Kailasanathar Temple, Manimangalam, Kanchipuram
Kailasanathar
Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva located at Manimangalam Village in
Kanchipuram District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity is known as Kailasanathar
and Mother is known as Gnanambikai. Manimangalam is a small locality located
near Tambaram, which in turn is located near Chennai in Tamilnadu state of
India. Manimangalam is a historical site. The great battle between the Chalukya
King Pulikesin and the Pallava King Narasimha Pallava was fought in Manimangalam
in the 7th century CE.
History
The
temple was built by the Telugu Chola King Vijaya Balaya Chola in 950 CE. Later,
this temple was renovated during various periods by Raja Raja Chola (985 AD),
Rajendra Chola (1014 AD) and Kulothunga Chola (1070 AD) as per the local
inscriptions available. The earliest references to Manimangalam are in relation
to a battle fought between the Western
Chalukya ruler Pulikesin
II and the Pallava King Narasimhavarman
I.
This
fact is mentioned in the copper plates discovered at Kooram. Kalki has written
about the Manimangalam battle in Sivagamiyin Sabatham. He describes how
Mahendra Varma Pallava was injured in the battle at Manimangalam, and how his
son Narasimha Varma Pallava and his trusted lieutenant Paranjothi vanquished
Pulikesin's army.
The
Temple
The east
facing temple is completely renovated now. Except for the granite sanctum
sanctorum and probably the main deity, everything else in the temple is new. The
temple does not have tower (Raja gopuram). The sanctum sanctorum enshrines Shiva
Linga called as Kailasanathar. The Goddess Gnanambikai is found in a separate
south facing shrine. She is found in the standing posture and has four arms. Nandi
mandapa and Bali peetham are found facing towards the main shrine.
The
exterior wall around the sanctorum has the niche idols of Nardana Ganapati, Dakshinamurti,
Lingodbhava, Brahma and Vishnu Durga. The idols of Chandikeshwarar, Navagraha
and Bhairava are also found in the temple. In the prakara the sub shrines of Selva
Vinayaka and Shanmukha with his two consorts are located. Shanmukha idol is beautiful.
He has six faces and twelve arms and is seated on a peacock.
Connectivity
Kailasanathar
Temple is a Hindu
temple located at Manimangalam, near Tambaram, a suburb of Chennai. The temple is about 12 kms from Tambaram on the
Mudichur road and 5 kms from Vandalur on the Sriperumpudur highway. One can
take the Tambaram - Sriperumpudur bus (route numbers: 55N, 80, 583C, 583D) to
reach the temple.
References