Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu, Chennai

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu, Chennai

Kurungaleeswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the neighbourhood of Koyambedu in Chennai City of Tamil Nadu. This temple is situated on the banks of river Cooum at Koyambedu. The temple encloses a large tank and dates from the Medieval Chola period. Presiding Deity is called as Kurungaleeswarar / Kuchalavapureeswarar and Mother is called as Dharmasamvardhini / Aram Valartha Nayagi.

This is also called as Kusalavapureeswarar Temple. This Temple along with Vaikuntavasa Perumal Temple are called as Twin Temples of Koyambedu. A perfect example of Shiva-Vaishnava unison, both these temples are located adjacent to each other and very near to the Koyambedu Bus Terminus. Both have legendary connection to the Ramayana. This Temple has been praised in Thirupugazh Hymns of Saint Arunagirinathar.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/10/kurungaleeswarar-temple-koyambedu-legends.html

History

The temple is believed to have been built by Kulothunga Cholan III during 12^th century CE. The temple was renovated recently and the recent Kumbabishekam took place on February 11, 2000.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/10/kurungaleeswarar-temple-koyambedu-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The temple remains open from 5.30 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

Festivals

Brahmotsavam in Chithirai (April – May) and Arudra Darshan (December – January) are the famous festivals celebrated here. Monthly Pradoshams are also observed with much fanfare. All other Shiva related festivals are also celebrated here.

Prayers

Those facing the anger of the Pithrus (departed elders of the family) pray to Lord, Goddess and the Navagrahas in this temple. Devotees offer Sari (Vastra) and perform abishek to the mother on realizing their prayers. As in the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, the Goddess is on the right of the Lord and has greater prominence.  The belief is that worshipping Goddess on the right side of the Lord would expedite delayed marriages.  Virgins worship the Goddess for early marriage life. It is said that the Goddess has taken the right position to come to the rescue of her devotees swiftly when they are in problems.

Contact

Kurungaleeswarar Temple,

Koyambedu,

Chennai – 600 107

Phone: +91 44 2479 6237

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/10/kurungaleeswarar-temple-koyambedu-connectivity.html

Location | Photos

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – Connectivity

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 400 meters from Rohini Theatre Bus Stop, 600 meters from Koyambedu Metro Station, 1.5 Kms from Koyambedu Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, 4 Kms from Vadapalani Murugan Temple, 5 Kms from Nungambakkam Railway Station, 8 Kms from Egmore Railway Station, 10 Kms from Chennai Central Railway Station and 17 Kms from Chennai Airport.

Koyambedu is well connected from all parts of the city by bus. If you are coming from Tambaram side, you have to cross the CMBT Bus Terminus and take a left just opposite to the Nathella Sulochanamma Kalyana Mandapam. If you are coming from the other side, the temple is on the first right turn opposite to the Kalyana Mandapam once you cross the flyover.

The temple is located very near to the Koyambedu Bus Stand and you can reach this place very well either in auto/taxi or by public transport. The temple adjoins the area north of the Koyambedu Market and can be accessed from the outer ring road just after crossing the signal junction after the bus terminus towards the Bangalore highway. Nearest Major Railway Stations are located at Chennai Central and Egmore. Nearest Local Railway Station is located at Nungambakkam. Nearest Airport is located at Meenambakkam.

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – Legends

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – Legends

Kuchalavapureeswarar:

The legend of this temple connects to Ramayana period. After Rama sent a pregnant Sita to the forest on hearing the accusations made by a washerman about him having accepted a woman who had stayed in an enemy's palace for several months, Sage Valmiki gave her shelter and brought her to his ashram at this very place. It was here that she gave birth to twin boys, Lava and Kucha. The young boys were trained by Sage Valmiki in archery and academics. In the meantime, Rama was planning to hold an Ashwamedha Yagna and as part of the protocol, sent the sacrificial horse around the country.

When the horse entered the ashram of Sage Valmiki, the two boys arrested it by building a fence of arrows around it. This is why the place is called Ko (horse)+ Ambu (Arrow) + Pedu (Fence). When Rama heard that two little boys had held the sacrificial horse captive and had also defeated the soldiers and Lakshmana who had come along with it. Lord Rama itself came looking after the children. The children, not knowing that it was their father, started shooting arrows at him.

When Rama took out his Rama Bana to shoot the children, Sage Valmiki intervened, and introduced Rama to his children, which is how they came together. To overcome the sin of fighting against their father, the Sage asked the children to pray to Lord Shiva. The little boys made a Shiva Linga true to their size, and worshipped him. The Shiva, worshipped by the children is small in size, more like an overturned earthern lamp and is called Kurungaleeswarar or Kuchalavapureeswarar as he was worshipped by Lava and Kucha.

Kurungaleeswarar:

Vana Durga Kali Devi worshipped Lord Shiva here and hence he is also known as Kurungaleeswarar. There is a separate temple for Vana Durga Devi nearby also.

Adipradhoshapuri:

During the Samudra Mathanam or churning of the Parkadal or Milky ocean, Alahala Visham / Halahala poison emerged which frightened the Devas. Devas approached Lord Shiva and Nandhi Deva brought the Alahala Visham to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva Drank the poison and saved the worlds from destruction. Parvathy Devi through her Pathivratha Shakthi touched the neck / kanta of Lord Shiva and arrested the poison there. Hence Lord Shiva is known as Neelakanta.

Nandhi Deva became proud that he had brought the Poison to Lord Shiva and it did not affect him. This sin of Nandhi Deva made him mad and he started laughing wildly like a mentally affected person. Parvathy Devi took pity on him and brought him to Koyambedu and pulled the Mookan kayiru or rope that is tied around the Nandhi / Bull through her leg. Hence Parvathy Devi known as Dharmasamvardhini here is seen with one leg brought forward here.

Lord Shiva danced in between the horns of Nandhi Deva during Pradosha kalam and the world's first Pradosham was celebrated in this temple. This temple is said to have had the first pradosha pooja ever performed here and is hence called Adipradhoshapuri. Pradhosha Dharshan here is considered equivalent to 1000 Pradhosha Dharshans.

Other Names:

It is also said that the names of this place in ancient days were as Kosai Nagar, Koyattipuram and Prayachithapuram.

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – The Temple

Kurungaleeswarar Temple, Koyambedu – The Temple

The temple is having seven tiered Rajagopuram. The temple is facing north with a 16 pillar mandapam is in front of Rajagopuram and four sides of each pillar has the reliefs of Shiva Parvathi, Hanuman, Sarabeswarar, Raavanan, Shiva dances, etc. There is no other Shiva temple facing north side. The pillars of the mandapams in the temple are full of exquisite sculptures and carvings. Balipeedam, Nandhi and Dwajasthambam are located immediately after the Rajagopuram.

Nandhi is located in the outer prakaram facing the presiding deity. The Nandi has a rope through its nostrils with a leg bent very prominently as if in a raising position. Presiding Deity is called as Kurungaleeswarar / Kusalavapureeswarar / Kusalaveswarar / Gnana Prakasar / Gnanapureeswarar. Lord is housed in the sanctum facing north. Presiding Deity is in the form of small Lingam of palm size.

There are Kabala Bhairava and Veerabhadra under the tower. Vinayagar & Brahma on the east side, Dhakshinamoorthy on the back of Sanctum (in place of Lingothbavar), Mahavishnu & Vishnu Durgai on the west side of sanctum are the Koshta Deities located around the sanctum walls. Chandikeswarar is found in his usual location near Durga. There are idols of Lord Nataraja and 63 Nayanmars can be found around the sanctum.

Mother is called as Dharmasamvardhini / Aram Valartha Nayagi. She is housed in a separate shrine facing north. She is beautiful and is seen in standing posture. The Goddess has her left foot forward as if coming down to answer the prayers of her devotees which is noteworthy. Her shrine is located on the right side of the Sanctum.

The Navagraha shrine (9 planets) in front of the Goddess is on a stage designed as a lotus. Thiruvalam Sri Mouna Guruswamigal installed this new Panchavarna Navagraha idol in the temple. Sun appears on a chariot drawn by seven horses with his consorts Usha and Pradyusha. Charioteer Aruna is holding the reins. This is a rare form. Days are calculated on the basis of the journey time of Sun. It is said that worshipping Sun on special days as Ratha Sapthami in the Thai (January-February) month is very beneficial. The floor portion of the shrine is yellow, lower part is white, the Lotus part is red, chariot black and the deities are in green – five colours. This is a different temple design.

There is a multi-pillared mandapam located between the two temples. The figure of Lord Sarabeswara is found in one of the pillars. This sculpture has become very popular in the recent years. Pooja is performed to Sarabeswara at the Rahu Kalam time (4.30 – 6.00 p.m) on Sundays. Due to this, the Sunday Pradoshams sees heavy crowd. There is also a perennial lamp near Sarabeswara.

There are shrines of Kasi Viswanathar with his consort Visalakshi and Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli & Deivanai, located adjacent to each other behind the sanctum. Saint Arunagirinathar has sung in praise of this Muruga calling him Kosainagar Vaazh Muruga. Vinayagar shrine is located in the outer prakaram at the south west corner of the temple. The shrines of Jurakeswarar, Shasta, Somaskandar, Gnana Saraswathi, Mahalakshmi and Nalvar are also found in the outer prakaram of this temple.

Yaha Salai and 4 Pillared Mandapam can be found in the outer prakaram of the Temple. The temple also maintains a beautiful garden (Nandhavanam) along the outer prakaram. The holy tree (Sthala Vriksham) of this temple is Jack tree. Theertham associated with this Temple is Lava Kusa Theertham, believed to have been created by the two sons of Sri Rama.

The temple has 14 inscriptions, which date back to the period of Kulothunga Chozhan III and the Vijayanagar kings. These inscriptions, besides explaining the gifts made to the temple, show that the area formed part of Mangattu Nadu in Kulothunga Chozha Valanadu in Puliyur Kottam of Jayankonda Chozha Mandalam. They give the name of the place as Kosai Nagar, Koyattipuram and Prayachithapuram and call the deity Kurungalaandar. Kulothunga Chozhan is said to have ruled in the 12^th Century and the temple here was reportedly built during this period.

Manonmaneesar Temple, Vijayanarayanam, Thirunelveli

Manonmaneesar Temple, Vijayanarayanam, Thirunelveli

Manonmaneesar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Vijayanarayanam in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is called as Manonmaneesar and Mother is called as Manonmaneeswari / Shivakami. The Temple is famous for Pournami Girivalam (Circumbulation on Pournami days.

As per Tamirabarani Mahatmiyam, five important Shiva temples in Tirunelveli region were considered as Pancha Aasana Sthalams. This Temple is considered to be part of Pancha Aasana Sthalams of Thirunelveli District.

Pancha Asana Sthalams are as follows;

·        Kalakkad Satyavageeswarar Temple

·        Ervadi Tiruvazhundeesar Temple

·        Nanguneri Tirunageshwarar Temple

·        Vijayanarayanam Manonmaneesar Temple

·        Shenbagaramanallur Ramalingar Temple

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/10/manonmaneesar-temple-vijayanarayanam-legends.html

The Temple

Presiding Deity is called as Manonmaneeswarar. Lord is facing east and housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. Vimanam over the sanctum is called as Manonmani Vimanam. Dwajasthambam, Balipeedam and Nandhi can be found facing towards sanctum. Here Nandhi can be seen in leaning position, as if Nandhi is ready to hear the grievances of devotees and solve it with the help of Lord Shiva.

Mother is called as Manonmaneeswari / Shivakami. She is facing south. Mother Shrine is located to the right side of the sanctum. There are shrines for 63 Nayanmars, Vinayagar, Dakshinamoorthy, Kanni Moola Vinayagar, Kasi Viswanathar, Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, Chandikeswarar, Bhairavar and 21 Siddhars in the Temple premises.

There is a Theertham called Manonmani Theertham (Sivagangai Theertham) located in front of the Temple. The water from this Theertham has many medicinal values. Vallanadu Siddhar Sadhu Chidambara Swamigal used to treat patients with the water from this Theertham.

Inscriptions

There is an inscription dated to 17th regnal year of Pandya King Sadaiyan Maran on the south wall of the Temple. It records the gift of money made to the god Karrali-Perumanadigal of the Manomaya-Isvaram temple by a certain Tiruvengada Erichchi in the name of Puvanavan Tirumaladhikarigal of Valainjiya-Kurichchi. The Perunguri-sabha of the village which met in the temple on a day of the solar eclipse in that year invested this amount in the purchase of land 6 ma in extent. As the month in which the solar eclipse occurred has not been specified, the year cannot be calculated.

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 5.30 AM to 1.00 PM and 04.00 PM to 10.00 PM.

Festivals

Shivarathri and Pournami days are celebrated in this Temple with much pomp and glory.

Contact

Manonmaneesar Temple,

Vijayanarayanam,

Thirunelveli District – 627 119

Mobile: +91 98421 93453 / 99629 19933

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 8 Kms from Parappadi, 18 Kms from Thisayanvilai, 20 Kms from Nanguneri Railway Station, 23 Kms from Nanguneri, 38 Kms from Tirunelveli, 57 Kms from Tuticorin Airport and 136 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram Airport. The Temple is situated on Nanguneri to Thisayanvilai Route. From Thisayanvilai, after crossing RECT Polytechnic College, take a right turn and the temple can be reached in another 5 Kms.

Location

Manonmaneesar Temple, Vijayanarayanam – Legends

Manonmaneesar Temple, Vijayanarayanam – Legends

1008 Shiva Kshetrams:

Mother Parvathi was doing penance on Lord Shiva for world welfare. She was having 1008 Lotus kept in her hands and she scattered all the flowers on earth. Wherever it touches the earth, Lord Shiva manifested in the form of Lingam and graces the devotees. These places are praised as 1008 Shiva Kshetrams. Vijayanarayanam is one among them and ranks 74th in the List.

Vijayanarayanam:

When Arjuna had a doubt that whether Pandavas would win the war against Guaranas, he came here on the advice of Sage Vyasa and worshipped Lord Vishnu of this place for Victory. As he won the war, he came here again and built a temple for Vishnu. He also made a settlement for 1008 Brahmanas in this Village. Since Arjuna (Vijayan) built the Temple for Vishnu (Narayana), this place came to be known as Vijayanarayanam.

Place for Salvation:

It was believed that Vijayanarayanam was once a forest abundant with Vilva Trees and Maruthani Trees. There was Swayambu Linga on the banks of Poigai River inside the forest. Sapta Rishis used to worship this Linga on Pournami Nights. Days rolled, once a hunter came to this forest and he did not had any catch. He climbed a Vilwa Tree and was taking rest. To pass time, he plucked Vilva leaves and threw down. Vilva leaves fell down on the Shiva Linga as if someone was doing Pooja to the Shiva Linga.

When he woke up in the morning, he was surprised to see Lord Shiva with Mother Parvathi. He worshipped them and asked Lord Shiva about the reason of darshan to him. Lord replied that you had done Shiva Pooja on Shivarathri night without sleeping and taking food. So, I came here to give salvation to you. Joyful hunter requested Lord to give salvation for anyone who worship Lord Shiva on Shivarathri and Pournami days. Lord accepted his wish. Worshipping Lord Shiva here is similar to worship Lord in Kailash. Worshipping him Shivarathri and Pournami days will make the devotees attain salvation.

Girivalam:

It was believed that Mother Parvathi, Sapta Rishis and 21 Siddhars circumbulate Lord Shiva on Pournami days. It is auspicious to worship Lord Shiva and circumbulate this Temple on Pournami days.

Pancha Manonmaneeswaram:

The place was called as Manonmaneeswaram. Since, Presiding Deity, Mother, Theertham, Vimanam and place has Manonmani as prefix, the place is called as Pancha Manonmaneeswaram.

Ramalingar Temple, Shenbagaramanallur, Thirunelveli

Ramalingar Temple, Shenbagaramanallur, Thirunelveli

Ramalingar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Shenbagaramanallur in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu. The Temple is located very close to famous Shenbagaramanallur Jaganatha Perumal Temple.

As per Tamirabarani Mahatmiyam, five important Shiva temples in Tirunelveli region were considered as Pancha Aasana Sthalams. This Temple is considered to be part of Pancha Aasana Sthalams of Thirunelveli District.

Pancha Asana Sthalams are as follows;

·        Kalakkad Satyavageeswarar Temple

·        Ervadi Tiruvazhundeesar Temple

·        Nanguneri Tirunageshwarar Temple

·        Vijayanarayanam Manonmaneesar Temple

·        Shenbagaramanallur Ramalingar Temple

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1 Km from Shenbagaramanallur Jaganatha Perumal Temple, 10 Kms from Nanguneri Bus Station, 10 Kms from Nanguneri Railway Station, 31 Kms from Thirunelveli, 55 Kms from Tuticorin Airport, 138 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram Airport and 198 Kms from Madurai Airport. Ananthapuri Express stops at Nanguneri. From Nanguneri, take an auto to reach the temple. Also, share auto/share van run every hour. Bus ply every hour from Nanguneri towards Moolaikaripetti. One can get down at the Shenbagaramanallur junction – 2 Kms away and take a local auto to the temple.

Location