Chidambareswarar Temple, Choolai, Chennai

Chidambareswarar Temple, Choolai, Chennai

Chidambareswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Choolai in Chennai, the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity is called as Chidambareswarar / Nataraja and Mother is called as Sivakami / Umaiyambigai. This Temple is believed to be 150 years old. The temple is considered equivalent to Chidambaram Nataraja Temple. 

This Temple is considered as one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalams of Chennai. This Temple represents Space Element. The Pancha Bootha Sthalam equivalents in Chennai are located at the heart of the city in the Flower Bazaar / Sowcarpet area. They are:

1) Kalatheeswarar Temple at Pavalakara (Coral Merchant) street, Mannady representing Air,

2) Arunachaleswarar Temple at Annapillai street representing Fire,

3) Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam representing Water,

4) Chidambaranatha (Nataraja) Temple near Choolai Post office representing Sky,

5) Ekambareswarar Temple at Mint representing Earth.

History

This is a small temple built around 150 years back by a Nataraja devotee, who couldn't visit Chidambaram town frequently. As per record at the entrance of the temple dated to 1912, states about the endowment of two houses one in Peddanaickenpet and the other in Choolai by Kancheepuram Venkatesa Mudali and his wife Muniammal. The temple is under the control of Tamil Nadu, HRCE department.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2019/01/chidambareswarar-temple-choolai-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.00 AM to 11.30 AM and 05.00 PM to 09.00 PM.

Festivals

Six special abhishekam are done every year during Marghazhi Thiruvadhirai, Chitirai Thiruvonam, Aani Uthiram, Avani Chaturdasi, Puratasi Chaturdasi, Masi Chaturdasi. The Annual Brahmotsavam is celebrated in month of January starting from Arurdra Dharisanam.

Contact

Chidambareswarar Temple,

Choolai, Chennai – 600 012

Mobile: +91 99401 55930

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 400 meters from Choolai Bus Stop, 500 meters from Vasanthi Theatre Bus Stop, 2 Kms from Egmore Metro Station, 3 Kms from Egmore Railway Station, 3 Kms from Chennai Central Railway Station, 10 Kms from Koyambedu Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and 21 Kms from Chennai Airport. MTC Buses are available from various parts of Chennai City to this temple. The Temple is situated on the road opposite to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Town bus Nos 7E, 37 d, 37G, 38C, 138C, 34, 159A, 159B, 59 passes through the bus stop at the starting point of the A.P. Street (Avathana Paupiah Street) from various parts of the city.

Location

References

https://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/temples-within-chennai/

http://indiancolumbus.blogspot.com/2011/02/a-rare-temple-of-lord-nataraj-in-chennai.html

https://veludharan.blogspot.com/2015/12/sri-chidmbareswarar-temple-sri.html

Chidambareswarar Temple, Choolai – The Temple

Chidambareswarar Temple, Choolai – The Temple

The temple is facing east with an entrance between two concrete buildings. Stucco Idols of Dwarabalakar can be found at the entrance. The front mandapam arch has the stucco idols of Vinayaka, Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli & Devasena, Nataraja, Shiva and Parvathy sitting on Rishaba, Mother Parvathi on Rishaba, Nandikeswarar, Brahma and Manikkavasakar. Balipeedam, Nandi and Dwajastambam can be found facing the sanctum immediately after the main entrance.

Important and unique feature of the temple is to have the stone idols of Nataraja and Sivakami. Generally, only utsav (processional/metal) idols of Nataraja is found in the other temples. Presiding Deity is called as Chidambareswarar / Nataraja and Mother is called as Sivakami / Umaiyambigai. Presiding Deity Nataraja with his consort Sivakami is on an elevated sanctum and people are not allowed on the platform in front of presiding deity for dharshan.

Abhishekam is conducted 6 times in a year to presiding deity and daily two times (Morning 08.30 AM and Night 08.30 PM) abhishekam is done for spadika Lingam kept in a box.  Most of the procedures followed are very much similar to Chidambaram Nataraja Temple. The corridor (prakara) has the shrine of the Goddess Sivakami / Umaiyambigai. There is a shrine for Govindaraja Perumal with his two consorts Sridevi & Bhoodevi and his mount Garuda found in the prakara.

There is a separate shrine for Tirumoolanathar (Shiva Linga) with Ambal Thirupurasundari. Dakshinamurti, Chandikeswarar, Nalvars, Navagraha, Kala Bhairava and Durga idols are also found in the temple. There is a small shrine for Ganesha along with Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli and Devasena. Sthala Vriksham is Vilvam Tree. Idols of Ganesha and Shiva Linga are found below the Sthala Vriksham (Sacred tree).

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam, Chennai

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam, Chennai

Gangadareswarar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Purasaiwakam in Chennai, the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Presiding Deity is called as Gangadareswarar and Mother is called as Pankajambal. This temple had been mentioned in one of the Thevaram Hymns by Sundarar. Hence the Temple is considered as Thevara Vaippu Sthalams.

The temple is considered equivalent to Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswarar Temple. This Temple is considered as one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalams of Chennai. This Temple represents Water Element. The Pancha Boodha Sthalam equivalents in Chennai are located at the heart of the city in the Flower Bazaar / Sowcarpet area. They are:

1) Kalatheeswarar Temple at Pavalakara (Coral Merchant) street, Mannady representing Air,

2) Arunachaleswarar Temple at Annapillai street representing Fire,

3) Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam representing Water,

4) Chidambaranatha (Nataraja) Temple near Choolai Post office representing Sky,

5) Ekambareswarar Temple at Mint representing Earth.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2019/01/gangadareswarar-temple-purasaiwakam-legends.html

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2019/01/gangadareswarar-temple-purasaiwakam-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 07.00 A.M to 11.00 A.M and 04.30 P.M to 09.00 P.M.

Pooja Timings

Daily poojas are conducted for four time in this famous temple.

Pooja Name	Timings
Kala Santhi	7.30 A.M
Ukshakala Pooja	11.00 A.M
Sayaratchai Pooja	4.30 P.M
Artha Jamam & Palliyarai Pooja	9.00 P.M

Festivals

Pradhosha Poojas, Brahmotsavam, Shivaratri, Thiruvathirai, Navratri, Saturn Transit, Jupiter Transit and Vasantha Utsavam are the festivals celebrated in this Temple.

Contact

Gangadareswarar Temple,

No,131 Gangadareswarar Koil Street,

Purasaiwakam, Chennai – 600 084

Phone: +91 44 2642 2487

Email: gangadeeswarartemple@gmail.com 

Web: http://www.purasawalkamgangadeeswarartemple.tnhrce.in/

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 100 meters from Purasaiwakkam Tank Bus Stop, 1 Km from Nehru Park Metro Station, 1.5 Kms from Egmore Metro Station, 2 Kms from Kilpauk Metro Station, 2 Kms from Egmore Railway Station, 3 Kms from Chennai Central Railway Station, 7 Kms from Koyambedu Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and 21 Kms from Chennai Airport. MTC Buses are available from various parts of Chennai City to this temple. Buses X23C, 20, S07H, S27D, S07F, S23C and 29E will take you to this Temple.

Location | Photos

References

https://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/temples-within-chennai/

http://www.purasawalkamgangadeeswarartemple.tnhrce.in/

https://veludharan.blogspot.com/2019/08/sri-gangadeeswarar-temple-purasawalkam.html

http://indiancolumbus.blogspot.com/2011/06/gangadeeswarar-temple-chennai-india.html

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam – Legends

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam – Legends

Gangadareswarar:

As Lord Shiva held the river Ganga on his head when it was falling from heaven to the earth, the Lord got the name Gangadareswarar. It is believed that the king Bhagirath who was trying to bring the river Ganga to the earth prayed to Lord Shiva and only then Shiva let the Ganges to flow down from his head. It is also believed that the site where the temple is located today is where the king Bhagirath prayed to Lord Shiva. 

Bhagirath installed his 1008^th Linga here:

As per another legend, the king Bhagirath got a curse. As per the advice from the saint Narada, he installed 1008 Shiva Lingas in various places. The site where he installed 1008^th Shiva Linga is the current day's Gangadareswarar temple. It is also believed that the place where he spilled Ganga water was formed as the temple tank.

Purasaiwakam:

This area gets its name from the Purasai (Palasha) tree, or Flame of the Forest, which must once have grown in abundance here. Perhaps it was a sacred grove of these trees. Our ancients knew it had a number of medicinal uses other than religious significance and wanted to preserve it. Alas, there is but one Purasai tree here today. Luckily, it is the sacred tree of the Gangadareswarar temple and, being inside its precincts, is well protected. Hence this place came to be called as Purasaiwakam.

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam – The Temple

Gangadareswarar Temple, Purasaiwakam – The Temple

This is a big east facing temple built in the typical South Indian architectural style. It has a beautiful 5-tiered Rajagopuram (tower), flag staff (Dhwaja Stambha) and Bali Peetha. The idol of Nandi (the divine bull) can be found facing the sanctum sanctorum similar to any other South Indian Shiva temple. Presiding Deity is called as Gangadareswarar and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of small Shiva Linga. The wall surrounding the main shrine has the images of Ganesha, Dhakshinamoorthi, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga.

The mandapa opposite the main sanctum, from where you can also see the shrine for Goddess Pankajambal, is very modern. Apparently, it was constructed in 1964 when the temple was renovated. A rare stone image here, not usually seen in temples, is of Bhagiratha, a king who performed penance to Siva for bringing the River Ganga to earth from the heavens. Adjacent to the sanctum sanctorum, there is another shrine facing the east direction having Somaskanda idols.

Mother is called as Pankajambal. She is housed in a separate south facing shrine situated very near to sanctum. The temple also has another entrance, Bali Peetha and flag staff opposite to the shrine of Pankajambal. The smaller prakara (corridor) surrounding the shrines of Gangadareswarar, Somaskanda and Pankajambal have various idols and small shrines. The idols of Surya and Chandra are found facing the shrine of Gangadareswarar.

The idols of Nalvar, Nagaraj, Bhagiratha, Kasi Viswanathar, Veerabhadra, Sekkizhar, Kulachirai Nayanar, Surya, Shanmukha, Durga, Bhairava, Dakshina Murti, Chandikeshvara and another Bhairava are located in the small prakara.  The small shrines of Maha Ganapati, Subramanya with his consorts Valli and Devasena, Bala Subramanya, Nataraja Utsava (bronze) idol with Sivakami, Vaitheeswarar (Shiva Linga) along with Ganesha, Uchishta Ganapati with Siddhi and Shiva Linga with Manonmani.

The big prakara has the shrine where the bronze idols of 63 Nayanmars are placed. The walls have paintings depicting the stories of Lord Shiva. These are not old paintings. They are very recent time additions. There is a tree under which a Shiva Linga named Kurunda Malleswarar and Nandi are found. It is believed that the great devotee Manikavasagar preached under this tree. A new attraction is the giant idol of Lord Shiva along with Shiva Linga and Bhagiratha.

Another surprise for the devotees is a rare shrine of Satyanarayana in this temple. Bana Linga shrine, Navagraha shrine and Ramalinga Adigalar idol are also found in the big prakara. Sthala Vriksham is Purasai Tree (Flame of the Forest). It is said that there are seven tanks in this temple complex, however only one is seen nowadays.

There are idols kept in this temple belongs to Thiruvenbakkam, presently called as Poondi Shiva temple. While constructing the Poondi Reservoir, Presiding Deity Oondreeswarar, Mother Minnoli Ambal, Vinayagar, Subramaniyar and Bairavar were brought and kept in this temple. After some years the Idols were installed in this temple itself. After completion of the Poondi reservoir the present temple at Poondi was reconstructed and when asked to shift the original Idols, Lord Shiva has not given permission and stayed here itself.  One of the Nandhi’s horn is in broken condition due to hitting of Sundarar's oontrukol, which can be seen. 

Most of the ancient inscriptions are missing. Only one Chola inscription remain in the temple. This inscription dates to the 13^th Century CE. It registers a donation made by a man named Neelakankaraiyan to the temple in Thiruvanmiyur (probably referring to the Marundeeswarar temple). A few other inscriptions have also been found in this temple and these belong to the reign of the Vijayanagara emperors. One such inscription can be dated to the 15^th Century CE and perhaps belongs to Deva Raya I or Deva Raya II. It is written in the Tamil script of Vijayanagara times, but is unfortunately in a damaged condition, with only some portions readable.

On a stone slab found in this temple is another inscription belonging to the Vijayanagara times of the 16th century CE. It too is in Tamil. Unfortunately, this too is slightly damaged. It records that a person was employed in this temple to light the lamps daily. Another Vijaya­nagara inscription of the 16th Century CE found on the north wall of the sanctum sanctorum (garbha griha) is also in Tamil. This fragmented epigraph mentions devotees praying at the temple and giving gifts to the shrine.

Valmiki Temple, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai

Valmiki Temple, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai

Valmiki Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Sage Valmiki located at Thiruvanmiyur, well-known locality of Chennai City in Tamil Nadu. This is a small temple and some consider this is the Jeeva Samadhi of Sage Valmiki. It stands on the East Coast Road in the aptly named Valmiki Nagar. This temple is situated very close to the famous Marundeeswarar Shiva Temple.

Legends

Thiruvanmiyur:

Legend has it that poet Valmiki, after writing the Ramayana, was heading south along the sea shore and rested here. Hence, the area is called Thiru-Valmiki-Oor and later corrupted to Thiruvanmiyur.

Valmiki:

One of the 18 Siddhas of Tamilnadu is Vanmeegar. Some say he is same as Valmiki who wrote Ramayana. Maharishi Valmiki is considered as one of the main Gurus of the Valmiki (Balmiki) sect.

History

The Maharishi Valmiki temple in Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai is believed to be around 1300 years old. The Temple was constructed during Chola reign. Valmiki temple is in the middle of the road and the highways department wanted to remove it. But it was stopped due to protests from various people. A few years ago, it was by the side of the road. A few decades ago, this was a part of the Marundeeswarar temple land. The East Coast Road, as it is known today was built only in 1998. Prior to that, the only road connecting Chennai to Pondicherry is the OMR road as it is known today. Now the Valmiki temple is officially under the supervision of Maruntheeswarar temple.

The Temple

This is a very small Temple and it is situated in the middle of the road. The Temple looks like a mandapam.

Festivals

Every year, the Brahmotsavam festival is held with great devotion here in the month of March. The celebrations are marked by a special pooja. Poojas or prayer sessions are also conducted every month on the full moon day.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2019/01/valmiki-temple-thiruvanmiyur-connectivity.html

Location

Valmiki Temple, Thiruvanmiyur – Connectivity

Valmiki Temple, Thiruvanmiyur – Connectivity

The temple is situated in the middle of the Road on the East Coast Road in Thiruvanmiyur located at about 13 Kms from the center of Chennai. The East Coast Road starting in Thiruvanmiyur leads to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry.

By Road:

The area is easily accessible by Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses and has a sprawling bus terminus. This temple is well connected by town buses from every part of Chennai city. Any Buses from Chennai going towards Mamallapuram, Kalpakkam and Pondicherry via ECR will stop at Thiruvanmiyur Bus Stop. The Temple is situated very close to Thiruvanmiyur Bus Stop. The temple is located at about 250 meters from Thiruvanmiyur Bus Terminus and 14 Kms from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus.

Route Number	Start	End	Via
147B	Koyambedu, Chennai	Thiruvanmiyur	Velachery
23C	Ayanavaram	Thiruvanmiyur	Egmore
1	Ennore	Thiruvanmiyur	Central
588A/c	Koyambedu, Chennai	Mahabalipuram	ECR
	Koyambedu, Chennai	Pondicherry	ECR
589A/c	Velachery	Mahabalipuram	ECR
599A/c	T. Nagar	Mahabalipuram	ECR
T51	Tambaram East	Thiruvanmiyur	OMR

By Train:

Thiruvanmiyur Railway station, opposite to Tidel Park, is on the Mass Rapid Transit System Railway line which connects Velachery and Beach via Chennai Central (Park Station). It is located at about 1 Km from the Temple. The Temple is located at about 12 Kms from Chennai Central Railway Station and 12 Kms from Egmore Railway Station.

By Air:

Nearest Airport is Chennai Airport located at about 13 Kms from the Temple.