Maangaadu Sri Velleeswarar

Maangaadu is a small beautiful village located at the outskirts of Chennai near Poondhamalli. While going from Chennai city on Mount Poondhamalli road, one has to take left from Kumananchaavadi junction to reach Maangaadu.

This temple is located very close to Maangaadu Sri Kamakshi Amman temple. This is a very ancient and beautiful temple for Lord Shiva. The main deity here is Sri Velleeswarar. There is no Ambaal in this temple, as Sri Kamakshi Amman is present nearby.

According to the legend, when Goddess Sri Kamakshi performed Thapas here in Maangaadu, Lord Shiva came down to earth to give dharshan to Her and marry Her. It is said that, Sri Sukran (Venus) worshipped Lord Shiva here. When Sri Kamakshi came here to have dharshan of Lord Shiva, she saw Sri Sukran worshipping the Lord. The Goddess went back as She did not want to disturb the prayers of Sukran.

Later Lord Shiva directed the Goddess to come to Kanchipuram and married Her there. As Sri Sukran (Velli in Thamizh) worshipped Lord Shiva here, the Lord came to be known as Sri Velleeswarar and also called as Sri Bhaargaveswarar.

This temple is Sukran Sthalam among the Navagraha Temples of Chennai (or Thondai Mandalam). Sri Sukran blesses people with wealth, prosperity, good family, vehicles, fame and social status.

The main deity Sri Velleeswarar is huge and looks very grand, facing east. Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga are seen at either side of the entrance of the sanctum. Lord Ganesha here is holding a Mango fruit in His hand and is called ‘Maangani Vinayagar’. The place Maangaadu itself had got its name as it was once a vast Mango forest.

Lingothbavar is seen on the outer wall behind the sanctum. Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu are present on either side of Lingothbavar worshipping Him.

There is a separate shrine for Sri Veerabadhrar behind the sanctum. Sri Veerabadhrar is said to have got created from the sweat of Lord Shiva to defeat Dhakshan.

Sri Subramanyar shrine is present at the North West side of the outer praakaaram. Sri Subramanyar is so beautiful and seen with His consorts Sri Valli and Sri Dhevasena. All the 3 deities are made of a single stone. Lord Muruga’s Vaahanam (carrier) peacock is present outside the shrine facing the shrine.

A beautiful Nandhi is present outside the sanctum, facing towards west. It is said that people visiting Sri Kamakshi Amman temple should also have dharshan at Sri Velleeswarar temple and Sri Vaikunda Perumaal temple in Maangaadu, as all these three temples are interconnected with the history of Sri Kamakshi Amman.

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’.

Vallakkottai Sri Subramanyar

Vallakkottai is about 50 kms from Chennai and about 12 kms South of Sriperumbudur.

This small village houses a beautiful temple with presiding deity as Sri Subramanyar along with Sri Valli and Sri Devasena.

The main deity is about 7 ft tall and such tall murthy for Lord Muruga is not seen in any other Murugan temple in this country. This temple is over 1200 years old.

According to temple legend, a king called Bagirathan was ruling a place called Chalankondapuram. Sage Naradha once visited this king and the king didn’t offer any due respect to Naradha. Naradha, who got angry with him, saw an Asura (demon) called Goran, on his way in the forests, who was doing Dhig Vijayam to various territories to defeat various kings.

Naradha advised Goran that his trip would be fulfilled only if he defeats Bagirathan. Goran took Saint Naradha’s words and defeated Bagirathan. Bagirathan lost all his kingdom and started wandering in the forests. One day he met Saint Naradha on his way. He apologized and prayed the saint to show him the way to gain back his kingdom. Saint Naradha directed him to meet Dhurvasa Rishi to get back what he lost. Bagirathan with much pain went and met Dhurvasar, who asked him to fast on Fridays and worship Lord Muruga near Paadhiri tree to gain back the kingdom.

Bagirathan formed a temple for Lord Muruga near Paadhiri tree and started worshipping. After his sincere prayers, Goran, who captured his kingdom, met Bagirathan and handed it back to him.

The place where Bagirathan made a temple for Lord Muruga near Paadhiri tree is Vallakkottai.

Vallakkottai is named after a king called Vallan, who was ruling this part of the country and was atrocious to everyone. Everyone including Devas took refuge in Lord Muruga who fought a battle with Vallan and defeated him. Vallan realized his sins and apologized. He also prayed God that the place should be called after his name. From then this place was known as Vallan Kottai which later corrupted as Vallakkottai.

This place also has references by the name Kodai Nagar and Lord Muruga as Kodai Aandavar.

Once Lord Indra wanted to worship Lord Muruga and he requested Deva Guru Sri Brahaspathi to guide him to the right place. He was directed to Vallakkottai. He came here and made a pond out of his weapon Vajraayudham and performed Abishegam to the Lord. As Vajraayudham was used to create the pond, the Theertham here is called Vajra Theertham.

Arunagirinathar who was an ardent devotee of Lord Muruga once visited Thirupporur temple near Chennai. After his dharshan there, he wanted to go to Thiruthani for having dharshan of Lord Muruga the next day. He rested at Thirupporur temple for the night and Lord Muruga appeared in his dream and asked him “how did you forget to visit me at Vallakkottai?”

Arunagirinathar came here to Vallakkottai before proceeding to Thiruthani. He had stayed here and sung about 8 Thiruppugazhs praising the Lord here.

In his Thiruppugazh, Arunagirinathar mentions this place as Kodai Nagar.

Other deities of this temple are Sri Vinayagar, Utsava Murugar, Sri Shanmugar and Sri Ambaal. The Mayil Vaahana is seen near the Bali peetam outside the sanctum.

There is a beautiful Dwajasthambha on the praakaaram, has lovely carvings of Lord Muruga and Vinayagar.

There are also some beautiful sculptures on the pillars of Ardha Mandapam like Thapas Kamakshi (as in Maangaadu), Sri Rama embracing Sri Anjaneyar etc.

Auspicious occasions like Skandha Sashti, Sura Samharam, Aadi Krithgai, Masi Krithigai, Tamil New Year’s day and Thaippoosam are celebrated well in this temple.

Madambakkam Sri Dhenupureeswarar

This ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located in the suburb of Chennai called Madambakkam, near Tambaram.

This temple is over 1000 years old (956-973 AD), which is said to have been built during the reign of Parantaka Chola II or Sundara Chola, father of Rajaraja Chola 1 (who constructed Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur). The temple is believed to be rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulothunga Chola1.

According to legend, there was a rishi called “Kapila” who was performing penance towards Lord Shiva to attain Mukthi. He had a Shiva Linga for which he was performing pooja everyday. One day during his pooja, he was holding the Shiva Linga on his left hand and started doing Abhishekam with the milk on his right hand. He was caught with a Dhosha as he held the idol on his left hand, which is a sin, result of which he cannot attain Moksha. Because of the Dhosha, he had to take another birth as a cow and live the entire life praying the God, to attain Moksha. He took birth as a cow in a village (Sitreri) and was gazing near a lake in South of India. One day, the master of the cow saw the cow pouring its milk on a small stone buried in the ground. He angrily hit the cow for having wasted its milk. Unable to bear the pain, the cow tapped it’s leg on the ground where it hit the stone. The stone started bleeding. The man got frightened and called all the villagers who dug the ground and saw that it’s a Shiva Linga. The master of the cow prayed the God to forgive him.

Lord Shiva appeared and said that it was his act for the sake of Kapila Rishi, who was born as the cow. Kapila Rishi also apologized to Lord Shiva for having kicked on the head of the Linga. Lord Shiva forgave him and Kapila attained Moksha.

The people went and informed the king who was coming downside of Sitreri. The king arranged to construct a temple for Lord Shiva there and the God was then known as Sitrerinadhar and Goddess, Nampirattiyar.

The place where people met the king downside the lake is today’s Rajakizhpakkam. And the village Sitreri (means small lake) is now called as Madambakkam.

The presiding deity is called Lord Dhenupureeswarar (facing the east) and the Goddess, Dhenukambal. Unlike most temples, where the sanctum is either square or rectangle, this is apsidal in shape which is called as Gaja Brishta Vimana (Shaped like elephant’s back) in Sanskrit. This type of feature is found in few other Chola temples in and around Chennai.

Even today we can see a scar on the Shiva Lingam, caused by the Cow (Kapila) while it kicked the ground because of the pain when it was beaten up by its master.

Lot of contributions have been made to this temple by Vijayanagara rulers. Many sculptures in the walls of this temple, stand testimony to the subsidies given to this temple in the form of lands, livestock, jewels etc.,

There is a large tank adjacent to this temple filled with water. This also serves as water source for the people living around the temple.

Saint Arunagirinathar (15th Century A.D.), has composed a hymn on this temple.

This ancient village, now called Madambakkam, was also known as Ulaguyyavanda Chola Chaturvedimangalam in the past.

Festivals like Pradhosham and Panguni Uthiram are celebrated with pomp here.

Another rare feature of this temple is, it houses Lord Sarabeswarar on one of the pillars in it. Lord Sarabeswarar is another form of Lord Shiva who took form to bring down the anger and furiousness of Lord Narasimha. Lord Sarabeswarar took the form of Yazhi bird with human body and eagle's wings having Godess Durga and Godess Maha Prathyangira Devi each of his wings.

Poojas are performed here to Sri Sarabeswarar on Sundays during Rahu Kalam timings, which attracts hundreds of devotees here.

Both Saiva and Vaishnava sculptures and carvings on the pillars and walls, beautify this temple.

The temple now is under the control of Archeological Society of India.

The temple is situated between Tambaram and Medawakkam near Rajakizhpakkam.

There is also another rare temple nearby, housing 18 Siddhars, Sri Seshadri Swamigal and Maha Meru (Lalitha Parameshwari) which together with Dhenupureeswarar temple gives divinity to the whole village and every visitor entering there.