Kamakala Kameshwarar Temple, Triplicane, Chennai
Kamakala Kameshwarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Narayana Krishnaraja Puram in Triplicane in Chennai City of Tamilnadu. The Temple is believed to be built by a family belonging to the Kayasth community, which had its origins in present day Uttar Pradesh.
History
The Nizams of Hyderabad had a tradition of employing Hindu Kayasths in the administration. The Nawabs of Arcot followed the same practice. Among the confidential munshis or secretaries of Nawab Mohammad Ali Walajah (1749-1795) was Makhan Lal Khirat. When the ruler built the Big Mosque in Triplicane, it was this trusted aide who composed the chronogram for it, which is enshrined above the mihrab — the niche that indicates the direction of the Holy Kaaba. It is perhaps the only instance in the world, of a Hindu’s work adorning a mosque — a true illustration of the city’s secular character.
Makhan Lal was given the honorific of Rai Raja by the Nawab. A branch of the family, titled the Junior Line, was stationed in Hyderabad, where it managed the properties of the Arcot family in that city. The Senior Line, which remained in Madras, was headed after Makhan Lal by his son Rai Raja Tekam Chand Bahadur. The Junior Line was contrary to its name; it was the more powerful one, given its proximity to the Nizams of Hyderabad. By the 1850s, the branches were headed by cousins — both having the same name of Ishwar Das.
The Madras one, Tekam Chand’s son, was born on 13 June 1826. He was given the titles of Rai Raja and Dayavant Bahadur, while his cousin in Hyderabad was styled Rajwant Bahadur. Both sides of the family came to grief in 1855, when the British terminated the rule of the Nawabs. The Hyderabad cousin fared better for he was taken into the service of the Nizam, styling himself thereafter as Ishwar Das Walajahi. The Madras Ishwar Das did not fare badly either.
That he was clearly not wanting in wealth is evident from the British Government thanking him in 1890 for his public services and recognizing the titles conferred on him by the Nawabs. Rai Raja Ishwar Das Lala Dayavant Bahadur as he liked to be referred to lived off Pycrofts Road (now Bharati Salai) where a street is named after him. A parallel street is Raja Hanumantha Lala Lane, taking its name from a kinsman. It was in this street that Ishwar Das built a temple for Kamakala Kameswarar, installing a white Shiva Linga in it.
Following his death in the late 1890s, his son Lakshmi Chand took over the management. In 1924, Lakshmi Chand filed for insolvency and the temple’s administration came under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board of the Government in 1926. With that its localization began, including the legend that it is at least 800 years old. It bears no trace of its Kayasth origins.
The Temple
This temple is tucked in the quite lane of Raja Hanumantha Lala street, the nearest landmarks being the Gosha Hospital and the Mani Iyer Hall. The Presiding deities of Sri Kameswarar Temple are The Lord Kameswarar and goddess Kameswari. The Lord is in the form of a Swetha Bana Lingam and Ambal with a Tribangi swaroopam.
Festivals
This small temple brims with festivals throughout the year. The Annual 10-day Brahmotsavam is held in the month of Chitra (Chitra Pournami). Apart from this the other festivals include Regular Kiruthigai Utsavams, Pavitrotsavam, Vasanthotsavam, Navarathri Utsavam, Panguni Uttiram, Adi Kritika and Aani Thirumanjanam.
Connectivity
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Location