A GREAT TEMPLE NOW IN RUIN.....16/4/09 Thursday I visited a very ancient temple completely dilapidated. The temple is at Sirukalathur village, just 3 km from Kunrathur, closer to Chembarambakkam lake.The presiding deity is Lord Amaratheeswarar and the goddess is Parvathavardhini.
This temple belongs to 13th Century built by Chola kings at the time of Sekkizhar,(the great Siva baktha who wrote Periyapuranam) who lived in Kunrathur. The temple also had sannidhis of Varasiddhi vinayagar, Arumuga peruman, Sukravara Amman, Kala bairavar, Suryabaghavan and for Sekkizhar himself. Maha Periyaval had visited this temple and prayed to the presiding deity. Now the main deity remains covered, and a balalayam maintained awaiting repairs to temple and a kumbabishekam. When will it 
be??? Mahaganapathi statue from outer wall had already been stolen, Luckly the utsava vigrahams are for the last 15 years under custody of the Kovur Sundareswarar temple. 
The Nandikeswarar in the dilapidated small shelter is very impressive and faces the Lord ‘Sannidhi.
be??? Mahaganapathi statue from outer wall had already been stolen, Luckly the utsava vigrahams are for the last 15 years under custody of the Kovur Sundareswarar temple. 
The Nandikeswarar in the dilapidated small shelter is very impressive and faces the Lord ‘Sannidhi.The temple once had about 55 acres lost to aggrandizement and today it is in such deplorable 
condition, the temple walls bared to inner bricks ready to collapse anytime, no gopurams, no sthupas where once mandapams were, the huge Siva Lingam removed from the Avudaiyar and resting on the inner wall of the temple, the Avudayar lying in the open exposed to sun and shower for years together, 
There are about 25 poor people now looking after the temple with no daily poojas or abishekam. Mari,
a local person daily pours water over the idols, cooks some rice at his house and offers it as neyvedhyam and throws it to crows. A priest turns up on important days like pradosham, Shashti, Pournami, at his will, to do some pooja and goes. The outer walls have Dhakshinamurthi, Brahma, Vishnu, Durgai exposed to weather with no proper pooja or lamps.
The small sannidhi of Chandiswarar is ready to collapse with the idol inside.
The 25 locals have formed a sathsang named Saiva Thirumurai Vazhipattu Manram, and are trying best to repair what they could with some negligible financial assistance they could organize.
condition, the temple walls bared to inner bricks ready to collapse anytime, no gopurams, no sthupas where once mandapams were, the huge Siva Lingam removed from the Avudaiyar and resting on the inner wall of the temple, the Avudayar lying in the open exposed to sun and shower for years together, 
There are about 25 poor people now looking after the temple with no daily poojas or abishekam. Mari,
a local person daily pours water over the idols, cooks some rice at his house and offers it as neyvedhyam and throws it to crows. A priest turns up on important days like pradosham, Shashti, Pournami, at his will, to do some pooja and goes. The outer walls have Dhakshinamurthi, Brahma, Vishnu, Durgai exposed to weather with no proper pooja or lamps.
The small sannidhi of Chandiswarar is ready to collapse with the idol inside.
The 25 locals have formed a sathsang named Saiva Thirumurai Vazhipattu Manram, and are trying best to repair what they could with some negligible financial assistance they could organize.
The present president of the Manram is Mr Balasekaran – 9444463567, Secretary Mr Gunasekaran, a local tailor, 9444577254
Time is already ripe for putting our energies and hands together to raise this temple.
Photographs taken are attached on a perusal of which you would shed tears.
Photographs taken are attached on a perusal of which you would shed tears.
Great start Sivan Sir on your blog but very sad on the state of the temple.
ReplyDeleteVery helpful information. Special thanks for the local contact numbers.
ReplyDeleteif interested to know about temples attended by us to perform archanas, abishekams, and distribution of prasadam to locals particularly in temples unattended, dilapidated, with no archakas around Chennai pl do contact me
Deletej.k.sivan 9840279080