Thiruvallur temples a sight to behold
Posted On December 21, 2011
India is a cornucopia of temples,tradtions and legends. The array of temple constructions in the country leaves a person stupefied and one is totally intrigued by this diversity of culture and the variety of customs that are observed across the country. This is what makes India the beautiful cultural hub that it is.
Amongst the Indian states, the state of Tamil Nadu stands out as a hub for Indian temples. With typical architectural forms these temples form the backbone of the culture here. The Thiruvallur temples in the district of Thiruvallur constitute major regions of pilgrimage in Tamil Nadu. There are innumerable temples which are immensely popular amongst devotees, and all of them are held with great reverence and respect.
The Lord Shiva temple, the Devi Karumariamman temple , the Bhavaniamma temple, the Murugan temple, Vadivudaiamman temple are all testimony to the kind of heritage that this region has . The Lord Varadaraja Perumal is the presiding deity with his consort Pushpakavalli Thayar in the ancient temple at Poovirundavalli. Once there was a person called Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar who prayed to Sri Varadarajswami and Sri Venkatesa Perumal and Sri Ranganathar. The three deities were so pleased that they appeared before him and Nambi was so overwhelmed that he built temples for them. There are temples for Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar too in the Thiruvallur district.
Around 21 km from the city of Chennai, lies the Chembarambakka village, which has an ancient temple in a very ruined condition. There are inscriptions of the Cholas on the walls of the temple. A magnificent Shiva lingam is there in the centre. This is a major feature in Thiruvallur district.
Then there is the temple of Lord Arulmigu Subrahmanya temple which is situated at Tirutanni. This is situated on a hillock which is reached by climbing around 365 steps. There are many festivals that are observed here with great gusto. The shashti Thiruvizha, the Adi Krithagai, the Shiva Ratri, the Theppa Thiruvizha are all famous here in these temples.
Thiruvallur district also has the Lord Veeranranghava Perumal temple which is a famous pilgrim spot for all the devotees of Thiruvallur. There is a sacred tank in the village which is located near the Hrittapanaisni. These temples with their beautiful forms and exquisite architecture exude a kind of vibration that is seen to be believed. Then you have the Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Anyaneyaswamji which is dedicated to the five faced Hanuman or the Pancha mukhi Hanuman.
Come to Ambattur which is a great industrial centre and a developed township in Chennai. This is situated around 16 kilometres, to the west of the city of Chennai. Here there are temples which are famous, elegant and magnificent. This place has a dilapidated Shiva idol and a temple for Sri Vinnarya Perumal.
The temples at Thiruvallur are supposed to be among the 108 divya Desams of the Vaishnava sect. They are a portion of the tondai naadu divyadesams. The temple is thronged by all during Amavasya.
The Veera Raghavan temple has the deity in a sleeping position. The right hand is on Salihothra Munivar’s head and the left hand is in the Gyana Mudra position for teaching Vedas to Lord Brahma.
With such kind of grace and elegance, the Thiruvallur temples form a major pilgrim spot in this part of India.
