8th March
2020.
It was planned to
Visit Pallava / Chozha Temples on and off the banks of river Palar on 8th
March 2020. Thanks to Mr Kesavan a Heritage enthusiast, who also joined
with me in this Visit. Our first visit was to this Angambakkam Shiva Temple, on the banks
of river Palar. This temple is also called as Uthira Chidambaram.
Moolavar : Sri Ambalavaneshvarar
Consort : Sri Sivakamsundari
Some of the salient
features of this temple are...
The temple is facing
east with a Rajagopuram base ( mottai Gopuram ) with two prakaras. Balipeedam,
Dwajasthambam and Nandhi are immediately after the rajagopuram base.
Dwarapalakas are in the mukha mandapam at the entrance of inner prakaram. Nataraja with Sivagami & Urchavars /
procession deities are in the artha mandapam. In Koshtam Vinayagar,
Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma and Durgai. In
Prakaram Nalvar, Suryan, Somaskandar, Lakshmi, Kasi Viswanathar and
Visalakshi, Murugan, Vishnu, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar, Chandikeswarar and
Navagrahas. Ambal Sri Sivakama Sundari is in a separate sannidhi facing South. A Vinayagar sannidhi abutting the prakaram
wall is on the west side entrance of the temple.
ARCHITECTURE
The temple complex
consists of Sanctum, antarala, arthamandapam and mukha mandapam. The sanctum sanctorum is on a padabandha
adhisthana with tripatta kumuda. A two tier
vesara vimana is over the sanctum sanctorum. The closed parakaram floor level is little
raised so that a moat is formed around the sanctum sanctorum. Brahma kantha pilasters
are shown on the sanctum walls.
HISTORY
AND INSCRIPTION
This temple exists before 10th Century ie Rajaraja Chozha ( 985 – 1014 CE ) period. The Rajaraja –I, period inscription on a pillar records the gift of goats to light perpetual lamp. During Kulothungan period, the temple was renovated and an inscription records the donation of 96 kuzhi land to bring 2 pots of water to carry out daily abhishekam. Inscriptions are available up to Sadaya Varman Sundara Pandyan’s period
This temple exists before 10th Century ie Rajaraja Chozha ( 985 – 1014 CE ) period. The Rajaraja –I, period inscription on a pillar records the gift of goats to light perpetual lamp. During Kulothungan period, the temple was renovated and an inscription records the donation of 96 kuzhi land to bring 2 pots of water to carry out daily abhishekam. Inscriptions are available up to Sadaya Varman Sundara Pandyan’s period
It was told that the temple has 60 acres of land and a 3 floor House at Chennai Purasawalkam. But no income is received from the property. There two 20th Century inscriptions found in the temple which records the gift of lands ( one by a person ....thaiappa, from Mudaliar Community belongs to Attuputhur Village and an another by a Vedagiri Mudaliar’s son Nallanna Mudaliar. It was learnt the the person, who donated the land belongs to this place and he moved to Attuputhur Village, about three generations before ) with survey numbers for conducting regular poojas.
LEGEND:
An Anthanar / Brahmin
on the way to Kashi to dissolve his father’s remains / asthi worshiped Lord
Shiva of this temple. When he opened the asthi pot found that it turned to fragrant
Angam flower ( Jasmine ) and performed his tharpanam at this place itself. Hence
this place obtained its name as
Angambakkam and also considered similar to Kashi, to perform tharpanam
to the ancestors.
POOJAS:
Apart from regular
poojas, 6 times abhishekam will be performed to Natarajar, arudra darshan
etc,.
TEMPLE
TIMINGS:
The temple will be kept
opened between 07.00 hrs to 09.00 Hrs and 17.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs.
CONTACT
DETAILS
Mr.
Venkatesa Gurukkal-99448 82344, Mr. Ranganathan-94459 78490, Mr.
Sundarasekaran-96006 78032, may be contacted for further details.
HOW
TO REACH:
The place Angambakkam
is 5 KM from Walajabad, 21 KM from Kanchipuram, 29.2 KM from Chengalpattu and
70 KM from Chennai.
Nearest Railway Junction
/ Station is Chengalpattu.
LOCATION: CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
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