19th January
2020.
It was a long wish to
explore the congested streets of George Town and Sowcarpet areas of the old
black town of Madras City. Many temples were existed before the British came to
Madras and many temples constructed during their periods also. One
of the temples, which existed before the British, is the Bairagi Mutt
Thiruvenkatamudaiyaan Venkatesa Perumal Thirukovil on General Muthiah Street /
NSC Bose Road.
I was a little curious
to know more about this Bairagi mutt and its connection to this temple. Bairagi
is a cult of worship of Vishnu in Vaishnavism. It is believed that the Bairagi Cult
was started by Saint Ramananda in the 14th Century CE. The 4 Cult of
Vaishnavism are Ramanuja, Nimanandi, Vishnu Bairagi and Tyagi Bairagi.
Bairagis are still found in North India, in and around Nagpur and Allahabad.
Paintings on the sanctum walls
Moolavar : Sri
Venkatesa Perumal, Sri Tiruvenkadamaiyan
Thayar :
Sri Padmavathi.
Some of the Salient
features of this temple are...
The temple is facing
east with a 5 tier Rajagopuram. DeepaSthambham, Balipeedam, Dwajasthambam, and
Garudan are after the Rajagopuram. There is also a 3 tier Rajagopuram on the
south Side. About 8 feet high Moolavar is in a standing
position like Tirupati Venkatachalapathy. Poojas are done similar to
Tirupati. During Utsavam the Lakshmi hara is taken out and put on
Utsavar. During that time the worship of Moolavar will be stopped.
Sri Ranganathar is in
the ardha mandapam. Brahma is from his naval and Sridevi and Bhudevi are sitting
on this leg side. The Sanctum Sanctorum Koshtas is
empty. Dwarapalakas Jayan and Vijayan are at the entrance of
artha mandapam ( in Mukha mandapam ). On the right side is
Thayar Sannidhi is with a mukha mandapam. The Thayar Sannidhi consists of 3
parts. Thayar Sri Alarmelmangai is at the center on the right is
Varadharaja Perumal and on the left is the Ramar Sannidhi Ramar, Sita, and
Lakshmana are in the sannadhi. Hanuman is in the mandapam opposite to ramar
Sannidhi. The processional deity of Thayar is taken out every day on different
vahanas inside the praharam. The interesting feature of the processional deity
is that she wears a nose ring for which there is a hole in the nose. During
Brahmotsavam Thayar will be taken out in procession on a Garudi (
female form of Garuda ) vahana.
In prakaram Andal
sannadhi is on the left side of the moolavar sannadhi. In addition to this
sannidhis for Manavala mamunigal, Puri Jagannath, Lakshmi Narasimhar, Patha
mandapam and Alwars.
ARCHITECTURE
The temple
complex consists of Sanctum sanctorum, antarala, artha mandapam and Mukha
mandapam. In addition to this, there are 2 nos of 4 pillar mandapa and a 24
pillar mandapa. Mukha mandapa was constructed like a chariot with Wheels. The 6
nos of Vijayanagara-style pillars support the Mukha mandapa. The Pillars has images of various deities Horse riders and Pulikuthi heroes. On the top of the
mukha mandapa stucco images of Vishnu’s incarnations.
The Sanctum Sanctorum
is on a patha bandha adhisthana and only pattikai is visible now. The
Sanctum Sanctorum was built with stone up to prastaram. Lotus pedals are in
the valapi. The Vimana is of 2 tiers with stucco images of Vaishnava
deities. The temple tank is on the north side of the temple which
shares with Bairagi mutt’s other temple, where north Indian does the poojas.
Mural paintings of Vishnu's various lilas / leelas/ actions are done on the
walls of the mandapam and praharam walls.
Viajayanagara Nayak period Mukha mandapam like Chariot with wheels
Vijayanagara Nayak period Mandapa Pillars
HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS
In the British period map, this temple was mentioned as Lorraine Pagoda. From the architecture of the temple,
this temple may have been built during the 16th to 17th Century CE, Vijayanagara
/ Nayaka period. It is Ramananda who popularized the Bairagi Cult in North India. In the early 1600s Lal Das Ji, a Bairagi saint and a follower of
Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita cult, from Lahore ( presently in Pakistan )
started this mutt. He once cured the stomach pain of a Muslim lady, as a token of
thanksgiving the Muslim lady gave him some gold coins, which he used to expand
his mutt and build this Sri Venkatesa Perumal temple. After the saint, this
temple is being maintained by Bairagi Mutt's successors.
From another version
Sri Venkatesa Perumal came from one of the Bairagi Saints, who was from North
India, and dreamed of constructing a Temple for him. Initially, the locals
didn’t believe him and later they helped to construct this temple.
There are Telugu and Sanskrit inscriptions found in the temple. Maha Samprokshanam was conducted in
1991 and 2007.
Bas-reliefs over the inscription
Telugu inscription tablet
Telugu inscription tablet
TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The temple will be
kept open between 07.00 hrs to 11.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs to 20.30 hrs.
CONTACT DETAILS:
The landline number
+91 44 25382142 may be contacted for further details.
HOW TO REACH:
This
temple is on No.1, General Muthiah Street, George Town, Chennai, and
about 300 meters from Pookadai Police Station.
2 KM from MGR Central
Railway station.
LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK
HERE
Vijayanagara Nayak period Mukha mandapam Yazhi and Horse Pillars
Sri Patha mandapam
Temple tank
Bairagi mutt temple
Bairagi mutt Anjaneyar temple
---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
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