Indian Columbus

Originally Ooraththur, now diluted as Orathur , is a village near Padappai . It has a beautiful Chola-era Gajaprshtha temple named Agasteeswara . This article is written with the intention of promoting this unknown ancient temple. The east-facing temple was built probably during the later Chola period. Later, it was renovated and extended during the Vijayanagara rule. The inscription of Achyuta Deva Raya dated 1529 CE (A.R.E. 256 of 1910), which records a gift of a hamlet to the temple, mentions that Ooraththur was part of Sengattu kottam alias Irandayira veliparru in Jayankonda Chola mandalam. The deity is referred to as Tiruvagatteeswaramudaiya Tambiran. The current structure of the temple with all its sub-shrines and mandapas, belong to the early 19th century CE. As per a Telugu inscription dated 1813 CE found on a slab (A.R.E. 257 of 1910), Avanigaddala Pattabhiramudu , a wealthy person, rebuilt and expanded the temple. The stone images were also made by him.  The presiding de...

This village named Karasangal near Padappai is quiet throughout the year except during Maha Shivaratri. Shivaratri is celebrated in a grand manner in the Malleeswarar temple in this village. 10,008 lamps would be lit as part of the celebration. To view this rare event, thousands of people from the neighborhood gather at the village during this festival time. A villager discovered an ancient image of Shiva Linga in his field, and he kept it in his home for many years. Ultimately a Vaishnavite priest built a small temple for Shiva Linga and named him Malleeswarar in the middle of the 19th century CE. In subsequent years, more shrines were added to the temple. It is a small temple, which is hardly visited by devotees. Shivaratri is an exception.  It has two entrances, one in the east and another in the south, with the southern entrance being the main. The east-facing main shrine enshrines Malleeswarar, a small Shiva Linga. Maragadambal, the Goddess is found in a south-facing shrine. T...

Padappai is a well-known and fast-developing town near Chennai. People from Chennai and its southern suburb localities know the town very well. However, not many of them would have heard about the Chola-era beautiful temple of Tiruvaleeswara, located in Athancheri, a hamlet located at about one km from Padappai. I agree it is contented to find the temple maintained well and all festivals and rituals conducted regularly. However, it is sad that the villagers, while renovating the temple, did not care about the inscriptions or other historical records.  Garbha griha, Ardha mandapa and the granite base of the Vimana are the only original structures that still remain. The super-structure of Vimana is renovated. We can assume that the original design was followed in the rebuilt structure. There are traces of inscriptions here and there, but none of them is in a readable form. I could not find details about the inscriptions in any published work. I spoke to a few people from the village,...

Access card, burger prasad and the air-conditioned temple - it's true, and I am not kidding. A temple near Chennai offers everything mentioned above. This article focuses on that temple. Jaya Durga Peetham is a private temple. There was a saint who was called Jaya Durga Siddhar. His disciples run a trust and also this temple. It is located in Raghavendra Nagar in Padappai, a suburb of South Chennai. You will be required to show your original ID card at the counter and provide your details for registration. Then, you will be given an access card. You could enter and exit the temple only with this. Once you enter the temple, you will feel like you are inside an IT company. The temple is very neatly maintained. Before entering the temple, you will be given a water bottle. And, before leaving the premises, you need to swipe your card to get Prasad. The temple authorities do not charge for this, and no Hundi exists. However, they have a laundry list of various sevas and services with t...

Around 20 km from Tambaram, the southern outskirts of Chennai, a small and lesser-known village called  Cherappanancheri  is located. An ancient  Chola period  temple called  Veemeeswarar  Temple is found in this village. Temple Layout and Structure Veemeeswarar is a  5.5 feet high  Shiv Linga. The Goddess  Swarnambikai  is also found in the sanctum along with Shiv Linga. She faces the southern direction, whereas the Linga faces the eastern direction. The temple is located on an elevated platform. Also, it is a Chola-style  Gajaprshtha  (apsidal) temple. Unfortunately, the temple is in ruins. A few years ago, the temple did not have a ceiling. The local villagers collected funds and put an asbestos sheet on top. The walls around the sanctum are entirely damaged. No niche image or any other Parivara murti is found in this temple. A comparatively new Ganesh temple is located near this ancient temple. Two Nandis,  on...

Padappai is a small developing town near Tambaram on the southern outskirts of Chennai city in South India. Padappai is classified into two parts, Keezh Padappai and Mel Padappai. Mel Padappai has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva called Thazhuva Kuzhaindeeswarar. Let me discuss this temple in this article. Legend As per the legend, the Goddess Parvati was born human due to a curse. She did severe penance towards Shiva in Mangadu village. As per the direction from Shiva, she moved towards Kanchipuram. On her way to Kanchipuram, she installed a Shiv Linga on this site. As the icon was about to be washed away in water once, she embraced the Linga tightly. Hence, Shiva is called Thazhuva Kuzhaindeeswarar, which refers to embracing,  in the Tamil language. Some stories about the other Shiva temple, Veeratteswarar, are told for this temple too. It is believed that Sambandhar has referred to this temple in his hymn, and hence it becomes a Devara Vaippu Sthalam. It is also though...

Padappai is a small developing town near Tambaram on the southern outskirts of Chennai city in South India. Padappai is classified into two parts, Keezh Padappai and Mel Padappai. In Keezh Padappai, an ancient temple for Lord Shiva, called Veeratteswarar, is located. Let me discuss this temple in this article. The east-facing temple enshrines Shiv Linga in an east-facing sanctum. Goddess Shanta Nayaki is found in a separate south-facing shrine. As the temple was getting renovated, when I visited, I could not provide further details about other deities in this temple. It is believed that Sambandhar had mentioned this temple in his hymn. Hence, it is a Devara Vaippu Sthalam. As per the legend, Chandra was cursed by his father-in-law, Daksha. Chandra installed many Shiv Lingas to protect himself from the impact and prayed to Shiva. It is said that this Shiv Linga is one among them. The eight sites where Lord Shiva destroyed the Asuras are called Ashtha Veeratta Sthalams. This temple e...