Indian Columbus

This temple is located about 5 km from Manimangalam, in a village named Pushpagiri, besides a factory in a secluded place. An ancient Shiva Linga named Siddhapureeswarar is the presiding deity. The highlight is the compact panel of the Pallava-era Gaja Lakshmi. Gajalakshmi in this iconography is not usually found in and around Chennai. She is seen seated on a throne. She has just two arms and holds lotus in both arms. Two elephants flank her on both sides. She is adorned with the typical long Pallava-style crown. Shiva Linga and Lakshmi were kept in the open space for a long. In the recent past, they have got a shelter under an asbestos sheet. Also, there are a few new additions, such as Ganapati and Subramanya. Happy travelling.

When I visited Manimangalam five years ago (in 2016), I accidentally stumbled upon an ancient sculpture of Jyestha Devi lying in the middle of a field. I wrote about this in my blog. I had titled it "The Neglected Jyestha Devi of Manimangalam". However, the title is not relevant anymore. She has got a shelter now (though not a structural temple but an asbestos sheet). She even got a new name. We all know her as Jyestha, Moo Devi, Thavvai and Mooththa Devi. But the villagers have innovatively come up with a new name, "Ratnamala".   Based on the iconography, I feel that this sculpture of Mooththa Devi may belong to the 9th century CE (Pallava period). She is seated on a throne and has two arms. She holds lily in her right arm. Her left arms rests on her hip. She is depicted with thick thighs, flabby belly and large breasts. A tall conical crown adorns her head. On her left, Jyestha is flanked by her daughter Manti. Sukanya and Agnimata are her other names. She is styl...

Manimangalam, the heritage-rice southern suburb of Chennai, has two ancient Shiva temples, which are pretty popular. They are Kailasanathar and Dharmesvarar temples. Not many, including the locals of Manimangalam, know this ancient Shiva Linga housed under the asbestos sheet. This small make-shift temple is located in a small unknown lane located between the two famous Shiva temples. The lane leads to a village channel, and on the banks, this Shiva Linga named Vaiyaleeswarar is enshrined. I think that the sculpture can be dated to the later Chola period. An old sculpture of Nandi in the damaged form is placed nearby. Both these sculptures were unearthed on this site a few years ago.  Happy travelling.

In Manimangalam, an uprooted tree during the 2015 Vardah storm led to unearthing and discovering the ancient sculpture of Kottravai (also known as Vishnu Durga and Mahisasuramardini).  The majestic Kottravai, standing atop the buffalo-faced Mahisasura, has eight arms. She holds conch and discus in her upper arms. Her vahana (mount) deer is found on her right side, and a parrot is found on her left side. Two devotees are there near her feet. One of them is found worshiping with his hands folded. The sculpture, possibly made during the Chola era, got its own temple and regular daily poojas in the last six years.  The charming ancient sculpture of Kottravai is definitely adding value to the heritage-rich village of Manimangalam. Thanks to Mr. Logu from this locality, who discovered this sculpture and raised funds to build this temple. Happy travelling. 

Located at about 15 km from Tambaram, the southern suburb of Chennai, Mambakkam Lake is one of the most picturesque water bodies in the surroundings of Chennai. The beauty of the vast lake brings a lot of bikers for an early morning ride. Spreading over an area of around 200 acres, it is located near the Kayar Reserve Forest. Interestingly not many know that the other part of the lake lies about 5 km from here, right in the middle of Mambakkam village. That part of the lake occupies around 100 acres. Hence, it is evidently a sad story that all these highways, main roads, and thousands of residences lying between these two parts of the lake have encroached on the otherwise much bigger lake.  Similar to many other facts about the city's water bodies, it also remains a piece of unrecorded and neglected information.  Happy travelling. Note:  As per a report, there were about 650+ waterbodies in the Chennai region till the 1980s. Today, only a fraction of them exist. Most of t...

After crossing the picturesque Mambakkam Lake and the dense Kayar Reserve Forest, the tiny hamlet named Shozhathangal can be reached. After passing through the entire village, inside a forest, an isolated Shiva Linga is found. There is no temple or other sculptures. The icon of Shiva Linga appears to be ancient.  It is said that it is one of the seven important temples known as Sapta Sthana Sthalams of Thaiyur. If you wonder what the connection of this hamlet with Thaiyur is, this forest is located on the banks of Thaiyur Lake. Thaiyur village is situated on the counter side of the lake. Traveling to this lonely site in the forest and visiting this ancient Linga, gives a mixed experience of thrill and tranquility.  The list of seven temples of Thaiyur: 1.  Chenkanmaleeswarar    (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 2.  Mareeswarar  (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 3.  Murugeeswarar   (This is the biggest t...

His front face and the posture of his two lower arms make us believe that he is Venkatachalapati. But he has three heads. The left side of the head depicts Varaha, and the right one represents Narasimha. He has ten arms. The weapons in some of these hands resemble the weapons of Rama, Parasurama, Vamana, Kalki and Hanuman. The forehead depicts Buddha, and the crown above the head depicts Krishna. Behind his head Chandra and Surya Prabhas. His left part of the body is Shakti, the middle part is Kurma, and the lower part is Matsya. Shiva Linga is found in his abdomen, and he stands on a lotus similar to Brahma. Who is he? He is Poorana Brahmam , a combination of multiple deities. The gigantic sculpture with unique features is found in the main temple in Balaji Gardens in Kelambakkam. Balaji Gardens is a vast area where Sushil Hari School is located.  Termed as "Rama Rajya" or "Land of Temples" , the multi-acre land has many temples. Although the authority that manage...

Chennai, the erstwhile Tondai region, is the land of apsidal (Gajaprshtha) temples. There is a high possibility that all these Gajaprshha temples were built by the Pallavas originally. Later, the Cholas would have reconstructed the temples without changing the base design. Not all those sites are popular. There is one such unknown Chola-era apsidal shrine located in Kolapakkam. The presiding deity is named Agasteeswarar.  There is another locality named Kolapakkam near Porur, where there is an Agasteeswarar temple. It is a Navagraha Sthalam meant particularly for Surya. That is a comparatively famous temple. The temple mentioned in this article is located near Vandalur. As both the localities share the same name and even the respective temples share a similar name, anyone may get confused. Situated amidst a forest environment with a beautiful pond on the other side, the temple appears to have been built by the latter Cholas. Except for the sculpture of Agasteeswara Shiva Linga and ...

Chennaites are familiar with Kovalam on East Coast Road (ECR) en route Mamallapuram, as a fishing village and as a destination of a few luxurious resorts. But, not many of them might know about the ancient Shiva temple located here. Dedicated to Kailasanatha , this beautiful lesser-known shrine stands as a testimony to our rich heritage. Importantly, it is a rare temple to have a Shiva Linga with an inscription on its Avudai (base) . (Note: I have covered this site in my blog already about ten years ago). As per the traditional belief, Kovalam was originally called Komalavallipuram , as it was the native of Komalavalli, the consort of Nitya Kalyana Perumal, the presiding deity of Tiruvidanthai, a popular neighboring locality. However, the site has the temple of Shiva and not Vishnu.  The presiding deity Kailasanatha is in the form of a Shiva Linga. As stated earlier, a single-line inscription is found on the Avudai (base) of Linga. It reads "Sri Satheruman Murthiper" (refers ...

Surrounded by high-rise apartments and multi-storied structures, this small temple of Azhageesar is located in an unknown lane. Indeed, it is hard to believe that it was once an important temple of Thaiyur. It is considered as one of Sapta Sthana Sthalams.  The list of seven temples of Thaiyur: 1.  Chenkanmaleeswarar    (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 2.  Mareeswarar  (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 3.  Murugeeswarar   (This is the biggest temple of Thaiyur. Click the link to read my article on this temple.) 4. Jalakandeswarar (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 5. Azhageesar (the temple on which this article is written) 6. Komaleeswarar 7. Abhatsagayeesar or Baleeswarar of Sozhathangal (or) the temple inside the forest of Chenkadu The temple was in ruins for several years and the villagers reconstructed it in 2006 CE. Shiva Linga (Azhageesar) is the only ancient icon that still remains...