Friday 3 April 2020

SRI AMBALAVANESWARAR TEMPLE / SHRI AMBALAVANESHVARAR TEMPLE, ANGAMBAKKAM, KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU.

8th March 2020.
It was planned to Visit Pallava / Chozha Temples on and off the banks of river Palar on 8th March 2020. Our first visit was to this Angambakkam Shiva Temple, on the banks of river Palar. This temple is also called as Uthara Chidambaram.

Moolavar : Sri Ambalavaneshvarar
Consort   : Sri Sivakamsundari

Some of the salient features of this temple are...
The temple is facing east with a Rajagopuram base ( mottai Gopuram ) with two prakaras. Balipedam, Dwajasthambam and Nandhi are immediately after the rajagopuram base. Dwarapalakas are in the mukha mandapam at the entrance of inner prakaram. Natarajar with Sivakam &  Urchavars / procession deities are in the arthamandapam. In Koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma and Durgai.   In Prakaram Nalvar, Suryan, Somaskandar, Lakshmi, Kashi Viswanathar and Visalakshi, Murugan, Vishnu, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniyar, Sandikeswarar and Navagrahas. Ambal Sri Sivakama Sundari is in a separate sanndhi facing South.  A Vinayagar sannadhi abutting the prakaram wall is on the west side entrance of the temple.

ARCHITECTURE
The temple complex consists of Sanctum, antarala, arthamandapam and mukha mandapam.  The sanctum sanctorum is on a padabandha adhisthana with tripatta kumuda. A two tier  vesara vimana is over the sanctum sanctorum.  The closed parakaram floor level is little raised so that a moat is formed around the sanctum sanctorum. Brahmakantha pilasters are shown on the sanctum walls.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTION
This temple exists before 10th Century ie Rajarajara Chozha ( 985 – 1014 CE ) period. The Rajaraja –I, period inscription on a pillar records the gift of goats to light perpetual lamp. During Kulothungan period, the temple was renovated and an inscription records the donation of 96 kuzhi land to bring 2 pots of water to carry out daily abhishekam. Inscriptions are available up to Sadayavarman Sundara Pandyan’s period.

The temple with Rajagopuram base may be 400 to 500 years old, built during Vijayanagara Nayak period. The temple prakaram was found rebuilt at a latter stage.

It was told that the temple has 60 acres of land and a 3 floor House  at Chennai Purasawalkam. But no income is received from the property. There two 20th Century inscriptions found in the temple  which records the gift of lands ( one by a person ....thaiappa,  from Mudaliar Community belongs to Attuputhur Village  and an another by a Vedagiri Mudaliar’s son Nallanna Mudaliar ) with survey numbers for conducting regular poojas.\

LEGEND:
An Anthanar / Brahmin on the way to Kashi to dissolve his father’s remains / asthi worshiped Lord Shiva of this temple. When he opened the asthi pot found that it turned to fragrant Angam flower ( Jasmine ) and performed his tharpanam at this place itself. Hence this place obtained its name as  Angambakkam and also considered similar to Kashi, to perform tharpanam to the ancestors.  

POOJAS:
Apart from regular poojas, 6 times abhishekam will be performed to Natarajar, arudra dharshan etc,.

TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The temple will be kept opened between 07.00 hrs to 09.00 Hrs and 17.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs.

CONTACT DETAILS
Mr. Venkatesa Gurukkal-99448 82344, Mr. Ranganathan-94459 78490, Mr. Sundarasekaran-96006 78032, may be contacted for further details.

HOW TO REACH:
The place Angambakkam is 5 KM from Walajabad, 21 KM from Kanchipuram, 29.2 KM from Chengalpattu and 70 KM from Chennai.
Nearest Railway Junction / Station is Chengalpattu.

LOCATION: CLICK HERE











--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA---

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