The Temples of Tiruvanchery

Tiruvanchery is a small village near Selaiyur on the southern outskirts of Chennai in the Tamil Nadu state of India. There are three small but important temples located in this village. This article covers the complete details of those temples.

Selva Vinayakar Temple

Even today, Tiruvanchery is a remote village without much development. Just imagine how it would have been around 100 years ago. At the beginning of the 20th century CE, few strangers spent a night in this village. On the following day, early morning, they took away the centuries-old icon of Lord Ganesha from the temple in this village with them. Those people were apparently from Mylapore village. Their original objective was not known. Out of fear or due to some unknown reasons, they apparently buried the idol somewhere in Mylapore.

Tiruvanchery temple did not have icons for a few years. Then, a villager, in his dream, was directed to this unknown site by a divine voice. Thus, the idol was discovered and reinstalled in the same temple.

This is the legend or history told in Tiruvanchery village for the past 100+ years. This temple, called Selva Vinayakar temple, was extended and consecrated at the beginning of 2017 CE.

The extended temple now enshrines other deities such as Shiv Linga, Parvati, Murugan-Valli-Devasena, Bhairava, and Navagraha. Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga are found as the niche deities.

Kondanda Ramar Temple

The above-mentioned Ganesha temple is located on Selva Vinayakar Street in the village. Hardly within 200-300 meters from that temple, the Kodanda Ramar Temple is situated on Kodanda Ramar Street in the same village.

This is a comparatively bigger temple. It shares its compound wall with the Tambaram Air Force Station. It is said that the Venu Gopalan temple was initially located on the other side of the compound wall. In the early 1940s, when the Air Force station was called RAF Station, the British Government ordered the temple to be shifted to the current location in the village. Thus, the temple was moved here in the 1940s.

After a few years, the temple got extended, and Kodanda Rama became the presiding deity. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are lovely icons in the sanctum. The original Venu Gopalan, along with Rukmini and Bhama, also found a small place in the corner of the shrine.

The temple was renovated and consecrated in 2017 CE. The sub-shrines of Ramanuja and Hanuman were added. Garud is found facing toward the sanctum. The new niche images of Lakshmi Narasimha, Lakshmi Varaha and Lakshmi Hayagreeva were installed in 2017.

Bhajanai Koil

One of the most beautiful bronze images of Krishna all over Chennai is located in Bhajanai Koil, a small village temple located 600-700 meters from Vinayakar temple. The 6 feet tall bronze icon of Krishna and Radha and Rukmini look stunningly beautiful.

The temple complex also enshrines a tall stucco idol of Hanuman.

Happy travelling.