Ponneri Sri Agatheeswarar

 Ponneri is a small town in Thiruvallur district, located about 38 kms north western side of Chennai. From Chennai, one has to drive past the Padi junction on Chennai - Kolkata highway to reach Thachur cross roads (koot road). From Thachur cross road junction, one has to take right turn and drive about 5 kms to reach Ponneri.

Ponneri has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva by which is said to be over 2500 years old. The main deity here is Sri Agastheeswarar and Goddess Sri Anandavalli.

According to the legend, the Lord here is said to have been worshipped by the ancient sage Sri Agasthiyar himself. The ancient name of this place is Kumbamuni Mangalam. Sage Agasthiar is also known as Kumbamuni, as he once collected the whole of river Cauvery into his holy pot (Kamandalam) to bring down the force of the river.

It is said that Sage Agasthiar had stayed in this place for years while he was travelling in the Southern part of India. Sage Agasthiyar was caught with severe stomach ache while he was passing this side and he found this temple, stayed here and worshipped the Lord to get relieved of his pain. The Lord who was pleased with his prayers appeared to him and relieved him from his pains.

Since, sage Agasthiyar worshipped the Lord here; the God came to be known as Sri Agatheeswarar. One can see a lot of temples in this part of Tamilnadu in which the main deity Lord Shiva is called as Agastheeswarar. It is said that Sage Agasthya installed and worshipped about 108 Shiva Lingas in various places here and the 108th Shiva Linga being Sri Ashtotheeswarar (or Nootretteeswarar which means 108th Shiva) at Chinnakkaavanam near this town Ponneri.

The temple is built on a very vast land and is highly scenic and beautiful, which has stood strong across centuries. The temple is facing east and has a wonderful 3 tiered Rajagopuram which welcomes us into the temple.

There is a beautiful pond outside the temple which is called Agasthya Theertham which serves as the Theertham for the temple. 

There is a grand Dwajasthambham (flag post) at the outer praahaaram of the temple once we enter the temple.

There is an ancient Nandhi in a small mandapam just in front of the Dhwajasthambham facing the west towards the sanctum.

A wonderful stone mandapam with multiple pillars and meticulous carvings is present in front of the Nandhi, which takes us towards the sanctum.

The Lord Sri Agastheeswarar is present in the sanctum with divine silence and excellent vibrations. The sanctum is built in Gajabrishta shape (also called Thoongaanai Maadam), which is in the shape of the back of a sleeping elephant. This type of architecture is seen in many of the temples built by the Chozha kings.

Goddess Sri Anandavalli is seen adjacent to the sanctum with a motherly smile showing lots of grace and mercy to the worshippers. The Dwarapaalikaas statues are found guarding the Goddess’s shrine near the entrance on either side.

Lord Dhakshinamurthy (Guru) is seen facing south on the outer wall of the sanctum.

This temple has received many donations in form of lands and gold during the Chola period. There are sculptures of Raja Raja Chola 1 on the pillars.

Also there are images of Rajendra Chola and Mummudi Chola on the pillars, which have visited the temple during various periods and offered lots of grants to this temple for renovation and maintenance.

There is also an image of one of the later Vijayanagara Kings which is present on the pillars of the mandapam. This temple also has received various grants and patronage by Vijayanagara kings.

In one of the pillars, sage Agasthiar is also carved to mark his stay here and his penance towards Lord Sri Agastheeswarar.

The outer praahaaram is huge and peaceful with pleasing breeze. All the walls of the outer praahaaram are painted with lots of Thamizh hymns in praise of various Gods. The entire temple is very neat and maintained well, though it received very less visitors, unless auspicious days like Pradhosham, Sivarathri and Aarudhra.

There is a magnificent 16 pillared stone mandapam outside the temple, adjacent to the temple pond with lot of beautiful sculptures on it, providing shelter to cattle and few homeless people.

The temple is open till 12 pm and again opens at 4 pm till 8 pm.

Overall, Sri Agastheeswarar temple is just another masterpiece to our temple architecture and our heritage. A ‘must see’ place for temple lovers.

Thiruverkaadu Sri Karumaari Amman

Thiruverkaadu is situated about 20 kms from Chennai city. It lies on the road branching out off Mount Poondhamalli Road near Kumananchaavadi.

Apart from an ancient temple for Lord Shiva called as Sri Vedhapureeswarar temple, Thiruverkaadu also has a temple for Sri Karumaari Amman, which is more popular in Chennai.

According to the legend, once Sri Karumaari Amman took form of a fortune teller and went to Sun God for predicting his future. Sri Surya Bhagawan neglected Her and Sri Ambaal vanished from his sight, because of which Sun God lost his powers and glory. Then Surya Bhagawan realized that it was none other than the Goddess Herself and came and worshipped her here at Thiruverkaadu, seeking apologies. Goddess pardoned him with mercy and Sri Surya Bhagawan requested her to bless that Sunday (Sun God’s day) be the auspicious day for the Devi here. Goddess obliged to it. Also the Sun God spread His rays on the Goddess here during the Thamizh months Panguni and Purattaasi to show His devotion to the Goddess.

In ancient days, this place was a forest filled with VeLvela trees (வெள்வேல மரம்) and hence was called as Velankaadu (வேலங்காடு), which later turned to get its present name. It is also said that Lord Muruga, before His battle with the demon king Surapadhman, got His weapon ‘Vel’ (வேல்) from Sri Karumaari Amman here and so the place was called as Velankaadu.

It is said that Sri Vinayagar (Lord Ganesha) worshipped the Goddess here by performing Abhishegam using Valampuri Sanghu (Conch). The Goddess got pleased with His worship and blessed Him that the poojas at the temple will first be performed to Sri Vinayagar and then to Her. Sri Vinayagar can be seen present in the temple just as we enter the temple near the Dhwajasthambham. While entering the temple, one has to pray Him and then go further to worship Sri Karumaari Amman.

Once, when the Asuras gave troubles to Devas, they came and worshipped Lord Shiva at Thiruverkaadu, to save them. Lord Shiva called His Devi Sri Verkanni and directed Her to look after His duties till He is back from Devaloka. Lord Shiva gave her the holy ashes from His body and blessed Her. The Goddess asked Sage Agasthiyar to look for a holy place where she can perform the heavenly duties assigned by Lord Shiva. When Sage Agasthiyar was thinking of such place, he heard an Asareeri (அசரீரி – a holy voice) saying that the place where he was standing itself is a holy place. Goddess took abode here as Sri Karumaari Amman and also blessed the place that one will be removed of all the sins by worshipping Her at Thiruverkaadu.

Thiruverkaadu is the place where all 3 Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva have worshipped the Goddess. Hence She is called as Sri Karumaari here. Ka means Brahma, Ru means Rudhra or Shiva, and Ma means Vishnu.

The temple here is facing east. There is a beautiful Rajagopuram to enter the temple. Once we enter Sri Vinayagar is seen on an elevated shrine under a tree.

After crossing Sri Vinayagar, the sanctum of Goddess Sri Karumaari Amman is seen. The Goddess is facing east. It is said that originally the Goddess evolved from an ant hill. Amman is so beautiful with a smiling face and decorated well with lots of flowers.

Sri Subramanyar is found at the praakaaram around the sanctum. Navagrahas are found at the north eastern side of the temple. Sri Brahma is found on one of the walls facing north.

There is another small shrine adjacent to this temple, where a huge ant hill is found under a Peepul tree. Devotees offer milk and eggs for the snakes in this ant hill. Camphors are also lit here to offer worship. The entire ant hill is yellow in color as devotees have applied turmeric powder on it.

The temple pond is found in front of the temple which is so beautiful with a small Mandapam in the middle.

A tall and beautiful temple Chariot is parked in a separate Mandapam adjacent to the temple.

Thiruverkaadu attracts thousands of devotees and tourists everyday from various parts of the country. Sri Ambaal here is believed to be so powerful granting the wishes of the devotees worshipping her.

Aappoor Sri Nithya Kalyana Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal

Aappoor is a tiny village situated about 5 kms from Singaperumal Koil. This village lies on the west side of Singaperumal Koil off the GST Road. One has to take right from Singaperumal Koil through the railway level crossing and drive about 3 kms and again take right and go about another 2 kms to reach Aappoor.

This is a hill temple and is visible from a distance itself on the right hand side of the road. The foot hill can be reached by going another half a km inside the village.

This hill is located about 2 km from Thirukkachur, where the hill is called Oushadhagiri and the deity Sri Oushadheeswarar. Similarly, this hill too is called as Oushadhagiri, as it contains lots of herbs in it.

Legend has it that on all full moon days Siddhars and Rishis gather here to worship the Lord. Also, Giripradhakshanam is popular in this temple.

There are about 500 steps to reach the temple on top of the hill. The stone steps are beautifully done and painted in white, which look beautiful when viewed from a distance. The steps are also a bit tedious to climb up. But one can stop in between to breathe some fresh herbal breeze and proceed.

The temple is very small and beautiful. The main deity here is Sri Nithya Kalyana Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal, also fondly called as Aappooraar by the local villagers. This temple is said to have been mentioned in many palm leaves of Naadi Astrology.

It is also said that, this is probably the only Vaishnava temple, where Sage Agasthiyar had stayed and performed penance.

The whole temple is just the sanctum and the mandapam around it. The main deity is seen facing east. Sri Garudan is seen in front of the sanctum, facing west towards the Lord.

Perumal here is said to bless the devotees for timely marriage and harmony within the family.

The Mandapam is decorated with Dhasavathara (10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu) images made of concrete, which is seen all around.

Pilgrims have to carry water or other refreshments with them, as nothing is available on top, after a strenuous climb.

One can have a scenic view of the villages around, from the temple on hill top. Lovely breeze embraces us and cools us down relaxing us to prepare for descending down.

This temple is open only till 11 am in the morning including Sundays, as there are not much people visiting here, except on festival days. But it is ideal to visit this temple on a normal day without much crowd. Also it is suggested to go in small groups, which will make the climb less painful.

Pozhichalur Sri Agatheeswarar

Pozhichalur is about 3 kms from Pallaavaram Railway station off the road towards Kunrathur.

It has an ancient Shiva temple belonging to Chozha period.

The main deity here is Sri Agatheeswarar and Goddess Sri Aanandhavalli.

This beautiful temple is one among the Navagraha temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam) dedicated to Lord Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan.

According to legend, Lord Shiva directed Sri Agasthiyar to go towards south to balance the earth during His wedding at Mount Kailash. As per the God’s direction, Sage Agasthiyar came down to the southern part to balance the weight of the earth. While he was on his way to Podhigai hills, he stayed here for many years and worshipped Lord Shiva, a Swayambhu (self evolved) Lingam at this place.

Sage Agasthiyar had a boon that wherever he worships Lord Shiva, he will get the dharshan of the Lord’s marriage with Goddess Parvathi. Sage Agasthiyar is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here and got His dharshan in this place.

Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva here. As Sri Saneeswara had been giving ill effects to people, he had gained Dhosham out of it. Sri Saneeswara Bhagavan, wanting to be relieved of his dhoshams, prayed Lord Shiva for help.

Lord Shiva asked Sri Sani Bhagavan to come to this place and worship Him. As directed, Sri Sani Bhagavan came to this place, created a pond called ‘Sani Theertham’ and worshipped Lord Shiva and got relieved of his problems.

Hence, Sri Sani Bhagavan here is believed to be Mangala Saneeswarar with no dhoshams or ill effects. People having problems because of Sani (Saturn), worship here to reduce the ill effects. This place is also called ‘Vada Thirunallaaru’.

The main deity, Sri Agatheeswarar is seen facing the east and Goddess Sri Aanandhavalli facing south. The temple is facing north and does not have Rajagopuram.

Sri Sani Bhagavan is facing west towards the main deity in the sanctum. This temple is also a Parihaara Sthalam for Raahu and Kethu.

This temple had been renovated during Chozha period. The sanctum is built in Gajabrishta shape (also called Thoongaanai Maadam) shape.

Lord Ganesha (Vinaayagar) is seen under a peepul tree at the south west corner of the temple. At southeast of the sanctum, Lord Anjaneyar (Sri Hanuman) has a separate shrine.

The Sthala Viruksham for this temple 'Maa Maram' (Mango tree) is at the north western side of the temple.

There is a beautiful Shiva Lingam under the Mango tree along with Sri Nandhi.

The Theertham of this temple is called ‘Sani Theertham’ which is located a little away from the temple. This pond is in a very poor state with encroachments all around.

Raahu Kaalam, Pradhosham, Aarudhra Dharsanam, Sivarathri, Sani Peyarchi and Karthigai Deepam are few of the special days in this temple.

Temple Address : Sri Agastheeswara Swami Temple, Pozhichalur, Chennai - 600 074. Tel : 044 - 32564022, 9382305974, agaskoil@yahoo.com (Contact : Mr. Shanmugavel Kumarasamy, Trustee). Website : www.pozhichalursaneeswarartemple.org

Sembakkam Sri Jambugeswarar

Sembakkam village is situated about 45 kms from Chennai. It lies on the road connecting Thirupporur (OMR) and Chengalpattu and at about 7 kms while going from Thirupporur. There is an arch on the left side of the road, indicating the direction to the temple. The temple is about 1 km from the main road.

Sembakkam has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva where the main deity is Sri Jambugeswarar and Goddess Sri Azhagaambigai. This temple is also called Vada Thiruvanaikkaa or Uthara Jambugeswaram as this temple also represents Water element. Moreover, this temple is also built by the same king Ko Chengannan who built the Thiruvanaikkaa Sri Jambugeswarar temple.

According to the legend, when Lord Muruga killed Soorapadhman (Soora Samhaaram) the head of the demon is believed to have fallen here and hence the place was known as Sirampakkam (Siram means Head in Thamizh). It is said that the name Sirampakkam got changed as Sembakkam down the generations. Even today, the flag hoisting ceremony of Thirupporur Sri Kandhaswamy temple (for Lord Muruga) is done by the people of Sembakkam.

It is said that Sri Aadhiseshan along with Vasuki and other Naga Kanyas came here and worshipped Lord Shiva to get relieved of their sin as Sri Aadhiseshan spit Poison while churning the mighty ocean. Another story has it that Sage Naradha was explaining the sanctity of Sri Uthara Jambugeswarar to Lord Indra who didn’t pay much attention in listening to the sage. Because of this, Indra got into difficulties and came personally and worshipped Lord Shiva here.

As per Sthalapuraanam, the king Ko Chengannan who was childless was traveling across the country worshipping Lord Shiva at various places. When he reached Sembakkam the axle of his Chariot broke down here and he was resting at this place. Lord Shiva appeared in his dreams and directed him to build a temple here, where He would be called Sri Jambugeswarar along with Goddess Sri Azhagaambigai. The king built this temple for Lord Shiva and was blessed with a child.

This beautiful temple has a wide landscape inside the compound where a beautiful garden is maintained. Sri Jambugeswarar is facing east from a small sanctum with Dwarapaalakas guarding it. A beautiful Nandhi is facing the Lord here towards the sanctum.

There are beautiful Urchava Murthies like Sri Natarajar, Sri Somaskandhar etc., kept in the Mandapam just outside the sanctum.

Goddess Sri Azhagaambigai is facing south. At the entrance on the southern side, there is a well just near the entrance itself. It is said that the well was created by the Goddess itself which contains the powers of several crores of mantras.

Sri Dhakshinamurthy, Sri Mahavishnu, Sri Brahma and Sri Durga are present around the sanctum at their respective directions.

A new Dwajasthambham was being installed in the temple on 16.03.08 (when I visited).

A small, age old natural pond is found just near the temple entrance, which is said to be the source of water to enter the Sanctum. The temple is originally made in such a way that the water from this pond will always be percolating inside the sanctum to keep the deity always in water. But in later stages, as the temple has risen from the ground level, the water now does not enter the floor of the sanctum but remains in the pond and also under the ground level of the sanctum. Hence this Sthalam also represents ‘water’ similar to Thiruvanaikkaa.

It is also said that this village has at least one temple every street. Many small temples are seen on the corners of many streets here. Sage Agasthiyar has visited this temple and worshipped the Lord here.

It is believed that many Siddhars gather here on Pournami days to offer their prayers.

The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is ‘Naaval’ tree as same as Thiruvaanikkaaval. In Sanskrit ‘Jambu’ means ‘Naaval fruit’, and hence the Lord here is called Sri Jambugeswarar. The Naaval tree is present at the south east corner of the temple.

Sembakkam is an ideal place for people who seek peace from ‘within’.