Vellore Golden Temple

By -

Golden temple: The term 'Golden Temple' in India referred to only the Sikh Golden Temple at Amritsar in Punjab. However, in the past 4-5 years, another temple in South India has also been referred to as the golden temple.


The golden temple of Sri Narayani at Sripuram near Vellore town, located at a distance of around 150 km from Chennai, has become a very popular Hindu temple in recent years. It is a private temple built by a trust run by a person who claims himself as 'Narayani' or 'Shakti Amma'. Thousands of devotees consider him their God or Guru.



The presiding deity of the temple is Maha Lakshmi. The sanctum has the beautiful golden image of Lakshi or Narayani in the sitting posture. The icon is stunning, always decorated, and looks bright and attractive. The entire sanctum, the pillars surrounding the shrine, the roof, and the tower are all made of gold plates. It is estimated to be 1500 kgs of gold. 

The entire temple structure is spread across 20 acres. The inner circum ambulatory path (prakara) is in the shape of a circle, and the outer prakara is in the form of a star. 

Many sculptures of various deities are found on the lawn. 

The temple is maintained neatly and there are facilities for water and toilets across the 1-1.5 km distance of the outer pathway. For the old and the physically challenged, there is a wheelchair facility. 

All facilities are there in this temple, but for a price. You can get dharma darshan (free of cost), for which, whether there is a crowd or not, you may have to wait in a gated hall for hours. If you don't want to wait, you need to pay 100 INR per person, allowing you to enter the outer pathway directly.

If you are a traveler interested in all sorts of places, you can visit this place once. If you are a true devotee and want to see this temple only for a spiritual purpose, you should avoid this temple.

Happy travelling.

Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more