Kumaran Kundram

Chrompet, a well-known locality near Tambaram, which is situated in the vicinity of Chennai city, boasts the Kumaran Kundram hillock temple, located approximately 1 km from Chrompet's local railway station. In this article, we shall delve into the details of this temple.

The Kumaran Kundran temple is dedicated to Swaminathan, also known as Murugan. It is not an ancient temple, as its construction dates back to the year 1979 CE.

This hillside temple comprises three distinct sections. At the base of the hill, you will find shrines dedicated to Ganesha, Navagraha, Kali, and Idumban.

Upon ascending a few steps, you will reach the second section, which houses shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated in the middle of the path leading to the hilltop temple, the north-facing shrine houses Sundareswara, while a separate shrine honors his consort, Meenakshi.

The walls surrounding the sanctum feature niche images, including Nardana Ganapati, Rishabharudana, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga. Chandikeshwara is also located in his designated niche. Notably, the presence of Rishabharudana as a niche image is uncommon.

The shrine dedicated to Meenakshi features niche images of Maheswari, Vaishnavi, and Brahmi.

The temple also houses a rare shrine for Sharbheswa, along with idols of Surya, Bhairava, and Chandra. Additionally, a separate sub-shrine for the utsav images of Natraja and Shivakami can be found. Interestingly, in this temple, Natraja raises his right leg slightly in a dancing posture, contrary to the usual left leg raised in other temples.

At the hill's summit lies the Swaminathan temple. The sanctum enshrines the icon of Swaminathan in a standing posture, adorned with two arms. Notably, his vahan (vehicle) is an elephant, in contrast to the peacock commonly associated with him in other temples.

The outer walls of the Swaminathan shrine feature niche images of three distinct forms of Kartikeya and Durga, as well as Chandikeshwara. Nearby, a small sub-shrine houses the utsav image of Swaminathan.

The hilltop temple is crowned by a north-facing Rajagopura.

Wishing you pleasant travels as you explore this unique temple.

Happy travelling.




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