Sri Manneeswarar Temple at Mannivakkam, Sri Dharmeswarar Temple, Manimangalam, Sri Lakshmi Kubera Temple, Rathnamangalam, Kanchipuram District and Chengalpattu District, , Tamil Nadu.

 07, April 2015

It was an  early  Sunday morning. Birds started chirping after night sleep.   Health conscious ladies and gents  started their early morning walk ( Hoping to reduce their weight?) before the traffic starts. College boys, three in one motor cycle ( without even washing their faces ) preparing for the Sunday cricket match in the Chennai city’s non-constructed lands. A fat man with a bat on his back also crossed me.

The sun was slowly raising above the Velachery railway bridge partially hiding his face in the clouds.  I could not see any birds in the Pallikaranai marsh land. The traffic yet to begin. Through Tambaram bridge reached the Mannivakkam Shiva temple. Sivachariyar was preparing for the Pooja, since the temple was closed previous day evening due to Lunar eclipse. Went around the temple   noting the details.

 Moolavar Vimanam 

SRI MANNEESWARAR TEMPLE, MANNIVAKKAM

Moolavar    : Sri Manneeswarar
Consort      : Sri Maragathambigai

Some of the important features of this temple are....
The temple is facing east with an entrance arch. Dwajasthambam, Balipeedam and Nandhi mandapam are in the outer prakaram. Nandhi is facing east like Shiva. It was understood from the Sivachariyar that Nandhiamperuman participated in the war as per the request of kulothunga Chozha.

In the outer prakaram Sannadhi for Vinayagar, Chandikeswarar, Navagrahas, and Bhairavar.

Ambal is in a separate sannadhi in standing posture facing south.  From Outer prakaram to sanctum mandapam  entrance Dwara Ganapathy on the left and Dwara Subramaniyar  on the right. The shrine is with sanctum, and a mandapam. In Mandapam, Ganapathy, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar.

In Koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma and Durgai. In sanctum moolavar is little tall and Chandran and Suriyan on the kavasam.

As per Sivachariyar the temple is more than 1200 years old. There is no old inscriptions available, but there are recent inscriptions belongs to 18^th and 19^th century at the base of the sanctum.

TEMPLE TIMINGS :

The temple is kept open for darshan between 07.00 Hrs to 10.30 Hrs and 17.30 Hrs to 19.00 Hrs.

CONTACT DETAILS :

Sivachariyar Phone number is 9710422954 or 9176184262.

HOW TO REACH :

Town bus is available from Tambaram and 1 KM from main road.

The buses to Kanchipuram via Valajah and Padapai Pases through Mannivakkam.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE :CLICK HERE

 South side entrance with Ambal sannadhi vimanam and bell tower 

 Ambal sannadhi Vimanam 

 Dwajasthambam, Balipeedam and Rishabam in mandapam 

  Rishabam is facing east, the same direction of Moolavar

Entrance arch 

 Recent years epigraph 

Dakshinamurthy 

SRI DHARMESWARAR TEMPLE, MANIMANGALAM

After darshan joined the traffic on the main road to Padappai and after 2 KM took a diversion on  Tiruvallur Road to reach Manimangalam. Even though I had been to these two temples after a long gap I am making this Tour. There is a lot of improvement in the temple. The temple was taken over by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). A permanent  meikavalar  has been posted by ASI.  Fence has been erected with gate and an ASI warning board. Kanchipuram area Sri Puttaparthi Sai Baba Devotees  were doing uzhavarapani when I visited to this temple.  A bus load of Lady devotees also   visited this temple.

Moolavar    : Sri Dharmeswara Swamy

Consort      : Sri Vedhambika Devi.

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

The temple is facing east with sanctum and mandapam  and constructed like a mada koil.  At the entrance Ganapathy and Subramaniyar are facing each other. There is no Rajagopuram, Dwajasthambam, Balipeedam  and Rishabam originally. The Nandhi and Balipeedam are erected in the outer at a  very latter state in front of Ambal temple. In Koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma and Durgai. Chandikeswarar looks cute with Jadamudi  without mazhu in hand and posture is little different from other sandikeswarars. Moolavar is little tall.

Ambal is in a separate sannadhi without Gopuram. Looks with a childish face. It is believed that Ambal is very powerful.  As per Gurukkal a girl has got her speech after worshiping  Ambal of this temple.

In the outer prakaram sannadhi or Vinayagar, Bhairavar and Saneeswarar. In the mandapam sannidhi for Chandran, Suryan, Vinayagar, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar and Navagrahas.  Some Hero stones also installed in side the temple. A separate post was written on these Hero Stones.

HISTORY

Chozhas, Pandyas and Vijayanagars had contributed for the construction of this temple. The main shrine was constructed by Chozhas with Gajaprista vimanam and front mandapam was built by Vijayanagaras and Ambal Sannidhi was built by Pandyas.

During Chozha Period this place was called as ChaturVedi mangalam, where 4 vedas were taught. 

CONTACT DETAILS :

The meikavalar  of ASI Dept Mr S Swamiraj may be contacted through his mobile 9345960180. Archagar may be contacted on his mobile +91 98400 24594 for further details.

HOW TO REACH :

Manimangalam is on the Thiruvallur to Padappai Road  and 3 KM from Tambaram to Kanchipuram via Padappai Road.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE :CLICK HERE

Temple view with ASI caution board

An epigraph pillar standing near the gate ( recent years )

Entrance to the temple on the east side with balipeedam and Rishabam 

Ambal Sannidhi with balipeedam and Rishabam 

Ambal temple - Pandya Period 

Mandapam - on the south entrance to sanctum - Vijayanagara Period 

Gajabrushta Vimanam - Chozha Period 

 Moortis in the outer prakaram without pooja

 Recent years epigraph 

a beautiful Chandikeswarar

SRI LAKSHMI KUBERA TEMPLE, RATHINAMANGALAM

After darshan  thought of Visiting the Sri Lakshmi Kuberar temple on the Vandalur to Kelambakkam Road. The temple is in Rathinamangalam. There is no proper sign board from the Main road. After a great difficulty found out the road leading to Rathinamangalam after Kolapakkam and Tagore Engineering College.  The temple is about 2 KM off main road. The road is very very bad. The Devotees are high end in large numbers  came big  cars with Political colour flags. Hope Kuberan is doing favour to them only, that is why they are growing exponentially.

In Sanctum, Sri Mahalakshmi in first level, Sri Kuberar & his concert Chitralekha in second level.

Some of the important features of this temple are..

The temple is facing north since Kuberar  belongs to north, one of the ‘ashta thikku balakar’. This is recent period temple with out Rajagopuram.

In koshtam Brahma, Saraswati, Swarna Akarshana Bhairavar, Venkatachalapathy and Padmavathi Thayar.

In the prakaram sannadhi for Sri Bhaktha Anjaneya, Lakshmi Ganapathy, Iyappan, Sorna Gowri, Athirshta Devi, Selvamuthu Kumaraswamy ( Arupadai veedu moorthangal ), China Athirshta Kuberar, Navagrahas, 16 Ganapathi around bore-well and Kubera Lingam.

On the opposite to sanctum in madapa ( entrance top ) wall Ashta Lakshmi’s stucco images.

The history of Kuberar paintings were hung around the mandapam walls. Keeripillai ( Mongoose ) is on the Balipeedam. – The reason  is not known to anybody.

The temple is being maintained by Sri Rajalakshmi Kubera Trust a private body. The brief History of Kuberar is as follows. Kuberar is the son of Vichvaras Muni & Bharadvaja’s daughter Swadevi. His grand father is Pulathiyar and great grand father is Brahma. His cousin brothers are Ravanan, Kumbakarnan, Vibishnan ( whose mother was a demon by the name Kaykasi ).

He had done a severe penance with water and air for some years and with air for many years. Appreciating his penance Brahma appeared and granted him as one of the ashtadikpalakas ( அஷ்ட திக்கு பாலகர் ) for north with wealth to distribute. His name then become as Kuberar from Vaisra varanan. He lent wealth to Lord Balaji and Padmavathi thayar's marriage. It was told that Sri Balaji is paying only the interest till date and not the borrowed wealth.

Kuberar is an ardent devote of Lord Shiva  and went Kailash to get blessings of Lord Shiva. There he happened to see Parvati. Parvati got angry and cursed him to loose his eyes.  Kuberar appealed to Shiva and Parvati and told that he had not seen Parvati in bad intention. Parvati pardoned him and granted him to grow back his eyes, of which one will be of  smaller.

It was also learnt that the temple has become very popular since Mahalakshmi and Kubera are installed on a jeeva Samadhi of a siddhar. When I inquired there, it was not known to anybody.

CONTACT DETAILS :

The mobile numbers are 94443 76186 and 9444020084

Web site : http://srilakshmikuberar.com/

HOW TO REACH :

The Place is called as Rathna Mangalam

On Vandalur to Kelambakkam Road after Tagore engineering college turn left. The temple is about 2 KM from main road.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE : CLICK HERE

Sri Lakshmi Kuberar Temple Rathnamangalam 

 Sanctum vimanam 

Sri Sridi Saibaba Temple 

Sri Chakra Kali Amman Temple 

After darshan of Sri Lakshmi Kuberar,  had the Darshan of Sri Shirdi Saibaba, Sri Chakra Kaliamman and Sri Araikasu Amman Temples. In Araikasu Amman Temple I could see 108 Amman’s moorthams are installed. They are replica of the Amman moorthams of famous temples in India and abroad.

It was too late than my expected time for returning home and my wife gave me a call for the breakfast. Returned to home around 11.30 Hrs through Ponmar and Medavakkam.  This Heritage visit was  made through my Yamaha scooter which gave me  a pleasant riding with 80 Km per liter of petrol.

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---