Indian Columbus

In Selaiyur near Tambaram, a southern suburban locality of Chennai, Pudhu Mantralayam, meaning "the New Mantralaya", is located. It is a new temple built in 2019 CE for Raghavendra Swami Temple. The temple is large in size. It has a single shrine in the middle of a huge hall and has no other sub-shrine. A large Brindavan of Raghavendra is enshrined in the center. The small metal icons of Raghavendra in the standing posture and Vyasraja are kept near Brindavan. Tiny metal icons of Vishnu-Sri Devi-Bhoo Devi, Lakshmi Narasimha and Panchamukha Anjaneya also grace the devotees. Besides, the small stone idols of Hanuman and Lakshmi Narasimha are also found here. Happy travelling.

Padmavati Samatha Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Keelkattalai, a southern suburban locality of Chennai, is a new temple. There is no history or architectural significance. However, certain unique features of the temple lead me to write this article. In Vishnu temples in Tamil Nadu, we generally cannot find Ganesha. Visvaksena, the elephant-faced Vaishnavite icon, is typically mistaken for Ganesha. However, in this temple, Ganesha is found in a separate shrine, which is as big as the main shrine. Another unique feature of the temple is the position of Navagrahas. Navagrahas are unusual for a Vishnu temple in Tondai region, but it is not uncommon. What makes this temple unique is how each planet (graha) is positioned. Usually, Surya takes the central position and the other eight grahas surround him; the direction of each graha would be different and they do not face each other. In the temples in Chola region (and in very few temples outside Chola region), Surya takes the central posit...

Keelkattalai is a southern suburb of Chennai city. Neelakantheswara Temple is one of the most famous temples of this locality. Although the temple is new, the Shiv Linga and few other idols are few centuries years old. The footprints of Shiva are found, which cannot be seen anywhere else. Go through the article to know the details. In a narrow street in the congested Keelkattalai area, Neelakantheswara Temple is located. The east-facing temple has a tall five-tiered gopuram (tower) at the entrance. The sanctum enshrines a big Shiv Linga, named as Neelakantheswara. The idol appears to be 300-400 years old. The four-armed Goddess Neela Nira Umaiyammai in the standing posture is found in a south-facing shrine. In the maha mandapa, the stone idol of Nataraja with his consort Sivakami and devotee Manickavasagar is found. Mostly, bronze icons of Nataraja-Sivakami icons are found in temples and only a few temples have the stone idols of Nataraja. However, these idols are very ne...

In Madampakkam (in the southern outskirts of Chennai), there is a lesser-known temple of Kagapujandar. Before I delve into the details of the temple, let me give a brief introduction to Kagapujandar. Kagapujandar is one of the Siddhas. As per the legends found in the Siddha tradition, he is the son of Brahma and Saraswati. The Supreme God, Shiva, created him, to guide and help Tri Murtis (Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra) on their tasks. He is immortal and has seen multiple Kalpas. (In Hinduism, a Yuga is an era, and there are four Yugas in each cycle; Kalpa is equivalent to 72 Yugas). As he has been living for many Kalpas, he has advised various Trimurtis. (Even Trimurtis have an end, but this Siddha does not have the end.) Kagapujandar has sixteen arms and Bagula Devi is his consort. She is the daughter of Sambuga Rishi. She is also depicted with sixteen arms. Ramosa Rishi was their son.  It is unusual to find Kagapujandar in any regular temple. There is a separate ...