Sri Agneeswarar Temple, Neyveli, Sri Vaseeswarar Temple, Thirupachur, Sri Nandeeswarar Temple Manavur, Sri Karkatteeswarar Temple, Manavur, Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Palayanur, Sri Thazhuvakuzhaintha Eswarar Temple, Palayanur and Sri Saatchi Boodeshwarar Temple with a Vellalar Memorial, Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu.

23, July 2013

I had the opportunity of joining a Tour organized by the R.E.A.C.H Foundation, on 21^st July 2013 to Neyveli, Thirupachur, Thiruvalangadu, Manavur, and Palayanur. It was a wonderful experience. Learned a lot from Mr. Vagula Varadharajan, the Historian.

SRI ADI AGNEESWARAR TEMPLE, NEYVELI

Initially, I thought Neyveli was the place in the North Arcot district where Neyveli Lignite Corporation is located. Then I understand that this Neyveli is near Poondi ( Tiruvallur ). On the way to Tiruvallur Mr. Chandrasekaran, PRO of the REACH foundation narrated the incidents that happened at the the Neyveli Shiva Temple. The details are as follows. This part of this post was written as a separate post with updated details. Please click the Link to see the updated details. 

 The south side entrance arch  and the Gajabirusta vimanam are on the left side

Moolavar    : Sri Adhi Agneeswarar

Consort      : Sri Lalithambigai

Sthala Vruksha : Kallala Tree

Some of the important features of this temple are...

The Rajagopuram is yet to be constructed and the entrance arch is on the south side. The temple faces east.

In the outer praharam Sannadhi for Radha with Krishnan, Ganapathy, Sri Valli Devasena Samedha Subramaniar, Vana Durgai, Chandikeswarar, Naga Devar and Naga Devathai with a Child ( It was believed that if one worships naga Devathas they will be blessed with Children ) and Sri Dakshinamurthy is under the Kallala Tree facing south.

Ambal is facing south in a standing posture with four hands. Lotus on two hands and the other two in abhaya hastham and Vara hastham.

HISTORY 

It was learned that the Neyveli Shiva Temple is being worshiped by Siddhars in Sookshama roopam. The incidents that happened are proof of the same.  Many Miracles also happened through Lord Agneeswara Swamy of this temple. As per history, only the Shiva Linga’s head was visible, through the Kallala tree trunk. When excavated there was no damage and the Lingam was found intact with shining. Kumbabishekam was conducted recently and we went for the mandala pooja. The new temple was constructed in front of the original Shiva Lingam. 

LEGEND

The Sthala Viruksha is a real Kallala Tree and it is believed that the tree is more than 5000 years old. Also, it is believed that Yakshinis are living in the tree hence the tree itself is treated as sacred.  There are some Laterite stones seen in between the roots of the tree. These stones might have been used for the original temple. A Siddhar in the form of snake lives in the tree and one or two people had the darshan.

HOW TO REACH :

We, 15 members from the R.E.A.C.H foundation went through a van from Chennai.

Neyveli is on the way from Tiruvallur to Poondi. The temple is about a km off the main road on the east side of the village in the midst of a paddy field.

CONTACT DETAILS:

For pooja and timings  Please contact Ramamoorthy Gurukkal at 9843685562 and Pradeep at 9710709301.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE 

 Sthala Vruksha Kallala Tree

 East side entrance arch

 Naga Devar and Naga Devathai with a child

 Sri Agneeswarar

 Kallala Tree trunk

 Sri Vana Durgai

 Urchavar

 Kallala maram fruits

After the darshan of Lord Agneeswarar, we proceeded to see the Poondi Archaeological Museum. On the way, we saw the place where the stone weapons were made during the Stone Age period. The site is now under the control of the Archaeological Department. Through Historian Mr Vagula Varadharajan it was learnt the site might be 1 lakhs years old. The stones we had seen very much look like Stone Age weapons.

Since the museum was closed, we returned back to Thiruvallur for a second breakfast. At the temple, we had Lord Shiva’s prasad as the first breakfast.

16. SRI VASEESWARAR TEMPLE, THIRUPACHUR

( This post was Updated with Thevara Hymns, Sthala Purana, History, Inscriptions, etc,. For the details of the updated post please click this link )

It was 11.30 Hrs when we proceeded to Thirupachur after breakfast at Thiruvallur. We are lucky enough to enter the temple before closing the temple after pooja. After darshan, our historian explained the details of the temple.  Since Ambal is on the right side of the moolavar, this temple is important for the marriages. To prove that there is a Kalyana mandapam on the northeast corner of the temple complex which is now in ruined condition.

This is the 16^th Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam in Thondai Nadu  Appar and Thirugnanasambandar has sung hymns in praise of Lord Shiva of this temple.

Moolavar   : Sri Vaseeswarar, Sri Pachur Nathar

Consort     : Sri Thangathali ( Tham Kathali )

Sthala vruksham : Bamboo

Some of the special features of the temple are...

The temple faces east with a 3 tier rajagopuram on the south side. The moolavar was in a bamboo forest, when bamboo was cut by the hunters the vasi (axe-like tool to cut wood ) hit the moolavar. Still, scars can be seen on the side and top. Moolavar is of swayambhu  theenda thirumeni on square avudayar. In Koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma, Durgai. Dwarapalakas are beautiful. ( Pictures are uploaded. )

There is no sannadhi in outer prakaram. In the inner prakaram sannadhi for Selva murugan,  Navagrahas, Somaskandar, Vinayagars ( 5 in number ), Saptamatrikas, Naalvar.

Urchava mootham for Chandrasekar, Sukravara Amman, Vinayagar, Shanmugar, Naalvar, Pachur Amman, Somaskandar.

HOW TO REACH :

This temple is on the Chennai to Tirupati bus route and is 3 KM from Tiruvallur town.

Town buses are available from Tiruvallur since the temple is on the highway. 

Autos are available from Tiruvallur.

CONTACT DETAILS :

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

 East side entrance with dwajasthambam

 Raja gopuram ( South side ), balipeedam with simha vahanam of  Ambal temple

 Ambal Sannidhi front view

 3 tier Rajagopuram on the south side

 Beautiful art in stone see the Chuzhiyam on the forehead and Simham on the headgear of Dwarapalaka

 Full view of Dwarapalaka

 Saptamatrikas

 Gajabirusta vimanam

 Tamil inscription on the sanctum wall

 Beautiful Brahma -  See the  hip belt with Simha's face

 Vishnu Durgai - different from others. The chakra is round only half is visible and the other half is the behind stone. Please see the sari frills on both sides of the hips.

 Ambal sannadhi Gopuram

Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple, Thiruvalaangadu. 

( This part of this post was written as a separate post with Thevara Hymns, Sthala Purana, History, Inscriptions, etc. Please Click this link for the updated post )

The details of the temple are recorded in one of my earlier posts.  I had taken some photos this time which are rare to see. We tried to read some of the Tamil inscriptions, but could not do so,  damaged due to sandblasting during renovation.

Many  bas reliefs of Vijayanagara period Pig, sword, and half moon emblem- As per historians Muslims hate pigs - so Muslims will not destroy the temple

Seppu and brass moortham of Kottaiyur Muthukaruppan Chettiar and Kamu Ammal - Might have done Thiruppani to this temple - Please see the turban of Chettiar looks beautiful and looks real.

 a mural at the entrance of Moolavar Sannadhi

 A statue is kept in a ventilator behind Saba Mandapam. Is it Karaikkal Ammayar?. May not be since the left leg is not folded

 Temple view from outer praharam

 Entrance of  Shiva temple 

SRI NANDEESWARAR TEMPLE. MANAVUR.

This part of the post was updated with Architecture, History and inscriptions, Legends, etc after the Visit on 10th July 2022. Please click the link to view the updated post. 

Manavur is very near to Thiruvalangadu, where we had the darshan of Thiru Nandeeswarar. There was a story for the construction of Rajagopuram. When they tried to construct the Rajagopuram and the Kumbabishekam, faced a lot of problems, and work was moving in a snail space. After prasannam, they came to know that the delay was due to neglect of the Ganapathy temple in front of Rajagopuram. After kumbhabhishekam was performed by Rajaganapathy, they were able to construct the Rajagopuram without any hurdles.

Moolavar    : Sri Nandeeswarar

Consort      : Sri Anandavalli.

Some of the details of this temple are...

The temple faces east with a 5-tier Rajagopuram. Dwajasthambam, balipeedam, and Rishabam are after the Rajagopuram. In koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma, and Vishnu Durgai.

In the outer prakaram sannadhi for Mukkan Vinayagar, Brihadeeswarar and Nagars.

In the inner prakaram sannadhi for An ammbal, Vinayagar, Ashta Lakshmi, Chandikeswarar, Sri Valli Devasena sametha Subramaniar and Bhairavar. Ambal is in a separate sannadhi facing south in a standing posture.

There is a Valampuri Vinayagar on the left side of the sanctum sanctorum. The Vinayagar belongs to the Pallava period ( Very similar to Pillayarpatti Vinayagar. ).

The temple belongs to the 4^th century. The Village Manavur was once a Manavur Kottam during the Chozha period.

LEGEND

Lord Shiva gave Thirumana kola darshan to Agasthiyar. Lord Shiva gave moksha to Nandhi Bhagavan.

There is a saying about this temple ie Aadiyathu Aalangattil, Amarnthathu Thiruvuralil and Mananthathu Manavuril. ( ஆடியது ஆலங்காட்டில், அமர்ந்தது திருவூரலில், மணந்தது மணவூரில் ) 

Kumbabishekam was performed on 25-03-2012.

HOW TO REACH : 

T2 bus is available from Thiruvallur to Thiruvalangadu via Manavur ( Daily two trips only )

Manavur railway station is very near to the village on the Chennai to Arakkonam route.

CONTACT DETAILS

The temple is open between 08.00 Hrs to 12.00 Hrs and 17.00 Hrs to 20.00 Hrs.

For pooja details can be obtained from Mr Srinivasan at 8012247358 and 8098795873.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE:  CLICK HERE

 The entrance of the Main shrine from the south side

 Moolavar vimanam

 The newly built 5-tier Rajagopuram

 Temple view from the back side

 Temple view from Dwajasthambam

 Old Rishaba vahana - may be 200 years old. 

SRI KARKATTEESWARAR TEMPLE, MANAVUR OLD SHIVA TEMPLE

( This part of the post was updated with Architecture, legends, History, etc after the second Visit on 10th July 2022. Please click the link to view the updated post ). 

After Lunch at the temple, we went to a ruined temple outside the village. Trees are found growing in the temple. ( Where it will get water during the non-rainy season? ) Vinayagar sannidhi is a little away from the main shrine.

Moolavar   : Sri Karkatteeswarar

Consort     : Sri Kamakshi

Some of the details are...

Sannadhi for Vinayagar, Chandikeswarar and Ambal. Kanchi Periyavar once stayed in the temple, when he was on tour. This temple is for the Kataka rasi temple, They can perform the pariharam in this temple.

Iraivan gave moksham to nandu ( crab ).

REQUEST TO READERS.

Devotees are requested for the reconstruction of this temple. Donations may please be sent to Mr. Srinivasan at 8012247358 and 8098795873 and get the blessings of Lord Shiva Karkatteeswarar.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE  

 Temple from a distance - looks like the trees are not on the temple.

 Closer look -  yes the trees are grown on the  temple itself

 Moolavar and inside are intact

 see the roots of the banyan tree - goes up to the base.

 Ambal Sannadhi - The inside looks fine only the outer wall damaged

 Old damaged well - Abhishekam might have used this well water

 Bas relief of Vinayagar

 The damaged outer wall of the main shrine

 The damaged outer wall of the main shrine - Bas-reliefs 

  The damaged outer wall of the main shrine - Bas-reliefs 

Once again we came to Manavur and went to Kandaswamy temple. The vahana of this temple is Elephant. The archakar said that the temple was constructed before the Soora Samharam period. The peacock vahana has come after Soora Samharam. The moolavar is beautiful. This Kandhan is believed to give Gnanam.  There is no sannadhi for Sri Valli and Devasena. Old Tamil inscriptions are found on the base of the temple. As per historians, the temple was built during Pallava Period.

MANAVUR KANDASWAMY TEMPLE :

( This part of the post was written as a separate post with Architecture, legends, History, etc. Please click the link to view the updated post ).

 

 Elephant as vahana

 Urchavars

Moolavar vimanam 

Also, we worshipped Sri Veeraraghava Perumal with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on both sides. All are in sitting posture. This temple was also an old one.

Sri Veeraraghava Perumal with Sridevi and Bhoodevi 

SRI KAILASANATHAR TEMPLE, PALAYANUR

On the way to Chennai after Manavur we decided to see the Shiva temples and the memorial of Vellalars who ended their life for a Merchant by jumping into fire. First, we went to a Shiva temple which was a little away from the village in the midst of the field.

Moolavar    : Sri Kailasanathar

Consort      : Sri Parvathavarthini

Moolavar is of swayambhu. Also, there is a Shiva Lingam in the Artha mandapam. Sannadhi for Ganapathy and Subramaniyar. Earlier period Tamil inscriptions are found at the base of the temple.  It was sad to see an inscription tablet being used for the well water spout.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

SRI THAZHUVAKUZAINTHA ESWARAR, PALAYANUR.

Inside the Village, there is another important ancient (belonging to the Pallava Period ) Shiva temple which has its own history. It is believed that Lord Shiva called Karaikkal Ammaiyar a Mother ( Ammaye ) and hugged her. Karaikkal Ammaiyar went to the Shiva Temple of Thiruvalangadu through her hands from this temple, since the pebble stones on the way resemble Shiva Lingam. Also, another important feature of this temple is that Naalvar has sung hymns on Thiruvalangadu Shiva from this temple without going there.

Moolavar    : Sri Thazhuvakuzhaindha Eswarar

Consort      : Sri Anantha Valli.

In artha mandapam Nalvar, Ganapathy, and urchava images are there. In the outer prakaram  sannadhi for Vijayaraghava Perumal  Subramaniar and Chandikeswarar. In Koshtam Durgai, Brahma, Vishnu in place of Lingothbavar and Dakshinamurthy. The temple is facing west without Rajagopuram.

 Entrance to the main shrine - with Stucco image of Thiruvalangadu Nadanam 

 Nandhi mandapam with balipeedam 

 Moolavar vimanam 

 Entrance mandapam arch 

Sri Saatchi Boodeshwarar Temple, Pazhayanur

( This part of the post was updated with Architecture, legends, History,, etc. Please click the link to view the updated post ). 

We had also seen the memorial constructed for the 70 Vellaras who ended their life by jumping into the fire. The story behind that was the Vellalars promised in front of Lord Shiva Sri Sakshi Bhutheswarar temple to save the life of the merchant from Neeli, a ghost, but could not do so. The Neeli killed the merchant. So they ended their life. It is believed that this incident happened approximately 2500 years ago.  Inside the pit, bas-reliefs are found around the wall. 

 Sthala varalaru

 Sakshi Bhutheswarar temple 

Bas reliefs around the inner wall

 Bas- reliefs of Vellalar entering into the fire 

A memorial mandapam for the 70 Vellalars jumped into the fire to end their life. 

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA:---