Thirumukkoodal Sri Appan Prasanna Venkatesa Perumaal

Thirumukkoodal is a village located about 20 kms from Kanchipuram on the road going towards Chengalpattu. While going from Chengalpattu, one can reach Pazhaya Seevaram, 5 kms before Walajabad. From Pazhaya Seevaram one has to take left and cross the bridge on the river Palar to reach Thirumukkudal.

Thirumukkoodal has an ancient temple for Lord Vishnu called ‘Sri Appan Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal’.

Thirumukkoodal got its name as three rivers Palar (Ksheera Nadhi), Vegavathi (Saraswathi) and Cheyyar (Bahu Nadhi) merge together at this place. This place is called Triveni Sangamam and is considered equivalent to Ganges. Taking bath here is considered as holy as bathing in Prayag. 

The temple is beautifully located on the banks of the river giving a scenic view. The compound of the temple is just on the shore of the river is a wonderful site to see. Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar temple is located in Pazhaya Seevaram (pic below) on one side of the river and Sri Appan Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple on the other bank of the river.

This temple is said to be 1200 years old, as the oldest inscription found in this temple belongs to 9^th Century. This temple is said to have built by a king ruling Thondai Mandalam (with capital as Kanchipuram), by name Raja Thondaimaan Chakravarthy. 

According to the legend, the king Thondaimaan once started to Thirupathi to have dharshan of Lord Venkatesa Perumal. He then heard a divine voice telling him that it was not the time to visit Thirupathi as a king from a neighbouring country was nearing his kingdom to wage a war. The voice advised him to be with his son during war time to save the country and later to visit Thirupathi.

On hearing this Thondaiman prayed to Lord Venkatesa Perumal and the Lord blessed him to win the battle and gifted him with His Sanku (Conch) and Chakra (Wheel). Thondaiman successfully won the battle and on his way back both the weapons Sanku and Chakra vanished. Later, the Lord directed Sri Ramanujar to install Sanku & Chakra for Him at this place. That’s how the deity here had got Sanku & Chakra here.

Then the king Thondaiman surrendered to Perumal at Thirupathi seeking ‘Moksha’. The Lord directed him to come to Thirumukkudal to grant Moksha to him. The king visited here to have dharshan of the Lord. Till then, the Lord here was said to be in ‘Sayana Kolam’ (reclining posture like Ranganathar). When the king visited here the Lord is said to have changed his posture and gave him dharshan in standing posture.

The king Thondaiman, out of his excitement and bliss, embraced the Lord saying ‘Appaney Venkatesa’ (அப்பனே வெங்கடேசா), means ‘Oh My Father Venkatesa!’ and from then the Lord here came to be known as ‘Appan Venkatesa Perumal’. The king Thondaimaan is said to have built this temple initially for Lord Sri Venkatesa Perumal. The same king is said to have built the temple at Thirupathi (Thirumala) as well as Thirumalai Vaiyaavoor, which is called Southern Thiruppathi.

The main deity Sri Appan Venkatesa Perumaal is seen majestically in the standing posture. Brigu Maharishi, Sri Markandeyar and Sri Bhumadevi are seen worshipping him. 

The Lord here is said to have given dharshan to Brigu Maharishi, Markandeya and Bhumadevi (mother Earth).

There are 3 Sthala Virukshams (holy trees) for this temple, which are Devadhaari, Vanni and Sandhanam (Sandal).

Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal’s Parvettai is a very popular festival here. Sri Varadharaja Perumal, Pazhaya Seevaram Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar & Appan Venkatesa Perumal give dharshan together here in this temple every year on the ‘Kaanum Pongal’ Day, which is said to be a delight to watch. Vaikunda Ekadasi is celebrated in a grand manner at this temple.

The Thaayaar (Goddess) here is Sri Alarmel Mangai Thaayaar for whom there is a separate shrine present at the temple.

Other deities like Sri Varadhar, Sri Aandaal and Sri Anjaneyar (Hanuman) have separate shrines in the temple.

Sri Anjaneyar is very special here. Whenever the Lord is carried out for procession, the first respects are paid to Sri Anjaneyar before the God is taken out.

Also Sri Anjaneyar is said to be very powerful here in reducing the burden of one’s debts. People worship Lord Anjaneyar here to come out of their heavy debts. Also peculiarly, Lord Anjaneyar is not offered ‘Vadai Malai’ here like other temples. Instead, he is offered the garland made of ‘Thenkuzhal’ (a kind of Murukku snack). People pray Lord Anjaneyar to come out of their debts and once their debts are settled, they come here and offer ‘Thenkuzhal Maalai’ to Him.

This temple is protected and maintained by ASI. Lots of stone inscriptions are found along all the walls of the temple. These epigraphs belong to various periods starting Raja Raja Chola 1, Rajendra Chola and others.  The inscriptions tell a lot about the grants made by various kings to the temple where the temple enjoyed huge popularity.

Also there are inscriptions belonging to the Veera Rajendra Chola (11^th Century), mentioning about a Veda Patasala (Vedic School) which was existent at the temple premises.  According to the inscriptions, there has been a Vedic College run in the ‘Jananatha Mandapam’ of this temple. Eight subjects including Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and grammar were taught to various students here. 

Interestingly the inscriptions also reveal clearly in detail about the number of students enrolled in college, the number of teachers appointed for each subject and the remuneration paid to them. Also there has been a hostel for this college where the students stayed during their studies and the details of the servants and cooks appointed to take care of the inmates have been detailed in the inscriptions.

There has also been a medical centre (Athura Saalai) attached to this college at this place where the students, teachers and the temple staff were treated for various illnesses. This 15 bedded hospital was named after the king ‘Veera Chozhan’ and had ample manpower comprising a physician by name ‘Kodhandaraman Aswathaaman Bhattan’, a surgeon who performed operations, nurses to attend to patients and servants to bring herbs from places and even a barber. 

The information on the salaries paid to the employees of the hospital and the names of about 20 different types of medicines which were stored in the hospital are well detailed in the inscriptions.

There was also a provision made for the reciting of ‘Thiruvaimozhi’ at this temple during Chola period. 

According to the inscriptions, Thirumukkudal in ancient days was situated under a subdivision of a territory called Madhuranthaka Chathurvedhimangalam (today’s Madhuranthakam) which was part of Kalathur Kottam, a district of Jayamkonda Chola Mandalam. 

This temple stands a testimony for Indian heritage across centuries and explains about the glorious periods during the reign of Pallavas and Cholas where the kings not only showed interest in conquering places but also patronised education and health care along with religion to make a better society. 

The temple priest Sri Raghunaadhan (Tel: 94437 78352) takes care of this temple and also patiently explains the visitors about the temple in detail. Below is the video of his narration shot on the mobile (kindly bear the poor quality due to mobile recording and poor light inside the temple).  

The temple is open between 08.30 am to 11.30 am and 4 pm to 6 pm on weekdays. On Saturdays and Sundays the temple is open from 08.30 am till 1 pm and from 3 pm till 7 pm. 

Semmancheri Sri Srinivasa Perumaal

Semmancheri is located about 25 kms from Chennai on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, just before Sozhinganallur. Semmancheri has a small, but ancient temple for Sri Srinivasa Perumaal. While traveling from Adyar, this small but ancient temple can be on the left side of the road itself.

This age old temple dates back to Pallava period. The presiding deity here is Sri Srinivasa Perumaal and Goddess Sri Alarmel Mangai Thaayaar.

It is said that a Pallava king who was ruling this part of the country lost his eye sight, after which he had worshipped Lord Srinivasa Perumaal here and got back his eye sight. Many people having problems with their eye sight take bath in this temple pond and worship the Lord here to get recovered.

The main deity Sri Srinivasa Perumaal here is so beautiful with many ornaments, glittering inside the sanctum. The Lord is seen in the standing posture.

A tall and beautiful Dwajasthambham adds beauty to the ambience.

Goddess Sri Alarmel Mangai Thaayaar is seen on the south west side of the sanctum. Goddess too is beautifully decorated and seen blessing the devotees with much grace.

There is a separate shrine for Sri Kaalinga Nardhanar where Lord Krishna is seen in a dancing posture on the venomous demon snake ‘Kaalinga’. Sri Kaalinga Nardhanar here is believed to be very powerful. It is said that the childless couples are blessed with a baby by worshipping Sri Kaalinga Nardhanar here for 48 days.

Sri Aandaal shrine is located on the northwest side of the sanctum.

Sri Anjaneyar is present in a small shrine at the north east side facing west.

The Sthala Viruksham for this temple is ‘Athi Maram’ which is seen inside the temple near Sri Aandaal Shrine.
Just near the entrance of the temple, there is a shrine for Sri Navaneetha Krishnar for Lord Vishnu.

The pond for this temple is located about 500 meters east of the temple which definitely needs attention.

The temple now is in a poor state and few volunteers are helping to bring the temple back to its charm.

Temple Contact : Sri Srinivasa Perumaal Temple, OMR, Semmanchery. Tel : +91 98403 88836 / 98400 69650

Thiruninravur Sri Hridhayaaleeswarar

Thiruninravur (திருநின்றவூர்) is situated in Thiruvallur District and is about 35 kms from Chennai. On the road from Chennai to Thiruvallur, one has to turn right after Thirumazhisai. From there Thiruninravur is about 4 kms. Thiruninravur can also be reached by Suburban trains from Chennai to Arakkonam, after Pattabiram.

Thiruninravur has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva which is about 1500 years old. The main deity here is called Sri Hridhayaaleeswarar. The Goddess here is Sri Maragadhaambigai.

The story of this temple dates back to 7th century during Pallava reign. There was a Shiva devotee living in this place during 7th century called Poosalaar. He has been an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Poosalaar had an extreme ambition in his mind to build a temple for Lord Shiva at this place within his lifetime. He sought for help with many rich people who can fund him to raise a temple. But hardly anyone helped him.

Knowing that he won’t get any help, Poosalaar finally decided to build a temple for the Lord by himself, at his heart itself. As he was well read and knew all the Aagama Vidhis and nuances to build a temple, he wanted to start building the temple.

He sat under a tree called Iruppai tree in the village and started meditating. He planned each and every small detail to perfection for the construction of his own temple in his mind itself. He also marked an auspicious day to commence the holy work. The temple started growing up in his mind. It is said that Poosalaar actually took the same time (or months) which will be consumed to construct an actual temple. He built the temple step by step. He had designed everything in his mind right from Vimana, Sanctum, Temple Pond, Compound walls etc., and executed each in detail as per what he had in mind.

After everything shaped up in his mind the temple construction work came to a finish. He even had organised all the utensils required for the temple. Finally, he also fixed an auspicious date for Kumbhabishegam (consecration) of the temple. He prayed to Lord Shiva to be present for the consecration and offer His blessings.

During the same period, a king called Rajasimma Pallava was ruling this part, with his capital as Kaanchi (today’s Kanchipuram). He also was a sincere devotee of Lord Shiva and was building a huge beautiful temple for the Lord, at Kaanchi. He also named the God as Kailasanathar and the temple as Rajasimmeswaram. The king was too happy to himself to see the grandeur of the temple constructed by him.

The king also marked a date for consecration, while the finishing touches were going on at the temple. One day after visiting the progress of the temple work, he came back tiresome to bed. Lord Shiva appeared in his dream and told him that He cannot make it to the consecration of the king’s temple on the said date and asked him to change the day of consecration, as He had to be present for consecration of another temple built by Poosalaar of Thiruninravur.

The king woke up shockingly and couldn’t believe himself. He was worried that God Himself has given priority to someone else’s temple than his temple. He wanted to know about the temple which God informed him of. He immediately started with his queen, ministers and parivaar to see Poosalaar’s temple at Thiruninravur.

He came to Thiruninravur the next day and enquired with many people about a new Shiva temple built by Poosalaar. Nobody knew anything about the temple but directed the king to the place where Poosalaar was meditating under the Iruppai tree.

King went and asked Poosalaar himself about the temple. Poosalaar, on hearing the king explaining about his dream, was overwhelmed to realize the mercy shown to him by Lord Shiva. Poosalaar explained the king that he had been constructing the temple in his heart (Manasu in Thamizh) and had fixed a date for consecration.

Poosalaar made the king to look at his heart and realize the temple which he constructed. King was able to see and realize the temple made by Poosalaar.

Knowing this Rajasimma was amazed to see the devotion and sincerity of Poosalaar. The king himself took all the specifications of the temple which Poosalaar had in mind and physically constructed a temple for the Lord here. This temple is also called Manakkoil.

As Poosalaar originally built the temple for the Lord in his Hridayam, the Lord here is known as Hridhayaaleeswarar.

Though there are 2 entrances to this temple, on east and west, the Lord here faces east here. There is a grand Dhwajasthambha and Nandhi on the outer prakaaram. The sanctum is built in Gajabrishta or Thoongaanai Maadam (தூங்கானை மாடம்) shape, that is, the sanctum's shape will look like the back of the sleeping elephant.

Lord Hridhayaaleeswarar offers dharshan in the form of a Shiva Lingam. Poosalaar is seen praying the Lord.

There is an idol of Rajasimma Pallavan too inside the temple.

Sri Ganapathy and Sri Subramanyar are seen standing on either side of the entrance of the sanctum like Dwarapaalakas. Other deities like Sri Dhakshinamurthy, Naalvar, Sri Maha Vishnu, Sri Siva Subramanyar with Sri Valli and Sri Devasena, Sri Brahma, Sri Durgai, Sri Sandigeswarar, Sri Sivagama Sundari Sametha Sri Natarajar and Sri Bairavar are seen in the inner praakaarams.

Wonderful carvings are seen on the pillars of the temple, but many of them painted white, hiding their originality.

There is also a mandapam in which Vaahanam (Rishabham) for the Lord is kept for Urchavams.

Many devotees in recent years have started worshipping Lord here, for getting recovered from heart ailments, as the Lord himself is called Hridayaaleeswarar.

There is also a wonderful 'Sri Bakthavatsala Perumal' temple in Thiruninravur, close to this temple.

Two beautiful temples, worth a short drive, away from Chennai.

Thiruchi Sri Thayumanavar Swamy

Thiruchiraappalli Tiruchirappalli, was earlier known as Thirisirapuram, as a Rakshasa called Thirisiran worshipped Lord Shiva here.

There are also stories that since there are three peaks on Rock Fort, occupied by three Gods Shiva, Parvathi & Vinayakar (Uchi Pillaiyar), the place was called Thiri-sikarapuram and later called Tirisirapuram.

This place was also known as Sirappalli, Rishabachalam & Dhakshina Kailasam during ancient days.

The Rock Fort hill is beleived to be formed lakhs of years back (Archeology and Scientific Sources).

As per the mythology, once there was a great tuffle between Aadhiseshan and the wind God Vaayu, on who is more powerful. Aadhiseshan encircled the Maha Meru hill (Himalaya) and challenged Vaayu whether he can take Himalayas off his clutches. Vaayu tried much and accepted his defeat.

It is said that during the fight, there had been a lot of natural calamities like floods, cyclone etc. And 3 pieces of the mountain broke and flew off to different places. Out of the 3 peices which flew off, one is this Rock fort at Trichy. The other two are at Triconamalee (Ceylon) and Sri Kalahasthi (AP).

The Temple

Arulmigu Thayumanavar Swamy temple (Also Chevvandhinadhar) is situated on the Rock Fort enroute the Uchi Pillaiyar Temple at the hill top, at the heart of today's Trichy city.

According to legend, there was a woman living on the other side of river Cauvery, who visited this temple everyday. She had been visiting the temple for many years, which she continued to do even during her pregnancy.One day after she finished the Dharshan, she found that the river was flooded and she cannot cross the river. As she waited for the river flow to subside, she developed severe labour pain. People around stopped her from going back home. She was thinking of her mother who can help her in labour.

Lord Shiva came to her in disguise of her mother and helped her in delivering the child safely and disappeared. Later her actual mother came asking about her, the woman realised that it was Lord Shiva who came to her rescue in disguise.

As Lord Shiva himself served her devotee as her mother, here the main diety is called as "Thayumanavar" (God, who is also the "Mother")

The same incident is celebrated as a festival called "Chettipenn Maruthuvam" festival on the 5th day of Chithirai Festival at the temple.

The name of the Ambaal is "Mattuvarkuzhali".

Once you climb around 200 steps from foot hill of the "Malaikkottai", you can reach Thayumanavar temple.

The temple is said to have built during 3rd Century by Pallavas. This temple was occupied by Jain Saints and later was destroyed by Mahendravarman and Shiva Temple was re-constructed by him.

Pregnant women and their husbands pray Lord Thayumanavar for a safe labor and offer Plantains to the God after delivering healthy baby.

One can see people carrying "Vazhaithaar" all the way up to the temple and after its offered to Thayumanavar, they distribute to other devotees in the temple.

Thirugnana Sambandhar, Thirunavukkarasar, Manickavaasagar & Thayumanavar have written many hymns in praise of Lord Shiva here.

Thiruchi is well connected by ample trains and buses from Chennai and other parts of Tamilnadu. Lots of buses ply from both Central & Chathram bus stands of Trichy. One can alight at Main Guard Gate or Theppakulam to reach the temple.

There are many good places for food and stay at all budgets.