03rd March 2019.
This Burma Nagar people at Kathivakkam near Ennore constructed a Muniswaran and Sri Angalamman Temple. They named the Muniswarar Pelican Muniswarar in remembrance of the Myanmar ( Burma ), Pelican ( Pelikhan ) Muniswarar Temple.
Presiding Deity: 1. Sri Angalamman
2. Sri Pelican Muniswarar
Some
of the Salient features of this temple are….
The
temple is facing east with a 5 tier Rajagopuram. The main shrines are Sri
Angalamman and Sri Pelican Muneeswarar. Keeping these two shrines at the center, sub-shrines are constructed around them. Dwajasthambam is in front of Sri Angalamman and a curved long sword is
in front of Sri Pelican Muniswarar shrine.
In
the prakaram sannadhi for Durgai, Kaliamman, Abirami with Amirthakadeswarar,
Naalvar, Dharmasastha Sri Ayyappan, Kalyana Venkatesa Perumal, Annai Sivagami, Vinayagar, Poochi Ayya and Navagrahas. Two stucco horses are near the
Rajagopuram. On the northeast corner facing east are the stucco large-size
images of Anjaneyar and Amman.
HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS
History says that Indian Tamils had a connection with Myanmar since the Rajendra Chozha period. When Burma was taken over by the British in the 18th Century, Indian Tamil people migrated to Burma, the present Myanmar to work as laborers in paddy & Sugarcane fields and, Tea estates. Most of the agricultural lands were owned by Nattukottai Nagarathars. Later laborers also purchased lands and started agriculture on their own.
The Indian Tamil people also constructed temples for Village Gods for Muniswaran, Amman, etc., and celebrated annual festivals like in Tamil Nadu. One such place is called Pelican ( Pelikhan) in Myanmar. The Annual celebrations gave them the opportunity to meet their relatives in a foreign land. It went on smoothly up to the middle of the 20th Century. In the year 1962, the ruling power was taken over by the military in a coup, and a lot of changes were made, which included the change of Prime minister.
This triggered a panic amongst the Indian Tamil Laborers who started leaving Myanmar in mass numbers as refugees in 1965, leaving all their belongings. Indian Govt. also arranged ships to commute them to India. Some of them stayed back. The Laborers were accommodated in various parts of Chennai. Trichy, Chettinad etc,. The people wherever they stayed were called Burma Nagar or Burma Colony. The Burma Bazaar is also part of it, to do business of selling electronic goods.
This temple was constructed with the contributions received from the people, who returned from Myanmar ( Burma ). The donation inscription stones are kept on the walls of shrines.
POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS
Apart
from regular poojas, the annual festival of “Theemithi” is celebrated
in a grand manner in April Month.
TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The
temple will be kept open between 07.00 hrs to 11.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs to
20.00 hrs.
HOW TO REACH:
The
temple is on the west side of the Ennore High Road and the Bus top is Annai
Sivagami Nagar alias Burma Nagar.
There
are about 10 City buses from Chennai Central Rly Station, Beach Station, Perambur, CMBT, Broadway, Thiruvanmiyur, and Vallalar Nagar to Ennore that pass through this place.
The
Kathivakkam Railway Station is about 800 meters from the temple. All Gummidipoondi Local trains will stop at Kathivakkam.
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