Sri Agatheeswarar Temple, Kilakondaiyur, Thiruvallur

 

Moolavar: Sri Agatheeswarar

Amman: Sri Swaranbigai

A good 1500 years old Sivalingam which is said to be worshipped by Agasthiya Mahamuni. This sthalam was worshipped by many siddhars in particular 11 key siddhars are mentioned. This sthalam is known to be the place lord Shiva gave Dharshan to Agasthiar in his wedding kolam. This place is said to be associated with Thillai ( Chidambaram) and Thirupattur. 

It is said after this place came into existence many cure for major diseases came into practice. Hence it is known to be a sthalam for curing diseases and to obtain Mukthi. This place is also associated with kings from the Chozha dynasty. There is 

The moolavar grabhagraham is in the Gajabrushta style and bern recently built. Ambal Swarnambigai is facing south. In the outer praharam you have a separate Sannidhi for Sage Agasthiar, Swarnakarshana Biyravar, Navagrahas and Anjaneyar.

The temple is opened from 6am in the morning. 

Contact: The sivanadiyar Gajendran can be reached on 9789053053

Location:

Sri Agatheeswarar Temple, Kilakondaiyur, Thiruvallur

Sri Munkudumeeswarar Temple, Pon Valaintha Kalathur (PV Kalathur), Chengalpattu

 

Moolavar: Sri Munkudumeeswarar

Amman: Sri Meenakshi Ambal

A beautiful Chola period temple built by Rajendra Chozhan. It is said to be close to 1300 years old now.

The Chozha king who was ruling this part of the Tamil Nadu in ancient days was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and had a habit of getting Prasadam from this temple every day before starting his routines. The priest of this temple used to perform daily morning pooja to the Lord and carry the Prasadham for the king at his palace.

Once, as usual, the priest performed the pooja and went to the palace to submit to the king. The king was having his bath the priest had to wait for a while for the king to return and accept the Prasadham. Meantime, the queen saw the priest waiting and enquired him. The priest told that he had brought Prasadham from the temple for the king. The priest was holding a plate carrying Vibhuthi, Kumkum, fruits and some flowers offered to the Lord.

The queen liked the fresh flowers on the plate and out of curiosity took the flowers and wore on her head. The priest was shocked and told the queen that the first Prasadham from the temple is meant only for the king and asked her keep the flowers back on the plate. As requested by him the queen removed the flowers from her hair and kept them back on the plate. The king arrived and accepted the Prasadham with much devotion. But he was shocked to see a single long hair stuck with the flowers of the temple. The king got angry and asked the priest on how the hair got mixed up with flowers from the temple and whether the Lord had a long hair. The priest got frightened as he cannot tell the king that the queen was the responsible for it. At the same time, he had to answer. So, the priest told the king that the Lord in the temple has a long hair and hence the flowers taken from the Lord’s idol had a hair mixed up among the flowers.

The king couldn’t believe it and told that he will visit the temple the next day morning during the Pooja and if he doesn’t find the hair on the Lord, the priest’s head will be cut off. The priest returned to the temple, cried and prayed the whole day in front of the Lord to save him from the king’s punishment.

The next day both the priest and the king arrived at the temple for morning Pooja. When the priest opened the doors of the sanctum to start the Pooja, he was astonished to see a tuft near the forehead of the Shiva Lingam. The priest was in tears realizing the mercy of the God to whom he was doing Poojas with full devotion. The king, on seeing the tuft apologized with the priest for suspecting him. As the Lord has a tuft (Kudumi) towards his forehead, he came to be known as Sri Munkudumeeswarar. Even today, we can witness the tuft on the Lord’s (Lingam’s) head.

The legend behind the name of this village goes like this - Once, Vedanta Desikar couldn’t get alms to feed Lord Hayagriva at night while staying in this village. The next day morning the villagers complained to him that a white horse had destroyed their paddy fields in the night. When Desikar went there, the places through which the horse had run through had turned into gold. Hence this village got the name Pon Vilaintha Kalathur wherein pon refers to gold and Vilaintha means yield from cultivation in Tamil.

The presiding deity graces the devotees sitting under Gajabrushta Vimana (roof design of the sanctum sanctorum). There are Anukkai Vinayaka, Muruga with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, Kalabhairava and Navagraha (9 planets) shrines in the corridor. It is the tuft on the head of the Shivalinga makes the temple especially famous.

Great poet Pugazhendi Pulavar, who wrote Nala Venba, was born here. One of the 63 Nayanmars called Sri Kootruva Nayanar is also said to have lived in this village.

Timing: The temple opens by 6:30 am 

Contact: The temple kurukal Natarajar can be reached at 9443168951

Location:

Sri Munkudumeeswarar Temple, Pon Valaintha Kalathur (PV Kalathur), Chengalpattu

Sri Thirumakaraleeswarar Temple, Magaral, Kanchipuram

 

Moolavar: Sri Thirumakaraleeswarar

Amman: Sri Tribuvananayagi Ambal

A padal petra sthalam and one among the 275 padal petra sthalam and It is the 7th of the 32 Tevara Stalams in the Tondai region of South India. 

Saint Gnanasambandar has sung 11 verses in his Thevaram inpraise of this Lord. Magaral lies on the Northern banks of the Cheyyar River.

1300 years old temple and the original complex is believed to have been built by Cholas, while the present masonry structure was built during the Vijayanagar Empire Nayak during the 16th century.There are several inscriptions from the period of Kulothunga Chola I (reigned 1070–1120), Sundara Pandiyan and Vijayakanta Kopaletevar, indicating generous gifts to the temple.

Legend goes like this, Lord Brahmma, after performing puja to the Lord in this place, planted a miracle jack tree that would yield one fruit each day. King Rajendra Chola struck by the wonder ordered that one person from each family should carry this fruit on their head to Chidambaram to be offered as nivedhanam to the Lord Natarajar . After the pujas, it was ordered to be sent to the king.

One day it was the turn of a Brahmin boy. He thought that the king ought to have appointed his own men for the job instead of burdening the public. He told the people of the village that he was a boy and could not bear the weight of the fruit and requested them to do the job and offered to take care of their houses till their return. 

All the people left the place together to help the boy. The boy thought that this problem will continue only if the tree existed and he simply burnt it. He told the people that the tree caught fire some how and was reduced to ashes. When the king enquired the boy, he said, “You made no facility for us to carry the fruit to Chidamabaram, hence, I burnt it.” The king replied that the boy ought to have demanded the facility and ordered him to be exiled tying his eyes.

The king accompanied the boy while being taken for exile. He found a golden iguana cross his way to an anthill. The king dug the anthill only to see blood woozing out. A divine voice told him that it was Shiva who appeared as the iguana to save the boy and the king had to build a temple for his propitiation. Since Shiva appeared as magaral (Tamil word for Iguana), the place came to be known as Magaral and Shiva is called as Magaraleeswarar.

As per another legend associated with this place, Indra, the king of celestial deities, presented his white elephant to Muruga, the son of Shiva, during his marriage at Thiruparakundram. The divine couple travelled on the elephant. When Vishnu wanted to view the couple, they appeared at Thirumagaral. Also, it is said Lord Murugan came here on Ayravatham elephant to killed a demon called Magaral.

The temple at Magaral is spread over an area of 2 acres (8,100 m2). The main rajagopuram is on the east side with seven tiers and pierces the large rectangular granite walls. The temple tank, Indra Theertha, is located inside the main entrance. The temple is built on an elevated platform and there are two corridors inside the temple. At the main entrance, the sculptures of Ganapathy and Muruga can be found on both the sides

Location: Sri Thirumakaraleeswarar Temple, Magaral, Kancheepuram