Madampakkam Lakshmi Narayana Temple

Besides the famous Madampakkam located near Selaiyur, another lesser-known village known in the same name is situated near Guduvancheri, to the south of Chennai. A small temple of Lakshmi Narayana is the only attraction of this place.

Seated with his left leg bent at knee and right leg placed in front, the beautiful Narayana encircles Lakshmi with his left arm. Sitting on the left thigh of her husband, the Goddess holds a lotus in her right arm and gracefully hangs her left arm down. Together, they are called Lakshmi Narayana. It is rare to find Vishnu in this posture as the presiding deity in the Tondai region.

The presiding deity and the base of the sanctum are probably 3 or 4 centuries old. The superstructure of Vimana, the three-tiered Raja gopura at the entrance and the sub-shrines are constructed in 1995 CE. An ancient lamp post (deepastambha) is located outside, and it faces the temple.

Ardha mandapa has the metal icons of Vishnu and his two consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. On the wall of the Mukha mandapa, the relief image of Ramanuja is found.

Besides the usual Garuda facing the main shrine and Hanuman in a sub-shrine, there are Navagrahas too. It is unusual to have them in a Vishnu temple. Surya, encircled by the other eight planets, is seated on a chariot, driven by Aruna and pulled by seven horses. 

Happy travelling.