VELUDHARAN TEMPLES VISIT : Karukkinil Amarnthaval Temple Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Karukkinil Amarnthaval Temple Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

23^rd April 2018.

Utilising the opportunity of attending Kumbhabhishekam of Sri Vijaya Vinayagar temple at Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering on 22^nd April 2018, visited 4 temples in Kanchipuram. This is one of the 1000 and odd temples of Kanchipuram. Even though the temple was subjected to a lot of changes, it still retains a few heritage-value structures and statues.

Presiding Deity: Sri Karukinil Amarnthaval.

Some of the important details are…

The temple faces north with a 3-tier Rajagopuram. The Temple tank is in front of the Rajagopuram on the right side. In front of the Sanctum Sanctorum, 6th-century Buddhas (two), Thavvai/ Jyeshta Devi with manthan and manthi, along with Nagars. Nagar shrines are in three places in the complex. Both Buddhas are in ardha padmasana, and one Buddha is in sparse hastham and the other in Thiyana hastham. In this group, there is a female head god worshipped as Manimekalai.

Navagrahas are at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum. In koshtam, Vinayagar, Amman and Dakshinamurthy. In the outer prakaram sannadhi for Nagars, Amman and Sri Vedapureeswarar.

Amman is in a ferocious mood, killing Mahishan with a trident, keeping her right leg on his head and left leg on the thigh. This place was once a palmyra grove, and Amman sat under a palmyra tree; hence, Amman is called Karukinil Amarnthaval in the Tamil language. Also, there is another version, Amman to be worshipped during the joining time of evening and night, called Karukku. (Anthi Velai).

ARCHITECTURE

There are two Pallava period pillars, one is a squatting lion pillar, and the other is of elephant face. In the ardha mandapam, stucco images of Amman might have been built in recent years.

The temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum, antarala, ardha mandapam, and a maha mandapam. The sanctum sanctorum is rectangular in shape, on a pada bandha adhistanam with jagathy, threepatta kumudam, and pattikai. The bhitti starts with vedikai. The pilasters are Vishnu kantha pilasters with square bases, kalasam, kudam, palakai, and vettu pothyal. The prastaram consists of valapi and kapotam with nasikudus. A 3-tier brick Salakara Vimanam is in the sanctum sanctorum. Amman's various forms are in the Vimana Koshtams.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

Even though the original temple belongs to the Pallava period, nothing was left except two stones of kumudam in the adhistanam with inscriptions.

Kumudam stone with inscription - the only proof that this temple belongs to the Pallava Period

POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS

Apart from regular poojas, special poojas are conducted on Fridays, especially Adi month Fridays, Sundays, Amavasya days, etc. Adi Month Fridays Devotees Cook Pongal and offer to Amman.