Sri Thirusoolanaadhar Temple, Thirusoolam

Moolavar: Sri Thirusoolanaadhar
Amman:Sri Thiripurasundhari
Place: Thirusoolam, Chennai

Legend:
Though Thirusoolam means the weapon (Thrishul) of the Goddess Parvathi, the temple legend has an interesting background attached to it. As Lord Brahma, the creator worshipped Lord Shiva here; it was called as Brahmapuri originally. According to the stone inscriptions found in the temple, the place was called as Vaanavan Maadevi Chathurvedhi Mangalam., which later turned to become Pallavapuram (today’s Pallavaram).

Presently, the place is known as Thirusoolam. The temple is situated amidst 4 hills surrounding it. In Thamizh, the place between the hills is called ‘Churam’ and hence this place was called as ‘Thiru Churam’ which had later become Thirusoolam.

According to the legend, originally, Lord Brahma was 5 headed. As Lord Brahma was too proud of himself, Lord Shiva cut one of his heads off to bring down his ego. Later Brahma continued his duty of creation. He prayed Lord Shiva that he couldn’t concentrate on his duty because he was disturbed losing a head. Lord Shiva blessed him and granted peace of mind after which Lord Brahma continued his duties peacefully.

After this incident, as part of his duty, Lord Brahma created one of the most beautiful dancers of Devaloka, called Thilothama. After creating her, Lord Brahma himself fell in lust with her, because of her divine beauty. Lord Brahma went and spoke to her. Thilothama refused to accept him saying that as Brahma himself being her creator, he is in the position of her father and hence she can’t think of involving herself with him.

Knowing this, the Siva Ganas (Lord Shiva’s parivar) started chasing Lord Brahma, to punish him for the sin he committed. Lord Brahma hid himself, amidst the hills in this place and also realized his sin. To be relieved off the sin, Lord Brahma installed a Shiva Lingam here and started worshipping Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva was pleased with his prayers apologized Lord Brahma as he realized and admitted his sin.

This very ancient temple is beautifully located amidst 4 hills at Thirusoolam. It is believed that these 4 hills denote 4 Vedas.

This temple is said to have been built during the reign of Kulothunga Chozha, about 1000 years ago. The Lord, Sri Thirusoolanaadhar is facing the east. Goddess Sri Thiripurasundhari is facing south, outside the sanctum. There is another idol for Goddess inside the main sanctum itself just in front of the Moolavar. It is said that, during some invasion, the original idol of the Goddess was damaged by intruders and a new idol was made and installed outside the sanctum. The then priest got a dream, in which he was directed by the God himself to place the damaged idol next to the main deity itself. So, the Goddess which was originally there, found a place just next to the main deity Himself.

The sanctum has been built in Gajabrishta or Thoongaanai Maadam shape. The inner Praakaaram has Lord Ganapathi facing the south. Here Lord Ganapathi is seen as ‘Naaga Yagnopaveetha Ganapathi’, as he is wearing the Naagam (snake) as his sacred thread.

Sri Dhakshinamurthy here is also very unique. He is called as Veerasana Dhakshinamurthy, as He is seen sitting in the ‘Veerasana’ Posture, with his left leg folded and his right leg on the Muyalaka Asura.

Other deities here are Sri Subramanyar, Sri Maha Vishnu, Sri Brahma, Sri Durgai, Sri Bhairavar and Naalvar inside the Praakaaram. The outer praakaram has shrines for Sri Ayyappan and Sri Aadhi Sankaracharya.

Pradhosham and Maha Shivarathri days are celebrated in a grand manner at this temple. A small but wonderful temple secluded between the hills with great history behind it.

Timings:
Morning : 7:00 A.M to 11:00 A.M
Evening : 4:00P.M to 8:00 P.M

Reference:
http://www.tirusulanathartemple.tnhrce.in/

Location:
Sri Thirusoolanaadhar, Thirusoolam

Siva Vishnu Kovil, T.Nagar

Siva Vishnu Kovil, T.Nagar, Chennai

This temple is right in the center of the city and in the most popular shopping place of Chennai. The sannadhis of both Shiva and Vishnu are present in the same temple.

The temple is a minute's walk from the Tnagar bus stand on Usman road. Almost all the parts of the city are connected by bus services to the most happening and busy shopping area of Tnagar. By train, Mambalam station on the Beach-Tambaram route is the nearest.

Vishnu temple sannadhis:

Srinivasa perumal
Mahalakshmi thayar
Anjaneyar
Ramar
Lakshmi Narasimhar, Tumbikai alwar and Krishna in the praharam

Siva temple sannadhis:

Subramanya swamy with Valli, Devanai
Siddhi buddhi vinayagar
Natarajar
Parvathi amman
Kedarishwarar
Dakshinamoorthy
Sandikesevar
Nagar and sthala vruksha on a seperate platform
Durgai
Kasi Vishwanathar
Varasiddhi vinayagar
Navagraha
Bhairavar

Specialty of the temple:
The striking feature is the presence of both Shiva and Vishnu sannadhis in the same temple complex.

Devotees can perform pooja to Kasi Vishwanathar themselves like in the temples of North India.

Temple timings:
The temple is open from 6 am to 11 am in the mornings and from 5 pm to 9 pm in the evenings

Reference:
http://temples-india.blogspot.com/2011/01/siva-vishnu-temple-tnagar-chennai.html

Location:
Siva Vishnu Kovil, T.Nagar

Annamalaiyar Temple,Thiruvannamalai (Pancha Bootha Sthalam - Fire)

 

Moolavar: Annamalaiyar
Amman: Unna Malai amman

Shiva is known by devotees as Annamalayar or Arunachaleswarar. And this is believed to be the largest temple in the world dedicated to Shiva. The history of this Annamalayar temple dates back to thousand years. Mention has been made in the Thevaram and Thiruvasagam, both great works in Tamil.

     Bramha took the form of a swan and flew to see the crown of Siva. Unable to see the crown, Bramha saw a thazhambu flower which had decked Siva's crown falling down. He asked the flower as to the distance of Siva's crown whereby the flower replied that he had been falling for forty thousand years. Bramha, realizing that he would not be able to reach the crown asked the flower to act as a false witness.

     The thazhambu flower acting as a false witness declared that Brahma had seen the crown. Siva became angry at the deception and cursed that Bramha should have no temple on earth and that the thazhambu flower should not be used while praying to Lord Siva. The place where Lord Siva stood as a column of fire to eliminate the ego is Thiruvannamalai.

     The Saiva cult is a world phenomenon. Thiruvannamalai is the capital of Saivism. The South Indian deity Siva is the God of all countries. Annamalaiannal is the most sacred of the names of the manifestation of Lord Siva.

Pooja Timing:

Ukshakala         05:30 A.M
Kala santhi        08:00 A.M
Uchikala            11:30 A.M
Sayaratchai       05:30 P.M
Irandam Kala   07:30 P.M
Arthajama         09:00 P.M

Reference:
http://www.arunachaleswarartemple.tnhrce.in/

Location:
Annamalaiyar Temple,Thiruvannamalai

Vedapureeswarar temple, Thiruverkadu

 

Vedapureeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Thiruverkadu, a Municipality in Tiruvallur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshipped as Vedapureeswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Balambigai. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple complex covers two acres and it houses two gateway towers known as gopurams, each facing the Vedapureeswarar and Balambigai shrine. The temple has a number of shrines, with those of Vedapureeswarar and his consort Balambigai being the most prominent.

Legend:
As per Hindu legend, during the divine wedding of Shiva and Parvathi, there was heavy crowd at Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Sage Agasthya could not view event and prayed to Shiva at this place to get him a view of the event. Pleased by his devotion, Shiva appeared to the sage and his wife Lopamundra along with Parvathi in his marriage attire. Shiva made the place his abode and appeared in his marriage posture to Agastya. The same legend is associated with Papanasanathar Temple and Agasthiyar Falls

It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams - Shiva Sthalams glorified in the early medieval Tevaram poems by Tamil Saivite Nayanar Sundarar. The temple also finds mention in Tirumular's Thirumantiram, Arunagirinathar's Tiruppugazh and Manikkavacakar's Tiruvacakam

Timings:
Morning 6 to 12
Evening 4 to 8

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedapureeswarar_temple,_Thiruverkadu

Location:
Vedapureeswarar Temple, Thiruverkadu

Arulmigu Karaneeswarar Temple, Saidapet

Karaneeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple located in the neighborhood of Saidapet in Chennai, India.

It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Goddess is known as "Swarnambika". Apart from this, there are separate shrines for Lord Ganapathi,Lord Karthikeya and other Parivara Devtas. This temple is located next to the Saidapet Railway station.

History and legend:

The temple boasts of a hoary mythology. Lord Indra having given his divine cow " Kamadhenu" to Sage Vashishta is worried as she has not returned even after a long time .He find out that she has been cursed into an ordinary one because she had created obstacles during Pooja and Prayer of Sage Vashishta. He consults his Ganas and on that basis finds out that the Holy Cow Kamadhenu can be redeemed if he constructs a Temple to Lord Shiva in between Mylapore and Thiruvanmiyur on the North western direction.

He then ordains the clouds (Kar) to rain and cool the area thereby creating a wonderful green pasture. He installs a Linga and prays to the Lord Shiva - who redeems the holy cow for him and also blesses him by granting him the status of Gopathi ( Lord of Cows). The tank he made is known as Gopathi Saras. It is said that people who take a ritual bath in this tank on full moon days get cured of many of their illnesses.

This temple has a 7-storied Gopuram with two prakarams(closed precincts of a temple). This temple has a beautiful tank. We come across the shrine for Ganesha and as we move further after circumambulating the temple we come across the Shrine for Lord Karthikeya and further as we move towards the Dwajasthamba we cross the shrine of Lord Vedagiriswara. We enter the main precinct of the Temple where the main Shrine of Lord Karaneeswara and the Goddess Swarnambika are situated.

We find beautiful idols of Lord Dakshinamoorthy and Nayanmars installed inside the inner Prakara (Precinct). There are also separate shrines for Lord Palani Andavar, Lord Virabhadra and Lord Surya inside the temple. Beside the Temple is the temple tank and on the steps of the tank we can find a shrine for Lord Ganesha - who is in a standing posture along with his consorts siddhi and Buddhi.This temple has nandavanam (Garden) as well.

Pooja Timings:
Palliyarai Pooja 5.45 a.m.
Kalasanthi Pooja 6.30 a.m. To 7.30 a.m
Uchikala Pooja 11.00 a.m.
Sayaratchai Pooja 6.00 p.m.
Arthajama Pooja 9.15 p.m.

Reference:
http://www.saidapetkaraneeswarartemple.tnhrce.in/index.html

Location:
Karaneeswarar Temple, Saidapet

Sri Dharmeswarar Temple, Manimangalam

 

 

 

Moolavar: Sri Dharmeswarar

Amman: Sri Vedaambikai

Place: Manimangalam

 

Manimangalam village is located about 10 kms from Tambaram on the western side of Mudichur Road leading towards Padappai.

This village has a very high historic importance because of the huge battle fought here between Narasimhavarma Pallava and the Chalukya King Pulikesi II. This battle was fought in Manimangalam during 7th Century AD.

Manimangalam has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva called Sri Dharmeswarar. The Goddess here is Sri Vedhaambigai. According to the inscriptions, this temple is said to have got constructed by Chozhas. This temple has mentions in the inscriptions as Grama Sikhamani Chathurvedhi Mangalam, belonging to Kunrathur Naadu, a division of Puliyur Kottam in the district of Jayamkonda Chozha Mandalam.

In ancient days, the lands along with temple were donated by the kings to the Vedic scholars for performing Vedic rituals for the well being of the country. Such villages were called as Chathurvedhi Mangalams. Manimangalam is one such village and was called as Grama Sikhamani Chathurvedhi Mangalam.

The temple is built on a very vast space amidst greenish paddy fields. A beautiful Peepul tree welcomes you as you enter the gates of the temple. This temple is maintained by Archeological Society of India and protected properly. The looks and the structure itself show the antiquity of the temple.

There is a small Mandapam outside the sanctum. Sri Vinayagar and Sri Subramanyar are seen on either sides of the entrance of the sanctum. The main deity, Sri Dharmeswarar is seen facing east. There had been a beautiful Sri Natarajar here in ancient days and some miscreants had stolen the deity. While local people chased them, it is said that the miscreants had thrown Sri Natarajar in the nearby pond and ran off, in which Sri Natarajar’s idol was damaged

The whole temple is built on stone with wonderful architecture. Even the steps to reach the Mandapam outside the sanctum is done beautifully, but damaged in few places.

Reference:
http://www.dharsanam.com/2009/03/manimangalam-sri-dharmeswarar.html

Location:

Sri Dharmeswarar Temple, Manimangalam

Adhipureeswarar Temple, Pallikaranai

Moolavar: Adhipuriswarar
Amman: Santhanayagi amman
Place: Pallikaranai, Chennai

This Adhipuriswarar Sivan temple is an ancient temple situated in Velachery-Tambaram main road , just on road-opposite to the tank situated on the main road. It is just 4 kms from Velachery bus stand.

This is a parikarashthalam for Raghu-Kethu dosham, hence it gains prominence among Chennaites. During Raghu-Kethu peyarchi, lot of devotees assemble to get that dosha nivarthi.

God is Lord Adhipuriswarar and Godess Santhanayagi amman. This Santhanayagi Ambal is powerful in mitigating married couples problems, and hence during Sri Kethara Gowri Vritham day, couples throng this temple with nivethiyam.

Navagraha sannidhi is also there, apart from Raghu-Kethu and Bairavar sannidhies.

Timings:
Morning 6 to 11.30
Evening 5 to 8.30

Reference:
https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g304556-d13040126-r535913693-Adipureeswarar_Temple-Chennai_Madras_Chennai_District_Tamil_Nadu.html

Location:
Adhipureeswarar Temple, Pallikaranai