VELUDHARAN TEMPLES VISIT : Sundhareswarar Temple / Sri Sundareswarar Temple / Sri Thirumeneeswarar Temple / ஸ்ரீ சுந்தரேஸ்வரர் கோயில், ( Chennai Navagraha Sthalam for Budhan ), Kovur, Chennai Metropoliton area, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

Friday, 14 April 2023

Sundhareswarar Temple / Sri Sundareswarar Temple / Sri Thirumeneeswarar Temple / ஸ்ரீ சுந்தரேஸ்வரர் கோயில், ( Chennai Navagraha Sthalam for Budhan ), Kovur, Chennai Metropoliton area, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

This Sri Sundhareswarar Temple at Kovur is one of the Navagrha Temples ( Budhan Parihara Sthalam ), of Thondai Mandalam on the outskirts of Chennai and a Pancharathra Kshetram, sung by Sri Thyagaraja Swamigal. This temple has a close connection with Mangadu.

Moolavar : Sri Thirumeneeswarar, Sri Sundareswarar

Consort : Sri Thiruvudai Nayagi, Sri Soundrambigai

Some of the important features of this temple are….

The temple faces east with a 7-tier Rajagopuram on the south. The Dwajasthambam, balipeedam, and Rishabam are on the east side of the outer praharam. The entrance to the main shrine is from the south. In koshtam, Ganapathy, Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma and Durgai.

In artha mandapam Nagars, dwarapalakas are on both side of the entrance to sanctum sanctorum. In the inner prakaram Naalvar, Kalikambal, Veerabhadra, Somaskandar, Sukravara Amman, Muthumariamman, Ponni Amman, Vinayagar, Chandrasekar, Chandikeswarar, Karunakara Perumal with Sridevi and Bhoodevi, Subramaniar, 63var, Thogai Adiyargal, Sekkizhar, Bairavar, Suryan, and Natarajar with Sivakami.

In the outer prakaram Nethra Vinayagar, Varasiddhi Vinayagar and Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar.

ARCHITECTURE

The temple consists of Sanctum sanctorum, antarala, ardha mandapam and maha mandapam. Moolavar vimanam is of Gajaprishta style, on a 3 agnga adhistanam. The provision for burning oil is on the adhistanam was made on the back side. The superstructure Gajaprishta Vimanam above the sanctum sanctorum is of 2 talas above prastaram. Stucco images of Shiva, Dakshinamurthy, Maha Vishnu, Brahma, Ashtadikpalas, and other deities are on the tala and Greeva koshtas. The Rajagopuram is of 7 tiers and each tier opening/Dwara is of mada style. The first tier has the stucco image of Thiryagaraja Swamy's visit to this temple.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

As per Kanchipuram Mavatta Tholliyal Kaiyedu, Rajaraja Chozha-I’s 9^th reign year inscription on a pillar in the inner Prahara records the endowment of conducting daily poojas by a lady of this Village. For the same, she purchased land by paying Gold and gifted to this temple. The inscription mentions Shiva’s name as "Rajarajeswaramudaya Nayanar", in the name of the King.

Another inscription records the endowment of burning a lamp by Kaman Perungattu Pillai. For the same, he had deposited 10 panam with the temple’s Perumal Bhattan. In the Inscription Kaman Perungattu Pillai, mentions that he was one of the 70 families and belongs to Thirumyalapore Elelasinga’s parambara family, who are made to settle by Karikalan at Kanchi Ramathevachery.

Another Vijayakanda Gopalan’s 5^th reign year ( 1253 CE ) inscription is on the south side of the Temple, which indicates that the temple was reconstructed during the 13^th century.

Inscription Pillars are near Dakshinamurthy

As per the real story, Thiyagaraja Swamy was attacked by the thieves at Kovur on his way to Tirupati. When inquired, they denied their act of throwing stones. Thiyagaraja Swamy realized that the act was by Sri Rama. He stayed for 6 months at this place and worshipped Shri Shiva of this temple. He had composed a Pancha Ratna Keerthana on Shiva of this temple.

ஸ்ரீ தியாகராஜ ஸ்வாமிகள் இயற்றிய பிரசித்திப்பெற்ற கோவூர் பஞ்சரத்னம்.

பந்துவராளி ரூபகம்

ப ஸம்போ மஹாதேவ சங்கர கிரிஜாரமண ஸம்

அ. ஸம்போ மஹாதேவ ஸரணாகத ஜநரக்ஷக

அம்போ ருஹலோசந பதாம்புஜ பக்திம் தே ஹி ஸம்

ச பரமதா யாகர ம்ருக தா ஹர கங்காதர தரணீ

தரபூஷண த்யாகராஜவர ஹிருதய நிவேஸ

ஸுரப்ருந்த .கிரீடமணி வரநீ ராஜிதபத கோ

புரவாஸ ஸுந்தரேஸ கிரீஸ பராத்பர பவஹர ஸம்

ஸஹாந ஆதி

ப ஈவஸுத நீவம்டி தைவமு நெம்துகா நாரா ஈ

அ பரவுகமுகல்கி வர்தில்லு கோவூரி ஸுந்தரேச கிரீச ஈ

ச ஆஸசே அரநிமிஷமுநீ புரவாஸ மெ… ஜேயுவாரிநிமதி

வேஸட வெல்லநு தொலகிம்சிதந ராஸுல நாய வுலு

பூஸுர பக்தியு தோஜமுந னொ… புவந… மது கீர்த்தி கல்கஜேஸே

தாஸவரத தியாகராஜ ஹ்ருதா சித்விலாஸ ஸுந்தரேச ஈ

கல்யாணி ருபகம்.

ப நம்மி வச்சிந நந்நு நயமுக ப்ரோவவே நம்

அ கொம்மநி வரமுல நொஸகு கோவூரி ஸுந்த ரேஸ நம்

ச வேதபுராணாகம சாஸ்த்ராதுலு குமி கூடி

பாதமுலநு கநஜாலக பதிமாலி வேட

நாதரூப ஸ்ரீ சௌந்தர்ய நாய கீபதே பேத

வாத ரஹித தியாகராஜ வரதஸுந்தரேஸநிநு நம்

கரஹாப்பிரிய ஆதி

ப கோரி ஸேவிம்பராரே கோர்கெ வீடேர கோரி

அ ஸ்ரீரமணி கரமௌ கோவூரி ஸுந்தரமூர்த்தி நி கோரி

ச ஸுருலு வெயி வந்நெ பங்காரு விருலசே பூஜிம்சக பூ

ஸுருலு ஸநகாதி மௌநி வருலு நுதிம்பக

ஸிருலித்துநநி கொலுவையுண்டு ஸ்ரீசௌந்தர்ய நாயிகா

வருநி ஸ்ரீதியாகராஜ வரது நி பரமாத்முநி ஹருநி கோரி

ஸங்கராபரணம் ருபகம்

ப ஸுந்தரேசவருநி ஜுசி ஸுருல ஜுட மநஸு வச்சுநா ஸுந்

அ அந்தமுகல வரகௌசிதி ஸமாநமைந கோபுரமந்து வெலயு மா ஸுந்

ஸ ஸரணமுலநு பங்காருநூ புரமுலு கரமுல ரவ கங்கண யுகமுலு

ஸ்ரீகரகர முகமுந கஸ்தூரி திலகமு மேரயுசுநுண்டு லாவண்யமுகல ஸுந்

ஒகசேர பாஹமாதி ஸுருலு ஒகசோ நிர்ஜரவார தருணுலு

ஒகசேர நும்புரு நாரதாதுலு ஒகசேர பக்துவெல்லபாகு ஸுந்

ராஜா ..ஜநிகி செலிகாடைந ராஜசேகருநி கோபுரநிலயுநி

ராஜஸகுண ரஹிதுநி ஸ்ரீதியாகராஜ பூஜிதுநி ரஜித கிரீசுநி ஸுந்

Stucco images of Thyagaraja and his disciples, the sthala purana

Sekkizhar who was born at Kundrathur, which is about a few KM away from this place had written the 63 Nayanmar’s Puranas, called Periya Puranam from this place.

LEGENDS

As per one of the legends, Ma Parvati was doing a dhaba standing on one leg, on Shiva at Mangadu. Due to the thabas, this place was experienced with unbearable heat. So the Rishis requested Maha Vishnu to save them from heat generated by Ambal’s thabas. Maha Vishnu in turn asked Mahalakshmi to care of the Maharishis' request. Mahalakshmi took the form of Cow and worshiped Shiva of this temple. Satisfied with Mahalakshmi’s prayer, Shiva and Ma Parvati united together once again. Hence this place was called “Kopuri”, which has corrupted to the present name of Kovur.

This temple is a Budhan Parihara Sthalam and one of the Navagraha Temples of Thondai Nadu around Chennai. Budhan is also called Mercury Planet. As per astrology, Budhan is a neutral planet and it will not have any adverse effect individually. But when in conjunction with other planets it will have adverse effects like suffering from lack of education, frequent sorrows & worries, stress, and argumentative behavior.

CONTACT DETAILS :

The temple can be contacted through the landline at +91 44 24780124 & mobile number at +91 9677155245 ( The same number is given for the Somangalam and Kovur Shiva temples since the same Sivachariyar does pooja there also ).

HOW TO REACH

The place is on the bus route from Porur to Kundrathur and the temple is about 500 meters off the main road on the right side.

Kovur is on the way to Kundrathur from Porur.

Kovur is about 5.5 KM from Porur Junction, 17 KM from Koyambedu Bus Terminus, and 23 KM from Chennai Central.

Nearest Railway Station is Guindy, and Junction is Tambaram 16 KM.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLER: CLICK HERE

The details of my earlier visit to this Kovur Sri Sundareswarar Temple were posted in my blog.