itself. more information on the temple here alamathi the ancient sri alarmatheeswarar temple is near redhills on the thiruvallur high road. avadi - thiruvallur thiruninravur to be added.. sri bakthavatsala perumal temple temples around thiruvallur sri veeraraghava perumal temple at thiruvallur significance: one of the 108 divya desams location: around 40 km from chennai main deity: sri veeraraghava perumal in sleeping posture with kanakavalli thayar in separate shrines. legend: when sage saalihothra was penancing here, vishnu in the form of an old man visited him and had lunch with him and after lunch he asked the sage where to take a nap. ‘evvul’ means ‘where’ and so this place was initially called thiru evvul and later thuruvallur. saalihithrar showed him the parnasala (kutil) where he rested and gave dharshan to the sage. temple: veeragava perumal is seen in a resting posture keeping his hand on the head of sage saalihothra. there other deities present are vinayakar, gopalan, desikar, andal, lakshmi narashimar, sudarshanar, ananthan and azhwar. this place is known as punyavarthi kshetram. everyone who worships here get their good deeds multiply and bad deeds waived off. the perumal here is also known as vaidya veeraragava perumal. once vallalar ramalinga swamigal was suffering from severe stomach pain and he came here and got his pain relieved off. he sang 5 songs on this perumal. theertham: hruth-thapa-nasini pushkarani. taking a dip here removes all wrong lusts arising from
the heart (hruth meaning heart; thapa meaning lust). also it is called hruth-papa-nasini meaning it will remove one’s sins. the pushkarani has significance that this was present even before the temple. one who takes a dip in the pushkarani is relieved of all ailments. more information on the temple h ere and also in vikatan publication’s ‘arul mazhai pozhiyum arputha aalayangal‘ book murugan temple at thiruthani significance: a highly popular temple and one of the 6 important places of lord subramanya known as ‘padaiveedu’ . main deity: subramanya swamy valli devasena in different sanctum. temple: the temple is on a hillock. there are 365 steps to climb and also a motor-able road. this is the place where murugan married valli. more information on the temple here putlur poongavanathamman alias angala parameswari temple a very popular and powerful amman temple. while going by train (chennai - thiruvallur) you have to get down at putlur railway station and while going by bus (avadi - thiruvallur), you can get down near the temple at ramavaram village. the main deity is the swayambu sand putru in the form of goddess lying in a resting pose. the putru was discovered when an old farmer ponmeni was tortured by a village bad guy called mahisuran and was ordered to plough a rocky place overnight in order to pay off his debt. while doing so, blood oozed out from the putru and the amman showed herself to the world. more details in vikatan publication’s ‘sakthi dharisanam - part ii’ book other temples: * sri viswaroopa panchamukha anjaneyaswami temple, thiruvallur. more information here * ammaiyar mukthi adaintha, karaikal chennai - arakkonam sholingur sholingar or chozhasimhapuram, one of the 108 divyadesams is a very popular place in vellore district, 27 km from arakonam and 27 km from thiruthani. it is known as gadikachalam as the stay in this place for one gadigai (one hour), gives salvation for all. there are two hill temples, sri lakshmi narasimhaswami on the bigger of the two hills, and sri anjaneya on the other. during the tamil month of karthigai, especially on sundays, lakhs of pilgrims throng the place.
nimishachalam (s.v.g. puram) lord santhana venugopalan (krishna) temple at nimishachalam santhana venugopalapuram (called as nimbaka kshethram in the past), shortly known as s.v.g. puram, a few kilometres southeast of sholingur, on the road to tiruttani, is equally venerable to sholingur and it is known as nimishachalam. the stay in this place for one minute confers many benefits including eternal bliss for the devout public. more information here
nemili 11 km from thiruthani on the road to nagalapuram and 3 km from nallattur, nemili, is famous for its jayaveera mangala anjaneyar temple. this has a similar legend to “aerikaatha ramar” temple in madurantakam more information here. narasinhapuram (perambakkam) this great temple of sri maragathavalli sametha sri lakshmi narasimhar is located about 55 kms from chennai in a place named “perambakkam”, 21 km from arakkonam on the chennaitandalam-perambakkam road. while traveling from chennai to sri perumbhudhur on the national highway. bhaktas has to take a right turn near empee distillers and traveling through the road, we can reach this temple. this narasingapuram is said to be a g reat sthalam for all the prarthanais and the perumal is said to be “varapprasadhi” (gives us whatever the varam (boon) we ask for). this was once in a dilapidated condition but has been renovated now and wears a new look. the kumbabhisheham took place recently. sri vedareswarer temple at thiruvalankadu location: located at 15 km from thiruvellore en route to arakonam. there is thiruvalankadu station in the chennai - arakkonam rail route and the temple is located at 5 km north east to the station. (there is another thiruvalangadu, with its sanskrit name, vata-aranyeswaram, situated to the north-east of thiruvavaduthurai on the mayiladuthurai-kumbakonam road. so don’t get confused between the two). significance: one of 275 sacred temples glorified by the thevara hymns; one of the five places where lord shiva (natarajar) danced against kali. main deity: arulmigu devarsinga peruman with goddess vandar kuzhali ammai in separate shrines legend: this is one of the five places where shiva danced his cosmic dance; the type of stage here is rudy and the type of dance being ‘urthuva thandavam’. the other four places are: chidambaram (gold), madurai (silver), tirunelveli (copper) and kutralam (picture). lord shiva danced here for his great devotee, kaaraikal ammaiyar. while she was coming here to see his dance, shiva lingam started appearing wherever she put her foot. so she came by walking through her head, had the dance dharshan and attained salvation. legend also has it that 70 vellarars took ‘firebath’ here in order to keep up their words and shiva gave salvation for all of them. this is considered a place to attain salvation and a bath at the mukthi theertham here is said to give salvation. temple: there are 3 important landmarks here - shiva temple, mukthi theertham and vada badhrakali temple. the worship procedure is to take bath at the mukthi theertham, worship kali first and then shiva. theertham: mukthi teertham. sthala viruksham: jack fruit more details in vikatan publication’s ‘sakthi dharisanam’ part 1 by kashyapan and also here note: pazhanai or pazhaiyanur is situated one mile east of thiruvalankadu chennai - ponneri, gummidipoondi siruvarpuri murugan, periyapalayam bhavani amman and thirukkallil shivan more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. pancheshti a beautiful place with great historical significance. excellent and intricate sculptural works. a nadi
jothida parihara sthalam as well. annadhana pariharam (serving food to the needy) here, paves way for moksha. saint agasthiar had stayed here for a long time and done five(pancha) yagnas(ishti) and so called pancheshti. agasthiar was so attached to this place that he didn’t want to return to kailasam after his work was over. only lord shiva could finally convinced him. the ambal deity is of maragatha stone. since the place is blessd with agasthiar, this has enough ground water to supply chennai during the needy conditions. in the chennai - kolkatta highway, at 30th km from chennai after the karanodai bridge (tollgate) and before thachur cross road to the right of highway. more details in vikatan publication’s ‘nimmadhi tharum sannidhi - p art 1′ book. sri maragathavalli sametha sri varamoortheeswarar temple at ariyadurai (kavarapettai) this 6000 years old temple is present in the kokatta highways at around 35 kms from chennai near kavarapettai at the banks of araniyar. lord krishna stood here as a aswatha tree for 1000 years. water, believed to be from river ganges, is flowing out perennially from a pit all though the year, though in small quantity. due to this, the place is considered more sacred than kasi more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. arani (thandalam) sri sampangee pichaleeswarar temple sri sampangee pichaleeswara in the banks of araniyar is a beautiful temple with historic values. rishis worshipped with sambangi flowers and attained their wishes. adikesava perumal temple this is an ancient and rare vishnu temple vadamadhurai aadikesava perumal temple at vadamadhurai near periyapalayam enroute to thiruvallur. the temple was built by king rajendra chozhan in commemoration of his victory over the kingdom of kosala, near punjab, delhi. kosala desa belonged to lord rama. more information here. vengal pichandeswarar temple and subramanya swamy temple are here. vengal is near vadamadhurai, in the southwest direction. gnayiru sri karunambika sametha sri pushparatheswara swami kshetram is specially worshipped as “bhaskara (gnayiru) kshetra”. located at 10kms from redhills towards north via pudhur arumanthai. this temple is associated with sundaramurthy nayanar and sangili nachiyar. in gnayiru, surya theertha is very famous for recovery from the long pending illness. who ever worship this temple they will definitely lead a peaceful life without any diseases and hurdles. devadanam many-centuries-old ranganatha temple in devadanam village, ponneri taluk, tiruvallur. beyond minjur.
more details here and a travelogue here. ponneri - agastheeswara 1km from ponneri railway station is present this temple with historical significance. saint agastiya worshipped this lord and constructed the sanctum sanctorum. tiruayarpadi tiruayarpadi is three km from ponneri, which has an ancient temple in which the deity is called karikrishna perumal. the lord here is swayambhu murthy (self evolved).there is an ant hill present inside the temple. usually, we can see such ant hill only in amman temples. but this is possibly the only vishnu temple which has an ant hill. the main deity is said to be evolved from this ant hill only.the lord here is seen as a yadhava (shepherd), with his right hand holding a shepherd’s whip and left hand rested on the hip. the lord has amrutha kalasam (bowl containing celestial nectar) on his head.the lord does not have any peetam or base and seen standing on the floor, in a tilted posture with one of his leg a bit away. outside the temple is a mandapam, an architectural marvel with 16 stone pillars, all slanting in different directions, built that way purposely, for the reason that the main deity here is standing in a tilted position. the lord is worshipped here by childless couples to be blessed with a child. it is considered as a prarthana sthalam for the childless. a nice travelogue with many pictures is available here; ‘the hindu’ article is here. chinna kavanam nootretteswarar temple the temple at a place called chinna kavanam 3 kms from ponneri has a 2500 years old rare tree called eru azhinjil (or ankola) which has an unique importance. its fruit ripens, falls on the ground and after the essense is eaten by ants and other insects, the seeds get attracted to the parent tree like a magnet signifying that the final destination of the human beings being the lotus feet of the lord. when agasthiar worshipped lord shiva with a hand made lingam from the river sand with a lingam per day for 108 days, on the final day, all the 108 lingams got merged into a vinayagar and is present under the ankola tree as a swayambu vinayahar. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. andarkuppam in the kolkatta highway, a few kms after the tollgate you will come across the thachur cross road. here you have to take a right turn and travel further for 2 kms and you will see the temple arch. the temple is 1 km inside. this an ancient and very popular murugan temple in this region. more details in vikatan publication’s ‘aalaya dharisanam‘ book. perumpedu the murugan temple here has a 6.5 feet murugan along with his consorts valli with kondai and deivanai with greedam. this is one of the three famous murugan temples in this region. the other two are being siruvarpuri and andarkuppam.
this is located near ponneri in the northeast d irection towards thiruppalaivanam. lokambihai sametha sri paliswarar temple at thiruppalaivanam location: 10 kms from ponneri en route pazhaverkad (pulicat) legend: when milky ocean was churned for amirtham, the amirtham was made to a shivalingam and worshipped by devars here; worshipped by sage agasthiar and markandeyar; shiva appeared from a pala tree and gave dharshan to rajendra chola i temple: since the temple is connected with the legend of pradhosham, pradhosha pooja is very special and is considered to give all wealth. it is also considered a parihara sthalam. theertham: devars, after consuming the amirtham washed their hands at the temple tank here. demons wanted to drink the water mixed with amirtham by taking the form of frogs. realising this, devars made the temple tank such that it is not livable for frogs and other insects. so even today, frogs and other water living animals can not be seen in the tank. uthukottai - thirupathi (chennai - thirupathi) sri pallikondeswarar temple at surutapalli this ancient and popular temple, connected with the pradhosha legend, is located at 2 kms from uthukottai in the chennai-pariyapalayam-tirupati route in andhra pradesh state, just across the tamilnadu border. the shiva temple is quite unique here. usually lord shiva is seen on ly in the form of a linga but here he is seen in human form and that too in the reclining pose on the lap of goddess parvathi like vishnu ananthasayana. per legend, pradosham has started here. the temple has been renoved beautifully recently. more details in ‘raju’s temple visits‘ travelogue. veda narayana swamy temple at nagalapuram this temple, a specimen of the vijayanagara style, was built by krishna dev raya at the behest of his mother. the main deity is the matsyavatara form of vishnu accompanied by sri devi and bhu devi on either side. sun worship is an important aspect in this temple. every year in the month of march, the rays of sun passes through the gopuram entrance for three days and fall on the main deity. more details in the temple travelogue here sri vaaleeswarar temple at ramagiri location: this place, also called kaalinga madu karai or thirukkaarikkarai is in the chennai thirupathi route, after suruttappalli and nagalapuram, about 5 km from nagalapuram. picturesque mountains and sylvan scenery add beauty to the place. main deity: sri vaaleeswarar and goddess sri maragadhambikai. though this is a shiva temple, the prime deity here is sri kala bhairavar, also called as santhaana praapthi bhairavar. legend: at the behest of rama, anjaneya was making his way by air with a shivalingam taken from kasi to rameswaram to be installed there. he was surprisingly confronted by strange and dry weather and scorching sun premeditated by lord kalabhairava, who wanted the linga to be installed right here at his place. unaware of this and driven by thirst lord anjaneya went on screening the whole area for water until finally found a beautiful calm cool pond. as the linga was not to be placed anywhere before rameswaram he looked for someone to keep the linga while he drank water. lord kalabhairava in the form of a small boy came by and consented to hold the linga. while anjaneya was quenching his thirst, the boy told anjaneya, that the shiva lingam was
too heavy for him to hold anymore and kept it on the ground and went off. anjaneya came back and saw the shiva lingam on the ground. he tried lifting hit but he couldn’t. he roped around the shiva lingam with his lengthy tail and tried to pull it up using all his strength. the shiva lingam tilted a bit but never came off the ground. anjaneya understood the trick and he cursed the pond to become a hill. the pond became the hill here, on which a murugan temple is situated now. the shiva lingam which was brought by lord anjaneyar is situated in the temple at the f oot hill. since anjaneya tried to pull the shiva lingam with his tail, the lord here is called as vaaleeswarar (vaal means tail in tamil & vaalam is the sanskrit word for tail) . temple: two ancient temples, one at the foot-hill dedicated to lord kalabhairava and the other at the hill top dedicated to lord muruga. water is coming out from nandhi’s mouth perennially, the source being unknown; the temple is being maintained by archeology department of andhra pradesh. worship benefit: bairavar here is called santhaana praapthi bhairavar, famous for granting boon for child birth. more details of the temple in the travelogue here
