Thiruverkaadu Sri Vedhapureeswarar

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

Though Thiruverkaadu is much known for Sri Karumari Amman temple, there’s another ancient and older temple for Lord Shiva, called as Sri Vedhapureeswarar (also called Verkaatteesar). Goddess here is Sri Baalaambigai (also called Verkanni Ammai).

As per the legend, once when Lord Brahma, the creator was proceeding to Kailash, the playful child Lord Muruga asked him for the meaning of the Pranava Manthra "OM". When Brahma admitted that he did not know it, Lord Muruga imprisoned him. As a result, all creations came to a standstill and the Devas prayed to Lord Siva to get Brahma released.

Lord Shiva sent Sri Nandhigeswarar to talk to Lord Muruga and rescue Lord Brahma. But Lord Muruga didn’t listen to Sri Nandhigeswarar. So, Lord Shiva Himself decided and went to Lord Muruga and convinced Him to leave Lord Brahma.

Since Lord Muruga didn’t obey the words of Sri Nandhigeswarar, Lord Shiva ordered Him to go to Thiruverkaadu and worship Him here. Lord Muruga visited Thiruverkaadu, formed a Theertham (Pond) using his Vel (His weapon), installed a Shiva Lingam and worshipped Lord Shiva here. The Theertham created by Lord Muruga is called Velaayudha Theertham.

In this temple, we can see Lord Muruga in a separate shrine without any weapons in His hand. Also there is a Shiva Lingam seen in front of Lord Muruga which is rare to see.

Another history connected to this temple is, during Lord Shiva’s wedding everyone including Gods, Devas and Saints gathered at Mount Kailash to witness the celestial event. Because of this, the whole earth tilted towards North, where everyone gathered. Lord Shiva directed Sage Agasthiar to go towards South to balance the earth. Sage Agasthiar prayed the Lord saying that he will not be able to see the God’s wedding.

Lord Shiva granted him a boon that from wherever He prays the Lord, he can have the dharshan of His wedding. Sage Agasthiar on his way stayed here at Thiruverkaadu and worshipped Lord Shiva and had the Dharshan of Lord Shiva’s wedding. One can see Lord Shiva and the Goddess’s in ceremonial wedding posture just behind the Shiva Lingam inside the sanctum. Sage Agasthiar was blessed to have God’s dharshan from various places and Thiruverkaadu is one of them.

The temple is constructed on a vast area and the Raja Gopuram is facing east. The Rajagopuram is 5 tiered and has various sculptures on it.

Sri Nandhigeswarar is so beautifully present at the outer praakaaram decorated with many flowers and Vilvam, allowing us to have the Dharshan of Sri Vedhapureeswarar.

In the sanctum, we can see Sri Vedhapureeswarar in the form of Shiva Lingam and behind that the wedding posture of Lord Shiva and Sri Parvathi.

At the inner praakaaram, we can see the Naalvar viz Appar, Sundharar, Manickavaasagar and Thirugnanasambandhar. Along with them are seen the others among 63 Naayanmaars in a row at the southern praakaaram.

Sri Dhakshinamurthy is found at the southern side of the praakaaram. At the south western side there is a separate shrine for Sri Sannadhi Vinayagar.

The sanctum is apsidal which is called Gajabrishta shape (Thoonganai Maadam). Sri Lingothbavar is present behind the sanctum on the outer wall.

Just behind the sanctum, Sri Kasi Viswanathar, Sri Visalakshi, Anabaya Chozhan and Sekkizhar are seen facing East towards Sri Lingothbavar.

Sri Sandigeswarar is facing south towards the Lord and another Sri Sandeeswarar is also seen sitting and meditating the Lord looking towards the sanctum.

The Vimaanam of the sanctum is of the Gajabrishta shape (கஜப்ருஷ்ட விமானம்).

Ambaal Sri Balambigai is facing south and has Simha Vaahanam facing Her towards north.

The Shiva Ganaas are seen on the top of the walls of the temple on specific directions, guarding the whole temple.

There is a tall and beautiful Dhwajasthambham adding beauty to the temple.

There is a separate shrine for Sri Saneeswarar and Sri Moorgha Naayanaar on the north eastern side of the outer praakaaram. It is said that Sri Moorgha Naayanaar was born here at this place.

Sri Arunagirinaathar has sung Thiruppugazh on Lord Muruga here and has a separate shrine facing west on the south eastern side.

The Sthala Viruksham is called VeLvela Maram (வெள்வேல மரம்) which is seen on the outer praakaaram. There is a Shiva Lingam and Sri Nandhi under the Sthala Viruksham.

The Theertham of this temple is called Velaayudha Theertham formed by Lord Muruga, which is under renovation now.

Thiruverkaadu is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams for Lord Shiva (Thiru Gnana Sambandar has sung hymns on Lord Shiva here) and is one of the renowned temples in Thondai Mandalam, which is worth visiting.

Vyasarpadi Sri Raveeswarar

Vyasarpadi is located in the north of Chennai, which is one of old settlements of Chennai. Vyasarpadi has a several thousand years old temple for Lord Shiva called ‘Sri Raveeswarar’.

The legend has it that, once Sri Surya Bhagawan (Sun God) was caught with Brahma Dhosha. To get rid of his Dhosha, Sri Surya Bhagawan installed and worshipped Lord Shiva under a tree called ‘Vanni Maram’ here. He also created a pond in front of the temple for worship.

Lord Shiva, who was happy with the prayers, appeared before the Sun God and granted His wish. As Lord Shiva was worshipped by Surya Bhagawan, He came to be known as ‘Sri Raveeswarar’ (Ravi means Sun in Sanskrit). Also Lord Shiva named this place as ‘Baanu Puram’ (Banu means Sun).

It is also said that Rishi Sri Veda Vyasar visited this place and worshipped the God here and have sung praises on the Lord. As Sri Vedha Vyasar stayed in this place and worshipped the Lord, this place came to be known as ‘Vyasarpadi’.

The temple is situated amidst the town, facing east. The temple is beautifully done that one can worship the Lord and the Goddess from the same place. The main deity Sri Raveeswarar is facing east from the sanctum. The Aavudaiyar (base) of the Lingam is of square in shape. Goddess is Sri Maragadhaambika beautifully decorated in a separate sanctum facing the South.

There is an idol of Sri Surya Bhagawan just outside the sanctum, seen worshipping the Lord. Sri Kaala Bairavar is present adjacent to the Goddess sanctum facing South.

A beautiful Dhwajasthambham (flag staff) adds beauty to the temple at the outer praakaaram. There are separate sanctums for Lord Ganesha and Lord Subramanyar in the outer praakaaram.
There is also a small sanctum just behind the sanctum for Sri Vedha Vyasar. 

The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is Vanni Maram which is seen at the north western side of the praakaaram.
There is a nice temple pond in front of the temple created by Sri Surya Bhagawan, called ‘Surya Pushkarini’.

Lot of pilgrims visit and worship the Lord here for want of relief from various illnesses and Dhoshas. 

According to the priest, if Sri Vedha Vyasa has visited this place, no one could measure the age of this temple and the Lord.

A wonderful temple to visit, that too amidst the busy city.

Pudhuppaakkam Sri Veera Anjaneyar

Pudhuppaakkam is a small village located about 40 kms from Chennai. Pudhuppaakkam lies on the Kelambakkam – Vandalur Road, which is off. OMR. One has to take right from Kelambakkam and drive about 5 kms on Kelambakkam – Vandalur road to find Pudhuppaakkam on the right side of the road. A statue of Sri Anjaneyar by the side of the road shows the way to the temple.

The temple for Sri Veera Anjaneyar is located on a very small hill filled with trees and plants. The hill looks beautiful and there are steps to climb up the hill to reach the temple. One can get a very scenic view of the surrounding places while ascending the hill. Also the cool breeze pampers us as we climb up.

According to legend, it is said that, Sri Anjaneyar, while carrying the Sanjeevini Hill to save Sri Lakshmana, stopped here for a while to perform Surya Namaskar. Lord Hanuman is believed to be so powerful at this place.

The temple is located on the hill top and is small and beautiful. This temple awaits Kumbhabishegam (consecration) shortly.

It is also said that Rajnikanth is an ardent devotee of this Anjaneyar and visits here whenever possible.

Though there are no evidences like sculptures or history about the origin of this temple, it attracts lot of devotees from various places.

The temple is too calm with good vibrations and is a must visit for Sri Hanuman devotees.

Koyambedu Sri Kurungaaleeswarar

Koyambedu is situated at the north western side of Chennai. An ancient temple for Lord Shiva is located in Koyambedu where the main deity is Sri Kurungaaleeswarar and Goddess Sri Dharmasamvardhani (also called Aram Valartha Naayagi).

Inscriptions which date back to Kulothunga Chozha III and Vijayanagara kings, informs about various contributions made to the temple. Inscriptions also reveal the political bifurcation of the place as Kulothunga Chozha Valanadu, part of Puliyur Kottam belonging to Jayankonda Chozha Mandalam.

It is also said that the names of this place in ancient days were as Kosai Nagar, Koyattipuram and Prayachithapuram. Kulothunga Chozha is said to have ruled in the 12th Century and hence it is said that the temple was constructed during his period.

The main deity Sri Kurungaaleeswarar is also called as Sri Kusalavapureeswarar. It is said that Lava and Kusa, sons of Sri Rama stayed with Sage Valmiki in his Ashram along with their mother Sita Devi.

There are few other places too in and around Chennai like Thiruvaanmiyur and Siruvapuri, where Sage Valmiki had his Ashram when Lava and Kusa stayed with him.

The legend of this temple connects to Ramayana period, when Sita Devi was sent to forest by Sri Rama. Sita was under the care of Sage Sri Valmiki during that period and also gave birth to her 2 sons Lava and Kusa.

When Sri Rama sent the Aswamedha horse around the country, Lava and Kusa brought the horse to their custody. Without knowing that it was His sons who captured the horse, Sri Rama sent Lakshmana who fought a battle with them. As Lava and Kusa fought against their own uncle, they acquired a Dhosham called Gothra Dhosham. To be relieved of it, it is said that, they installed and worshipped Lord Shiva in this place.

The presiding deity Sri Kurungaaleeswarar is too small as it was installed by two small kids. This wonderful temple has stood strong across centuries and still has not lost its originality.

There are beautiful stone pillared praakaarams around the sanctum. Another beautiful stone pillared Mandapam is found in front of the temple, in which Sri Sarabeswarar is seen on one of the pillars facing west. Special Poojas are performed to Sri Sarabeswarar on all Sundays during Raahu Kaalam.
At the outer praakaaram Sri Vinayagar shrine is located at the south west corner of the temple.

Sri Visaalaakshi Samedha Sri Kaasi Viswanathar shrine and Sri Valli Devasena Samedha Sri Subramanyar shrine are located adjacent to each other behind the sanctum.

Sri Nandhigeswarar is seen on the outer praakaaram facing the presiding deity.

The temple also maintains a beautiful garden (Nandhavanam) along the outer praakaaram.

Ambaal Sri Dharmasamvardhani is beautiful and is seen in standing posture.

The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is ‘Palaa Maram’ (Jack tree) which is located on the outer praakaram.

The theertham for this temple is called Lava Kusa Theertham which is believed to have been created by the two sons of Sri Rama.

There are many beautiful sculptures all around the temple and on the pillars.

Few of them are Sri Rama performing Pooja to Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva punishing Yama to save Markandeyan and Kannappa Naayanar.

There is another temple adjacent to which is dedicated to Maha Vishnu called Sri Vaikunda Vaasa Perumal temple, which is again formed by Lava and Kusa.

Wonderful temple and worth visiting.

Aathur Sri Muktheeswarar

Aathur village is situated 5 kms off the Chengalpattu Bridge on the west of GST Road. Aathur has a beautiful temple belonging to Chozha period.

The main deity here is Sri Muktheeswarar and Goddess Sri Dharmasamvardhani Ambaal, also called Aram Valartha Naayagi (அறம் வளர்த்த நாயகி). This wonderful temple has Lord Shiva in the form of Shiva Lingam facing east. The unique feature of this Lingam is, a thin ray of line separates the top portion (Baanam) of Lingam into two equal halves vertically. It is said that such Lingam is very rare to see and it represents the Ardhanaareeswarar (Shiva & Shakthi in equal halves) form of Lord Shiva.

Sri Vinayagar has a separate shrine in the temple’s outer praakaaram and is facing east. There are many stone inscriptions found all along the walls of the temple. According to the inscriptions this Vinayagar was installed by a local villager in this temple, during Chozha reign.

The inscriptions also reveal that the funds generated from this temple were donated to build one of the Gopurams of Chidambaram Sri Natarajar Temple. It thus shows the prosperity of this temple in those days.

This temple lies on the banks of the river Palar, also called Ksheera Nadhi which serves as the Theertham for this temple. It is also said that as the temple lies on the river banks of Palar, the place was originally known as ‘Aatru Oor’ (Aaru means, river in Thamizh) which later corrupted to become Aathur.

This temple has beautiful praakaarams. The outer praakaram has Sri Vinayagar, Sri Dhakshinamurthy, Sri Brahma and Sri Durgai around the sanctum.

Just near Sri Dhakshinamurthy shrine, a small underway is seen, which is kept closed using an asbestos sheet. There is a small room under the ground level which is said to be the hiding place during the times of war.

Sri Valli Devasena Samedha Sri Shanmugar has a separate shrine on the praakaaram. The idol of Sri Shanmugar is yet to get Ashtabandhanam done. The idol is wonderfully sculpted with Lord Shanmugar with 6 faces, 12 arms holding weapons and seated majestically on an aesthetic peacock which is holding the snake in its beak. All the details of this idol along with its base is made of single stone and is just kept in the shrine without fixing it (Ashtabandhanam) to the floor. The idol is made in such a way that it aptly balances itself firmly on the ground.

On the North West side of the praakaaram Sri Jyeshta Devi is seen facing east. Sri Jyeshta is elder to Sri Lakshmi as she evolved out prior to Sri Lakshmi during the churning of the mighty ocean, Ksheera Saagaram (Paarkadal). It is said that Sri Jyeshta Devi was one of the main deities for the then Chozha rulers.

A beautiful Nandhi is seen facing west towards the Lord.

There is a window beautifully sculpted on stone in front of Sri Nandhigeswarar, having 9 holes to it. It is called Navadhwaram in Sanskrit.

The northern side of the praakaaram has the shrine for Ambaal Sri Dharmasamvardhani. Sri Ambaal is so beautiful and charming and is facing south.

At the north eastern side of the praakaaram, about 4 Lingams are kept in a separate mandapam which were found during excavation. Out of 4 Lingams, 2 are Baana Lingams, without the Aavudaiyaar (base). It is said that, this temple as 8 Shivalingam shrines (Ashta Lingam) around it on all 8 directions, like Thiruvannaamalai temple. But the people were able to locate only a few till now.

There is a stone marking on one of the walls of the temple, mentioning that the Kumbhabhishekam (Consecration) was held last on 30.08.1917.

The Theertham for this temple is Ksheera Theertham (Palar river) and there are 2 Sthala Virukshams for this temple, Vilvam and Maa Maram (Mango tree). This mango tree has a very unique quality.

This tree branches into two from the base and the fruits formed from each half of the tree has different tastes. It is said, as Lord Shiva here is in the form of Ardhanaareeswarar the tree too naturally gives fruits with 2 different tastes, symbolising the dual form of Lord Shiva.

Pradhosham and Maha Sivarathri are celebrated in a grand manner in this temple. Like Thiruvannamalai temple, this is one of the temples which conduct 6 times Pooja during Sivarathri.

This temple has been in a dilapidated condition and the local youths have formed a trust called ‘Athur Arulmigu Muktheeshwarar Seva Sangam’ to help bring back the originality of the temple and to conduct Poojas everyday.

The trust is raising funds and contributing to the welfare of the temple. Those willing to visit or help the temple shall contact Sri Muthukumar (9443880932) Sri Sadagopan (9942263402), Aathur Village and Post, Kanchipuram District – 603 101.

The temple which will surely be admired by temple lovers.