Indian Columbus

The present-day Madurai might evoke our thought on the Goddess Meenakshi alone, thanks to her centrally located gigantic temple. However, the historic city has much more for us to explore and experience. One such not so often tapped subject is the significant connection of the Tamil epic "Silappadhikaram" with this city. This article is to throw some light on one such lesser-known site that is claimed to be related to Silappadhikaram. For the benefit of starters, let me brief the basic details of the epic first. Silappadhikaram is one of the five epics of Tamil. It was authored by Ilango Adigal during the Tamil Sangam age (believed to be the 3rd or 4th century CE). The epic depicts the story of a woman named Kannagi who sought justice for the killing of her husband. (I firmly believe that her name should be spelled as Kannaki; however, as the entire state spells it Kannagi, I, too, follow the same, just to avoid confusion.) Kannagi was from a wealthy family in Poompuhar. Sh...

We know about the famous Meenakshi and Chokkanathar (also called Sundaresa) Temple in Madurai. However, only a few of us might know that there is one more temple for Meenakshi and Chokkanathar in the same city. This article is about the lesser-known site called Adi Chokkanathar temple. This temple is located at a distance of around 1 km from the main Chokkanathar temple in the Simmakal locality. It is a tiny temple but is supposed to be very old. The legend says that the presiding deity, Shiv Linga, was installed by Kubera. It is believed that Budha (one of the Navagrahas who represents Jupiter) worshiped this temple. Per another legend, Idaikadar, a Siddha, was humiliated by a Pandya (the ruler of Madurai). Lord Shiva from the main temple moved out and traveled to this site to pacify this great devotee. On the following day morning, the priests of the temple reported to the King that they could not find the icon in the temple. The King ultimately found the icon on this site and...

Madurai, the temple city of Tamil Nadu, has always been a synonym for the Goddess Meenakshi. The outsiders get satisfied with their visit to the gigantic temple of Meenakshi. However, beyond this famous temple, there are so many temples and other attractions in the city which are less popular but equally enjoyable. This article is about one such temple in Madurai, Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple. Can I call it one of the best-kept secrets of Madurai? Want to know why? Go ahead and read further. Temple's Location First things first! Where is this temple located? Koodal Azhagar Temple is an important Vishnu temple in Madurai. At about 450 meters, from that temple, on a narrow street named South Krishnan Koil Street, the temple of Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal is located. This temple is administered by  Madurai Saurashtra Sabha . Do you wonder who Saurashtrians are and what they do in Madurai? Read on... Saurashtrians Saurashtra is the region in the southern part of Gujarat...

Madurai is Meenakshi and Meenakshi is Madurai. This is what people primarily relate the city of Madurai with. This is due to the magnificent and artistically beautiful Meenakshi temple. This is undoubtedly the best attraction in the city. However, a few important Vishnu temples are also located in and around Madurai. Koodal Azhagar Temple is one such temple about which this article is written.  Koodal Azhagar temple is located in the heart of Madurai city, within one km of Meenakshi temple. Alwars, twelve revered saints of Tamil, have graced this temple in their hymns (found in the collection of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam). Thus this temple is considered one of 108 Divya Desam Temples.  (People generally confuse this temple and Kallalagar temple, perhaps due to similar names. Both are Divya Desam temples, and both are located in the same region, but they are two separate temples). Ashtanga Vimana Highlights: Tirumangai Alwar and Tirumazhisai Alwar ...