Indian Columbus

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...

Thaiyur is a southern suburb of Chennai. In the olden times, the village had seven ancient temples of Shiva called Sapta Sthana Temples. Unfortunately, in due course of time, many of those temples lost sheen and turned unknown. However, the village deity named Parasaththamman became very popular among the locals. Besides a century-old temple of Parasaththamman, a gigantic stucco image was erected in the recent past. This has become an important attraction of the village. Parasaththamman Temple is located on the banks of the lake and behind the  Murugeeswarar Temple . It is a small temple that enshrines the Goddess alone. Outside the temple, there are many deities, such as Sapta Kanyas, Annanmars, Shiva Linga, and Karuppanna Swami, found all over the open space.  A separate shrine for Mahisasuramardini and about 20 feet high gigantic stucco sculpture of the Goddess beside the shrine are nearby. The eight-armed Durga is in ferocious form and is found slaying the buffalo-faced Ma...

About one km. away from the most happening OMR in Thaiyur, on the banks of the lake where the hustle-bustle is missing, an ancient Shiva Linga is enshrined under a temporary shed. It is said that the original temple was destroyed a long back and only Shiva Linga is left. The temple named Jalakandeswarar is one of seven sacred shrines of Thaiyur (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 (the temple on which this article is written) 5. Azhageesar 6. Komaleeswarar 7. Abhatsagayeesar or Baleeswarar of Sozhathangal (or) the temple inside the forest of Chenkadu Besides the old Shiva Linga, the newly made sculptures of Thaiyal Nayaki, Ganapati, Subramanya, Bhairava and Nandi...

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...