Sri Agneshwarar sametha Oushadambikai Koil–Vanagaram Chennai

I travel very frequently on the Tambaram Maduravoyal bypass and  I was always keen to visit the temple seen from the bypass.Today morning I was given the opportunity do so.The one word to describe the visit was PEACE

HOW TO REACH:

The temple is open to the elements and can be seen west of the bypass. The service road which exists between PH road (Near Jesus calls ) and Chettiyar agraharam near the toll booth gives us access to the road leading to the temple, There is no proper road  up to the temple but the ground is motor able. You can also enter the temple from inside Chettiyar agraharam on the west

LEGENDS AND INTERESTING THINGS:

There was a huge Shivalingam which was more than a 1000 years old apparently lying in the open.It is thought to be the Jiva Samadhi of a sage. It was moved into the present garbhagraha  in 1960

The Original place where this lingam was found is still in worship but pilgrims are allowed only on the pradosha days  and on Sivarathri days all are allowed to worship the lord with our own hands offering Maha vilvam(9-12-15 leaved Vilvam leaves)

Originally daily these vilvam leaves would be brought from the Kovoor temple but now a days there are two trees in the temple itself

There was also a 3 faced rudraksha tree which unfortunately dried up this summer

The temple in itself is a very peaceful small structure with small enclosures for the Agnishwarar, Oushadambikai, Ganesha and murugan.The Mahishasura mardhini is exquisite

The Shivan sannidhi is in front and the Ambal sannidhi is on the right in the pic below

The Koshta vigrahas

Vinayaka below

Mahishasura mardhini above

Navagraha sannidhi below

The legend of Parvathy saving the lord from the hala hala poison  hence she is called Oushadambikai

A short visit which was very pleasant

Mailam Sri Murugan Temple- Place where he received the Flag and Vahanam

When you travel on GST road from Chennai to villupuram Just after Tindivanam  before Villupuram on your left hand side you can see the temple gopuram  on a hill. Take the road to Mailam on the left  from the highway and in 15 kms  you will reach the road from pondy ( 25 kms away). A left turn here takes you to the main road and a further left in a small lane takes you to the hill. This small hill  can be either climbed by steps or you can drive up to the main gopuram,


The entrance is how ever through the south side via a small gopuram. The temple is fairly of recent origin with records from 1750’s.
There are  a bunch of monkeys so beware!! They do not hesitate to pluck things from your hand and are quite accustomed to human contact!! They are pretty aggressive also.



As you enter the temple the main sannidhi is facing east with murugan and Valli devesena. To the extreme left is the Vinayakar sannidhi and in-between these two is the jeeva samadhi of Bala siddhar.  (There is a Mutt nearby of the Balasiddhars a sect of veera shaivas with close links to Palani who control this temple)
There is a seperate Navagraha sannidhi in the temple.
For the legend and the history  please see the following link
“Sthalapuranam of Mailam temple”
The inner praharam has fine exquisite stone carvings  as below





In short a very enjoyable trip to a divine little hill top temple, lots of locals come for a picnic om the weekends here .

Sri Kanchi mutt Acharya's Adhishtanams in Thiruvotriyur chennai

The adhishtanams in Tiruvotriyur ( 55 th and 61 st acharyas)
Last Sunday 20/06/10 I had an oppurtunity to visit the Thiruvotriyur temple in Chennai. The Thyagaraja sannidhi , Vaduvudaiamman and the thataka prathistai sannidhi were enchanting. Adi shankara is believed to have camped here and was responsible for stopping human sacrifices and codified the practices to be followed in the temple. There is a ancient stone building next to the temple on the south side where we can find his statue with two sishyas. This building is now under the custody of the Kanchi kamakoti mutt and functions as the kanchi mutt office. It also houses the adhishtanam( Jeeva Samadhi) of the 61 st pontiff, shri Mahadevendra saraswathy III. This day happened to be the aradhanai for the swamiji and I was fortunate to have witnessed the same and received prasadams.

61st Sri Mahadevendra Saraswati III: He was previously known as Narayana. He was a great yogi. It was during his pontificate that Atma Bodha wrote his commentary Susama on the Gururatna Malika. He attained mukti at Tiruvottiyur, now a part of Chennai on Sukla Navami in the month of Jyesta of the cyclic year Krothana (1746 ,AD).This is also a jeeva samadhi. His pontificate was for 42 years

A stones throw from this area is the Sankaracharya colony a colony of devotees of the mutt. Situated in the south mada street ( this is about 1/2 a km from the vadivudaiamman koil  bus stand, and tiruvottriyur railway station),  Situated in the entrance of  this colony is the adhishtanam of the

55 th pontiff Sri Chandrchuda III: He was a native of Asmachala near manimuktha river in south Arcot district. He was the son of Purari and Shrimati. his former name was arunagiri. He was a dravida brahmin and he died in the year swabhanu, mina shukla ekadasi .(In the year 1524 A.D). His pontificate was for 17 years

Today 25/7/10 being the day of Vyasa puja We had the good fortune to visit the adhishtanam in the morning. Mr Seshadri the caretaker ( he is an engineer working in a private company but does service here to personally take care of the adhistanam daily with utmost reverence) was kind enough to show us around the place. He informed us this is a jeeva samadhi.  In the year 1524 A.D.I could take a few photos of the Adhishtanam with his kind permission

( View of the Brindavanam  complex inside the colony)



( A stone tablet in Telugu and grantham language which speaks of the brindavanam)

(The Brindavanam inside the enclosure)
http://www.kamakoti.org/peeth/origin.html#appendix2

From theKanchi calender 2018

55. Sri Chandrachudendra Saraswati
1507 - 1524 A.D.
आचाय - 55 - अणिगिरचचूडेः
मधुिरत ··· चचूडेनामा ॥ १०८ ॥
इं ···ोितिष॥ १०९ ॥
अयं गतः ॥
Heaps of merits embodied as the son of Purāri and
Śrămati of the town Aśmaśālapura on the banks of
the sweet river Maṇimukta, Aruṇagiri governed the
preceptor-ship of the Păṭha surrounded by the four
oceans as preceptor candracūḍa.
Sri Kṛṣṇapremi’s edition
Thus having imparted the teachings to me, the
insignificant disciple and guiding me through various
aspects pertaining to the Păṭha, the preceptor
who remained in the Păṭha for sixteen years and
attained siddhi in a moment, he merged in the
Supreme Effulgence (of the nature) Saccitsukha
devoid of calamities, on the eleventh day of the
bright fortnight early morning of the month of
Măna of the year Svabhānu at Kañci.
Polakam Rāmaśāstri edition
Thus having imparted the teachings to me, the
insignificant among disciples and guiding me
through all aspects relating to the Păṭha, the
preceptor who stayed at the Maṭha for only six
years at siddhi in a moment, he merged in the
Eternal Bliss, the Supreme Effulgence, devoid of
calamities at the dawn of eleventh day of bright
fortnight of the Mārgaśărṣa month in the year
Āṅgărasa at Kañci.
This preceptor attained siddhi at Kañci.
Thus the text Puṇyaślokamañjarī along with
Laghuvṛtti authored by Śră Sarvajñasadhāśiva
Bodhendra, the fifty-sixth preceptor and disciple
of His holiness Jagadguru Śră Candracūḍendra
Pūjyapāda of Śră Kāñci Kāmakoṭi Păṭha.
पुयोकमिरपिरिशम ्
Appendix to Puṇyaślokamañjarī
आबोधेिविनिमतम ्
ीमदाबोधेसरती िवरिचतः थमभागः

On 16/05/24

Shri Balaperiyava was on a visit to this adhistamam in connection with the kumbabhishekam of Ganapathy temple in the colony and we had an oppurtunity to revisit this adhishtanam and obtain blessings. The main brindavanam has been covered with a roof now . 

Pic from todays visit