Ujjain Maha Kali Amman Temple, Makalikudi, Samayapuram
– The Temple
The
temple is facing north. Presiding Deity is called as Ananda Sowbaghya Sundari. The
small brass deity here is unique with 8 hands. Presiding deity Azhagammai appears very beautifully with four hands in
a standing form. Ananda Sowbaghya Sundari has only three hands while she has
four, eight or twelve hands as a rule. She has a skull in one hand, trident in
the second and a torch in the third. Though she appears ready to kill a demon, her
face is very calm and smiling. She doesn’t have any fierce tooth on sides as
Kali generally appears. That is why, the Kali is named Ananda Sowbaghya Sundari
showing that She is very happy after destroying the demon.
Goddesses Kamakshi Amman, Iccha Shakti, Gnana
Shakti and Kriya Shakti grace in the walls of the prakara in idol forms.
Generally, Lord Vinayaka and Lord Subramanya grace at the entrance of the
temple in left and right sides, here it is vice-versa. A Shivalinga is sculpted
on the wall. While Lord Shiva with Mother Umadevi on his left appears as
Arthanareeswara, Mother Goddess had taken this position in this temple with a
single breast. Sri Ananda Sowbaghya Sundari temple is the only one where such a
form can be seen.
The Eka Kalasa design is generally found on the
Vimana (tower) on the sanctum sanctorum only in Shiva temples. Such a pattern
is followed in this temple also with Eka Kalasa on the tower of the sanctum
sanctorum. As a tradition, more Kalasas are found in Goddesses temple. The Eka
Kalasa reminds the fact that Lord Shiva is here in the Goddess form. Lord
Vinayaka in the temple is known as Valampuri Vinayakar. There is a sculpture of
Lord Krishna as a crawling child tied in the Pinnai tree on the outer corridor
(prakara) of the temple. His head is tonsured.
In another shrine, Aiyanar with all ornaments
appears with the elephant vehicle in front of him. Sri Srinivasa Perumal with
Mother Lakshmi graces from another shrine. The Guardian deity of Madurai,
Madurai Veeran graces here too with his consorts Bommi and Vellaiammal. Goddess
Ujjaini Kaliyamman also graces in the temple. It is said that king Vikramaditya
offered this idol to this temple. As a proof of this, there are idols of the
Vedhalam (a ghost associated with the story of Vikramaditya) and that of his
wise minister Kaluvan.
It is noteworthy that Vedhalam is not in idol form
anywhere in any temple. There are also an Ananda Nardana Vinayaka (Lord
Vinayaka in dancing form) idol made of Aimpon and also a Vinayaka idol offered
to the temple by Sri Kanchi Maha Periaval Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathy
Swamigal. Karuppannasami is an important deity in the temple who is always
locked with handcuff. It is said that the deity would ever be in the shrine
bound by the lock.
Only during festival days, the shrine is unlocked.
He will be independent on that day and would escort the Goddess on the car
festival day. Soon the car – Rath- reaches the shed back, Karuppannasami would
be locked again. Urchavar is Azhagammai.
Sthala Vriksham is Magizham. Theertham
is Sakthi Theertham and is having many herbal powers and believed to
cure mental diseases.
