Skandashram - Chennai

By -
Site Name: Skandashram aka Skandasramam
Site Type: Hindu temple
Location:  Selaiyur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India
Highlights: A temple with a lot of giant sized idols
Nearest Railway Station: Chennai
Nearest Airport: Chennai
How to reach: Well connected by rail, road and air
Hotel: A lot of options across the city
Restaurants: A lot of options across the city


Skandashram pronounced as Skandasramam locally is a modern day temple located in Mahalakshmi Nagar, Selaiyur (near Tambaram) in Chennai city, South India. It is a huge complex with so many shrines with magnificent stone idols of Hindu deities. It is uncommon to find so many large idols in a single temple complex. The temple was constructed by Satguru Srimad Santhananda Swamigal in the beginning of 21st century CE.

The temple does not have tower or flag post that are found in typical South Indian temples. The complex consists of a lot of shrines. Each shrine is more or less equivalent to a small temple in size and almost all the shrines have huge idols of the deities.

The shrines and idols of the temple are detailed below:
  • Panchamukha Heramba Ganapati - a 12 feet Ganesha idol seated on lion; Ganesha is found with five heads
  • Kamala Siddhi Vinayakar - a small shrine located in the main temple complex
  • Bhuvaneswari - a beautiful idol located in the main temple complex; the supreme mother Goddess
  • Santhananda Swamigal - a small shrine for the founder of the temple right next to Bhuvaneswari's shrine
  • Panchamukha Anjaneya - a magnificent idol of Lord Hanuman with five faces and 10 arms- 14 feet in height
  • Veera Sarbeswara - the most famous deity of the temple; people throng in hundreds to have darshan of this particular deity; 12 feet metal idol - a form of Shiva - Sarbeswara was the destroyer of Lord Narasimha - half-bird and half-beast with two wings bearing Goddess Prityankara and Soolini - face of Yali - bearing Bhairava and Agni in abdomen - two fee resting on a hill. The wall surrounding the shrine has the idols of Ashta Bhariavas - the eight forms of Bhairava
  • Shaneeswara - a rare huge idol (14 feet) of Shaneeswara on crow
  • Swaminatha - a 12 feet idol of Lord Karthikeya (Skanda)
  • Dattatreya - a 15 feet huge idol of Dattatreya with three heads
  • Ugra Pratyinkara - a 12 feet high Panchaloka idol of lion faced Goddess sitting on a lion
  • Chakra Mahameru - a large mahameru 
  • Ayyappa - a 7 feet high metal idol of Ayyappa; it's difficult to find such a big idol of Ayyappa
  • Ashtadashabuja Durga - a 6 feet idol of Goddess with 16 arms
  • Sahasralinga - a gigantic Linga idol consisting of 1008 small Lingas; a huge Nandi facing the shrine
  • Sudarshan - a 18 feet Sudharshan with Lakshmi Narasimha on the back side
Happy travelling.


View Larger Map
Location: Om Sri Skandasramam, 1, Kambar Street, Mahalakshmi, Tambaram, Tamil Nadu 600073, India

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