Sri Angala Parameswari Temple / Arulmigu Angala Amman Temple with Muslim Saint samadhi, Chintadripet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

09^th Feb 2020.

The visit to this Sri Angala Parameswari Amman, a Village deity’s Temple was a part of Water Matters Heritage  Trail – Township Around Water, The story of Chintadripet on the banks of River Cooum, curated by Mrs Padma Priya, a Historian and Writer scheduled on 09^th February 2020. The Heritage Trail started from Simpson’s Gate and finished at the Twin temples, Sri Adhipureeswarar and Adhikesava Perumal temples of Chintadripet. During this Heritage Trail, we covered  Three Hindu Temples, Two Churches, Schools, Temple Umbrella Units, Heritage buildings, a Fish Market, May Day Park, A Public Library, etc,. The heritage trail was kick-started with a brief intro to Chintadripet's History.  This article will share some details of Chintadripet History and Sri Angala Parameswari Amman Temple.

 

Presiding Deity: Sri Angala Parameswari

The Temple is facing east with a  3 tier Rajagopuram.   In the sanctum sanctorum, Angala Parameswari is sitting in Sukhasana with a leg resting on a pedestal placed on the Lion vahana.  While the upper hands hold paasam and ankusam, the lower hands are in abhaya & Varada hastham. There is also a sannidhi for Sri Valli Devasena Samedha Subramanian.

The praharam around the Angala Amman is very narrow. The right side of the praharam wall has the Green and white tiled Samadhi of a Muslim saint, called Dargah. ( The details of the Muslim such as the name, and from where he came are not known. As per the Poojari, the Muslim saint in the middle of the 18^th Century came and stayed in this temple. He used to cure the ailments of the devotees who came to this temple through his miracle power.  As a token of gratitude, the devotees offered  food and fruits. When he knew  that his life in this material world going to end, he expressed his desire to be buried in this temple premises. After he attained Samadhi, devotees offer special prayers on Thursdays and celebrate his anniversary ).

 A Samadhi of Muslim Saint ( Dargah )

BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINTADRIPET AND THIS TEMPLE.

Chintadripet was called as Chinna Thari Petah ( சின்ன தறி பேட்டை ). Chintadripet was established  by President George Morton Pitt in Sunku Rama’s ( Sunku Venkatachalam ), garden in 1734 CE. This was a planned township to settle the weavers Community from Madurai and Udayarpalayam,  for the weaving of Indigo, long cloth, etc.,  required for the British market. The workers like spinners, dyers, and washers, which are related to the weaving jobs, and the priests, attenders, cleaners, and scavengers to support are also settled.

Sunku Rama was instrumental  in the establishment of Weaver’s Colony with Telugu weavers at Kaladipet ( Collettpet ). With the clothes produced, he became the Chief merchant of the East India Company.  For the same he was allotted a house inside the Fort St. George and the same was used as a godown for the cloths produced from Kaladipet. Maintaining a good rapport with Governor Collett, he has 87 acres of Land at Chintadripet, where the Cooum River flows like a circle before it splits & forms an island and then joins with the sea.

President George Morton Pitt found this place was very ideal to establish of Chintadripet Township for the production of good quality Cloth, considering the prime source of Cooum water.  When he came to know that this Garden  land was given to Sunku Rama as a grant by Governor Collett  for which he had not paid anything to the British Govt. Governor Collett forcibly took over the garden despite the severe protest raised by Sunku Rama. Finally, the Chinna Thari Petah was formed and later the name was corrupted to the present name of Chintadripet.

       

As per some historians, the Sri Angalamman Temple, Sri Adhikesava Perumal Temple, and Adhipureeswarar Temples existed even before the British occupied Madras.  Experts of the opinion that these temples might have been built during the 16^th to 17^th Century, Vijayanagara Period, but there is no evidence to prove the same.

Sri Angala Parameswari temple is on the west side of the Venkata Gramini Street. Gramini is a sub-sect of the Nadar community. This Temple was called as Sri Angalamman temple. As per the 20^th Century inscription, a House ( rented to Shanmuga Sundara Nadar ) in Triplicane, Dr. Natesan Street was donated to this temple and the rent collected from the house has to be deposited in the bank, and an amount of Rs 240, to be utilized for the daily poojas, under the supervision of V M Nataraja Nadar, M Sambanda Nadar & K Kanniappa Nadar.

An Inscription

POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS

Apart from daily poojas, special poojas are offered for the Samadhi on Thursdays, and Fridays, The Mayanakollai, on the next day of Maha Shivaratri is celebrated, in a grand manner.

TEMPLE TIMINGS:

The temple will be kept open between 07.00 hrs to 10.00 hrs and 17.00 Hrs to 20.00 Hrs.

HOW TO REACH:

The temple is on Venkata Gramini Street off Arunachala Street.

The temple is 600 Meters from Chintadripet MRTS Railway Station 3.7 km from Chennai Central Railway Station and 10 km from CMBT Bus Terminus.

Nearest Railway Station is Chennai Central.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---