Skip to main content

Mukkadeswarar Temple - Kanchipuram

பூமிமேல் புகழ்தக்க பொருளே உன்னை 
என்னானாய் என்னானாய் என்னின் அல்லால் 
ஏழையேன் என்சொல்லி ஏத்துக்கேனே!
- Devaaram

Yet another drive to Kanchipuram. Headed straight to Kamatchi Amman dharisanam. Being a Wednesday morning and summer vacation, it was sparsely crowded so had a quiet long dharisanam of the goddess with half moon alangaram. Came out of the temple with in 45 minutes this time. Visited Kumarakottam next and here again had a fulfilling dharisanam of Murugarar. This temple does Annadhanam every day from donations received from devotees, its INR 1250 per day.
With ample time in hand, decided to explore some of the lesser known temples. So we headed to Mukkadeswarar Temple which is just on the way out of Kumarakottam. Covered by various shops, a small entrance leads to this age old temple belonging to the Pallava dynasty. Similar to Kailasanaadhar temple this temple too is under the Archaeological survey of the Indian Government. The main deity morning dharshan time is very limited, so not able to visit for prayers.
There is no gopuram to the temple hence the narrow entrance. Nandi is the first to welcome us. On either side of the Nandi, its green. Beyond this is the sanctum of Mukkadeswarar.
This sanctum is on a high raised platform. Few steps climb will take us to the main deity. On either side of this are the carved scripts and statues.
On either side of Mukkadeswarar we can see sculptures as in the below picture. Also the sanctum is supported by finely carves pillars.
This board in the temple clarifies that the temple was erected by Nandivarman in 800 - 900 A.D. as per the stone inscriptions. Though small every small detail is minutely craved by the sculptural talents of the Pallava era.
Temples like this stand testimony to the talents of the ancient Tamils. We have to take this opportunity to admire and appreciate them.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anjaneyar Temple - Gerugambakkam, Porur

 Very recently we came to know about the Anjaneyar temple built by actor Arjun is at Gerugambakkam. On a Sunday evening we drove towards this place. We need to detour from the Kundrathur main road to reach this temple and from then on we need to face a rough and patchy road. In just 5 minutes one can reach the temple. A small residential street leads to the temple. Very near it one could see few small stalls mushroomed up to sell pooja items. The vehicles have to be parked in the street near the temple gates. First is the corridor were few trees are seen.  On taking left is the entrance to the temple and you can see the Lord Anjaneyar much ahead. Here too are few trees uniformly spaced out. There is a coconut farm adjacent to this temple. There is a shelter above Lord Anjaneyar, but for that it is a open air temple. Facing Lord Anjaneyar and to the left and right corner are two shrines - one for Lord Ganesh and the other for Lord Anjaneyar's - Lord Rama, Lord Lakshmana and God...

Beach - Marakkanam

Born in the coastal area one realises the beauty of the beach only in instances where you have to stay away from your place for a long time or a person from non-coastal area appreciates the beach and call you lucky for coastal nativity. When Tsunami occurred, we are sure no one wanted to live in a coastal region. Having said that, over the weekend we went on a drive while resulted in experiencing the beach, back waters and the canal in Marakanam, roughly 120 kms from Chennai and 20 kms from Puducherry. Suddenly on a Saturday morning we decided to make a short trip to Marakanam where our friend has a farm house and called us in for a visit. After completing the weekend chores and a quick lunch, we started the drive towards Marakanam. We took the Chennai by-pass route to Vandaloor and then to ECR, crossing Mahabalipuram to reach the small town of Marakanam within 2 hrs. Numerous prawn Hatcheries in this place occupy the seashore. There seems to be around 53  Hatcheries in this stretc...

Dhandayuthapani Temple - Nadupalani

 Nadu Palani Murugan Temple - Achirupakkam  On a Saturday we decided to go out on a short trip and zeroed-in on Nadu Palani Murugan Temple. Less than 100 kms from Chennai, this was a long time item in the bucket list.  Achirupakkam town is where this temple is located. Achirupakkam is near Melmaruvathur. We took the Chengalpet route via Tambaram. Driving through Chromepet, Tambaram and Perungalathur was a mayhem on the Saturday afternoon traffic. We took a break at Manoj Bhavan at Mamandur. Hotel has lost the earlier charm and so was the food. As guided by a person near the hotel, just in 15 kms you can see an arch at the left side on the highway itself for Nadu Palani Murugan temple. From the arch, one has to drive into the village for 6-7 kms to reach the temple, at Perukkarani village. We had to take a ticket of Rs.50 to drive in the car to the small hillock. Around 100 steps, its a easy climb too. At the foot hill are Lord Anjaneyar and Lord Idumban on either sides fo...