Indian Columbus

Tiru Nageswaram Temple is a famous temple in Tamil Nadu. There, the milk that is offered for abhisheka to the diety turns into blue color. Similarly, there is this lesser-known temple of Lord Shiva located in the southern outskirts of Chennai, where the milk that is poured on Shiva Linga turns into blue color. Vengaivasal - not many from Chennai would know about this locality. It's not a popular one. It is located at a distance of about 10 kms from Tambaram. In Vengaivasal, after passing through many narrow streets and lanes, we could reach to Swarnapureeswarar Temple. (Please refer to the Google map embedded at the end of the article to find the exact location.) It is a modern-day temple built in the first decade of the 21st century CE. However, Shiva Linga and Nandi are few centuries years old. They were discovered from the land near the village tank. Ultimately the villagers decided to build this temple. Initially, they wanted to name the deity as Vengeeswarar, but later t

Located near the reserve forest of Nanmangalam, this lesser-known temple of Vishnu is believed to have been built originally in the 9th century CE, possibly by the Pallavas. A Pallava period stone inscription in a separate stone slab is kept at the entrance. The presiding deity is known as Neelavarna Perumal. The three feet tall stone idol of Perumal is flanked by his consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. Vishnu is found in the standing posture. He has four arms; his upper arms hold conch and discus; his lower arms are in abhaya and kati hasthams. The sanctum also enshrines the utsava (metal) idols of Perumal-Sri Devi-Bhoo Devi and Vedavalli. The structure of the east-facing sanctum and Ardha mandapa (partially) are old structures that cannot be older than 300-400 years. The rest of the temple's structure is completely renovated in recent times. The entrance does not have Dwarapalas. Instead, two old bas-relief images of Hanuman are located on either side of the entrance.

When you hear about  Madurai , you would automatically think about Meenakshi. Meenakshi has been a synonym for the historic city for hundreds of years.  Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple  - do we have anyone in this nation (India) who has not heard about this gigantic temple? Else, do we have any visitor who was not carried away by its extraordinary beauty? This temple is one of the largest and famous temples in the entire nation. It is the pride of Tamil Nadu. Due to this temple, the whole city, Madurai, is referred to as the  Temple City of India . I know it is not easy to pen down about the glory of such a magnificent temple. That's why I took about one year to write this article. It was like a penance; I visited the temple multiple times. I always have my camera and mobile phone to capture details and take notes. But, they are not allowed in this temple. I stood in front of every hall and tower for many hours patiently to note down the details on architecture and iconography ma