Indian Columbus

Thaiyur, a remote, peaceful village till a few years ago, is a fast developing southern suburb of Chennai. Not many know that it is the site of seven ancient temples of Shiva called Sapta Sthana Temples of Thaiyur. This article is about one of those seven temples, the Mareeswarar Shrine. The list of seven temples of Thaiyur: 1.  Chenkanmaleeswarar    (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 2. Mareeswarar (the temple on which this article is written) 3.  Murugeeswarar   (This is the biggest temple of Thaiyur. Click the link to read my article on this temple.) 4. Jalakandeswarar 5. Azhageesar 6. Komaleeswarar 7. Abhatsagayeesar or Baleeswarar of Sozhathangal (or) the temple inside the forest of Chenkadu Till the early 2000s, the temple was in ruin. The current structure of the temple was built in 2007 CE, and the gigantic Raja gopuram (tower) was built in 2019. Except for Shiva Linga, Nandi, and a King's bas-relief image, all other sculptures are new. Few materials in t

Those who live in the high-rise apartments and ultra-luxurious villas of Thaiyur, the southern suburb of Chennai, may not know the village's old stories and heritage value. The development of IT industries and real estate sectors have totally changed the landscape of Thaiyur. Till the 1990s, the site was a calm and serene remote village with a few houses surrounded by paddy fields. Chenganmaleeswarar Temple, located right on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), was a major pilgrim center for the nearby villages. The annual float festival was extremely popular, which drew a massive crowd of devotees from the surrounding localities to this hamlet. Compared to other ancient temples of Thaiyur, Chenganmaleeswarar is popular even today, thanks to its prime location. However, the popularity of the temple does not help much. The heritage significance and the historical details remain unknown. This article is written to throw light on those aspects of the holy site. Introduction Chenkanmalees

I thought it would be a typical day for me to explore some unknown or lesser-known sites. But, when I stumbled upon this temple a few months ago, I literally turned speechless. I never heard or imagined such a temple existed in Chennai. With hundreds of miniature bas-relief images beautifully sculpted and with the sculptures of Pallava and Vijayanagara periods, it is the best-kept secret of Chennai. It is a paradise for art lovers and history enthusiasts. I pity myself for not exploring this unknown gem so far.  I will not hold you more - let me reveal the name. Join me in exploring the beautiful Murugeeswarar Temple of Thaiyur .  Introduction Thaiyur (pronounced as Taiyur)  is situated at a distance of  8 km from Tirupporur and 42 km from Chennai. Real estate development on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) has made this southern neighborhood of Chennai popular nowadays. However, not the ancient temples of the village turned so famous.  Google Map location (coordinates) is provided at the