Snake worship - Thiruverkadu Karumariamman Temple, Chennai

Karumariamman temple aka Mariamman temple, which is located in a small village named Thiruverkadu at a distance of 18km from Chennai, is one of most visited temples in and around Chennai.

Goddess worship in various forms is very popular in the state of Tamil Nadu. Parasuram was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Parasuram's mother was Renuka Devi. She is worshipped in the names of Mariamman, Karumariamman, and Renuka Parameswari in Tamil Nadu. Most of the people do not know the legend of this goddess and they worship her as Parvathi (Goddess Shakthi - wife of Lord Shiva).

Thiruverkadu villages is very ancient and there are references in old Hinduism books. There is no doubt about that. However, I personally feel that Karumariamman temple might not be ancient. This might be around 100 years old, even though there are people who claim this temple to have a lot of legends and old stories.

The main deity of the temple is Karumariamman. There are also shrines for Ganesh, Verkanni Amman, Subramanya with Valli-Devasena in a glass hall, Srinivas, Ram with Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman, and Saptha Mathas (seven divine mothers). The highlight of the temple is snak hole. This temple is popular for snake worship, as devotees believe that Karumariamman took the form of snake. There are some idols found under the neem tree in this temple.

You can reach Thiruverkadu easily from any part of Chennai either by public transport or by taxi/car. As it is located very near to Mangadu, you can plan and visit all the following temples on the same day:

1) Kamakshi Amman Temple, Mangadu
2) Velleeswarar Temple, Mangadu
3) Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Mangadu
4) Karumariamman Temple, Thiruverkadu

Happy travelling.


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