Dakshina Kaliyamman Temple, Senthamangalam, Thiruvarur
Dakshina Kaliyamman Temple is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Kali located
in Senthamangalam Village in Thiruvarur District of Tamilnadu. Presiding Deity
is called as Dakshina Kali and gracing the devotees here since 1983. The Mother
is also named and revered as Bhavadharini (literally ‘redeemer of Universe’)
and Devi (Literally “Feminine form of Lord Shiva’). The Temple is facing west
unlike the Dakshineshwar temple - Kolkata.
History
A.M.Ramamoorthy Swamigal was born in the year 1947 in
Tiruvarur. Swamigal grew up in Tiruvarur District of Tamilnadu. Upon his graduation he
served the society by establishing a school at Thiruvarur to educate poor taking
part as the Head Master. Swamigal was literate in Sanskrit and Veda. Swamigal once visited Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Kolkata (North India).
Swamigal was greatly fascinated by the way kali idol posed for her devotees as
a protector rather than a destroyer and the beautiful construction of temple
mandapam.
Few months later, Dakshina Kali appeared in his dream
and ordered him to construct a temple to protect her devotees in South India. From
that moment his ambition was to build a temple for Goddess Sri Dakshina Kali.
Swamigal decided to use his paddy field at his home town Senthamangalam, Thiruvarur
and completed the construction of the temple in the year 1983. Swamigal used to pray Goddess Dakshinakali for years together and was blessed
with deeksha by the Guru Sri Annan Swamigal.
Every Friday Swamigal after his poojas used to sit down
in his chamber beside the temple premises for uttering Arul Vaaku (believed to
be words/ solutions/ guidance/ blessing conveyed by the God herself) in the name
of Mother, for his devotees. Swamigal later reached the feet of Mother on
23 Aug 2002. Swamiji succeeded by his wife Smt. Saroja Ramamoorthy and her
two daughters Mrs. Arulmozhidevi Saravanaselvan & Mrs. Bhavadharini
Rajeshkumar who are now managing / conducting the temple affairs.
The
Temple
The Main Vigraham / idol of Sri Dakshina Kali is made of
mirror finished pancha-loham which is an alloy of five metals gold, silver,
brass, copper, and tin. The face of Dakshina Kali is generally portrayed as a
beautiful girl rather than a fearsome hag. Mother stands, with her right
foot forward (one meaning of "Dakshina"), upon the corpse like body
of her husband, Lord Shiva is formless and absolutely unmoving. In her fury,
fails to see the body of Shiva, who lies among the corpses on the battlefield
and steps on his chest. Realizing Shiva lies beneath her feet, anger was
pacified and calms in fury. Kali was ashamed at the prospect of keeping her
husband beneath her feet and thus stuck her tongue out of humiliation.
Mother shows her awful aspect in upper left hand holding
a blooded sword and lower left hand clutches a freshly severed head. Mother
shows her beneficent side in upper right hand as abhaya mudra the hand position
which says "Fear not” and lower right hand as Dakshina mudra (another
reason mother bears the same name) which indicates giving of boons to her
children. Kali wears a garland made of 52 skulls and a skirt made of
dismembered arms because the ego comes out of identification with the body. It
suggests that physical body is false and spirit is the only reality.
Her black or sometimes dark blue skin represents the
womb of the unmanifest from which all of creation is born and into which all of
creation will ultimately return. Therefore, the concepts of colour, light,
dark, good or bad do not apply to her as she is the pure, un-manifested energy,
the Adishakti. The idol Shiva Lingam beneath the Dakshinakali clearly
implies that they cannot be separated. Besides the main deity, the temple premises
also hold idols of Sri Vinayagar, Sri Murugar, Sri Anjaneyar, Sri
Muneeswarar, Sri Naagar, Navagrahams and Sri Bairavar.
Festivals
Shivarathri, Aadi Pooram and Navarathri are the main festivals
being celebrated in a grand manner in this temple.
Contact
Om Sri Arulmigu Dakshina Kali Temple
(Arulmigu Dakshina Kali Arakattalai)
Senthamangalam, Thiruvarur 610001
Mobile: +91 – 8220482224
Overseas: 0065 – 84042438
Email: admin@dakshinakali.in
Email: omshridakshinakali@gmail.com
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Tiruvarur
Railway Junction situated on State Highway 23 which connects Tiruvarur –
Mayiladuthurai. The Temple is located at about 4 Kms from Thiruvarur, 38 Kms
from Mayiladuthurai and 118 Kms from Trichy. Nearest Airport is located at
Trichy.
