Periya Anjaneyar Temple, Ambur – The Temple
The temple is situated amidst the bustle of a small
industrial town. The 11-foot idol of Hanuman carved out of hard black stone
here is in the posture of crushing Sani Bhagwan under his foot. Since this
is a Ugra stance, nearby is another idol of Hanuman so that people can worship him. There are two
vigrahas or Statues of the Lord and the Main Anjaneya is on left side inside
the Garbhagriha and cannot be viewed or seen directly from the Main entrance
and another Anjaneya statue is in the main entrance and this is a Rare type and
said that all Shani Dosha parihara will be solved by Visiting this temple.
Interestingly, the main deity Hanuman is placed in
one corner of the sanctum sanctorum facing south. This is considered
a rarity in India. It is believed that, because devotees lit oil lamps at
this temple, it got rid of the harmful effects of Saneeswara, in one stroke. The
temple has been drawing thousands of devotees steadily. The Temple has a huge Deepasthamba found in front of the
temple. Sthala Vriksham is Nelli Tree.
The idol and the temple are believed to have been
renovated probably in 1489, during the period of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar
kingdom who then ruled this region. An inscription found in one
corner of the temple testifies to this fact. The temple tower
contains some extremely beautiful sculptures of the Raya dynasty. In 1976, the
temple was taken over by the HR & CE department of the State Government. In
1987, Maha Kumbabishekam was performed.
In the eastern corner of Ambur town, in a place
called Anaimadugu, a rocky foot print, believed to be that of Hanuman, receives
special poojas once a year during the Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations. It is
said that Hanuman holding the Parvatha hills in one hand and standing on
Saneeswara made a big leap from here to cross the Indian Ocean to reach Sri
Lanka where he gave the herb to revive Lakshmana.
