VELUDHARAN TEMPLES VISIT : Mahakaliamman Kovil / Sri Mahakaliamman Temple / ஸ்ரீ மகாளியம்மன் கோயில், Chithode, Erode District, Tamil Nadu.

Wednesday, 19 February 2020

Mahakaliamman Kovil / Sri Mahakaliamman Temple / ஸ்ரீ மகாளியம்மன் கோயில், Chithode, Erode District, Tamil Nadu.

03^rd February 2020.

This Mahaliamman Temple/Mahakaliamman Kovil was not a part of the Heritage Visit to temples, Hero stones, and Heritage sites around Anthiyur and Athani, scheduled on 03^rd February 2020. It was planned to pick me up from Chithode. Since I reached a little earlier, had been to this temple, which is on the main road from Chithode to Bhavani.

Presiding Deity: Sri Mahaliamman

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

The temple faces North with an entrance arch. Mahaliamman’s stucco image is on the top of the north side entrance arch. Like any other village deities in Erode District, this temple also has the Oonjal, balipeedam, and Simha Vahana. The sanctum sanctorum is about 3 feet higher than the ground level. Mahaliamman is in a sitting posture. The stucco images of Munis/Annanmar (Periyannan and Chinnanan ?) with ferocious looks on their faces, holding swords and shields in their hands. They are on the right side of the temple facing east. The sanctum sanctorum consists of a sanctum, a small artha mandapam, and a mukha mandapam. Vinayagar sannidhi is on the southwest corner of the main temple.

HISTORY & INSCRIPTIONS

The original temple may be more than 100 years old. The temple was renovated in recent years. The sanctum was built with stone and there are no koshta images. The front mandapa was built with concrete. From the inscriptions, in 1940 a Chariot was donated by Chinnappa Mudaliar, which was made by Arumuga Mudaliar. In the same year, Kuppanaya Chettiar donated a well for the temple. In 1968, a mandapam was also built.