... A continuation
post to Kottai Veeran Muneeswarar Temple - Exploring Poonamaallee - A Heritage Walk
15th
April 2018.
Our next
visit before Poonamallee big mosque was to Sri Pidari Panayathamman Temple, which has
a history connected with Queen Victoria. Though the temple is small it has heritage value.
Main deity: Sri Pidari Panayathamman
Some of the
important features of this temple are…
This Amman
temple faces North on the left side of the Main road before Poonamallee. The
main sanctum sanctorum consists of a sanctum, artha mandapam, and a shed as mukha
mandapam. The sanctum does not have any Vimana. In the sanctum ceiling, we could
find the supporting granite slabs that have the Chozha period inscriptions (which might
have been brought from a nearby Chozha Period temple).
In the
outer praharam statues of Amman ( might be a Pothyal of pillars), a Kanthu, an 18th-century memory stone / a village small deity, and
headless Ayyanar with his consorts, Poorna and Pushkala.
HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS
The temple is an Ellai kaval Deivam and once this place was full of Palmyrah ( Panai Maram in Tamil language ) groves, hence Amman got this name.
On 16th
February 1887, Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated in Poonamallee. All
the streets were decorated with thoranas, arches, and flags inscribed as “Long Live Empress Victoria”,
“May the British Empire Prosper”, “May the British Empire Lost Long”, “God save
the Empress”, etc,. As a part of the celebration, about 1000 people were fed non-vegetarian food in this Pidari Panayathamman
temple. In the evening Urchavars are taken out for procession.
TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The temple
will be kept open between 06.00 hrs to 10.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs to 20.00 hrs
HOW TO REACH:
This temple
is on the main road before Poonamallee from Guindy.
20 to 30
meters from Poonamallee Big Mosque
Chozha
Period inscription slab kept to support the ceiling
Kanthu ( The
earliest form of Shiva Linga Worship )
A
panel of small deities / or memory stones of 18th century
Headless Ayyanar with Poorna and Pushkala.
…….To be
continued Big Mosque - Exploring Poonamallee - A Heritage Walk
---OM
SHIVAYA NAMA---
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