The Temples

Kanchi Kamakshi Temple

Kanchi Kamakshi temple is situated at about 5 acres of land and has four entrances. The main entrance of the temple has a Kalabhairavar deity on its left and the Mahishasura Mardini deity on the right. On the centre of the entrance you can see a huge Dwajasthampa. Moving further to the entrance of the Kamakshi deity you can see a Vinayaga deity. Moving on a straight line further, Goddess Kamakshi is visible. Goddess Kamakshi is surrounded by deities of Ayyapan, Saraswati, Annaporani and Adisankaracharya on its outer prakaram. The Goddess also has Varahi, Arupalakshmi Kalvarperumal (one of the 108 Divya Desam of Vaishanavities), Roopalakshmi and Arthanariswarar deities surrounding the sanctorum of Goddess on its Gayatri Mandapam. There is Santhanasthampam inside the prakaram of Goddess which is called the Nabisthan of the Goddess. There is a Srichakra Yantra (Sri Kamakoti Peetam) established by Jagadguru Sri Adisankaracharya in front of the Goddess deity. There is also a temple tank inside the premises. Kamakshi temple has a close relation with the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and its successive Sankarcharyas. The temple has a gallery of Adisankarcharya's Life history inside the temple premises itself. Goddess Kamakshi is the main deity and the temple is one of the fifty one Shakti peetas. The temple is spelled as Nabisthana - Ottiyana peetam. The temple also has a golden Gopuram on the sanctorum of the Goddess Kamakshi deity which is visible to all devotees.

Goddess Kamakshi


The Goddess Kamakshi is in a sitting posture in the temple. This posture is called the Padmasana posture. The Padmasana posture is said to resemble a lotus. In the Yogic practice this resembles the form of meditation. The Goddess holds a Sugarcane bow on her left upper arm and Lotus, Parrot in her right upper arm. The Goddess also has divine chakras called Pasa and Angusa in her arms.

The Goddess also has a Chandraperai (a shape of moon like structure) in her forehead. The Goddess Kamakshi is situated in the middle of temple premises.

History reveals that Goddess Kamakshi was praying under a mango tree with a Shiva lingam made of sand to marry the great Lord Shiva. After a long duration of dedicated and devoted meditation to Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva appeared before her and married the Goddess Kamakshi, a divine form of Parvati. There are no traditional Parvati or Shakti shrines in the city of Kanchipuram, apart from this temple, which adds even more legend to this temple.

 

Sri Mayuranathar Temple, Mayiladuthurai



The temple in this Sthalam is one among the six temples which are compared as equivalent to the temple in Varanaasi. The other 5 shivasthalams are Tiruvenkaadu, Chaayaavanam, Tiruvaiyaru, Tiruvanchiam and Tiruvidaimarudur.

The temple is a unique blend of fine sculpture and exquisite architecture; it is designed with a beautiful tank and features several gopurams and mandapams. The temple has a nine-tiered 165 ft high Rajagopuram with 5 prakarams. There are 14 vimanas with numerous stucco images.

The sculptures of Lord Ganesh, Nataraja, Dakshinamurthy, Shiva-Uma-Alinganamurti, Lingodbhavar, Brahma, Ganga Visarjanamurti, Durga and Bhikshatanar from the period of Sembiyan Mahadevi (10th century) have been well preserved in the niches.

Inscriptions from the Imperial Chola period can be found in the temple.
Brahmotsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June).
Tula Utsavam, celebrated here, attracts thousands of devotees from far and near. Brahmotsavam, celebrated here in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June), is another major draw.

Description :
This is a vast and well maintained temple with a beautiful tank, several gopurams and mandapams in the town of Mayiladuturai (Mayuram). This is a temple of great religious significance, and is a hub in the temple belt of Tamilnadu. Several Shivastalams are located in the vicinity of Mayiladuturai.Legend has it that Dakshayani (Parvati) took the form of a peacock after her father’s Daksha Yagnam, worshipped Shiva here; Shiva is said to have taken a peacock form, performed the Gowri Tandavam and united with her here. Mayuranathar is believed to have quelled the Kaveri floods to make way for Sambandar and 4 of the Vallalar shrines in the vicinity are said to be manifestations of Mayuranathar. Interestingly, the Tiruppariyalur Veerattam where the Dakshayagnam is believed to have been performed, is located at a distance from 8 km from this temple. Mayiladuturai is in the midst of several shrines with puranic significance. The Sapta Matas are said to have worshipped Shiva at 7 of the temples in the vicinity including Vallalaar Kovil. Dakshinamurthy’s shrine in the nearby Vallalaar (Gurumoorthy – Vadhaanyeswarar) Koyil is of great significance. On the banks of the Kaveri, near the bathing ghats is the Kasi Viswanathar temple with vimanams along the lines of those at Benares.

This temple spread over 350000 sq feet has 5 prakarams, a 9 tiered 165 feet high Raja Gopuram, pillared halls with interesting sculptural work as well as 14 vimanams withseveral stucco images. Inscriptions from the Imperial Chola period are found here. The temple is managed by the Tiruvavaduturai Adhinam, while the Vallalar Koyil and Kaasi Viswanathar temple are managed by the Dharumapura Adhinam.

This temple was reconstructed with stone, during the period of Sembiyan Mahadevi (10th century); however renovations from the 19th century have destroyed the older structures and the inscriptions. Thankfully fine stone sculptures of Vinayakar, Natarajar, Siva-Uma-Alinganamurthy, Dakshimamurthy, Lingodbhavar, Bhrama, Ganga Visarjanamurthi, Durga and Bhikshatanar from the period of Sembiyan Mahadevi have been well preserved in their niches. From available inscriptions it is inferred that the Avayambal shrine came into existence during the period of Rajaraja Chola III (13th century). Till then, there must only have been a Bhogasakthi bronze image in the sanctum of Mayuranathar, as was the practice till separate Ambal shrines were introduced during the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120).

Festivals: Thousands of pilgrims converge here during the Thulaa (Libra) festival. A noteworthy feature of the Mayuranathar temple is the daily processional ritual to the banks of the Kaveri throughout the monsoon month of Libra. Shiva’s dance is enacted at the Aadi Sabhai on the 7th day of the grand festival in the month of Libra. The annual festival Bhrammotsavam is observed in the Tamil month of Vaikasi.

How to reach
This sivasthalam temple is located at Mayiladuturai, also known as Mayavaram and Mayooram. One of the 108 Divya Desam shrines of Lord Vishnu is also located in Mayiladuthurai and is more popularly known as TiruIndalur Parimala Ranganathan temple.

 

Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Gangaikonda Cholapuram (Tamil: கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்) was erected as the capital of the Cholas by Rajendra Chola I, the son and successor of Rajaraja Chola, the great Chola who conquered a large area in South India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (Kedah in Malaysia) at the beginning of the 11th century A.D. It occupies an important place in the history of India. As the capital of the Cholas from about 1025 A.D. for about 250 years, the city controlled the affairs of entire southern India, from the Tungabhadra in the north to Ceylon in the south and other south east Asian countries. The great temple of Siva at this place is next only to the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur in its monumental nature and surpasses it in sculptural quality.The Gangaikondaan temple is an architectural and engineering marvel because the shadow of the main tower never falls on the ground throughout the year.

City

Nandhi in Gangai Konda Cholapuram Temple



Stone sculpture of Gnana Saraswathi at the temple




The city was founded by Rajendra Chola to commemorate his victory over the Pala Dynasty. The name means The town of the chola who brought Ganga (water from Ganga) or who defeated (the kings near) Ganga. It is now a small village, its past eminence only remembered by the existence of the great Siva Temple.[SUP][1][/SUP]
Rajendra Chola-I (1012-1044 A.D) son of the Great Rajaraja-I, established this temple after his great victorious march to river Ganges on Northern India. He assumed the title of Rajendra during his coronation and continued to rule along with his father Rajaraja-I for a while. He was awarded the supreme title of the Cholas known as Parakesari.

Rajendra-I, a great warrior, assisted his father in numerous expeditions to elevate the Cholas to supreme power. The various expeditions he conducted, were : Gangetic expedition, eastern/Western Chalukyas expedition, war against Cheras/Pandyas, Ceylon expedition, Kataram (currently called as Kedah) expedition.

His empire included the whole of southern India to the river Thungabathra in the north. For administrative and strategic purposes he built another capital and named it Gangaikondacholapuram. The Gangaikondacholapuram temple he constructed consists of 3 stories and was surrounded by a huge fort-like wall, the outer wall largely destroyed during the English rule (1896) to reuse the building material (granite rocks) for constructing the Lower Anicut the dam built across river Kollidam. He built around 10 temples at various places.

He assumed the title of Gangaikonda Cholan and named his new capital as Gangaikondacholapuram and he also constructed a huge Lake known as Chola Gangam that spreads 22 km mainly used for drinking and irrigation. A statue of Rajendra-I is found in Kolaram temple at Kolar of Karnataka state in India.
C. 1022 C.E. Rajendra undertook an expedition to the Ganges along the east coast of peninsular India. The emperor himself lead the army up to the banks of the Godavari river. The Chola armies conquered all the countries north of Vengi, which included Kalinga, Odda, Southern Kosala, the lower and upper Lada and finally the Vangaladesa (Bengal). The triumphant Chola armies brought back waters from the river Ganges in golden vessels. Around the same time, the Cholas under the illustrious Rajendra Chola I also vanquished the Chalukyas of Manyakheta when the Chola protectorate of Vengi was threatened by Chalukyas Jayasimha II. Rajendra Chola I defeated Jayasimha-II Chalukya at Maski (Muyangi in Chola annals) between Eluru and Visayavadai (modern Vijayawada) and subsequently engaged the Chalukya in Kannada country itself i.e. in the Chalukyas capital of Mannaikadakkam (Manyakheta) "the war in which the Chalukya Jayasimha-II, full of fear, hid like a mouse and fled the battlefield". The Chola armies seized the Chalukya flag, decapitated or slew various generals of the Chalukyas, with the Chalukyan king fleeing the battlefield. The Chalukya King surrendered his wife to the victorious Chola monarch. With the Chola coffers filling up with riches from the Chalukya country, they were able to establish their hold of the region between the Vaigai/Kaveri delta in Tamil country up to the Tungabhadra-Krishna basins in the Maharashtra-Andhra region. To commemorate this celebrated victory, Rajendra assumed the title of Gangaikonda Cholan, "Irattapadi-konda Cholan", "Mannai-kondan" (the king who possessed Irattapadi (erstwhile land of the Rashtrakutas usurped by the Salukkis (Chalukyas) and the king who possessed (the Chalukyan capital) Manyakheta (Mannaikadakkam in Chola annals) and had the Siva Temple Gangakkondacholeswaram built(***). Soon the capital was moved from Thanjavur to Gangaikondacholapuram. The city of Gangaikondacholapuram was probably founded by Rajendra before his 17th year. Most of the Chola kings who succeeded Rajendra were crowned here. They retained it as their capital, reoriented and trained the efficient Chola army.

Chola Dravidian culture

Chola rulers were active patrons of the arts. They flourished in architectures, education, science, arts, ship construction, poetry, drama, music, business trading, dance. The beautiful Nataraja figure was first conceived during the Chola empire.
They constructed enormous stone temple complexes decorated inside and out with painted sculptures. While the stone sculptures and the inner sanctum image empowering the temple remained immovable, changing religious concepts during the 10th century demanded that the deities take part in a variety of public roles similar to those of a human monarch. As a result, large bronze images were created to be carried outside the temple to participate in daily rituals, processions, and temple festivals. The round lugs and holes found on the bases of many of these sculptures are for the poles that were used to carry the heavy images. They were admired for the sensuous depiction of the figure and the detailed treatment of their clothing and jewelry in Chola-period bronzes.

[h=2]Architecture[edit][/h]
lion-well (simhakeni)


The temple of Gangaikondacholisvara is approached through the eastern entrance from the road. The entrance is called the "Mahaduvar" leads to the inner court.
As one steps in, the great Vimana arrests the visitor's sight. The Vimana with its recessed corners and upward movement presents a striking contrast to the straight-sided pyramidal tower of Thanjavur but with octagon shape of Dravidian architecture. As it rises to a height of 182 feet (55 m) and is shorter than the Thanjavur tower with larger plinth, it is often described as the feminine counterpart of the Thanjavur temple.

The Vimana is flanked on either side by small temples; the one in the north now housing the Goddess is fairly well preserved. The small shrine of Chandikesvara is near the steps in the north. In the north-east are a shire housing Durga, a well called lion-well (simhakeni) with a lion figure guarding its steps and a late mandapa housing the office. Nandi is in the east facing the main shrine. In the same direction is the ruined gopura, the entrance tower. The main tower surrounded by little shrines truly presents the appearance of a great Chakravarti (emperor) surrounded by chieftains and vassals. The Gangaikondacholapuram Vimana is undoubtedly a devalaya chakravarti, an emperor among temples of South India.
[h=2]Royal Palace[/h]The royal palace also was built of burnt brick. The ceilings were covered with flat tiles of small size, laid in a number of courses, in fine lime mortar. The pillars were probably made of polished wood, supported on granite bases; a few pillar bases have survived to this day. Iron nails and clamps have been recovered from this palace site.There is an underground tunnel that links the palace and the temple inner 1st pragara(north).

In the reign of Virarajendra Chola, Rajendra's third son, the palace at Gangaikondacholapuram is referred to as Chola-Keralan Thirumaligai (Chola Keralan palace) evidently after one of the titles of Rajendra I. The same inscription mentions a few parts of the palace as adibhumi (the ground floor), Kilaisopana (the eastern portico), and a seat named Mavali vanadhirajan. Evidently the palace was multistoried. In an inscription dated in the 49th year of Kulothunga I (1119 C.E.) reference is made to Gangaikondacholamaligai at this place. It is likely that there were more than one royals building each having their own name.

Catastrophe on Gangaikondacholapuram

As per the available evidences, the last Chola King Rajendra Chozha III’s rule did not end due to any defeat in the war field. But devastations are available underneath, which proves that some major catastrophe happened around Gangaikondacholapuram which brought the Chola’s Rule to an end. After about six/eight decades, the Chola region was taken over by Pallava from whom it was Hoysala and then to Vijaya Nagar Rule. During Vijaya Nagar Rule, lots of settlements by Telugu, Telugu Brahmins, Kannada etc.happened. It is also evident that while the farmers tried to dig wells for farming around Gangaikondacholapuram, it was revealed to the world that the Palace buildings and other constructions are underneath about 50 – 80 feet depth.

 

SRI MAHA PRATHYANGIRA DEVI, SHOLINGANALLUR

SRI MAHA PRATHYANGIRA DEVI is the goddess who saves us from fear. This temple is situated in Shoilnganallur, Chennai. Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi is a powerful Devi who is said to have destroyed Sarabheswara's arrogance. Sarabheswara is a ugra avatar of Siva. She is also known as Narasimhika [in Kalisahasranama Stotram] : She who is the Ferocious Half Human Half Lion of Courage. It is said that when Narashimhika shake her Lion's Mane, she throws the stars into disarray. She is enveloped as bliss in the letter "Ksham".The name is because of the Two great sages Prathyagiras and Angiras visualised and initiated this dynamic divine force and she is known by their names.

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Sri Pratyangira Devi is also associated with Sri Chakra. She is considered to be a powerful repellent of the influences generated by witch-craft. In Sri Chakra worship, she protects the devotees against all odds and guides him/her along the right path.

In some image she is shown as dark complexion, terrible in aspect, having a lion's face with reddened eyes and riding a lion, entirely nude or wearing black garments, she wears garland of human skulls; her hair strands on end, and she holds a trident, a serpent in the form of a noose, a hand-drum and a skull in her four hands. She is also associates with Bhairava, and she has a variant form viz Atharvana-Bhadra-Kali.

Here Maha Prathyangira Devi is the main Goddess and the Othere are Lord Ganesh, Neela Saraswathi (Goddess for Education), Mahisha varahi, AnnaPoorani (Goddess of Food), Swami Ayyappan, Panjamuga anjaneyr (Lord Anjaneya with 5 faces), Lord Siva, Lord Muruga, Lord Nagaraja (God of snakes).......

This temple is situated in the suburb Sholinganallur of chennai. It is exactly located in the mid of the bye-pass road that connects ECR and Sholinganallur. From thiruvanmiyur it is around 13 Kms away. Here a number of different Poojas are carried out regularly.

The templeis kept opened from 08.00 am - 12.00 pm and in the evening , from 04.00 pm - 08.00 pm. The Abishekam to the Goddess starts by 06.00 am, but the other visitors who have not got the Abishekam ticket will be allowed only after 08.00 am.

From Thiruvanmiyur C51 is the bus that takes you directly to thee temple. But the frequency of the bus service is not so frequent. If you get down at Sholinganallur, you have to walk or get an auto for 1 Km.

Only a few shops are available near the temple. You have to come to sholinganallur for your purchases or eatings , etc.

The main prasatham ( Prasath in Hindi ), an offering to the lord here is Kumkum. The temple has main attractions are that all the lords arewith an Angry face and that means to kill the Evils.

It is such a nice experience visiting the temple. And nobody is allowed to take photographs or videos at any cost. the temple is under renovation. But that is not disturbing the devotees.

The places in Tamilnadu where this Goddess 's temples are 1)Ayyavadi (Aivar Padi) near Kumbakonam (South India). Here Deity is lion faced with 18 hands.
2)Vedian Enthal a small village near Manamadurai (South India) Here
she is five faced and seated on a lotus.

3)In the corridor of the Karumariamman Temple (Chennai)

This temple is located at a very calm and cool location..