The
visit to this Sri Kannathamman Temple at
Ambattur was a part of the “Lesser Known Vishnu, Shiva, Amman Temples of Chennai
Visit” on 23rd October 2022. Most of the temples were reconstructed
during recent years, and some retain their original structure. All these
temples have a long history of Pallava, Chozha, and Vijayanagar.
The presiding deity:
Sri Kannathamman
Some of the salient features of this temple are….
The temple faces east, with a temple tank in
front. The entrance arches are on the east and north sides. 3 Trishuls, balipeedam
and Amman’s vahanam Simham are in the mandapam. The presiding deity, Sri
Kannathamman, is a little below ground
level.
Sri Kannathamman is in sitting posture with left
leg folded and right leg hanging. Amman is with 4 hands, holding pasa angusam in
the upper hands and lower hands in abhaya varada hastam. There are no images in the Kostas. In Praharam,
Nagars and Kanniamars.
ARCHITECTURE
The
temple is in a large area, leaving a lot of open space around the temple. The
temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum with two mandapas. The entrances to the
sanctum are narrow, and the height is very low. The entrance arch has the bas-relief
of Vinayagar, Kannathamman, and Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar. The sanctum was built in the Gramiya style. Ardha
Mandapam is supported by two Vrudha pillars and vettu pothyal.
HISTORY AND
INSCRIPTIONS
The
original temple may belong to the 13th Century, and the present
structure is about 100 to 150 years old. This is a Village
guarding deity for 7 Villages. Mr. Vadivelu, who is looking after this temple, is
the 4th Generation. The Sanctum Sanctorum was built by his great-grandfather, the inner mandapam was built during his grandfather’s period, and the next mandapam was built by his father. The Mukha mandapam, arches, and other
facilities were added by him.
LEGENDS
As
per the legend during the 13th Century, a Pandya King came to the north part
of Tamil Nadu to capture Thondai mandalam, which was under the control of
Latter Pallavas. They stayed in many places, establishing the Padai Veedu. In the
soldiers, a group belongs to Nattarasankottai. They used to carry a handful of
mud taken from their Kula Deivam Kannathamman Temple, believing that their Kula
Deivam would also travel with them and guard them. During that time, this place
was full of etti trees. They built a small temple with mud and worshiped
Kannathamman. Also, they excavated a Temple tank in front of the temple. After
the Pandya King returned to Madurai, the Nattarasankottai group settled here in
7 Villages around the temple and mingled with the local people. The 7 Villages
are Mangalapuram, Veelalar Street ( Vinnavaraya Perumal Temple area ), Kuppam,
Ramapuram, Varadharajapuram, Kalyanapuram, Venkatapuram and Chozhapuram.
POOJAS AND
CELEBRATIONS
Apart
from regular poojas, special poojas are conducted on Fridays in Thai and Aadi
months. The annual festival will be conducted during Chithirai, after Pournami. The 7 Villagers used to offer Pongal prepared at the temple before
starting any mangala functions in their homes.
The
Utsavar or the procession deity will be taken to all 7 Villages around this
temple, staying two days in each place and coming back after 14 days.
2012 Celebration -Procession deity
TEMPLE TIMINGS
The
temple will be kept open from 07.30 hrs to 12.00 hrs and from 17.00 hrs to
20.00 hrs.
CONTACT DETAILS
Mr
Vadivelu, who is looking after the temple and priest, may be contacted on his
mobile number +919840061827 for further details.
HOW TO REACH
The
temple is 100 meters off from Madras Thiruvallur High Road, 100 meters from
Dunlop Factory bus stop, 1.8 km from Ambattur O T Bus terminus, 2.5 km from
Ambattur Industrial Bus Depot, 10.4 km from Koyambedu Bus Terminal, and 16 km from Chennai Central Railway Station.
The nearest
Railway Station is Ambattur.
LOCATION OF THE
TEMPLE: CLICK HERE
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OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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