Kanchipuram Temples

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KANCHIPURAM (KANCHEEPURAM)- INTRODUCTION

The sacred place namely-Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) gets its name from the Kanchi Tree which bears Kanchiflowers or blossoms. By virtue of the sweet fragrance of Amrith (the food of the Gods) that these flowers possess,they are most apt for the celestials.

This sacred species of flowers where found only at this holy place of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , sincepre-historic times This Kanchi tree that had been created ages ago bears branches that glittered like gold, leavesthat sparkled Like emeralds and fruits that sparkled like the nine gems. Out of the fourteen worlds present in thisvast Universe, these blossoms or flowers were found only in the Earth, at the holy place of Kanchi. These flowersbloomed and filled air with fragrance. It can be said that they (flowers) bloomed and swayed In the breeze andfilled and air with their sweet fragrance, much to pleasure of the celestials. So all the Celestials beginning fromthe Mummoorthis came to this place (Kanchi) stayed here, prayed with great devotions And were granted theirboons (the boons they aspired for) and the holy place was named 'Kanchi Devapuram'. Due to changes in theaffairs of recent times, the holy place came to be called 'Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) '.

Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) - It's Greatness

During the period when destruction of world takes place in a Yuga, (one of the ages) Lord Shiva Who is consideredas the first and foremost of the Gods, assumes the holy title of 'Kaayaaroganeeswarar' and Takes refuge in thesacred place of Kanchi. After the period of destruction gets over, worlds are created again. In order to upholdTruth and justice, (in the worlds) God (Almighty) blesses the worlds with four Yugas Namely-Kiruthayugam,Threthayugam, Thuvaparayugam and Kaliyugam.

The first corresponding Gods for respective Yugas are being created in this sacred land. When destruction Ofworld's takes place towards the close of a Yuga period, Kanchi stands as the last place to get destroyed. Duringthe Sathur Yuga period all the celestials come to Kanchi, establish idols of God (Siva lingams) bearing Their holynames (name of the respective celestials) in order to attain salvation. This practice (names of The respectivecelestials) of establishing idols of God (Shiva lingam) and worshipping them has been going on, Since severalcorers of Yuga periods. Keerthimathi ranks first among the 108 original powerful heirs to the Throne "OriginalPower Throne". She (Keerthimathi is the heroine to the throne) is in none other than the Great GoddessKamackshi herself. During the Thuvaparayuga of the Sathuryuga period, Goddess Kamackshi sets Her divine foot

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on the sacred land of Kanchi, does penance gives several things away in charity, upholds The principles of Truthand Justice and thus protects the whole world. So, Kanchi is considered as very sacred Land. The seven holyplaces known for bestowing salvation are Ayodhya, Madurai, Mayapuri, Kasi, Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) ,Avanthi and Dwaraga. The sacred place namely-Kanchi is held in high esteem since it tops the list of the sevenholy places mentioned above.

Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) is a holy place bounded on all sides by holy rivers such as Palar, Cheyyar,Kambaiyar, Vegavathi, Manjalaru, Vanniyaru and Kanchiyaru. The profound truth that the very soil of this holyland comes under the class of the five great elements in natures (Land, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) bears testimonyto The greatness of Kanchi. Even today, several millions of Sages, wise men, Sithas (a class of celestials whoHave acquired the 8 great mystic powers) and celestials worship the idols of God and also his spirit. They Alsoworship him (God) in the different forms through which the manifests himself. The great devotion to God helpsthem earn his favor and they acquire the 8 mystic powers from God. Thus Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) is adivine place which has great personages (who possess great powers) to its credit.

Saivism, Vaishnavism, Buddhism and Jainism and other sects which have Hinduism as their source of source ofMother Religion spread and attain their heights of glory in this holy land. A person, who sets his foot on the soil ofthis holy land at least once in his life-time, is sure to free himself from the effects of sins. It is believed that thereis Shiva lingam (idol of Lord Shiva) for every foot (a measure of length). So pious men walk barefooted andworship the very soil of the land even today and the title "Temple City" suits it (Kanchi) well. Manimegalai is theheroine of the Tamil Sangam literature. She is the very embodiment of all good qualities. By virtue of greatdevotion to Lord Buddha, she was offered a celestial vessel (a divine vessel which always contains food). It ismentioned in one of the chapters of the sacred text (Manimegalai) that as she was emptying the contents of thevessel in her endeavor to offer food to the people, to her great astonishment she found the vessel was gettingfilled again with food. This practice of offering food by her (from the celestial vessel) for ages and finally sheattained salvation.

Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) is land where religious austerities are sincerely observed with great religiousfervor. By virtue of the sixteen divine wonders (which it possesses) it exhibits only to great personages, Kanchican be rightly called, 'A land of wonders and miracles'.

This holy history found from the Holy text named 'Kanchipuranam'written by "sre maadavasivagnaana munivar".

1. The Three divine places

The place (first) reveals where the fathers (a person as possessed) of his passed births could be found.1.The place (second) reveals where the mothers (a person as possessed) of his passed births could be found.2.The place (third) reveals where the relatives (a person as possessed) of his passed births could be found.3.

2. The Three Divine Raised Platforms

The first platform offers food and drink to those who come on it.1.The second platform offers the things they want.2.The third platform makes a dumb person speaks and at the same time it makes a person who speaks3.

3. The Three Divine Fields

In the first field, as crops are harvested new crops grow and fill the entire field.1.The second field is so very fertile that seeds start developing into plants, on the very day that they aresown.

2.

In the third field, corps grows and thrives well even though the land is not ploughed.3.

4. The Four Divine Thrones

The first throne reveals the various forms in which Lord Brahma manifests Himself.1.The second throne reveals the various forms by which Lord Siva manifests Himself.2.The third throne reveals the various forms in which Lord Vishnu manifests Himself.3.4. The fourth throne reveals the various forms by which the Sun God manifests Himself.4.

5. The Five Divine Trees

The first tree is the mango tree from which Amrith (food of the celestials) drops profusely.1.The second tree is the Kanchi tree which does not offer its shade to others.2.The third tree is the Tamarind trees which produces and offers fruits without carrying out the process of3.


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pollination.The fourth tree is the South-Indian Mahua tree (the long leaved Bessie) which offers different kinds offlowers.

4.

The fifth tree is the fig tree which offers flowers that glitter like gold.5.

6. The Five Divine Ponds (sources of water)

In the first pond, lotuses blooms at night and the water lilies bloom at the day-time.1.In the second pond every lotus plant bears 3 flowers in its stem.2.In the third pond transforms those who have a dip in it, into monkeys.3.In the fourth pond harms the enemies of those who have a dip in it.4.In the fifth pond does good (deeds) to the relatives of those who have a dip in it.5.

7. The Six Divine Birds

The six birds are:

The first bird is the Peacock, which cries to make the rain clouds gather during a period of drought.1.The second bird is the Parrot, which is well versed in the sacred text namely-the Vedas (the source book ofHindu Religion).

2.

The third bird is the Owl, which gives explanations on the divine secrets regarding the study of Astrology.3.The fourth bird is the Pigeon, which possesses a sound knowledge of every thing.4.The fifth bird is the Mynah which possesses profound knowledge of music.5.The sixth bird is called by the divine name Sakkara Vaga Paravai (in Tamil) which offers everything that onewishes for.

6.

8. The Seven Divine Common Places

The first place-is the place where one could hear the celestials speaks.1.The second place-is the place where the rabbit chasses the elephant.2.The third place-is the place where the worlds of snakes (cobras) appear.3.The fourth place-is the place where one gets confused of directions.4.The fifth place-is the place where the lamp burns without any presence of oil in it.5.The sixth place-is the place where one could hear the voices of the people dwelling in the underworld.6.The seventh place-is the place where the leaf of the celestial drums could be heard.7.

9. The Eight Divine Ponds

The First pond, transforms the figures of those who have a dip in it, into a golden one.1.The Second pond, has its miraculous effect on the complexion of a living-being who has a holy dip in it somuch so, that he comes to possess a complexion which gives a heavenly radiance like that of the carbuncle.

2.

The third pond offers a life of complete (eternal) bless and comfort as the life of Indra in heaven, to thosewho have a holy dip in it.

3.

The fourth pond offers complete satisfaction and happiness to the souls of those who have a holy dip in it.4.The fifth pond offers them (those who have a holy dip in it) the things they need.5.The sixth pond blesses them with wisdom.6.The seventh pond cures the diseases of those who have a holy dip in it.7.The eighth pond offers salvation to those who have a holy dip in it.8.

10. The Nine Divine Rocks

The Nine Rocks are:

Those who touch the first rock, get transformed men into celestials.1.The second rock removes snake-poison.2.The third rock grants all the great mystic powers.3.The fourth rock brings a dead being (creature), back to life.4.The fifth rock occupies the seat of justice and settles disputes.5.The sixth rock cures leprosy.6.The seventh rock fixes the broken and disjoined parts of the body in their proper places.7.The eighth rock removes the disastrous effects of sins.8.The ninth rock offers wisdom9.

11. The Nine Divine Gardens


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In the first garden, the noble metal namely-gold drops of rain fall.1.In the second garden, silver drops of rain fall.2.In the third garden, pearl drops of rain fall.3.In the fourth garden, jacinth (a kind of ruby) drop as rain fall.4.In the fifth garden, rain drops sparkling like diamonds fall.5.In the sixth garden, lap lazuli drops of rain fall.6.In the seventh garden, topaz drops as rain.7.In the eighth garden, emeralds drop as rain.8.In the ninth garden, sapphires drop as rain.9.

12. The Ten Divine Assemblies.

The first Assembly makes the criminal who sets his foot on it, speechless.1.The second Assembly makes thieves lose consciousness temporarily.2.The third Assembly blesses one with a keen intellect.3.The fourth Assembly enables one to present himself in numerous forms.4.The fifth Assembly blesses one with everlasting life.5.The sixth Assembly shows the passage that leads to the underworld.6.The seventh Assembly makes even persons possessing profound knowledge, get confused of directions.7.The eighth Assembly by the virtue of its greatness, make gold and Ruby drop as rain.8.The ninth Assembly by its power of magic, makes day appear as night and night appear as day.9.The tenth Assembly makes a person who sets his foot in it, invisible to others.10.

13. The Eleven Divine Wells

The first well contains milk in it.1.The second well contains curd in it.2.The third well contains ghee in it.3.The fourth well contains honey in it.4.The fifth well contains sugarcane juice in it.5.The sixth well leads or shows the path to salvation.6.The seventh well shows heaven.7.The eighth well exhibits all the fourteen worlds present in the vast universe.8.The ninth well reveals the different kinds of seeds.9.The tenth well reveals through images the different living forms; a person has taken in his different births.10.The eleventh well reveals through images, a picture of the bad deeds done by him in his past births.11.

14. A Magic oil press

If gingili seeds are dropped in, through one part of the press oil (gingili oil) will rises in the another part of it.

15. A Divine Rock

Based on the deeds (of a person) of the past, it gives reward or punishment to those who sit on it.

16. A Throne of Sound

It is celestial throne that echoes the melodies sound caused by the dance performance of Lord Bairawa (amanifestation of Lord Shiva) who guards Kanchi.

The first preceptor of the Universe-Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) who is held in high esteem due to thevery fact that he was created even before the creation of this wonderful vast Universe (with all its creation) cameinto existence. A person wonders as to why the supreme preceptor chose Kanchi has his abode to impart severalspiritual teachings and give advice to his disciples who have descended from him. He answer to this question is ofcourse simple. Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) knows the truth that a good deed, divine service or charitydone at Kanchi is equal to ever so many good deeds done at other places. The fact that, even the celestials stayedat Kanchi, worshipped God received boons and attained salvation speaks volumes of greatness of Kanchi.

Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) - Ancient History of Temples


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The supreme preceptor of this Universe, in his divine treatises-'Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi)Shethramirtham' (it in on palm leaves) which he has graciously offered to his disciple-'Arulguru Gorakkar' asfirmly stated that in his advice to his disciple (Sre Gorakkar) that there are four thousands temples devoted toeach of the four Gods namely-Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and Indra at Kanchi which accounts for a total of sixteenthousand temples. The holy text further says that in some temples, a spiritual presence of the God could be feltand worship with out any manifestation in the form of idols or statues. The names of the temples devoted to eachof the Thirimoorthis (Lords Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu) on earth end with three different sacred names. In sometemples idol worship is carried on i.e. people worship the holy figures of Gods or great personages.

In the temple where only the spiritual presence of God could be felt, (no idols for worship) the presiding Gods insuch temples could be worship only by celestials, Siddhas (class of celestials who have acquired the eight greatmystic powers) Sages and wise men. The holy text says the name temples devoted to Lord Brahma end with thesacred word 'Natham'; Vishnu temples with the word 'Rajam' and Shiva temple with the word 'Varam'. Since LordBrahma functions with 'Ohm' (Natham) as a basic sound, a sacred word 'Nathan' is added to his nameBrahma-the creator of the world. Since Lord Vishnu rules the world with truth and grace, he held in high esteemas a king of the world. Thus its stands to reason, that the holy word 'Rajam' is added to his name. Lord Vishnu isset to be the protector of the Universe. For instance, the holy term-'Sathiyanathar' refers to Lord Brahma whoupholds the principles of truth and justice; the term-'Devarajar' refers to Lord Vishnu who stands as the ruler ofall the celestials; the term- 'Bhuvaneshwar' refers to Lord Shiva who graciously grants boons to all the fourteenworlds. Since Lord Shiva graciously grants boons who his devotees, the word 'Varam' is added to his holy name,'Shiva-giver of boons'. Therefore it stands to reason that we get a better knowledge of the powers of the Gods,with the help of their holy names.

Since its ages that worship for Lord Brahma (Lord of creation) has been conducted, now a day's worship for LordShiva is conducted using the holy names apt for Lord Brahma. The figure of the egg is taken as the symbol toexplain the philosophy of Lord Brahma. The figure of the sacred wheel-'Dharmachakra' is taken as the symbol toexplain the philosophy of Lord Vishnu. Now-a-days, a unique figure which is a combination of the figures of themale and female reproductive organs is found in Shiva temples. But on the other hand which is impossible to seethe figure of an egg which represents the philosophy of Lord Brahma temples. Like wise it is impossible to see thefigure of the sacred wheel (Dharmachakra) which represents the philosophy of Lord Vishnu. Such norms whereobserved in ancient times whenever worship was conducted. In due course, such norms are being observed butnot in the prescribed manner. If people worship Gods observing the prescribed norms for the respective Gods asstated by the divine preceptor Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi), people can reap the best benefits out ofworship. Now let us have a look at the history of the temple-where forms (figures) of Gods are worshiped. Suchtemples are found in an around the temple town of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . So it is easy for the masses toworship the Gods here and get the grace of God.

1. Agaththiyechcharam(Thiruvegambam-Ekambaranathar temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Agaththeeswarar. This idol of Lord Shiva (a formless symbol of Lord Shiva)known by the holy name, Agathiyesaram is found on the platform of the court surrounding the shrine (in thesanctum sanctorum of the temple) of the presiding God (Sre Ekambaranathar) in the Ekambaranathar Temple.

The idol occupies a prime position on the platform. The original, holy figures of the sixty three saints who regardLord Siva as the Supreme Being (mentioned in the work Periyapuranam) are found just after this idol. Inpre-historic times, there lived a sage named Agasthiya. To his great astonishment, the Sage (Agasthiya) foundthat the Vindhya Mountains were growing higher and higher day after day. Since the Vindhyas possessed thedivine power-which enabled them to rise higher each day, they (the vinddhyas) became very proud and their


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pride too grew by leaps and bounds. Sage Agasthiya, who feared that the Vindhyas would soon touch the Heavensand at the same time wanted to put an end to the great pride of the Vindhiyas, used his spiritual power todecrease the height of the Vindhiyas. The sage then went to the sacred land of kanchi sang hymns in praise ofLord Ekambaranathar (in Sre Ekambaranathar Temple). To the south of the shrine, (mentioned above) heestablished an idol of Lord Shiva in his name.(in the name of sage Agasthiya) Finally he went to the Podhigaimountain- his divine abode and spread Tamil Literature.

2. Agaththeeswarar Temple(Upanishad Mutt)

The presiding God in the temple is Agaththeeswarar. This temple is located on the path that leads to theKailasanathar Temple through Putheri Street (S.V.N Pillai Street) at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . There is aUpanishad Mutt on the right side of the path (at the beginning of the path) that leads to the KailasanatharTemple. If we get into the Mutt, the people present in the Mutt will take us to this temple.

At the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the holy figures of Lord Vinayaka and Lord Muruga withValli and Theivanai attract the attention of the devotees. In the court surrounding the inner shrine of the temple(In the same court) as devotees make their way through the court-behind the sanctum sanctorum is an idol ofLord Shiva which was worshipped by Lord Hayagriva. (A form of Lord Vishnu having a horse’s neck) This idoloccupies a unique place (in a separate holy place for worship) away from the rest of the holy figures.

The temple is situated on a wide-open space close to the Mutt, on its right. The idol of Lord Shiva placed in thesanctum sanctorum of the temple has a broad, circular base and it tapers like a huge arrow towards the top.(Upper portion) This idol was worshipped by Sage Agasthiya. Opposite to the place of worship devoted to the idol,is the figure of the holy Bull and an alter where all evil thoughts of pilgrims or devotees are destroyed in order topurify them. The very fact that the idol by the name Agatheesaram is known as Agatheeswarar temple bearstestimony to the greatness of the idol.

3.Angeerasam

The presiding God in the temple is Angireeswarar.The Santhaleeswarar Temple is situated further down the paththat passes through the Pachaiayappa’s woman’s College at Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Close to thetemple in an open space is an enclosure (Which looks like a small shed where the idol of Lord Shiva could befound.

Lord Brahma, during the course of his divine advice to the seven sages (Aththiri, Kuchchar, Vasishtar, Brigu,Kasipar, Gauthama and Angira) laid emphasis on the greatness of Kanchi, by saying that a good deed (in the formof charities or worship) done at Kanchi is equal to ever so many good deeds done at other places. In accordancewith Brahma’s holy advice the seven Sages went to Kanchi, had a holy dip in the waters of Sivagangai,( atThiruvegambam-ekambaranathar temple) established separate idols of Lord Shiva in their respective holy namesnear Sarndhasayam, (Vyasa santhaleeswarar Temple)worshipped them and attained salvation. These idols of LordShiva established by the sages are known as Sabthasthanangal. The idol worshipped by Sage Angira is known asAngirasam.

4. Aththireesam and Kuchchesam(sabthasthaanasthalangal)

The presiding Gods in the temple is Aththireeswarar and kuchcheeswarar.Within thecampus of the Sre pachchayappa’s women’s arts College at little Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) , adjoining the road, there is a newly constructed temple. In the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple there are two small idols of Lord Shiva placed side by side - onehaving a base and the other (a very small one) shaped like an arrow. These idols of LordShiva were worshipped by sages Athiri and Kuchcha.

5. Abirameswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Abirameswarar.The temple is located quite near the Sangupani VinayakarTemple at big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The presiding God in the temple is lord Abirameswarar. GodGanapathy and God Muruga seated on his sacred peacock with his consorts Valli and Theivanai (Muruga’s


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consorts) appear as divine powers who guard the entrance.

Ages ago, Lord Vishnu established an idol of Lord Abirameswarar worshipped it, left Kanchi to meet EmperorMahabali who ruled his land abiding by the law of righteousness. When Lord Vishnu (in the form of a smallBrahmin boy) came into the presence of the Emperor and asked him to offer 3 feet of land, the Emperor readilyagreed to the Lord’s proposal. In no time, Lord Vishnu transformed his figure into a gigantic one (much to theastonishment of the Emperor) and began to measure 3 feet of land with his huge Holy feet. With one foot, hemeasured the whole earth and with his other foot, he measured Heaven. Lord Vishnu then went up to EmperorMahabali (who was standing spell-bound, watching Lord Vishnu in the act of measuring) and asked him for thethird foot of bare ground. Emperor Mahabali who was the very embodiment of Truth was at his wit’s end andcould not go back on his word. The emperor then bowed to the Lord and offered Him his head, for the last foot ofLand. Lord Vishnu then laid his holy foot on his head and thus put an end to the emperor’s power on Earth.

Lord Vishnu then returned to the Holy land of Kanchi, bowed and worshipped Lord Abirameswarar as a mark of hisdeep reverence and piety to God (Lord Shiva) and displayed to the Lord, the form he took (the gigantic form)while measuring the land with his holy feet, worshipped the Lord and then left the place.

6. Amareswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Amareswarar. The temple is situated in West Raja Street (Big Kanchipuram).The temple is situated on a site (further down the left of the lane) which lies just opposite to the KollachatramStreet. In the court surrounding the shrine are places of worship devoted to Gods Vinayaka, Muruga and the nineholy planets.

Ages ago, the celestials and the demons who wanted to get Amruth (the food of thecelestials) churned the milky sea. Finally the celestials succeeded in getting Amruth, whileon the other hand the demons failed in their endeavor to get Amruth. Each celestialattributed the entire cause of the victory of the celestials over the demons to his strength.Lord Shiva, who decided to put an end to their over whelming pride, appeared in the DivineAssembly in the form of a demon, fixed a splinter firmly on the ground and said that thecelestial who proves his might by breaking the splinter would be hailed as the genuine herowhose courage and strength helped the celestials to overcome the demons. All the celestialsbeginning from the Mummurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) tried to break the splinter withall the strength that they could muster, but all their efforts to break the splinter proved

futile. All the celestials became weary and disappointed at having failed in the appointed task. At that moment,Goddess

Umadevi (Goddess Parvathi) appeared before them and told them that the demon who appeared before them andspoke to them was none other than the great God Shiva Himself. She then advised the celestials not to be proudand haughty, but on the other hand asked them to be humble and worship Lord Shiva with great devotion. Thecelestials acted according to the sincere advice given by Goddess Parvathi. They (celestials) went to Kanchi,worshipped Lord Shiva in this temple and attained salvation. Therefore this temple is held in high esteem, since allthe celestials came here to worship Lord Shiva. On the wall behind the sanctum- sanctorum of the temple, thedevotees come face to face with the holy figure of Lord Shiva (as Somasudarar).

7. Arisaabhabayantheertha Yeeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Arisaababayantheertha Yeeswarar.The temple stands on a site that liesbetween Rama’s Hotel and Shanmugam Studio in Nellukara Street. The main tower gate of the temple stands bythe side of road. We have to go a little interior from the road to reach the temple. There is a businessestablishment named Paulson Bamboo Shop in the campus of the temple. Opposite to the idol is the figure of theHoly Bull and the sacred altar where all evil thoughts are destroyed. Once upon a time, when the milky sea waschurned- on the one hand by the celestials and on the other hand by the demons, Lord Vishnu extended hissupport to the celestials and helped them to get Amruth. (The food of the celestials). The demons failed in theirattempt to get Amruth from the sea. Then Lord Vishnu started destroying the demons.

The other demons who witnessed the scene, fled away. The demons wentto Sage Brigu’s house, sought the help of Kyathi (the mother of GoddessLakshmi and the wife of Sage Brigu) and took refuge in Sage’s dwelling.


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When news about the whereabouts of the demons, reached Lord Vishnu’sears, his anger knew no bounds. He rushed to Sage Brigu’s dwelling andwithout even considering Kyathi as his own mother-in-law, in a fit of angerbeheaded kyathi. Sage Brigu who witnessed the scene was filled withhorror and cursed Lord Vishnu saying that he would take ten births and gothrough ordeals in all his ten births. Sage Brigu sought the help of thePreceptor of the demons named Sukra.(Lord Venus) Lord Venus readilyhelped Sage Brigu by restoring life to Kiyathi. Lord Vishnu was filled withgrief and pondered over the impact the curse would have on him. He also regretted for his evil dead. Lord Vishnu,then came to Kanchi worshipped God and asked God as to what he should do as atonement for his evil deed. God,who was much pleased with his devotion towards him, blessed him and said that he should extend his help to allthe creatures of His creation, in all his ten births.

Thoughts of fear regarding the disastrous effects of the curse, left Lord Vishnu and great relief came over him.The mercy shown by God on Lord Vishnu filled him with immense pleasure. Thus the God in the temple is knownfor his mercy. He removes the effects of curse on his devotees and brings relief to them.

8. Arasukaaththa Amman Temple

The presiding deity in the temple is Arasukaaththamman.The temple is situatedon a site, (in Ekambaranathar Sannadhi Street) adjoining the Salai Street. Thetemple is popularly known by people as Arasathamman Temple. When goddessKamakshi came to Kanchi to worship her Lord and Master-Lord Shiva, Sheposted deities (as guards) in every direction to ensure safety to the sacred landof Kanchi and then executed her duty of worshipping Lord Shiva. The mostdistinguished among the deities (posted as guards) is Sampath Gowri who isnow known as Arasathamman. She offers her sincere help to GoddessKamakshi by guarding the sacred land of Kanchi and that ensures protection toGoddess Kamakshi’s divine rule over Kanchi.

In olden days, every time when great temple-festivals began, (in Ekambaranathar Temple) abiding by thetradition of those days, people first stepped into this temple and worshipped the deity here (in this temple).

9. Ananthapadmanabesam

The presiding God in the temple is Ananthapathmanathar.The temple is situated on a site in Lingappaiyer Street(Big Kanchipuram) behind a house (with the door no 8).Devotees can reach the temple by making their waythrough the house or through the Dining Room of the Sankara Mutt.

Once upon a time-age ago (according to the history of this sacred place) Lord Shiva and his consort engagedthemselves in playing a game. Lord Vishnu who was then present there was appointed as judge. (for the game)Goddess Parvathi won the game. Before the judge (Lord Vishnu) could pass his judgment-as to who won thegame, Lord Shiva firmly said that it was He (Lord Shiva) who had won the game. Finding himself in a criticalposition, Lord Vishnu swerved from the path of justice: contrary to the position (office) he was holding at thattime, declared that Lord Shiva had won the game. Goddess Parvathi became furious. She cursed Lord Vishnusaying that he would turn into a snake. Lord Vishnu trembled with fear when he was thus cursed by GoddessParvathi. He deeply regretted for not being fair in his judgment and begged her pardon for doing so. GoddessParvathi who is merciful asked Lord Vishnu to go to Kanchi, establish an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of AnanthaPadmanabam and worship him with great devotion in order to relieve him from the curse. In accordance with theholy advice given by Goddess Parvathi, Lord Vishnu came to Kanchi, established an idol of Lord Shiva in the nameof Anantha Padmanabham, Worshipped Lord Shiva and got him self relieved from the curse.

10. Kachchi AnekaThangavatham

The presiding God in the temple is Anekathangavatheswarar.The temple is situated tothe left of the path that leads to the kailasanathar temple in a serene environment (neara field) adjoining the S.S.K.V School. It is a separate temple devoted to Lord Shiva.There is another sacred place known as anekathangapadam on the slopes of theHimalayas. In order to distinguish them (the 2 holy places of pilgrimage namely - theone on the slopes of the Himalayas and this temple at Kanchi) the temple (at Kanchi)came to be known as KachiAnekathangavatham. Historical records say that once upon atime, (long, long ago) Lord Vinayaka established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of


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‘Anekabeswarar ‘worshipped Lord Shiva, then set out to Eranyapuram (a town)destroyed the demons, (beginning from Kasi-a demon) separated their power called

Vallabai from their embryos and got wedded to vallabai.(All the holy powers in the embryos united as onesupreme power) Today, the God in the temple is known by the holy name- Anekathangavatheeswarar. SaintSundarar (a devotee of Lord Shiva) has sung devotional songs in praise of the holy place and the presiding God inthe temple. The temple is one of the five holy places in Kanchi on which the saints have sung devotional songs.

11. Ashtabuja Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Ashtabujaperumal and the consort of the presidingGod is Pushpagavalli. There is a street very close to the Rangasamy Kulam tank inwhich there is a temple called Thirukachivinayakar temple. If we follow the pathadjoining the temple (Thiru Kachinayakar Temple) we can reach the AshtabujaPerumal Temple. There is a street wery close to the Rangasamy Kulam tank wherethere is a temple called Thirukachivinayakar temple. If we follow the path adjoiningthe temple (Thiru Kachivinayakar Temple) we can reach the Ashtabuja PerumalTemple. There is and important place of worship devoted to God Puvaragha Perumal.Attapuyakaram is a very sacred place situated in Kanchipuram (LittleKanchipuram).long, long ago Lord Vishnu saved Lord Brahma’s sacrifice from gettingdestroyed. This temple is a very holy place where Lord Vishnu appeared before LordBrahma with his eight divine hands. So the Lord (Vishnu) was called AttapuyaKarathuAmmaan. On the eight divine hands to the right of his body he holds a wheel, a sword,a lotus and an arrow.

On the divine hands pointing to the left of his body, he holds a conch, a bow, a shield and a battle club. (a cudgel)It is of course a marvelous sight for the devotees to see the presiding God appear before them with his eightdivine hands which show that the God bestows his choicest blessings on those who pray to him with greatdevotion. It is one among the most holy places in India. The gates of Heaven could be seen in this temple. Theconsort of the presiding God in the temple is called Pushpakavalli. According to tradition, devotees of Lord Vishnufirstly worship Goddess Pushpakavalli and then worship Lord Vishnu.

12. Aadhipadesam

The presiding God in the temple is Aadhipadeswarar.This temple is situated in AladiPillayar koil street-very close to Keeraimandabam, beside the house with the door no28 (old no 73-B). Just opposite to the house, the Desigar temple street separates. Thetemple by the name Aadhipadesam has a small main entrance.Opposite to the idolstands the figure of the bull and an altar where all evil thoughts are destroyed.

Once we make our way through the entrance into the temple, we can go around thecourt of the temple, There is a big idol of Lord Shiva with a big base. Once upon atime, Goddess Saraswathi who wanted to destroy the holy sacrifice made by Brahmawas making her way into Kanchi in the form of a river. Lord Vishnu, at the commandof Lord Shiva, rushes to prevent it (river) from proceeding to Kanchi at midnight.

Lord Vishnu, in order to keep vigilance on the path or course of the river stood as a brilliant lamp, established anidol in the name of Adhipadesam, received boons from Lord Shiva (as a result of his great devotion to theappointed task allotted by Lord Shiva) prevented river saraswathi from entering Kanchi and thus Brahma’ssacrifice was saved from getting destroyed. That’s how Lord Vishnu got the name Vilakoli Perumal and stayed inthe presence of Adhipadesar (Lord Shiva).

13. Anantha Ruthresam

The presiding God in the temple is Anantharuthreswarar.The temple is situated in Chairman Swaminatha MudaliarStreet, (at Pillayar Palayam) Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .The temple is beside a nutritious meal centre. Thetemple is situated on a site, a little interior from the road. In the court of the temple, there are separate places ofworship devoted to God Vinayaka and God Muruga with his consorts Valli and Theivanai. Opposite to the idol ofLord Muruga (in a separate place of worship) is an idol of VeeravahuDevar with his hands joined together.(praying to God) After this idol, there are separate places of worship for Lord Bairava (a manifestation of LordShiva) Lord Saturn and the sun god. The holy figures of Gods Dakshnamoorthi, Brahma and Goddess Durga arefound in the court of the temple. The idol in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple looks very graceful.

14. Hiranyesam


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The presiding God in the temple is Hiranyeswarar.It is a sacred place found in thewestern bank of the Sarvatheertham tank. This idol of Lord Shiva in this templewas worshipped by the demon Hiranyan. This idol is quite big and the presence ofsixteen holy stripes on it makes it look all the more graceful. Hiranyan’s familypreceptor-Lord Venus advised him that the only way to reap the best benefits andget the choicest blessings is to worship Lord Shiva. According to his teacher’sadvice, he went to Kanchi along with his brother Hiranyatchan, his sonAnanthasuran and his (Hiranyan’s) own son Prahalad. Each one of themestablished idols of lord Shiva in their respective names and worshipped LordShiva. Lord Shiva, who was much pleased by Hiranyan’s devotion to him, grantedhim away a very powerful boon which assured him protection of life (his life)

against any harm to his life on earth, in the sky, by weapons, animals, creatures or by any other power in anyplace-in a dry place or in a wet place. (Day or night) In short, he was blessed with everlasting life. No power inthe three worlds could do anything to destroy him. Moreover, he was able to gain mastery over the three worlds.

15. Ramanathesam

The presiding God in the temple is Ramanathar. The temple stands on a sitewhere the Salai Street (of Big Kanchipuram) takes a diversion and thenleads the path to the Ekambaranathar temple. Devotees can gain entry intothe temple by making their way through the path adjoining the choultry.The idol of Lord Ganapathi at the entrance to the temple, presents LordGanapathi with his consort Vallabai seated on his divine lap and holding inhis divine hands a pomegranate, a club, a sugarcane, a bow, a conch shell awheel, a cord, a blue water-lily, ear of grain and a holy pot made ofprecious stones. His divine body was adorned with the serpent and a crownadorned his divine head. Thus, the figure of Lord Ganapathy attracts theattention of the devotees who enter the temple.

The shrine in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple is the idol of Lord Shiva. The Divine Assembly (a structuremade of wood) is kept in a separate holy place. History says that Rama who killed Ravana, in his endeavour toredeem his consort seetha regretted for his evil deed and worshipped the sacred place Rameswaram. He thancame to Kanchi, established an idol of Ramanathar and worshipped it.

16. Yiravaadaanam

The presiding God in the temple is Yiravaadeeswarar.The templeis situated in Kamalavar Street (Big Kanchipuram), just oppositeto the path that leads to Piravathanam.According to the adviceof Lord Brahma; some of the sages reached Kanchi, establishedidols of Lord Shiva and received the boons which ensured themeverlasting life. It is believed that Sage Markandeya and thegrandson of Sage Salangayana (named Swethan) came here,worshipped the God in this temple and escaped from the icyfangs of death. Those who worship this God would be blessedwith long and happy life. The temple is popularly known bypeople as Iravatheeswarar temple.

17. Yishtasiththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Yishtasiththeeswarar. As soon as devotees gain entry into the Kachabeswarartemple, there is a separate place of worship to the right, on the bank of the temple tank. In front of this holyplace, there are numerous idols of serpents. Once upon time, Sage Daseetha and king Ruban were intimatefriends. In order to prove their might, us to who was the greatest, they fought against each other. In the fight,the king killed Sage Dhaseetha. As he was about to die, Sage Dhaseetha raised his mind and heart to Lord Venus.Lord Venus awakened the Dead Sage, asked him to go to Kanchi, have a holy dip in the holy water of the IshtaSitheesam and worship Lord Shiva. Lord Venus then laid emphasis on the greatness and sanctity of the holywaters of Ishtasitheesa Theertham. Those who bathe in this holy water on Sunday’s will be bestowed with allkinds of wealth and happiness. The holy water has the power of curing diseases and getting rid of troubles causedby evil spirits. Gods and celestials had a holy dip in the water of this temple tank and were blessed with countlessnumber of gifts. (Wealth and prosperity) To the north of the temple there is a holy water calledTharumatheertham; Arthatheertham to the East; Muthitheertham to the west and Kamatheetham to the South.The four holy waters mentioned above are mingled in the water of Ishtasitheesam Tank. Fortune smiles on the


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devotees who bathe in the holy water during the Tamil month Karthikai. (When the sun falls on Scorpio) SageDadeesa came here, had a holy dip in the water of the temple tank, worshipped God acquired a body composed ofdiamonds, kicked king Ruban and finally killed him.

18. Urugum Ullaperumal

The presiding God in the temple is Urugum Ullaperumal. This is a small separate temple found in the inner courtof Kumarakottam temple. During a Karpa period when worlds were being destroyed there was great flood. SageMarkandeya who came floating in the flood waters looked up at Lord Vishnu and said that he felt very tired as hehad finished swimming through vast stretches of water. He also added that the world was enveloped in darkness.He asked Lord Vishnu where the sun and the moon were. The Lord replied that both the sun and moon werepresent in his stomach. He added that incase he doubted their presence (in the Lord’s stomach) he said that hecould get into his stomach to see them. The Sage (Markandeyar) wittingly replied that he (Lord Vishnu) had oncedeceived Lord Brahma and Sages Naradha and Parupadha in the Divine Assembly. He also deceived EmperorMahabali. At length, the Sage said to Lord Vishnu, “You are a deceitful person. You deceive your devotees. I amafraid of you!” After saying these words the Sage continued to swim in the water.

While swimming, Sage Markandeya saw many branches of Mango tree on the surface of water. The Sage held onto these branches, drifted in the water and finally reached the holy land of Kanchi. He was filled with wonder whenhe saw the Ekambaranathar temple and the holy land of Kanchi remain safe and free from the ruins of the floodwaters. The grace of the God and his greatness which had kept Kanchi safe from the disastrous flood, made himponder over the greatness of the holy land of Kanchi.

Lord Vishnu, who followed Sage Markandeya reached Kanchi, expressed his helpless condition when he wasunconscious and did not know what was happening. He also added that he worshipped the presiding deity in thatplace and regained consciousness. Then Lord Vishnu bathed in the holy waters of Ulakaani and worshipped DevaSenaptheeswarar. God then appeared before Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu was overjoyed when God appeared beforehim. He humbly requested god to bless him with unfailing devotion to him; giving him a heart that never thanksof deceit and asked God to offer him a seat by the side of DevaSenapatheewarar in the temple. God granted allthat Lord Vishnu wished for and conferred on him the holy title ‘Urugum Ullathan ‘. From that day onwards he(Lord Vishnu) was called by the holy title - Urugum Ullathan. The idol of Lord Shiva worshipped by the Sage isfound in the inner court of the temple.

19. Ulagalantha Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Ulagalanthaperumal and the consort of the presiding God isAaranavalliththaayaar. The Ulagalanda Perumal Temple is held in high esteem as a very sacred place for worship.The temple is situated on a site in the street, opposite to the Neo Sre Rama’s Cafe (near the Kanchi BusTerminus) on the path that leads to Kamakshi temple. The presiding God in the temple is Thiruvikrama Perumaland the consort of the presiding God is called Aranavallithaayar. This divine place is called Uragam.It is a temple which predicts Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as ‘Vaaman’-a holyBrahmin boy. Long, long ago, Lord Vishnu (in his incarnation as Vaman) came upto the Emperor Mahabali and asked him for 3 feet of land. The emperorimmediately agreed to give him what he wanted. Then Lord Vishnu, took the formof a gigantic Brahman, measured the Earth with one foot and the Heaven with hisother foot. When Lord Vishnu asked Emperor Mahabali for the third foot of land,the emperor was forced to offer he said to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu then placedenormous foot on the emperor’s head and killed him. Thus Lord Vishnu extendedhis supremacy over the world and from then on showers his countless number ofblessings on his devotees. In the temple, we find Lord Vishnu in his incarnation asVamana. The figure (of Lord Vishnu) presents him as a gigantic personage. Thisgigantic figure he assumed while measuring three feet of land, attracts theattention of the devotees. This figure which presents Lord Vishnu in the act ofmeasuring the worlds with his foot is of course a breath-taking sight. The head ofthe Emperor lies under Lord Vishnu’s foot.

Neeragathu Perumal

The God who appeared before Sage Akrura was known as Lord Jagadeeswarar and the presiding Goddess wascalled Nilamangai.

Karagathu Perumal

The God who appeared before Sage Nikethana is known as Karunakarar and his consort is called Padmamani.


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Kaarvana Perumal

There is a temple devoted to Navaneethasekaran. His consort is known as Kamalavalli. There is a temple tanknamed Vamana Pushkarani in front of the temple. There is a holy place devoted to Lord Anjaneyar at the end ofthe street opposite to the temple mentioned above.

20. Utrukketta Muththeesar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Utrukketta Muththeesar. This temple is situated inThirumetrali Street at PillaiyarPalayam in Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The templestands on a site to the left of the street (Thirumetrali Street). Long, long ago when saintThirugnanasambandhar was singing devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva, (LordThirumetraleeswar) Lord Shiva who wanted to hear out the song distinctly, came a littleforward from the place he occupied in the temple and enjoyed hearing the song beingsung by saint Thirugnanasambandhar. People affectionately call the Lord (Shiva) in thistemple as Uttruketta Mutheesar.

21. Yamadharmalingeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Yamadarmalingeswarar.This is a popular temple. This temple stands on thewest bank of the Thayarkulam Tank-near Kayarohaneeswarar temple. Long, long ago the Lord of Death came hereto worship the God in the temple. Since the God (Lord Yama) who brings death to the creatures of the world cameto this sacred place. The place is held in high esteem. The God of Death established an idol of Lord Shiva here andworshipped God. Then God granted him the status of Divine Protector or guard for the south direction. The Godcommanded him (the Lord of Death) not to punish his devotees. The holy water of the temple tank is known asThayarkulam Tank. Goddess Lakshmi came here and worshipped God. That’s how the tank came to be calledThayarkulam Tank. It is believed that people who execute their duties to the departed souls (libations of water tothe departed souls) are sure to attain salvation.

22. Ekambaranathar Temple(Thiruvegambam)

The presiding God in the temple is Ekambaranathar and the consort of the presiding Godis Elavaarkulali.This is a very important temple in Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is avery big temple where Saints (devotees of Lord Shiva) came and sang devotional songs inpraise of God. The holy words Ekam+Ambaram together make up the word Ekambaram-Ekam meaning one and Ambaram meaning mango tree. The Lord Ekambaranatharappears under the tender mango tree in the temple, spreads his grace and blesses hisdevotees. The temple stands as one (the land) among the five great natural elements.The presiding God in the temple is called Ekambaranathar and his consort is calledelavarkulali. The main image of Vinayaka known by the holy name VikatachakraVinayakar is found in the hall of thousand pillars. The holy water in the temple tank isnamed Sivagangai Theertham. The mango tree found in this temple is a sacred one.When Goddess Ambigai worshipped God, he appeared to her under this sacred mangotree and blessed her.

Holy figures of Lord Shiva’s consort Elavarkulali and their son Lord Muruga are seen here. The divine Assemblylooks very attractive on the inner walls of the temple court are the holy figures of the devotees of Lord Shiva. Theidol of Lord Shiva in this temple is made of mud. This idol was established by Goddess Elavarkulali and worshipedby her. The idol is covered by a framework of civet. Only the base of the idol is bathed in the holy water. There isa holy figure of Somaskandar, on the wall behind the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple. In the outer court of thetemple are the hall of thousand pillars and the holy water of river Kamba. Special worship is conducted in theTamil month of Panguni when the sun falls on Pisces.

23. Ayravatham


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The presiding God in the temple is Ayravatheeswarar. It is atemple found in Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is situatedat the beginning of the West Raja Street just opposite to theKachabeswarar Temple. The temple was worshipped by LordIndra’s elephant. When the milky sea was churned by the celestialson one side and by the demons on the other side a divine whiteelephant appeared. This divine white elephant worshipped the Godin this temple and received a boon which empowered the elephantto carry the great celestial Indra on his back.

24. Onaganthanthali, Salantharesam

The presiding Gods in these temples are Oneeswarar, Gaantheeswarar andSalandareeswarar.The temple is situated on a site in a corner of the road thatleads to Arakkonam-just opposite to the sub-station of the Electricity Board.It is one of the five sacred places where saints who are the devotees of LordShiva have sung devotional songs in praise of him.onan and ganthan theleaders of the army maintained by vanasuran, (a demon) worshipped the Godin this temple.a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva named sundarar has sungdevotional songs on this sacred place.the idols of Lord Shiva established byoneswarar and gantheswarar are found at close quarters to each other,butkept in separate holy places.To the south of the temple (outside) there is anidol of Lord Shiva worshipped by Jalandaran known by the holy nameJalandaresam.

25. Kanganesam(Baathaaleeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Baathaaleeswarar.There is a complexnamed kanganeswarar temple complex in the Kammalar Street of bigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .just opposite to this complex, lies the streetwhere the temple is situated. Since the figure of is in a small pit, the templegets its name-Bathaleeswarar temple. Goddess Parvathi (Ambigai) who cameto Kanchi to worship Lord Shiva, bathed in the holy waters of a temple tankestablished an idol of Lord Shivam wore a gold string round her wrist, whilereciting the holy magic words to protect her against all evil. Since GoddessParvathi wore a holy gold string while reciting the holy magic words here, thisholy place came to be called Kanganesam.

26. Gangavareswaram

The presiding God in the temple is Gangavareswarar.This temple is situated on the lower bank of theSarvatheertham Tank. Varuna (the God of Clouds and Rain) and the Ganges (Holy River) received boons in thissacred place.

27. Kachchabeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Kachchabeswarar and the consort of the presiding God is Sundaraambigai. TheKachabeswarar temple is situated in the southern corner of the west Raja Street at Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . Goddess Durga, God Ayyaranar, Sun Lord, Lord Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva) andLord Vinyaka worshipped Lord Kachabeswarar and attained salvation.


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Satyamoli Vinayakar

To the west of the idol of Lord Kachabeswar is the shrine of Lord Vinayaka(Satyamoli Vinayakar) worshipped by Lord Vishnu. People who worship thisLord would be able to overcome all troubles and sufferings in life and fulfilltheir wishes.

It is a temple which has a wide court around it. When the milky sea waschurned, Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise supported the magicmountain and thus helped the celestials to churn the milky sea, to get Amruth(the food of the Gods). Lord Vishnu was overcome with pride, because he wasof the opinion that it was through his efforts that the celestials succeeded ingetting Amruth from the sea. Overwhelmed with pride, Lord Vishnu causedthe waters to more. All the creatures trembled with fear. At this juncture, LordShiva destroyed the tortoise and

strung its shell on the sacred garland worn about his neck. Lord Vishnu, who regretted for his evil deeds, came toKanchi and worshipped the idol of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, who was moved by the great devotion of Lord Vishnutowards him and by his sincere repentance, blessed him with overwhelming piety towards him .Lord Shiva andLord Vishnu redeemed the office of leadership for Vaikuntam. The word Kachabam means tortoise. Since LordVishnu worshipped Lord Shiva who destroyed the shell of the tortoise (the form taken by Lord Vishnu in order tosupport the magic mountain) Lord Shiva was called Kachabesar.

28. KachchineriKaaraikkaadu(Thirukkalimedu)

The presiding God in the temple is Sathyanaadeeswarar and the consort of thepresiding God is Brahmmaraambigai.The temple is situated in an area namedThirukalimedu-The path opposite to the Head Post Office at Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) leads to Thirukalimedu. In ancient times people used this pathto gain access to Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Since the path is full of spinyplants, the sacred place came to be called by the name Kachinerikaraikadu.Satyavirathapuram is one among the twelve holy names of Kanchi. Inorder torecall to our memory this holy place (the temple) is named after the holy name.The presiding God in the temple is called Satyanatheswarar. The consort of thepresiding god is known as Brahmmarambigai. The holy water of the temple tankis called Indra Theertham. The temple faces the west. The place has the goodfortune of being worshipped by Lords mercury and Indra. There are five sacredplaces in Kanchi about which devotees of Lord Shiva have sung devotionalsongs. This holy place namely-Kachinerikadu stands as one among such holyplaces. Saint Thiru Gnanasambanthar has sung devotional songs on this temple.There is a shrine of SuyambuMurthi in the sanctum- sanctorum of the temple. Itis believed that one

would be endowed with the best benefits if he has a holy dip in the waters of the temple tank and worships theGod in this temple. Lord Mercury worshipped the God in this temple and rose to the position of a planet.

29. Kachchimayaanam.

The presiding God in the temple is Mayaaneeswarar.This temple is situated near the holy flag post atThiruvegambam. (Ekambaranathar temple)Once upon a time a demon named Pandasuran got into the bodies ofLord Vishnu, Brahma and other celestials robbed them of their power and weakened them. Lord Shiva, whowanted to suppress the demon’s powers, rose up as a lamp of brilliant light, set up a pit for the sacred fire andfilled it with ghee. With grass for philosophies, three virtues or qualities for the Vedas, both of them (Lord Shivaand his consort) performed a holy sacrifice. Lord Shiva dumped all the creatures ranging from Lord Brahma (theGod of Creation) to the minutest of creatures into the pit.all the creatures were destroyed by the sacred fire.When the demon Pandasuran came and stood face to face with Lord Shiva, He (Lord Shiva) threw him into theholy fire. Then the holy fire rose up and took the form of an idol of Lord Shiva. It got its name “Mayanalingam“because the idol came out of the holy fire which had destroyed all the creatures.

The spiritual presence of the God and his consort empowers the idol so much so all those who worship the idol areendowed with all good fortune. This very pit filled with ghee later became the holy water of the temple tanknamed Sivagangai.

30. Kadakeswarar Temple


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The presiding God in the temple is Kadageswarar.The temple is situated in Kammalar Street of Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . The temple lies in the middle of a shopping complex. Goddess Parvathi, who had worn a goldstring around her wrist, established an idol of Lord Shiva, worshipped it and then wore a divine bracelet. Thus thetemple gets its name from the bracelet (kadagam) worn by her.

31. Kanikandeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Kanikandeeswarar. Thistemple is siuated in the Karukinil Amarnthaval Temple Street.The street which lies next to the temple (Karukinil AmarnthavalTemple) has been named after this temple. There is a place ofworship devoted to Padavettamman (Padaiveettamman). In thesame court are places of worship for Gods Vinayaka,Subramanya and Lord Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva).The idol of Lord Shiva is found in the sanctum-sanctorum of thetemple. Just opposite to the idol lies the figure of the holy bull.The temple has a wide court.

32. Kannesam

The presiding God in the temple is Kanneswarar. This is a very small templesituated in Sengaluneerodai (north Raja Street) Street of Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) .Ages ago, the celestials and the demons churned the milky sea.The holy serpent Vasugi which was used as a rope to make the magic mountainchurn the sea, she (the serpent) spit forth poison into the sea. This poison had animpact on Lord Vishnu and he lost his fair complexion. Lord Vishnu who was muchupset reached Kanchi, established an idol of Lord Shiva by the name Kannalingamand worshipped God with great devotion. Lord Shiva who was much pleased byhis devotion appeared before Lord Vishnu, commanded him to go toEkambaranathar temple.lord Shiva insisted him to take his seat by the side of themoon in his knotted hair (placed in a special holy place opposite to his place in thesanctum-sanctorum of the Ekambaranathar Temple).lord Vishnu acted inaccordance with the holy command of Lord Shiva and thus relieved himself fromthe extreme heat caused by the spreading of poison all over his holy form. Fromthen on Lord Vishnu came to be

known as Nila Thunda Perumal. He is held in high esteem because he cures the diseases of his devotees.

33. Kailasanathar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Kailasanathar. This temple is situated in Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .We can reach the temple by making our way through the Putheri Street (S.V.N Pillai Street). The Kailasanathartemple is found next to Kachiyanegathangavatham.It is a temple closely connected with the life history of saintPoosalaar (a devotee of Lord Shiva). This temple was built by the great king Raja Simha Pallava.It is a treasure house of sculpture. The God in the temple was worshipped byLord Vishnu and Sage Naradha. The idol of Lord Shiva looks graceful with thepresence of stripes on it. The Thiripuraris were ardent devotees of Lord Shiva.The demons other than the thiripuraris were by nature very unruly, harassed thecelestials to the greatest extent possible. Lord Vishnu, who wants to destroy thedemons, came to understand that Lord Shiva was the only divine power whocould destroy the demons. So Lord Vishnu set about his task of destroying their(demons) faith and devotion in Lord Shiva. Firstly Lord Vishnu createdAadhibuddhan as a form of his own self and sent him along with Sage Naradhato the demons. Both of them (Sage Naradha and Adhiputhan) succeeded in theirendeavour to destroy the faith of all the demons.(including the thiripuraris)There were thiripuraris-Tharakatchan, Kamalatchan and Vidhyamali who onceprayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion were graciously granted three worlds.the three worlds are iron world, silver world and bronze world.


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After destroying the demons, Sage Naradha and Aadhibuddhan reached Kanchi-the holy land. At Kanchi they feltas if the sins wanted to get away from them and did not want to burden them any more. So the place (within thecity of kanchi) came to be known as Paruthimalai Kundram. A little distance away from Kanchi both Sage Naradhaand Aadhibuddhan established an idol of Lord Shiva and worshipped God for many years. God then, appearedbefore them and said that they can atone for their sins only by undergoing suffering in their different births. Thereare two entrances to this sacred place. At length, God suggested to them that if they enter and exit through asmall passage round the shrine in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple as many times as possible, they canattain salvation.

34. Karkeesam, Letchumeesam

The presiding Gods in the temple are Karkeeswarar and Latchumeeswarar. The temple is situated in an open fieldjust opposite to the Kachapalayam marriage hall at Krishnan Street of PillaiyarPalayam. (Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) ) There are two temples (enclosures in the form of sheds) worshipped by Lord Vishnu andGoddess Mahalakshmi. Only is an idol of Lord Shiva is found here. Towards the close of an a eon, whendestruction of worlds takes place Vishnu takes, the form of horse comes to Kanchi, establishes an idol of LordShiva and worships him. Lord Shiva, in turn graciously grants boons to Lord Vishnu. Those who worship the Godin this temple attain salvation.

35. Kalvar Perumal

The presiding God in the temple is Kalvarperumal. It is a divine land called Kalvanur. As soon as we gain entryinto the sanctum - sanctorum of the temple, in the inner walls on the left there is a small place of worshipdevoted to Lord Kalvar Perumal. A devotee of Lord Vishnu named Thirumangaialwar sang devotional songs inpraise of Lord Vishnu in this sacred place.

36. Kallakkambam

The presiding God in the temple is Kallakkambar. In the inner court surrounding the sanctum - sanctorum of thetemple (Sre Ekambaranathar temple) next to the idol of Lord Shiva named Mattalamadhavasham, there is a largepublic hall where the idol of Lord Shiva is kept. After this hall, there is row of holy figures of 63 Nayanmars (keptto be taken out during processions in a temple - festival).Since the Lord in this temple was worshipped by LordVishnu who in turn worshipped Lord Shiva, in order to receive a boon which would enable him to establish hissupremacy over the world, it is believed that those who raise their minds and hearts to God (in this temple),would not fall a prey to desires which make men commit sin while pursuing them.

37. Kanagadurgai Amman Temple

The presiding diety in the temple is Kanagadurgaiyamman. The temple is situated on a site which lies on the pathleading from Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) to Enathur. It is an ancient temple devoted to Goddess KanakaDurga. The holy figure of the Goddess was dug out and temple was built in the same premises. The shrine of theGoddess in the sanctum - sanctorum of the temple is presented in a sitting posture, with her the left leg on ahe-buffalo and her right leg on the floor. To the right of the idol, is a lion and to the left (of the idol) is the demon.On her divine hands pointing upwards (to the right) she holds a conch shell, a wheel, a three pronged weapon andan umbrella. On the divine hands pointing downwards to the left, she holds a bow, a shield and a holy rope. Thusthe Goddess appears as a very powerful one, who is able to overcome all evil. On her divine hands pointing to theright- she holds an arrow in one of her hands holds a divine knife in another hand and keeps her third hand on herthigh.

38. Kaasibesam

The presiding God in the temple is Kaasibeswarar.Beside the Pachaiappa’s college for women, (at littleKanchipuram) stands the Aatrangarai Amman Temple. This small temple named Kasibesam is situated in thecampus of the Aatrangarai Amman Temple.There is no other idols or holy figures other than the idol land of Shiva,here. Kasiber stayed here and spent his life in meditating on God, doing Worship and giving away many things incharity.

39. Kamakshi Amman Temple(Kamakkottam)


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The presiding diety in the temple is Kamakshi Amman. Umadevi (Parvathi) who did 32kinds of charity appears as a Goddess who is of a great charitable disposition and theblessings she showers on her devotees increases day after day. Since goddess Kamakshiextends her divine rule over Kanchi sitting in her sacred seat at Kamatchi AmmanTemple, doing all forms of charity and by showering her countless number of blessings onthe devotees, we find the shrine of the Goddess (only) in the sanctum-sanctorum of theKamatchi Amman temple. There is no shrine of the Goddess in the sanctum-sanctorum ofany other temples within the holy city Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Opposite to thesanctum-sanctorum of the Kamakshi Amman temple in the holy Hall, (Gayathri hall) theGoddess appears seated with her legs folded together, (which gives the appearance of alotus in full bloom) holding in her divine hands a divine rope, an arrow made of flowers, abow made of sugarcane and a crown of moon stone adorns her divine head. The holypowers namely - the sun and the moon emit divine rays which glitter like gold. She isdressed in silk clothes and precious divine

ornaments adorn her whole body. The holy wedlock sparkles about her neck and she appears as a Goddess whospreads her divine radiance all over the world.

The holy place in the Kamatchi temple, known as Sre Shankaram, is a holy placedevoted to Adhi Shankarar. There is an idol of Adhi Shankarar in this place.There is a divine to wheel opposite to the shrine of Goddess Kamakshi. Thisdivine wheel stands for the magical powers that she (Goddess Kamakshi)possesses. There is a holy water in this tank which is known as UlaganiTheertham. The great temple festival which falls in the Tamil Month of Masi isheld with great pomp and show. On Fridays Goddess Kamatchi Amman seated inher divine gold chariot is taken out in procession around the temple.

40. Kaamesvaram

The presiding God in the temple is Kaameswarar. This temple is situatedon the banks of the Sarvatheertham tank. Manmadhan (God of Love)worshipped the presiding God in this temple and received all the boonsthat he wished for.

41. Kaayaarohanam(Kaayaarohaneswarar Guru Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Kaayaarohaneeswarar and the consort ofthe presiding God is Kamalaambigai. This is a very divine place, situated onthe banks of the River Vegawathi. Lord Jupiter and Goddess Mahalakshmicame to this divine place to worship God. Lords Brahma and Vishnu werevery disappointed as their life time was drawing to a close. At this moment,God (Lord Shiva) appeared before them, put their holy figures on his back,danced with the holy figure on his back and blessed them. Since lord Shivaallowed them (Lords Brahma and Vishnu) to take refuge on his back, the idolwas named Kayarohaneshwarar. Goddess Mahalakshmi showered the leavesof the holy tree (Bael tree) worship Kayarohaneshwarar and was blessed witha holy husband - Lord Vishnu.

Lord Jupiter (Lord Guru) who came here to worship God was blessed with unfailing devotion towards him. There isa separate holy place devoted to Lord Jupiter (Guru) in this temple. Every Thursday, people come here in largenumbers, offer flowers, recite the holy names of the Lord and conduct worship. This holy place is popularly knownas Guru Temple. The Kanchi Puranam lays emphasis on the greatness of this holy place by saying that those whobathe in the Kayarohana Theertham (a holy pond), worship the God and the Goddess Lakshmi in this sacred placewould be bestowed with wealth and wisdom by Kayarohaneshwarar. The residence of Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi is


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situated very close to this temple.

42. Kaaligaambaal Temple

The presiding Diety in the temple is Kaaligaambaal. The temple is called Sre Adhipeeda Kaligambal Temple. Thistemple is situated on a lane which separates from Sengalu Neerodai Street. It is situated on a site adjoining theKumarakottam Temple. The shrine of Goddess Kaligambal in the sanctum - sanctorum of the temple is adornedwith flowers and the Goddess looks very graceful. Devotees can gain entry into the court of the temple through anentrance on the left side. In the court of the temple there is an idol of Lord Shiva. To the right of the hall(mandap) there is a divine tree (pipal). Under the divine tree is the figure of a divine serpent. On the wall near byis the idol of Ashta Buja Durga.

43. Kumarakkottam

The presiding God in the temple is Subramanyaswamy. It is an ancienttemple. The tower gate of the temple reaches a very great height. Thetemple is situated in West Raja Street. There are separate holy places inthe temple for Lord Vinayaka, Palaniandavar, Shanmuga, Urugum UllaPerumal, Nine holy planets and a staunch devotee of Muruga namedArunagrinathar and Goddesses Valli, Theivani. There is a sacred hall setaside for meditation. The holy figures of Kachiappa Sivacharyar andVallalar Ramalinga Swamigal are found in the court of the temple.

Lord Subramaniya Swamy (Lord Muruga) stands in a unique state in thistemple. Saints, who are devotees of Lord Shiva, have sung devotionalsongs on this temple and scenes from the Kantha Puranam adorn the wallsof this temple. This holy place is held in high esteem since the holy text -Kantha Puranam was published here and the holy scenes from the sacredtext were staged here. The presiding the God in this temple is Lord Muruga. The holy figure of Lord Muruga, (inthe outer court of the temple) presents in him as a very merciful God, holding in his divine hands - holy beads, adivine pot. With one of his holy hands showers blessings and with another holy hand he offers protection to hisdevotees. Thus Lord Muruga appears as a God with four divine hands. (Apart from his other hands) Once upontime, so the holy text says that Lord Brahma - the God of creation did not know the meaning of the sacredsyllable ‘Ohm’. For this very reason, he imprisoned Lord Brahma and he executed the great task of creation all byhimself. The shrine in the sanctum - sanctorum of the temple presents Lord Muruga as a creator. The Rock Hallwhere scenes from Kandha Puranam had been staged long ago has been converted into Kachiappar Library. Twogreat temple festivals namely - kandha Sashti and Soorasamharam are held with great grandeur here, once everyyear.

44. Kavusikesam

The presiding God in the temple is Kavusikeswarar or Sokkeeswarar. This temple gets its name - Kavusikesamfrom the divine lady by name Kowsiki, who was born from the sweat of Goddess Parvathi’s brow. This temple isalso known as Sakeeswarar temple. This holy place is situated near Kamakshi Amman temple, (in a corner) in asite adjoining the Kamakshi Amman Marriage Hall.

It is a stone temple built during the age of the Cholas in the 12th Century B.C. On the main wall of temple arewords ‘Nakkarkoil’ of the south. The pillar with an inscription belonging to the period of Kopura Kesari varman hadbeen excavated from this place, long ago. It is an ancient temple having the unique grace that a temple ought tohave. The court of the temple is in a pit. There is wall, little distance away, surrounding the pit. At the top of thetemple in the upper row, there are holy figures of an elephant, Kowsiki (devotee of Goddess Parvathi) and LordVinayaka worshipping Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvathi. There is holy figure of Kannappar (devotee ofLord Shiva) removing his eye from its socket and fitting it into the socket of the eye of Lord Shiva which draws theattention of the devotees. Vaali and Sugriva (the monkey Gods) worship the God and Goddess in this temple. Thesite of the holy figure of the celestial cow and sacred peacock worshipping God make the heart of the devoteesskip a beat. On the lower row are the holy figures of Lords Vinayaka and Muruga. The holy figures ofDakshnamoorthi (Lord Shiva), Yoga Narasimhar, Brahma with the holy figures of the bulls on either side adorn thetemple.

45. Gavuthamesam

The presiding God in the temple is Gavuthameswarar. It is situated on the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) -Uthiramerur route (near the Kanchipuram town limit) at a place called Keeraimandabam. The temple is in theform of a shed - like enclosure. The window in made of barbed wire. It is a sacred place, where the idol of Lord


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Shiva worshipped by Sage Gauthama could be found. The upper position of the idol lies in a separate place whereas the base of the idol lies in another separate place. There is the stamp of the pipal tree in the campus of thetemple.

46. Sangubaani Vinayakar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Sangubaani Vinayagar. This temple is quitenear the Irratai Mantap. In the court of the temple, are idols of serpents andseparate places of worship devoted to the nine holy planets and a separateholy place devoted to God Saturn. The temple is commonly known by peopleas Sappani Pillayar temple. The street in which the temple is situated is alsocalled after the name of the temple. There is an idol of Lord Vinayaka in theform of a conch - shell.

47. Santhaveli Amman Temple

The presiding Diety in the temple is Santhaveliyamman. It is atemple found on the way to white pond (Vellaikkulam) at BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Devotees can make their waythrough the path close to the Gujarathi Choultry (in Salai Street)and then to the right to reach the temple. There are separate holyplaces devoted to the figures of holy serpents and GoddessVishnuDurga. According to historical sources, Karikala Chola agreat ruler before proceeding to the Himalayas first set his foot onthe divine land of Kanchi. He worshipped Shasta (Lord Iyyappa)took the holy bouquet of flowers and left the place. He engravedhis symbol of Tiger on one of the peaks of the great Himalayas.

Since Masathanar (Lord Iyyanar) with the divine bouquet has his weapon, when riding on an elephant throughthis place the deity present in this divine place was called Santhaveli Amman. Now the temple is known asSanthaveli Amman Temple. It is a small temple. There are separate holy places devoted to the holy figures ofserpents and Goddess Vishnu Durgai.

48. Chandiresam

The presiding God in the temple is Chandireswarar. Ages ago, there was an idol of Lord Shiva on the bank of theChandratheertham Tank (Temple tank) which was worshipped by the Moon. Now this tank is popularly known asVellai Kulam (White Pond). Late on the idol in this temple (of Lord Shiva) was installed on the right of the court,just before the holy figure of the Goddess. This idol occupies a unique place in the temple. Beside the figure of theGoddess, Pilgrims could see the holy figure of the Moon. The Moon God has another name- Soman. Since the idolin this temple was worshipped by the moon, the temple came to be known as Chandresam. The holy name of thetemple is mentioned in the holy text Kanchi Puraanam- in its chapter Anthavedhipadalam.

49. Sarvatheertham

There is a holy tank which is known for its Sanctity on the routeleading from Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) to Vellore. Manytemples are found on the banks of this tank. They areKasiviswanatham, Theertheswarar, Kameswarar, Rameswarar,Latchumeesarar, Malligarjunar, Iranyeswara, Gangevarecharamand Vaguleesam. There is sacred hall devoted for meditation.There is a fence of barbed wire all around the temple tank.

The holy text ‘Kanchi Puraanam’ speaks volumes about thegreatness of this tank in a separate chapter named‘Sarvatheertha Padalam’. Long,


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long ago, God (Lord Shiva) commanded all the holy rivers to come Kanchi. So all the holy waters came togetherand flooded the holy land of Kanchi. Seeing the vast stretches of water moving forward, Goddess Parvathi in herendeavor to save the mud idol of Lord Shiva (established by her) from getting washed away by the holy watersembraced the idol, so much so that the holy marks made by her breasts and hands where embedded on the idol.Then, the waters stayed here and worshipped Lord Shiva in the name of Theertheswarar. The holy waters whichstayed here got collected and formed the holy water named Sarwatheertham. God who was much pleased bytheir (holy waters) devotion to him blessed them saying these words. Those who perform their duties to thesouls of Sages, Celestial and Departed Ancestors, do charity and submit themselves to the holy feet of God shallattain salvation. Moreover, those who bathe in the holy water of this tank can wash away their sins (including thesin of murder) shall lead a life of happiness and prosperity. The practice of performing duties to the souls of thedead still continues here even today. Since all the holy waters are present in this sacred tank, it ranks first inimportance.

50. Saarndaasayam

The presiding God in the temple is Viyaasa Saandaaleeswarar. It found on the banks of the Rivar Vegavathi. Ifdevotees go along the path leading from the Pachaiyappa’s woman’s College and then turn to the Street on theright devotees can see the temple on the bank of the River Vegavathi. This sacred place is called Santhaleeswarartemple. Viyasa worshipped the God in this temple. The idol of Lord Shiva established by Sage Vyasar is found onthe banks of the River Vegavathi. Sage Vyasa who came to understand the first age of destruction namely-Kaliyuga was fast approaching was overcome with fear. He went to Kasi and worshipped Lord Viswanathar. On therequest some Sages, he explained the Vedic scriptures. The sages then requested him to convey the meaning ofVedas in one word. Contrary to the explanations that he had, just given he said Narayana is the sole ruler of theUniverse. At length, they asked Sage Vyasa repeat the same words (Narayana is the soul ruler of the Universe) inViswanathar Temple. He joined his hands said ‘Narayana Para Brahmam’.

The holy bull, who heard these words being said by the Sage, became angry. The holy bull cured Sage Vyasasaying ‘your hands will not stir from the present position’. To the surprise he found that his hands did not stir fromthe position. Sage Vyasar then worshipped Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu then appeared before him and asked him toexpress his regret and submit himself to Lord Shiva. Vyasar who was now clear in his mind, reached Kanchiestablished an idol of Lord Shiva by the name Saarnthasaya perumal and attained Salvation.

51. Chidambaresar Temple

The temple is a shining example of the architectural skill. The temple has a wide space around it. This figureinspires us to do same thing worth while in order to find success in life. Devotees can make use of the entrance atthe side, in order to gain entry to the court where the shrine of presiding God is kept (in the sanctum -sanctorumof the temple) for worshipping the shrine. This Temple is placed very near to Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi’s DivineResidence.

The presiding God in the temple is Chidambareswarar.InKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) at Pillaiyar palayam, a little furtherdown the path where the false chariot, is kept there is temple (tothe left of the false chariot). There are separate holy placesdevoted to lords Muruga, Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva)and the nine holy planets. The holy figures of saints along withSekkizhar are found here. The holy figure of Lord Vinayaka, theGod of success is presented with his consort Vallabi seated on hislap. There are holy figures of Lord Brahma, Goddess Durga, LordNarthana Vinayaka (the dancing figure of Lord Vinayaka), DakshnaMuthy and Lingorpavar (an idol). There is a separate holy placedevoted to Lord Chandigeswarar in this temple.

52. Siththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Siththeeswarar. It is a temple situated on the banks of the Manjal River (nearK.P.K Thirumana Mantap) in a corner of Kamarajar Street. It is a very sacred place. The siddhas (a class ofcelestials who have acquired the eight great mystic powers) worshipped Lord Shiva in order to acquire the eightgreat mystic powers. The holy water in the well is called Siddhartheertham. When Goddess Parvathi came toKanchi, she made all necessary arrangements to ensure safety to the holy land of Kanchi. She applied the holyturmeric powder on her whole body and then had a holy bath in the waters of the holy tank. So the waters of thetank turned yellow. Thus the river Manjalaru got its name.


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53. Chitraguptar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Chitraguptar and the consort of thepresiding God is Karnikaambaal. This temple is situated in NellukaraStreet. The consort of the presiding God (Lord Chitragupta) is namedKarnikambal. There are separate holy places in the temple devoted toGod Selva Vinayaka, Goddess Vishnu Durga and the nine holy planets.It is a very popular temple. It is a temple devoted to Lord Chitraguptawho is the next rightful heir to the throne of Lord Kethu. It is a templeknown for removing the defects caused by the impact of Kethu on aperson. This temple is the only sacred place devoted to LordChitraguptar. There is an idol in the sanctum- sanctorum of the temple(of Lord Chitragupta). The idol presents Lord Chirtragupta sitting hisdivine seat holding a nail (used for writing on palm leaves) in his righthand and a palm leaf on his left hand.

When the temple festival is held to mark the full- moon day in the Tamil month of Chithirai there is a grandmarriage procession of the Lord and his consort Karnikambal. Lord Chitragupta, the presiding God in the templehails from the Sun God. He maintains a record of good and evil deeds of all creatures of the world (includingmankind) and assists the God of Death in his divine work.

54. Sivasthanam

The presiding God in the temple is Brahmmapureeswarar. The temple is situated on a site beyond the RiverVegavathy which lies in Thenembakkam (after the Tolgate at little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) ). It is a sacredplace worshipped by Lord Brahma. Lord Brahmabureeswarar, who was greatly pleased by Lord Brahma’s devotionto him, appeared before him with his consort Umadevi. Desired by Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva made Sivasthanamhis divine abode. On the wall behind the idol of Lord Shiva is the holy figure of AdhiShankarar (a holy parsonagewho established non - duality or monism).

55. Suragaresam

The presiding God in the temple is Suragareswarar. This temple issituated in Ekambaranathar temple Street. The sanctum -sanctorum of temple is circular. It is a shining example of thearchitectural skill. The whole temple is built of stones and manyholy figures are engraved on them. It is a magnificent buildingwhich attracts countless number of devotees. It is a sacred placewhere the demon Suragan was destroyed. There is an idol ofJuvarahereswarar here. This idol is one of the 64 holy idols(formless form of Lord Shiva). The God cure the devotees of theirailments such as fever, relieves them of the heat present in theirbody and helps to maintain the normal body temperature. Credit ofremoving the heat present in the bodies of celestials goes to theGod in this temple. The sacred water of this

temple tank is called ‘Vepperi Kulam’. Now the temple is popularly known as ‘Upperi Kulam’. There are two kindsof divine treasures in the temple. There is a statue of Lord Gubera (God of treasure) in this temple.

56. Sevvandheesam

The presiding God in the temple is Sevvandeeswarar. The temple is situated at Panjupettai (Big Street) in thecampus of Government Seed Farm at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . There is an idol of Lord Shiva in thetemple. Opposite to the idol of Lord Shiva, is the figure of the holy bull and an altar where all evil thoughts aredestroyed. The temple is also known by the holy name -Sevandheesaram. Worship is conducted by priests once aday. The God of wind established an idol of Lord Shiva, worshipped him by showering (by seventhi flowers) andfinally acquired many great, holy powers.

57. Savunakesam

The presiding God in the temple is Savunakeswarar. This temple is situated on a site (on the right side) inThanappa Naicker Street (which separates from S.V.N Pillai Street). It is a very ancient temple. There is an idol ofLord Shiva established by Sage Sownagar, here. He (Sage sownaga) worshipped the God in this temple andattained salvation.


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58. Thakkesam

The presiding God in the temple is Thakkeswarar. It is situated in Kachiappa Street of Pillayar Palayam atKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) Age ago, Thakkan; the father of Goddess Parvathi performed a divine sacrifice inorder to acquire Shiva’s divine powers. Thakkan invited all the celestials and (including Gods Brahma and Vishnu)except Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva’s anger knew no bounds, because he was not invited for the holy sacrifice. So, LordShiva sent his son - Veerapathiran to punish the celestials and the demon Thakkan. The celestials and the demon(Thakkan) that could not bear the harm inflicted on them by Veerapathiran asked him as to what they should doto atone for their sins. Veerapathiran then commanded them to go to Kanchi, establish an idol of Lord Shiva andworship him. In accordance with the holy command of Veerapthiran all the celestials headed by the demonThakkan, came to Kanchi, established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Thakkeswarar and worshipped him.Thus the celestials and the demon expressed their sincere regret for committing the sin of disrespect to God andgot rid of the blemishes caused by their sin.

59. Thanthondreesam

The presiding God in the temple is Ubamanneeswarar. The temple is situated on a site in Ekambaranathar Streetof Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . This temple is also known as Upamaneesar temple. The sun of SageViyaakrapaadha was very fond of milk, wished to get a plentiful supply of milk. So he prayed to God with greatdevotion asking him to offer milk. God who was much pleased by the child’s worship, wanted to fulfill the child’sdesire. So, God appeared before the child, and bid the milky sea to offer a plentiful supply of divine milk to thechild. God, then blessed the child with unique wisdom and everlasting the youth. Since Sage Upamanyaworshipped the God in this temple, the idol worshipped by him came to called Upamaneesam. Since the idol ofLord Shiva established it self here on its own accord, this idol of Lord Shiva came to be known asThanthondreesam.

60. Thirugnanasambandhar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Thirugnanasambandar. It is a templesituated on a site in Thirumetrali Street at Pillaiyar Palayam ofKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is a small temple devoted to SaintThirugnanaSambhandhar, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. A sacredtext says that Goddess Parvathi suckled the Saint(Thiurgnanasambanthar) when he was a child. By virtue of being fed byhim holy milk of Goddess Parvathi, the Saint is held in high esteem. Theholy figure of the saint (Thirugnanasambanthar) presents him asstanding before the shrine (idol of Lord Shiva) with his hands joinedtogether, praying to God. Lord Vishnu, who wished to be transformedinto the form of an idol, was commanded by Lord Shiva to remain in thisholy place, till the return of the Saint (ThirugnanaSambhanthar) comes.God Shiva then said that only after hearing the songs being sung bysaint Thirugnanasambhanthar, he (Lord Vishnu) would be transformedinto an idol.

The sacred text ‘Kanchipuranam’ says that in order to execute the holy task set for him, (Thirugnanasambanthar)came to Kanchi and reached this temple, looked up at the Lord in this temple and sang songs in praise ofThirumetrallisar. Lord Vishnu who paid great heed to the songs being sung (by Thirugnanasambanthar) gothimself transformed into the form of an idol.

61. Thirumetrali

The presiding God in the temple is Thirumetralinathar. The temple issituated on a site in Pillaiyarpalayam (Kanchi). The street in which thisancient temple stands is named after it (Thirumetralli Street). On one sideof the street, stands the Thirugnanasambhandar temple and on the otherside stands the Thirumetralli temple. The Uttruketta Mutheesar templestands between the two temples (mentioned above). Lord Vishnu whowished to get transformed into an idol came to this temple and did severepenance. At that time, accordance to holy command of Lord Shiva,Thirugnanasambhandar set his holy foot here, sang hymns in praise ofLord Shiva. Lord Vishnu, who listened to the song (sung by SaintThirugnanasambhandar) with great piety and finally got himselftransformed into a holy idol.


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62. Theertheswaram

The presiding God in the temple is Theertheswarar. This temple is situatedon a site opposite to the sacred steps of the holy tank namedSarvatheertham. Long, long ago, God (Lord Shiva) commanded all theholy rivers to come Kanchi. So all the holy waters came together andflooded the holy land of Kanchi. Seeing the vast stretches of water movingforward, Goddess Parvathi in her endeavor to save the mud idol of LordShiva (established by her) from getting washed away by the holy watersembraced the idol, so much so that the holy marks made by her breastsand hands where embedded on the idol. Then, the waters stayed here andworshipped Lord Shiva in the name of Theertheswarar. The holy waterswhich stayed here got collected and formed the holy water namedSarwatheertham. God who was much pleased by their (holy waters)devotion to him blessed them saying these words. Those who performtheir

duties to the souls of Sages, Celestial and Departed Ancestors, do charity and submit themselves to the holy feetof God shall attain salvation. Moreover, those who bathe in the holy water of this tank can wash away their sins(including the sin of murder) shall lead a life of happiness and prosperity. The practice of performing duties to thesouls of the dead still continues here even today. Since all the holy waters are present in this sacred tank, it ranksfirst in importance. Those who have a holy dip in the holy waters of Sarvatheertham tank are sure to attainsalvation.

63. Devasenapatheesam

The presiding God in the temple is Devasenapatheeswarar. This holy temple is found in the Kumarakottam templeat Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Brahma, the God of Creation did not know the meaning of the sacredsyllable ‘Ohm’. For this very reason Lord Muruga imprisoned Lord Brahma. Then, Lord Muruga transformed hisholy figure into the figure of Lord Brahma with his 4 faces - holding in his first divine hand holy beads and a divinepot in his second hand. With his third hand he blesses his devotees and with his fourth hand he grants boons.Then, Lord Muruga executed the task of creation all by himself. Lord Shiva commanded his holy son Lord Murugato free Lord Brahma. At the first instant, Lord Muruga refused to obey the holy command of his heavenly father -Lord Shiva. As Lord Muruga felt that it was not right on his part to disobey his father, Lord Muruga finally freedLord Brahma. As atonement for refusing to obey the holy command of his father at the first instant, Lord Muruga -the chief of the celestials established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of ThevaSenapatheeswarar and did severepenance. From then on, the sacred place came to be known as Thevasenapatheesam.

64. Nagareesam(East Raja Street)

The presiding God in the temple is Nagareeswarar. This temple is situated in East Raja Street of Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) (in a corner) very close to the Bus Terminus. The street in which the temple is situated is namedNagareeswarar temple Street. The holy figures of Lords Muruga and VenkatesaPerumal (Lord Vishnu) greet thedevotees to the temple. There is a holy figure of Lord Vinayaka in the court of the temple. In the outer court ofthe temple there are the holy figures of Lord Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva), the nine holy planets andthe sun God. The paintings on the wall of the temple display the figures of Lord's Iyyappa, Natraja and a holyfigure of the Warrior of Madurai (Madurai Veeran).

65. Nagareesam(Mettu Street)

The presiding God in the temple is Nagareeswarar.This temple is situated in a site opposite to the busstop at Mettu Street in Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . As soon as the devotees gainentry in to the temple, they can get a clear view ofthe graceful idol of Lord Shiva kept in the sanctum -sanctorum of the temple. To the left of the idol isthe holy figure of Lord Vinayaka. The figure of the


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holy bull is found just opposite to the holy idol ofLord Shiva in the court of the temple. There are holyplaces devoted to Gods Vinayaka, Subramaniya(Lord Muruga), Bairava (a manifestation of LordShiva) and the nine holy planets.

66. Nallakkambam

The presiding God in the temple is Nallakkambar. In the court of the Ekambaranathar temple at Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) , there is a holy place devoted to Lord Nilathunda Perumal. In the inner court of theEkambaranathar temple, close to the sacred place occupied by Nila Thunda Perumal (Lord Vishnu) there is an idolof Lord Shiva. This idol was worshipped by Uruthirar. The idol came to be called Nallakamban. People whoworship the God in this temple are blessed with everlasting bless.

67. Nilaaththunda Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Nilaaththundaperumal. This temple is situated in the court of theEkambaranathar temple at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . In the court of the Ekambaranathar temple next tothe holy figures of the 63 Nayanmars (holy figures of devotees of Lord Shiva) is the holy place devoted toNilathunda Perumal. Thirumangaialwar (a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu) has sung many hymns in praise of theLord in this temple.

68. Pachaivanna Perumal Temple andPavalavanna Perumal Temple

The presiding Gods in these temples are Pachchaivannaperumal andPavalavannaperumal. This temple is situated on a site in KalanderStreet (in a corner) of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . There aretwo temples (devoted to Lord Vishnu) named Pachaivannar PerumalTemple and Pavala Vanna Perumal Temple at both ends of KalandarStreet of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The devotees considerboth the temples as two divine places of equal importance.

The Pachai Vanna Perumal appears to his devotees as a Godpossessing a graceful countenance. His complexion is similar to thecolor of emeralds. Pavala Vanna Perumal apperars before hisdevotees as God possessing a graceful countenance His complexionis similar to the color of the Coral. The idol of Pavala Vanna Perumalpresents him as lying on a bed of sacred serpents, holding in two ofhis divine hands a divine conch and a divine wheel. He uses histhird hand to offer his help to all creatures and his fourth hand tobless his devotees. Lord Vishnu appeared to Sage Brigu asPavalavanna Perumal. There is a holy figure of Sage Brighu in thetemple. The presiding God in the temple is Pavalavannar and theconsort of the presiding God is Pavalavalli. There are sacred placesdevoted to devotees of Lord Vishnu such as Andal, Nammalwar,Thirumangai Alawar, Udaiyavar and Manavala Mamunivar. SaintThirumangai Alwar has sung devotional songs in praise of the Godin this temple. The holy water of this sacred place is calledChakaratheertham.

69. Panaatharesam


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The presiding God in the temple isPanaamudeeswarar. There is a temple with the holytitle ‘Panamudeeswarar’ in Aladi Pillaiyar templeStreet. This place was worshipped by serpents. It issaid that with the help of the powerful boon acquiredby the kite, (a sacred bird) he was able to destroy theserpent community. The serpents, which wereovercome with grief at the thought that their racewould soon disappear from the world, came to Kanchi,established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name ofPanamudeeswarar and worshipped Lord Shiva withgreat devotion and reverence. Lord Shiva, who wasmoved by their great devotion to him, took pity onthem (serpents) and extended his mercy on them bywearing round his neck. These serpents adorn (as anornament) his sacred form.

70. Panaamaneesam

The presiding God in the temple is Panaamaneeswarar. The temple is situated in Iyyengar Palaya Street(Thiruvalluvar Street) at Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . When the milky sea was churned, Snake Vasugiwhich acted as a rope, (with the celestials pulling it on one side and the demons on the other side) spit forthpoison into the milky sea and was a source trouble to all the creatures where in trouble. As an atonement for thesin (of being a source of trouble to the creatures) committed by it the holy serpent Vasugi reached Kanchi,established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Panamaneeswarar, worshipped it, created a divine pond namedAnantha Theertham, offered the precious stone - Ruby, as a token of its love and devotion to God.

71. Palapathiraramesam

The presiding God in the temple is Palapathirarameswarar. This is situated in the natural environment of acoconut grove at Thiurmettrali Street.of Pillaiyar Palayam at Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Lord Balarama,during the course of his pilgrimage to Kanchi reached River Saraswathi and came to know about the greatness ofKanchi from the Sages present there.He then paid heed to the divine teachings of Sage ubamanyu.In order toquench his divine thirst, Balarama worshipped Lord Ekambaranathar (Lord Shiva) and established an idol of Shivain the name of Balabathrarameswarar and worshipped it (the idol). God, then appeared before Balarama andblessed him with everlasting faith towards him. (Lord Shiva)The God blesses his devotees with all good fortune.

72. Paraasaresam(Valakkaruththeeswarar temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Paraasareswarar. This is a separate holy place in the campus of thevalakkaruththeeswarar temple.The sacred text kanchipuranam in its chapter-parasaresappadalam contains sacreddetails about this holy place. Sage vasishta who bore a grudge against Sage viswamitra commanded sudaasan (ademon) to swallow the hundred sons of Sage vasishta. In accordance with the holy command of Sage viswamitra,sudaasan swallowed all the sons of Sage vasishta. When the incident took place athirsanthini the wife of Sagesaththi (Sage vasishta’s elder son) was pregnant. Overcome with grief athirsanthini started giving blows on herstomach in an endevour to kill the child in her womb. Sage vasishta who witnessed the scene stopped her fromdoing so. At that moment, Lord Vishnu appeared before athirsanthini and the holy words; ‘a son who is wellversed in all the sacred Hindu scriptures shall be born to you’ rang out into the years of athirsanthini. Athirsanthinifelt relieved after hearing the voice of God.finally, athirsanthini gave birth to a holy child and named himparasarar. This holy child parasarar came to know all the incidents that had taken place in his family from hisgrand father Sage vasishta.

According to the advice of his grand father (Sage vasishta) Sage parasarar came to Kanchi, established an idol ofLord Shiva and worshipped him. God, who was immensely pleased with his devotion to him, granted him a boonwhich enabled him to see his father (who was swallowed by the demon sudaasan even before his birth).finallySage parasarar who wanted to put an end to the troubles caused by the demons performed a divine sacrifice todestroy all the demons. From then on, Sage parasarar led a peaceful and happy life at Kanchi, spending his timein worshipping God who had been good to him.


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73. Paruththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Parutheeswarar. Now-a-days, the holy place is known is Paruthikulam. Afterworshipping Sevantheesam if devotees follow the same path, there is a street which seperates to the left. There isa holy idol of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Paruthikulam (tank). The temple is in the form of a shed. There isthe figure of the holy bull outside the shed. The idol of Lord Shiva in this temple was worshipped by the Sun God.

74. Paandavathutha Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Paandavathuthaperumal andthe consort of the presiding God is Rukmanithaayaar. It is avery sacred land held in high esteem as ‘Paadagam’. Thetemple is situated on a site in the Pandava Perumal temple (alittle interior in the street). Lord Krishna went as a messengerto king Duryodhana in order to ask him to give away the land tothe Pandavas (the 5 sons of king Pandu). Since Lord Vishnu (inhis incarnation as Lord Krishna) acted as a messenger for thePandavas, the God in this sacred place came to be calledPandava Thutha Perumal. The consort of the presiding God inthe temple is called Rukumani Thayyar Recently separate holyplaces of worship devoted to Sre Chakarathalwar andYoganarasimhar have been established. The God in this templeappeared before king Janamejayan (an heir to the throne of theKauravaas) and Sage Arithamamuni. There are holy idols ofEmperumanar and Arulala Perumal here. There is a giganticfigure of paadavathuutha perumal about 25 feet high, in divineAssembly of king Duryodhana, in the presence of a largeaudience. Thirumangai Alwar, Thirumalisai Alwar Pudhathalwarand Peyalwar (devotees of Lord Vishnu) sang devotional songsand worshipped Lord Vishnu in this temple.

75. Paandavesam

The presiding God in the temple is Paandaveswarar. It is a sacred place, which is situated on an open ground in astreet which seperates from the Railway Road at big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is said that when thePandavas along with Dravupadi and Sages such as Romesar went on a Pilgrimage, they established idols of LordShiva in the sacred places they passed by and worshipped them. Then they set their holy feet on the sacred soil ofKanchi. After reaching Kanchi the pandavaas, duravpathi and sages such as romesar if we follow the path beyondthe town limit, on the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) - Uthiramerur route and proceed eastwards (Teacher’sColony, near Orrikkai).then, the pandavas, Dravupadi Sages such as romesar and the wives of the sages,established separate idols of Lord Shiva in their respective names, worshipped them and attained salvation. aCelestial named yeesaanan, established an idol of Lord Shiva here and worshipped it. From then on yeesaananwas appointed as a guard for the north east direction (yeesaanan is one of the 8 divine guards guarding eightdirections).

76. Paarkavesam

The presiding God in the temple is Paarkeeswarar. This holy place is situated in the banks of the River Vegavathy-beyond the Thumbavanam Street at Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The site of the temple lies beyond thefields in a serene place. The idol of Lord Shiva established by Sage Brigu is placed on a low-lying area. There areholy places in this temple, devoted to Gods SakthiVinayaka, Mayilvagananar (Lord Muruga) the four chiefdevotees of Lord Shiva (saints Thirunavukkarasar, Thirugnanasambandhar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar) thesun God, the nine holy planets, Thanigai Vinayaka, Lord Muruga with his consorts Valli and Theivanai,Agatheeswarar, Lord Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva) and God Saturn.

77. Piravaaththaanam


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The presiding God in the temple is Piravaatheeswarar. The temple issituated in an idol place in Jawaharlar Street of Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . The site of the temple is further up the street, to thesouth of the Banyan tree in a residential area. Ages ago, when SageVamatheva was inside his mother’s womb, he (was very much afraid of thecycle of births) prayed to God with great devotion to prevent him frombeing born on this earth. God who was much pleased with the infant’s (theSage when he was in his mother’s womb) devotion to him, appeared beforehim and advised him to go to Kanchi and worship Lord Shiva to free himselffrom the cycle of birth and rebirths. Sage Vamathevar, in accordance withthe holy advice of Lord Shiva, went to Kanchi established an idol of LordShiva there, worshipped him and freed himself from rebirths. So the sacredplace came to be known as Piravathanam. This sacred place is popularlyknown by people as Piravatheeswarar temple.

78. Punniyakotteeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Punniyakotteeswarar. This temple is situated in punniyakotteeswarar templestreet at little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The temple is situated on a site-on the path that leads from theChetty Street to its south (very close to the Varadharajaperumal Temple at Little Kanchipuram). Lord Vishnu tookthe form of a cloud, held Lord Shiva on his holy form and worshipped him. One day, a crocodile caught the leg ofgajendra-a holy elephant who was always at the service of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu rushed to the spot, and gotthe holy elephant relieved from the clutches of the crocodile. Then Lord Vishnu and the divine elephant went toKanchi and worshipped Lord Shiva. God then appeared before Lord Vishnu and gracefully granted him all theboons he aspired for. By virtue of the boons received by him, (Lord Vishnu) came to be affectionately called asVaradhan. The place where Lord Vishnu stayed and worshipped Lord Shiva was known as Athigiri Devotees whobathe in the holy waters of this temple tank, will be blessed with all kinds of good fortune. That is to say-a gooddeed done at Kanchi is equal to ever so many good deeds done at other places. Eventually, fortune will begin tosmile and bring peace, happiness and prosperity into the lives of people. Thus this divine place came to be knownas Puniyakotteesam.

79. Buthanikraha Perumal

The presiding God in the temple is Buthanikrahaperumal. This sacred place of worship is found in the KanchiKamatchi Amman Temple of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . When Goddess Kamatchi was carrying on with(executing) her divine work of doing 32 different kinds of charity, a huge evil spirit was haunting the sacred place.On the holy command of Goddess Kamatchi, Lord Vishnu dragged the evil spirit to the banks of theUlagaanitheertham and crushed him to death. From then on, Lord Vishnu came to be called PuthanigrahaPerumal.

On the banks of the Ulaganitheertham, the holy figure of Lord Vishnu is presented in three different postures inthe three different floors. In the first floor, Lord Vishnu is presented as standing on the evilspirit; in the secondfloor he is presented as sitting on the evil spirit and in the third floor he is presented as lying on the body of theevil spirit.

80. Mahaalingesam

The presiding God in the temple is Mahaalingeswarar. This sacred place is situated in a lane which seperates fromthe Apparao Mudaliar Street of Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The temple is situated on a small area of land.Gods Vishnu and Brahma (each of them) were of the opinion that one was more powerful than the other. At thatinstant Lord Shiva appeared before them (in the form of a brilliant lamp which emits light of great brilliance-equalto the light of numerous stars). Lords Brahma and Vishnu stood amazed, looking at the holy figure of Lord Shiva.Both the Gods could not locate the head and the foot of Lord Shiva since the sacred form of Lord Shiva rose froma fathomless depth and rose to a great height. Then, Both the Gods humbled themselves established an idol ofLord Shiva by the name of Mahalingam worshipped it and received boons from Lord Shiva.

81. Mangalesam


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The presiding God in the temple is Mangaleswarar. At BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , there is a small bus terminusnamed Gangaikondaan Mantapam near sankara mutt. In thissacred place, there is a holy tank named Mangala Theertham and asacred place of worship by the name Mangaleswarar Temple on thebanks of this holy tank. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in thetemple. The sacred place is held in high esteem because GoddessKamatchi’s maid (who waits on her) worshipped the God in thistemple.

82. Machchesam

The presiding God in the temple is Machcheswarar. This temple is situated in East Raja Street of Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . It is a popular temple. There is a Machcheswarar hall adjoining the Machcheswarar temple. It istemple worshipped by Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as a fish (one of the ten holy incarnations of Lord Vishnu).Lord Vishnu, in his incarnation as a fish got back the vedas stolen by the demon Somakasuran and restored themto the celestials. Lord Vishnu also destroyed the accomplice of the demon (Somakasuran) named Panchagan-ademon who had the figure of a conch.

83. Manikandeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Manikandeeswarar. This temple is situated in Chetty Street at LittleKanchipuram.( opposite to the Urban Bank) Just before the temple, is the holy figure of Lord Vinayaka. The God ofsuccess namely- Lord Vinayaka blesses the passers by. The celestials and the demons were exhausted afterchurning the milky sea for a long time. (in their endeavor to get Amruth-the food of celestials from the sea). Atthat instant, Vaali (a monkey lung), made his presence there and churned the milky sea all by himself. The holysnake Vasugi which was used as a rope (for churning the sea) could not endure pain any longer began to spitpoison into the sea. The poison spit forth by the holy serpent was very strong so much so it had an impact onLord Vishnu’s body and darkened his complexion. All the celestials along with Lords Brahma, Vishnu and the holybull who were at their wit’s end hurried to Lord Shiva, submitted themselves at his holy feet and fervently prayedto him, asking him to save their lives from the disastrous effects of the poison. They also added that their verylives, lies at the mercy of the Lord (Lord Shiva).

The celestials in their endeavor to save their lives proved to be selfish too. They did not give a thought as to whatwould happen, if he (Lord Shiva) were to take the poison. Lord Shiva, who was bent on saving the celestials, tookthe poison. In order to atone for the sin of making Lord Shiva pledge his life for their sake, they established anidol of Lord Shiva in the name of manikandam and worshipped it. There are two idols of Lord Shiva in the court ofthe temple, by the names Panaamaneesam and Kanikandeesam.

84. Mandaleswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Mandaleswarar. This is a temple, found within the campus of Sre narayanaSeva Ashram at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The sacred place devoted to Lord Shiva (where the idol ofLord Shiva is kept) known as Mandaleswar Sivalinga Sannadhi, stands as the most prominent one. On either sidesof this sacred place (Manadaleeswar Sivalinga Sannadhi) are sacred places devoted to Lords Vinayaka-the God ofsuccess, Ayyappa and Goddess Durga (all in a row). The idol of Lord Shiva found in this holy place is of mediumheight and breadth. Opposite to the idol there is a figure of the holy bull. As soon as the devotees gain entry intothe temple, the graceful idol of Lord Shiva greets them. Opposite to the idol of Lord Shiva are separate holyplaces devoted to aadhiguru and the nine holy planets.

85. Madangeeswarar Temple


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The presiding God in the temple is Madangeeswarar. This sacred place issituated on a site in hospital road next to the Nathaniel Hospital campus atBig Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The temple was built during the reignof Nandhi Varma Pallava (600 B.C.-900B.C.). This idol of Lord Shiva wasworshipped by Sage Mathangaa. The Sage worshipped Lord Shiva andreceived a boon which empowered him to gain control over his fivesenses. The temple is very ancient one. After climbing the stone steps,devotees can get a clear view of the idol of Lord Shiva. This idol is quitebig. Opposite of the idol, is the figure of the holy Bull. Behind the wall ofthe sanctum- sanctorum of the temple, there is a holy idol ofUmamaheswaran i.e. Lord Shiva with his consort Parvathi.

86. Maththala Maadhavesam

The presiding God in the temple is Maththalamaadhaveswarar. In the inner court of the EkambaraNathar Temple,next to the sacred place devoted to Lord Arumugha (Lord Muruga) is an idol devoted to Maarkandeyar. After thisidol, is an idol of Lord Shiva known by the name Maththala Maadhavesam. Lord Vishnu was filled with delightwhen he watched the dance performance of Lord Shiva. He then prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion, askingHim to grant permission to beat drums in accordance with the graceful movements (during his danceperformance). Lord Shiva who was much pleased by his love and devotion for him, commanded Lord Vishnu to goto Kanchi. Lord Vishnu acted accordingly (according to the holy command of Lord Shiva) by establishing an idol ofLord Shiva in the name of Maththala Maadhavesar and worshipping it. God who was much delighted, when LordVishnu obeyed his holy command appeared before him and performed a dance called ‘Kaappunadanam.’ As LordShiva was dancing, he beat the holy drums according to the graceful movements of the dance.

87. Ramesam And Lakshmanesam

The presiding Gods in these temples are Rameswarar (also calledas Seetheswarar) and Lakshmaneswarar. This is a sacred place - atemple which stands on the southern bank of the Sarvatheerthamtank. There are two sacred places named Ramesam (worshippedby God Sre Rama) and Lakshmanesam (worshipped by GodLakshmanan).

88. Maagaaleesam

The presiding God in the temple is Maagaaleeswarar. ThisTemple is also called as Raghu and Kethu Temple. The templestands near the West temple tower of the Kamatchi AmmanTemple. There is an idol of Maagaaleeswarar in the inner court ofthe temple. Ages ago there lived a divine serpent namedMaagaalan. It worshipped Lord Shiva in his sacred place at SreKalahasthi, inorder to attain salvation. At the command of God(at Sre Kalahasthi) the Holy serpent made its way to Kanchiestablished an idol of Lord Shiva here and attained salvationhere. The idol estabilshed by the Holy serpent gets the holy titleMaagaaleeswararr from the serpent named Maagaalan. Agesago, the demons Raaghu and Kethu established separate idols ofLord Shiva in their respective names and worshipped him withgreat

devotion. Lord Shiva was much pleased by their devotion to him blessed them with boons and finally they rose tothe position of planets. This Temple will give remedy for those affected by the Sarbathoshas(Raghu/KethuThoshams) which causes demerits on Children and Matrimonial affairs of The Life.

In accordance with the holy instructions of Lord Maagaaleeswarar the reconstruction work is going on thisTemple. Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi (who always renders divine services) as part of his divine services isconstructing this temple by Working as Honarable Adviser in the Divine Organization “Sre Maagaaleeswarar


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Narpanikkulu” in order to place and preserve the holy idol of Lord Shiva which lies in ruins, in an open place.People who donate generously for this noble cause (of constructing a temple in the interests of the public) wouldbe endowed with all good fortune and prosperity. Those who wish to donate for this noble cause should sendmoney in favour of “Sre Maagaaleeswarar Narpanikkulu” or “S.R.Bhaaskharamaharishi”. Donors are assured ofthe blessings of Lord Maagaaleeswarar and the planets Namely Raghu and Kethu.

89. Maasaaththanrali

The presiding God in the temple is Maasaaththanathar. The temple is situated in West Raja Street very close theVaisya Charities Choultry. An idol of Lord Shiva was established in this sacred place. Once upon a time, LordVishnu took the form of Mohini. (an attractive woman) Lord Shiva fell in love with her and a holy boy-child namedMaasaaththanaar (Ayyappan) was born as a divine fruit out of their love for each other. This holy child(Saaththanaar came to Kanchi and established an idol of Lord Shiva. The holy place gets its name‘Maasaaththanrali’ from ‘Maasaaththanaar’ (the name of the holy child). By virtue of the boons granted to him byLord Shiva, Maasaaththanaar became the head of other sub-ordinate powers of Goddess Kamakshi (AdhiParashakthi).

90. Maandakanneesam

The presiding God in the temple is Maaandakanneeswarar.This temple ispopularly known by people as Maandukanneeswarar Temple. This is asacred place worshipped by Sage Maandakanni. The street, on which thesite of the temple lies, is called Maandukanneeswarar Temple Street. TheMaandukanneeswarar street is situated on a site very close to theNarayanasevasramam at big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .. The templeis situated on the lower banks of the holy tank named SagotharaTheertham.(Otherwise known as Okkappiranthaankulam). SageMaandakanni established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name ofMaandukanni here, worshipped it and received boons which enabled himto bring five beautiful, female celestials (who used to dance in heaven andindulge in sexual pleasures with the celestials).Then, Maandakanni led amerry life enjoying sexual pleasures with them. Then he Got fed up ofenjoying such pleasures (Sexual pleasures). Finally he turned to God forhelp. He worshipped God with great devotion and attained salvation.

91. Mukkaala Gnaanesam(Thirikaala Gnaanesar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Thirikaalagnaaneswarar. This is a small temple in the campus of Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) Bus Terminus. A group of Sages who wanted to gain spiritual knowledge of the past, present andfuture time, established an idol of Lord Shiva here and worshipped it. There is a pipal tree in the campus of thetemple. Holy verses contained in the sacred devotional song “Kandha SashtiKavasam” written in colourful lettersadorning the walls of the temple. There is a sacred place devoted to the nine holy planets in this temple. There isalso a small place of worship devoted to Lord Sandeswararar. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple.

92. Mukthimandapam

This holy place is situated on the Western Bank of the Sarvatheertham tank. There are three important divinehalls for salvation at Kanchi. They are found in the following temples:-

The first one is in the sacred place at Muththeeswarar temple.1.The second one is on the banks of the Sarvatheertham tank.2.The third one which is very close to the sankara mutt known as ‘paramanantha hall’ hasbeen converted into a masque.Those who pray with great devotion these divine halls,are sure to attain salvation.

3.

93. Muththeesar Temple(Ghandhi Road)

The presiding God in the temple is Muththeeswarar. This is a popular temple which is found in Adisonpet atgandhiroad of little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Thirukuripputhonda Nayanar a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva


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offered his holy services to God and attained salvation. There is a holy tank in the temple, where the devotee-Thirukuripputhonda Nayanar washed clothes of the Lord (Lord Shiva) who presented himself as a devotee. Thewhite-necked kite, out of his great love for his mother fetched Amruth (the food of the celestials) for her. The holybird was held in high esteem for this act by Lord Vishnu. Later this bird became the sacred bird vehicle of LordVishnu. By virtue of the boon granted to it, by Lord Shiva (as a result of the bird’s devotion to God) it wasempowered to kill the serpents, (the sons of Kaththuru) which gave immense trouble to the holy bird. The templethen came to be known as Karudesam. The idol of Lord Shiva worshipped by the sacred, white- necked kite isbehind the wall of the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple.

94. Muththeesam(Javagarlal Street)

The presiding God in the temple is Muththeeswarar. This holy place is situated before the holy placePiravaaththaanam in Jawaharlal Street, at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The temple is in the form of a shedon the banks of the White pond. Once upon a time Sage vaamadevar went to sre kailash (the holy abode of LordShiva in the Himalayas) and worshipped Lord Shiva with great devotion. Lord Shiva answered his fervent prayerto him by offering him an idol.Sage Vaamadeva brough this holy idol to Kanchi, established it near piravaadaanamand worshipped it.

95. Yadhothakaari Perumal Temple(Sonnavannamseytha Perumal)

The presiding God in the temple is Yadhothakaariperumal and the consort of thepresiding God is Komalavalli. It is a very sacred place known as Thiruvekkaa.The figure of the Lord Vishnu lies in state in this temple. This temple is situatedquite close to the rangasamikulam tank in Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .The temple stands as a monument which expresses the greatness ofThirumalisai Alwar to the world. By the blessings of Thirumalisai Alwar an agedlady, (who was under the influence of a curse) got transformed into a teen-agedgirl. When news of this holy miracle, (transformation of an old woman into ateen - aged girl) reached the king of Kanchi, he made the necessaryarrangements and God married to her. The king of Kanchi too, wanted to getback his youth. To get his purpose served the king asked Kanikannan the displayof Thirunazhisai Alwar to bring Thirumazhisai Alwar into his presence. (At thepalace) Kanikannan replied that his preceptor Thirumazhisai Alwar does not goto meet anyone. Then, the king who came to know that Kanikannan acquired aboon which enabled him to sing well, asked him

to sing a song in praise of him (the king). Contrary to the king’s orders Kanikannan sang devotional songs in praiseof Lord Vishnu. Kanikannan chanted the holy names of Lord Vishnu as he was singing. The king was angry, becauseKanikannan did not sing any song in praise of him. The king asked Kanikannan to leave Kanchi because he haddisobeyed. Lord Vishnu felt a great remorse for the disrespect shown to his devotee and the sad light of his devotee.(Kanikannan)On seeing the state of affairs, Thirumazhisai Alwar came to thistemple and said to the Lord, “It would not befit a God as great asyou to stay in this place where devotees are subjected to pain andsuffering. So go away from this place”. God, who was always at theservice of his devotees left Kanchi, following Kanikannan andThirumazhisai Alwar. There was trouble and misery all about theholy place of Kanchi. The king felt sorry for his evil deed and askedthe Alwar to pardon him. Alwar pardoned the king and begged LordVishnu to return to Kanchi. Lord Vishnu complied with the request ofthe Alwar and returned to Kanchi. From then on, Lord Vishnu cameto be called SonnaVannamSeytha Perumal. The holy place whereLord Vishnu along with Thirumazhaisai Alwar and his discipleKanikannan stayed for a night was known as ‘Orikkai’.

The presiding God in the temple is Yadothkari Perumal and the consort of the presiding God is Komalavalli. Theholy tank where PoygaiAlwar was born is found here (in the temple). Devotees such as Peyalwar, Poigai AlwarThirumazhisai Alwar and Thirumangai Alwar sang devotional songs in praise of the God in the temple.

96. Rishabesam

The presiding God in the temple is Rishabeswarar. This temple lies on the western bank of the holy waters ofSivagangai at Ekambaranathar Temple in big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The God in the temple was


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worshipped by the sacred bull. The white-necked kite (the celestial bird-vehicle of Lord Vishnu) was very proud ofits strength, since it was able to carry Lord Vishnu on its back. Lord Vishnu, who wanted to put an end to hispride, rode on its back to the Kailash Mountains. When Lord Vishnu reached Kailash, he got down form hiscelestial bird-vehicle (the white-necked kite) at the gates of Kailash. Then he went into the heavenly abode ofLord Shiva and stayed there for a long time, while the sacred bird (the kite) was kept waiting at the gates ofKailash. The holy bull by its power inhaling and exhaling plenty of air was able to make the holy bird move back offorth. The bird grew tired as it was made to move hither and thither. Finally the wings of the holy bird broke awayas it was constantly made to move back and forth.

Then the sacred bird, called Lord Vishnu for help. Seeing the plight of the bird, Lord Vishnu took pity on it andexplained to Lord Shiva the harm done by the holy bull unto the kite. The news of the harm inflicted on the kiteby the holy bull enraged Lord Shiva. He summoned the holy bull and said to it, “Since you have acted on yourown accord, in this case without getting my prior permission I command you to go to Kanchi, take a holy bath inthe holy waters of Sivagangai establish an idol (of Lord Shiva) and worship the God in that sacred place. This isthe only way of washing away the sin of acting against your master’s (My self Lord Shiva) wishes”. The holy bullobeyed Lord Shiva’s command by acting accordingly (i.e., by establishing an idol of Lord Shiva and worshippinghim). Then Lord Shiva granted the holy bull, a boon which enabled the holy bull to go back to Kailash. The holybull also got back his holy position of being the holy vehicle of Lord Shiva.

97. Ruthrakotteeswarar Temple(Konerikkuppam)

The presiding God in the temple is Ruthrakotteeswarar. At Konneri Kuppam there is an overhead water bank in astreet which leads from the KonneriKuppam Railway track. This sacred temple is situated by the side of theoverhead tank on the right side of the street. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in this temple. The figure of the holybull, and alter (where all evil thoughts are destroyed) are left in the open space.

98. Ruthrakotteeswarar Temple(Pillaiyarpalayam)

The presiding God in the temple is Ruthrakotteeswarar.At Pillaiyar Palayam, if devotees go along the path whichproceeds form the left of the false chariot hall, they will find that there is a temple situated opposite to the sacredplace - Sidhambaresam. After passing the main entrance devotees can get into the campus where we could see asmall temple. The idol of Lord Shiva established here bears the holy name ‘Ruthrakotteeswarar’. Just oppositeto the idol are separate places of worship devoted to holy bull and Lords Vinayaka and Shanmugha.

99. Romasaresam

The presiding God in the temple is Romasaresar. After gaining entry into Mammallan Nagar and passing throughK.T.S Mani Street and then going (through K.T.S Mani Street) beyond the Satya nagar devotees come to the sitewhere the Periyar Nagar lies. To the left there are some houses a little away from the railway track. After crossingthe Railway Track if devotees walk up the path by the side of the track, they can reach the road on the banks ofthe lake leads to Vaiyavoor. Just opposite to the road on the banks of the lake, we can find board on the railwaytrack with the numbers 32/900 on it. Just opposite to this part of the track (where the number 32/900 marked)on the left, there is an area which slopes downwards. In this area, there is a small temple in the form of a shed. Itis a holy place worshipped by Sage Romesar. It is a very ancient temple. In sanctum-sanctorum of the templestands an idol of Lord Shiva with a circular base. The idol has a graceful look about it. The presence of stoneimages, the idols of Lord Shiva scattered about the premises bear evidence that there was temple in this placelong ago. The idol of Lord Shiva established by Romesar is in good condition.

100. Laguleesam

The presiding God in the temple is Laguleeswarar or Thavaleswarar.On the banks of the Sarvatheertham Tank in a corner of a road(adjoining the road) there is a small temple named Laguleesam. Thereis an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Veguleesar-Thavaneswarar.Headed by Lagulan, the other Rudras such as Swethan, SwethaKethu,Swethaseegan, Swethasuvan, Swethalogithan, Sundaran andThunthumi (who belong to the ancestral line of Rudras) establishedidols of Lord Shiva and worshipped them. There is a row of idols (idolsof Lord Shiva) extending from Parasuramesaram in Pallur to theSarvatheertham Tank of Kanchi. Out of these, only the idol of LordShiva established by Lagulan is in good condition.


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101. Vasittesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vasitteswarar. This holy place is situated on the site opposite to theSanthaleeswarar temple-on the banks of a pond. The idol of Lord Shiva found in this temple was worshipped bySage Vasishta.

102. Vairavesam

The presiding God in the temple is Soleeswarar. This temple is found in the Pillaiyar Palayam of Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) . The street in which the temple is situated gets it’s named after this temple as SoleeswararTemple Street. Ages ago, Lord Brahma boasted to the Sages (who in the Munjamaan Mountains) and told thesages dwelling in the mountain that he was the Lord of the whole Universe. The Sages, who believed LordBrahma’s words, refused to accept what the holy text on Vedas said and went about speaking the greatness ofLord Brahma. Lord Vishnu who came to know, what was going on appeared to the Sages and said that he was theLord of the Universe. There arose a rivalry between Lord Vishnu and Brahma as to who was the Lord of theUniverse. Then, Lord Shiva appeared before them (Lords Vishnu and Brahma). Seeing Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu leftthe place. Lord Brahma greeted Lord Shiva sarcastically with the words, “welcome my dear son”. Lord Shiva, flewinto a rage when he was addressed so. His rage brought forth Vairavar from his holy form. Then Vairavaraccording to the holy command of Lord Shiva destroyed Lord Brahma broke his fifth head and threw it away. Dueto the mercy extended by Lord Shiva, life was restored to Lord Brahma. Then Lord Brahma rose up, raised hismind and heart to God and prayed to him telling him that he was sorry for his evil dead. He also asked God toforgive him. Then Lord Shiva commanded Vairavar to go to the celestials (Lords Shiva and Brahma) and ask themto offer blood for alms.

In accordance with the holy instructions of Lord Shiva, Vairavar struck Viswasena while he was discharging hisholy duty (of guarding the entrance) wound his holy form on the three-pronged weapon. Then Vairavar went up toLord Vishnu, in order to get blood for alms. While Vairavar was engaged in the act of drawing blood from LordVishnu’s holy form, he (Lord Vishnu) felt unconscious. Vairavar then returned to Kanchi after completing the holytask set for him and worshipped Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva who was immensely pleased with Vairavar, for obeying his(Lord Shiva’s) holy command and for his great devotion to him granted him a boon, which enabled Vairavar totake up his holy office of guard (of protecting Kanchi). Then Vairavar released Vishwasenar from the three-pronged weapon and restored him to Lord Vishnu.

103. Varadharaja Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Varadarajaperumal and the consort of thepresiding God is Perundevithaayaar. It is a very sacred place at LittleKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , which is held in high esteem as Athigiri. Thistemple is situated in Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is a very bigVaishnava temple at Kanchi (the devotees of Lord Vishnu). Lord Vishnuoccupies this holy seat of unique distinction in this sacred place on a highmound known as ‘Athigiri Mountain’ and blesses the devotees who come hereto worship him. The original name of the presiding God in the temple is ‘GiriVaradhar’. This holy name of the Lord has been slightly changed and he isnow known as Karivaradhar. The holy mound in which the Lord (GiriVaradhar) presents himself with unique distrnction is called by the sacredname ‘Hasthigiri’.

By virtue of the holy presence of Lord, (Lord Vishnu) in this sacred place, theVaishnavas (devotees of Lord Vishnu) affectionately call him by the holy titleAthigiri Arulala Perumal. The presiding God in the temple is called ‘DevarajaPerumal’ or ‘Varadharaja Perumal’. The consort of the presiding God isGoddess Perundevi. The holy figures of the Gods (presiding God and the Goddess)are presented as standing in unique distinction. The holy figure of the Lord (LordVaradharajar) made out of fig-wood is at the bed of the pond. Once every 40 yearsthe holy figure of the Lord is taken out from the temple tank and kept for worship(by devotees). The stone-hall by the side of the temple tank is a shining exampleof art and architecture of that period. On the banks of the holy tank is a holy placedevoted to Sakarathalawar. The holy place of worship known as the ValampuriVinayakar Temple is found in the inner court of the temple. Sages such asPeyalwar, Budhathalwar and Thirumangai Alwar have sung devotional songs in

praise of the presiding God in the temple. The temple festivals namely-Garudasevai and the chariot festival arespecial festivals of the sacred place celebrated with great religious fervor and have won fame all over the world.


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104. Valampuri Vinayagar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Valamburivinayagar. This temple is a separate holy place found in the court ofthe Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Lord Vishnu worshipped Lord Vinayakain this temple and finally got back the holy conch named Panchasanyam (a conch which possesses great holypowers) which he had lost. According to the holy command of Lord Varadharaja in this temple, ValampuriVinayakar occupies his unique position by the side of Lord Varadharaja.

105. Valakkaruththeeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Valakkaruththeeswarar. This temple is situated in a corner of the Gandhi Roadat Addisonpet, just opposite to the State Bank of India (in a site a little away from the road). The temple is knownby the holy name Vazhakarutheeswarar Temple and the presiding God in the temple is known by the holy nameVazhakarutheeswarar. The holy idol of Lord Shiva is found in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple. Thegraceful idol of the Lord Shiva drives away fear from the hearts of the devotees and blesses them, so much sothen the devotees find happiness enter their hearts where there was fear.

106. Valaththeeswarar

The presiding God in the temple is Valaththeeswarar. This temple is situated in a corner of the VallatheeswararTemple Street (adjoining the Keeraimantapam). Devotees can make their way through the Kovalan Street toreach the temple. The temple (the building) itself is by the side of the road. There is an iron gate at the entranceto the temple. The presiding God in the temple is known by the holy name Aramvalartha Eswarar. The temple hasa wide campus. In the court of the temple are holy places of worship devoted to Gods Varasithi Vinayakar,Manthira Ganapathy, and God Subramaniya with his consorts Valli and Theivani and Lord Bairava (a manifestationof Lord Shiva), a group of nine holy planets, Lord Saturn, the Sun God, and the Moon God. As devotees go roundthe court of the temple, they come across the holy figures of Lords Vinayaka, Dakshinamuthi, Mahavishnu,Brahma, Goddess Durga and Lord Sandeswarar.

107. Vanmeeganathesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vanmeeganathar. There is an area called Salabogham at Pillaiyar Palayam inKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Devotees can reach the temple by making their way through SalaiBogham Street,then turn to the right, go along the narrow path a little distance and then turn to the left again. Here, there will bean outlet provided for water between two fields. The temple is situated among the fields, in a naturalenvironment. Once upon a time, all the celestials performed a holy sacrifice to earn fame. Finally, the celestialsfound that their fame reached the heights of glory after performing the holy sacrifice. Lord Vishnu who wanted toget all the fame for him self stood there with the holy bow over his shoulders, ready to attack those who wantedto get fame.

Lord Indra rushed to Kanchi established an idol of Lord Shiva there and worshipped it with great devotion Godarose from the ant-hill in the form of a white ant, ate away the holy bow of Lord Vishnu. The bow rose up with asudden jerk and broke away pulling Vishnu’s head along with it. Then his head dropped to the ground. Finally, thecelestials succeeded in earning and their fame spread throughout the world. Having successfully completed histask of bringing fame to the celestials, Lord Indra felt very happy. But he felt a throb at his heart when he thoughthe had inflicted harm on Lord Vishnu in his endeavor to win fame for the celestials. Lord Indra was at his wit’send, not knowing what to do in order to set things right. After pondering over for a long time, he came to theconclusion that the only way to set things right, is to submit himself at the holy feet of Lord Shiva who is allpowerful. So Lord Indra rushed to Kanchi prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion asking him to restore life toLord Vishnu and thus awaken him. Lord Shiva was moved by Lord Indra’s sympathy for Lord Vishnu and his greattrust for him (Lord Shiva). So, Lord Shiva blessed Lord Indra and granted him boon which restored life to LordVishnu. Since, Lord Shiva who was present in the ant-hill granted boons to Lord Indra, Lord Shiva was called bythe holy name Vanmeeganathar.

108. Vanneesam


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The presiding God in the temple is Vanneeswarar. At BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , there is a street named PallaStreet which separates from the Putheri Street (S.V.N PillaiStreet). To the left of this street (Palla Street) there is streetnamed Okkapiranthan Kulam Street. At the very entrance to theOkkapiranthan Kulam Street is a sacred hall where GoddessElavaar Kulali sits in her sacred seat in unique distinction. To theright of this sacred hall is the Okkapiranthan Kulam called by thesacred name ‘Sagotharatheertham’. Just in front of this holy tankis the Kanni Amman Temple. The Shiva temple behind this holytank is called Vaneesam. The God of fire (Lord Agni) worshippedthe God in this temple and received the boon which empoweredhim to carry food offerings to celestials (whenever a holy sacrificewas being performed).

109. Vaanesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vaaneeswarar. On the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) - Arakkonam highwaythere is the C.V.M Annamalai Nagar. If devotees go right into the residential area (of C.V.M Annamalai Nagar)they will come across a temple. Temple is situated very close to the Olimugamadhupettai on the left on the banksof the Kuttaikarai. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in this temple, placed in an enclosure which looks like a shed. Bythe side of the idol of Lord Shiva is a small sacred place devoted to Lord Selva Vinayakar the presiding God in thetemple is ‘Vaaneeswarar’.

This idol was worshipped by the demon Vaanasuran. The demon Vaanasuran came here, for the purpose ofattaining salvation. This sacred place is held in high esteem because it is in this sacred place that God grantedVaanasuram a boon which enabled him to rise to the position of General of the Divine Army of Lord Shiva.

110. Vaaleesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vaaleeswarar. Opposite to the Thiruvegambaranathar temple at BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , outside the campus of the temple (Thiruvegambaranathar Temple) is the figure ofthe holy bull. Behind the figure of the holy gigantic bull, is the site of the Vaaleesam temple. The idol of LordShiva established and worshipped by Vaali (a holy monkey who belongs to the tribe of holy monkeys) was calledby the holy name ‘Vaaleesam’. Vaali who worshipped the idol of Lord Shiva received a boon which enabled him togovern the tribe of holy Monkeys, So much so to say that he became the ruler of the monkey tribe. By this boonacquired by him, Vaali was able to get half of the strength possessed by the enemies who come to attack him.

111. Vigadachakkara Vinayagar

The presiding God in the temple is Vikadachakkara Vinayagar. This sacred place is found in the hall of thousandpillars at Ekambaranathar Temple of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . God Vinayaka is held in high esteem asthe Supreme God of Victory (among the other holy forms of Lord Vinayaka). The God got this holy name‘Vikarachakra Vinayaka’ big virtue of being at his best in performing holy dances in contrast to the holy Dancesof other Gods.

112. Viswanathesam

The presiding God in the temple is Viswanathar. This temple is calledKasiviswanathar temple. This temple lies on the western bank of theSarvatheertham Tank. Lord Vishwanathar of Kasi, who wanted the people toknow about the greatness and sanctity of the sacred place of Kanchi, cameand stayed in this holy place (Viswanathesam) at Kanchi. Lord Viswanatharenjoyed his stay at Kanchi. There is a special sacred hall in this temple forattaining salvation.

113. Vinduveesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vinduveesar. There is a holy place devoted to Pillaiyar (Lord Vinayaka) in the


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court of the Thiruvegambaranathar temple of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) by the side of the sacred hall ofThousand Pillars. By the side of this sacred place, (devoted to Lord Vinayaka) is the holy place named‘Vinduveesam’ which is a separate temple in itself. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in this temple. At the entrance tothe temple are the holy figures of holy guards who guard the temple. Lord Vishnu who is able to see the danceperformance of Lord Shiva in his holy vision (while he is a sleep) enjoys watching the dance performance. It washis earnest desire that Goddess Lakshmi and his other consorts too should be able to watch the danceperformance. So, Lord Vishnu established a holy idol of Lord Shiva in the name of ‘Vindeesam’ and worships it.Lord Shiva, who was greatly pleased by his devotion, appeared before Lord Vishnu and granted him a boon whichenabled Lord Vishnu’s consorts to watch the holy dance performance of Lord Shiva at Thillai (Chidambaram).

114. Virubaatcheeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Virubaatcheeswarar. Adjoining the Keerai Mandabam at Kanchi there is a streetnamed Valatheeswarar Temple Street. The temple lies on the entrance of the street (on the right). Devotees’ caneasily get into the temple as it is just by the side of the street. The temple has a small entrance. There is an idolof Lord Shiva here. Opposite to the holy idol of Lord Shiva is the figure of the Holy Bull and the altar where all evilthoughts are destroyed.

115. Vilakkoli Perumal Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Vilakkoliperumal and theconsort of the presiding God is Maragathavallithaayaar. Thissacred place is held in very high esteem as Thiruthanka.The street in which the temple situated is named VillakoliTemple Street. The presiding God in the temple is called‘Villakoli Perumal’ (other wise known as Deepa Prakasar)and the consort of the presiding God is called‘Marakadhavalli Thayyar’. Once upon a time, GoddessSaraswathi who wanted to destroy the holy sacrifice madeby Brahma was making her way into Kanchi in the form of ariver. Lord Vishnu, at the command of Lord Shiva, rushes toprevent it (river) from proceeding to Kanchi at

midnight. Lord Vishnu, in order to keep vigilance on the path or course of the river stood as a brilliant lamp,established an idol in the name of Adhipidesam, received boons from Lord Shiva (as a result of his great devotionto the appointed task allotted by Lord Shiva) prevented river saraswathi from entering Kanchi and thus Brahma’ssacrifice was saved from getting destroyed. That’s how Lord Vishnu got the name Vilakoli Perumal and stayed inthe presence of Adhipidesar (Lord Shiva). Peyalwar and Thirumangai Alwar (devotees of Lord Vishnu) sangdevotional song about the God in this temple.

116. Vishwaksenam

The presiding God in the temple is Viswakseneeswarar. This temple is situated in Thiruvegambam Street of near aration shop at Pillaiyar Palayam Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is a small temple. There is an idol of LordBairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva) in this temple. The temple is popularly known by people as Bairavartemple. Once upon a time, Lord Vishnu felt disappointed when he lost his sacred wheel. Lord Vishnu did not knowhow to execute his holy duty of offering protection to all the creatures without the help of the Divine Wheel. LordVishwasena, who wanted to make use of the opportunity to express his gratitude, thanked Lord Vishnu forrelieving him from the 3 pronged weapon of Lord Vairava. Lord Viswasena then rushed to the Lord VeerapathirarTemple, to get the holy wheel from Lord Veerapathirar. Unfortunately, the holy guards-Banu and Kamban stoppedhim at the gates of the temple. Then Viswasena consulted the sages. The sages advised Viswasena to go toKanchi and worship Lord Shiva.

In accordance with the holy instructions of the sages, Lord Viswasena came to Kanchi, established an idol in thename of Lord Shiva in the name of Vishwaksener worshipped him. Lord Veerapthirar then appeared beforeViswasena asked God to offer him the holy wheel of Lord Vishnu. Lord Veerapathirar said that he did not have thedivine wheel. Viswasena, who was at his wit’s end, performed a comical dance. All those who were watching thedance began to laugh Vendalai (a divine creature who wears a divine ornament) too laughed. As he (Vendalai)was laughing the holy wheel fell to the ground. Immediately Lord Vinayaka picked up the holy wheel and askedViswasena to dance (the same comical dance) once more. Viswasena then performed his comical dance. LordVinayaka, who watched the dance performance with great delight, was greatly pleased with Viswasena. Then LordVinayaka returned the Divine Wheel to Vishwaksena. Lord Vinayaka, who watched the comical dance ofVishwaksena, came to be called by the holy name ‘Vikada Chakra Vinayaka’. This God (Vinayaka) is found in thehall of thousand pillars. Vishwaksene finally restored the Divine Wheel to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu, who was


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pleased with Vishwaksena as he had restored the divine wheel to him, blessed him and offered him the post ofgeneral of his divine army.

117. Veerabaththirar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Veerabaththirar. This temple is situated in Nellukara Street opposite to theKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) Town Bank (Head Office). There is an iron gate, at the entrance to the temple. Inthe court of the temple is a sacred place devoted to the nine planets. The holy idol of Lord Veerapathirar () in thesanctum-sanctorum of the temple looks very graceful and attracts the attention of the devotees. Outside thetemple, hangs a small board on which the name of the temple is written.

118. Veeraraagavesam and Lakshmanesam

The presiding Gods in these temples are Veeraraagavesar and Lakshumanesar. The temple is situated on a siteamidst the fields in a serene place, very close to the Subramaniya Temple at putheri Street (.S.V.N Pillai Street)of Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The temple itself is in the form of a small shed. Two idols of Lord Shiva arefound in this temple. According to the holy advice of Sage Agasthya Sre Rama who lived in exite (seperated fromhis consort sita) came here, established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Veeraraghavesam and worshippedthe holy idol. Lord Shiva who was immensely pleased with Lord Sre Rama’s great devotion to him appeared to himand Granted Lord sre Rama weapons of war like Pasupathasthiram (a holy weapon of Lord Shiva),Brahmashthiram (a holy arrow of Lord Brahma), and Narayansthiram (a holy arrow of Lord Vishnu).lord Shiva alsogranted him a boon which would offer him great strength to overcome his enemies and redeem his consort Sita,return to Ayodhya and occupy his seat there as the king of Ayodhya. Lord Shiva then blessed him with a happyand a prosperous life. There is an idol worshipped by Rama’s divine brother Lakshmana (by the side of idolestablished by Sre Rama). These idols are found side by side in the temple.

119. Veeraattagaasam

The presiding God in the temple is Veeraattagaseswarar. At Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , in a site (to theleft of the street) where the Apparao Mudaliar Street joins the road to Enathur there is a temple. It is an ancienttemple. During the period of destruction, (when destruction of worlds takes place) Ruthran (a holy form of LordShiva) emits rays of sacred fire through his third divine eye present in his forehead. When the worlds are setablaze by the holy fire, (sent out as rays through Lord Shiva’s forehead) Lord Shiva laughs away to glory. Thisholy laugh of Lord Shiva (when the worlds are being destroyed) is termed “Veerattagesam”. This Siddhas (class ofcelestials) acquired the eight great mysticpowers after worshipping the presiding God in the temple. SageKonkanavar worshipped Lord Shiva in this temple. Lord Vishnu worshipped Lord Shiva and acquired the boonwhich enabled him to get the complexion of a coral.

At the entrance to the court of the temple, is the holy figure of Lord Ganapathy. Opposite to the holy idol (in thesanctum-sanctorum of the temple) is the figure of the holy bull and the altar where all evil thoughts aredestroyed. There is a holy figure of Sakkiya Nayanar (a devotee of Lord Shiva) holding a stone in his hand. Thisdevotee used to throw stones at the presiding God in the temple and worship God. Finally, this devotee attainedsalvation. There are four idols of Lord Shiva in the temple (other then the one in the sanctum-sanctorum of thetemple).

120. Vellakkambam

The presiding God in the temple is Vellakkambar. This sacred place is found in the inner court of theEkambaranathar temple. Just opposite to the row of sixty three holy figures of Nayanmars (devotees of LordShiva) there is a small holy hall to the right where the idol of Lord Shiva is kept. This sacred hall is called by thedivine name-“Vellakkambam”. It is a holy idol worshipped by Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma, who was as innocent asa new-born child, worshipped Lord Shiva with great devotion. So the sacred place gets its name “vellakkambam”.

121. Velukkai (Narasimmaperumal temple)

The presiding God in the temple is called Lord Narasimha and the consort of the presiding God is calledAmirthavalli. This temple is situated in singapperumal koil street at little Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is avery divine place held in high esteem as Vellukkai. This holy place is otherwise known as Thooppul orThumbavanam. There is a Narasimha Perumal Temple here. Lord Narasimha is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It isa sacred place where Lord Narasimha occupies his unique place. Usually Lord Narasimha’s temples are found incaves, mountains and forests. This is a divine place where Lord Narasimha spends his time enjoying heavenlybless. Peyalwar and Thirumangai Alwar sang devotional songs on the God in this divine place. Lord Narasimhaappeared to Sage Brigu in this divine place and blessed him.

122. Vaikunda Perumal Temple


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The presiding God in the temple is called Lord Vaigundanathar andthe consort of the presiding God is called Vaigundavalli.The sacredplace is held in high esteem as ParameswaraVinnagaram. This holyplace is situated in the street which separates from the East RajaStreet at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) (very close toKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) Bus Terminus). The temple liesfurther up the street. The temple is a fine example of the art andarchitectural skill. The holy figures carved out of stone in the innerwalls of the temple are really marvellous. The emperorNandhivarma Pallava built the temple and established the holyfigures of the God to suit his desire. The temple has two floors. Onthe ground floor the God sits in his unique position; on the firstfloor the holy figure of the God lies in state; on the second floorthe figure of the God presents him as standing in his uniqueposition.

In the first floor the holy figure of Lord Vishnu is presented as lying on a sacred bed formed by the holy serpents.Thirumangai Alwar (a devotee of Lord Vishnu) sang devotional songs on this temple. A special temple festivalvaigundayegadasi is held with great pomp and show during the Tamil Month of Margali, (in the month ofDecember) when the gates of sre Vaikundam (the holy abode of Lord Vishnu) are laid open. Devotees flock to thisholy place in large numbers on this holy occasion to worship Lord Vishnu and receive his divine blessings. It is afamouse tourist centre.

123. Sukleswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Sukleswarar. This temple is situatedon a site on the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) -Arakkonam High waybetween the Bharathi Bus Workshop and the Railway Level Crossing, inthe campus of the Krishna Rice Mill. It is a new temple. When the earthwas dug out in this place for constructing the rice mill a holy idol of LordShiva was found. Then the temple was constructed in the premiseswhere the holy figure (idol of Lord Shiva) was dug out. The temple wasbuilt in the shape of the idol of Lord Shiva. There is a holy figure of LordShiva in the temple. The idol looks very graceful with the presence ofsixteen holy stripes on it. Just opposite to the holy idol of Lord Shiva is asmall figure of the holy bull and the altar where all evil thoughts aredestroyed. There is an ion gate at the entrance to the temple. The holyname of the presiding God in the temple is Sukleswarar.

124. Muppuraari Kottam

The presiding God in the temple is Yeesaaleeswarar. This holy place is known by the sacred name yeeyappillaiyarTemple Hall. If devotees follow the path adjoining the Santhaveli Amman Temple at Big Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) and preceede three kilometres towords keelambi, they will be able to see the temple by the sideof the road. To the left of the sacred hall is an idol of Lord Shiva. Ages ago, the Thiripuraaris who were staunchdevotees of Lord Shiva (named Sudhanman, Suseelan and Subaththi) worshipped God observing all religiousausterities. God (Lord Shiva) who was immensely pleased by their devotion to him appeared before them andsaid, “I am very pleased by your love and devotion to me. What boon do you want to receive from me? Tell meand it shall be granted”. The Thiripuraaris who heard Lord Shiva’s holy voice were overjoyed and said “We wantyou to allow us to take up the post of guards in your temple”.

Lord Shiva then commanded them (the Thiripuraaris) to go to Kanchi and worship him. In accordance with theholy command of Lord Shiva, they went to Kanchi, established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name ofMuppuraareesam, worshipped him and attained salvation.

125. Narasingesam

The presiding God in the temple is Narasingeswarar. The temple is situated on the south western banks of a holytank in the village of Damal (near Kanchipuram). There are no other holy figures except the idol of Lord Shivahere. Lord Narasimha who destroyed the demon hiranyan developed a thirst for blood, and went through thestreets of Kanchi to destroy living-beings and draw blood from them to quench his thirst. Lord Sarabeswarar (a


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manifestation of Lord Shiva-an eight legged bird that can kill a lion) who wanted to put an end to the evil deeds ofLord Vishnu, took the form of a holy bird destroyed Lord Vishnu and covered his holy form with the skin of LordNarasimha (the holy form of Lord Vishnu which is a combination of the figures of a man and a lion). Then, LordVishnu came to Kanchi, established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Narasingesam and worshipped him towash away the sins caused by his evil deed (of destroying the demon Hiranyan).

126. Varaagesam

The presiding God in the temple is Varaageeswarar. This is a big temple situated on the south bank of the tank inthe Damal Village. Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as a pig worshipped the God in this temple. The idol of LordShiva present here, is named Varaageeswarar. Ages ago, a demon named Hiranyaatchan rolled the whole earthinto one and went away to the under world. Lord Vishnu, then took the form of a pig (Varaaga) destroyed thedemon and restored the earth back to its original place. Lord Vishnu (in his incarnation) who succeeded inrestoring the earth to its original place grew very proud. Lord Shiva, who wanted to put an end to his pride, tookthe form of a hunter, shot at the Varaagam (Lord Vishnu in the form of a pig) and killed him. Then Lord shivawore the horn of the hunted pig as an ornament to adorn his chest. Lord Vishnu felt sorry for being proud andthen left for Kanchi. At Kanchi, Lord Vishnu established an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Varageeswararworshipped it and attained salvation.

127. Andhakesam

The presiding God in the temple is Andakeswarar and Now Called as Manigandeeswarar. This temple is situated inThirupputkuli-a village to the west of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The Highway bordering the village is calledBaluchetty Chattiram and the village is called Thirupputkuli. Those who travel by bus should get down at theBaluchettichattiram bus stop walk backwards and then turn to the south, to take the road that leads toMusaravaakkam. On this road, they can find the temple in the corner of the road. Ages ago Lord vairavar (theholy form Lord Shiva takes when he is enraged) destroyed the demon Andhagaasuran, (for his evil deeds) strunghim on his three-pronged weapon and danced in this holy place.

The demon Andhagaasuran felt sorry for his evil deeds worshipped Lord Vairava and begged him to pardon him.Lord Vairava felt immensely pleased when the demon apologized for his evil deeds released him from the three-pronged weapon and dipped him into the holy waters of shivaganga to wash away his sins. Then, the demon feltvery happy, and worshipped Lord Vairava and finally attained salvation. The presiding God in the temple isManikandeeswarar and the consort of the presiding God is Thiripurasundari.

128. Parasuraamechchuram

The presiding God in the temple is Parasuraameswarar. The temple is situated in Pallur-a few kilometers fromThirumaalpur-a village to the north of Kanchi). Lord Parasuraamar (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) established aholy idol in the name of Parasuraameswaram and worshipped Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva then granted him a boon,(as desired by Parasuraama) which enabled Parasuraama to destroy the demons, draw their blood, inorder toperform his duties to the departed souls (using blood for the purpose).

129. Renugechcharam

The presiding God in the temple is Renugeswarar. The temple is situated in Pallur - a few kilometers away fromThirumaalpur-a village to the north of Kanchi. The Goddess Renugadevi who lost Lord Parasuraamar (anincarnation of Lord Vishnu) established a holy idol in her name and Worshipped Lord Shiva here. Lord Shiva thengranted her a boon to become a Goddess. Thus Renugadevi became a Goddess to the world.

130. Thirumaarperu(Thirumalpur)

The presiding God in the temple is Manigandeswarar and the consort of the presiding God is Anjanaakhshi. Thesacred place known by the holy name Thirumaalpur is a unique, sacred place. Ages ago, Lord Vishnu used to placea thousand lotus flowers at the holy feet of Lord Shiva everyday and worship him. The practice of worshippingLord Shiva in this manner was going on for a long time. One day, Lord Vishnu found that one out of the thousandflowers was missing. To compensate for the loss of a flower Lord Vishnu removed his eye from its socket, and laidit at his holy feet. Lord Shiva understood the depth of Lord Vishnu’s love for him, blessed him and conferred theholy title of ‘Bathmaatchan’ on him. According to the divine will of Lord Shiva, the sacred place came to be called‘Maalperu’. The presiding God in the temple is Manikandeswarar and the consort of the presiding God is calledAnjanaatchi.

131. Dharumesam


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The presiding God in the temple is Darumeswarar. This sacredplace is found in the Paranjothi Amman Temple which is situated inthe Railway Road of Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Very closeto the sanctum-sanctourm of the temple where the shrine of thepresiding God is kept there is a sacred place devoted toDharumesar.

132. Sigandeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Sigandeeswarar. This sacred place is found in the Paranjothi Amman Templewhich is situated in the Railway Road of Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . There are separate holy placesdevoted to Goddess Durga and Lord Vinayaka. In the holy place devoted to God Vinayaka there is a holy idol ofLord Shiva here which is called as Sigandeesar.

133. Muktheswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Muktheswarar. In the East Raja Street of Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) ,opposite to the Machchesar Temple, there is a site by the side of the street, where the muktheesar Temple lies.There is a very ancient idol of Lord Shiva here. The words ‘Mahadeveechcharam’ and ‘Manikeswaram’ areinscribed on a holy stone found in the temple.

134. Lingabesam - 1(Kaamakkottam)

The presiding God in the temple is Lingabeswarar. In the outer court of the Kamakshi Amman Temple, at BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) very close to the holy garden named Nandhavanam is a very sacred place devotedto Lord Viswanathar. An ancient holy text says that this holy place was called by the holy name-Lingabesam inancient days.

135. Lingabesam - 2(Ekambam)

The presiding God in the temple is Lingabeswarar. There is an idol of Lord Shiva by the name Lingabesam, veryclose to the sacred place where the holy elephants are kept in the campus of Ekambranathar temple at BigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) .

136. Kaalaththinaatham

The presiding God in the temple is Kaalaththeeswarar. This temple is situated quite close to the UttrukkettaMuththeesar Temple in Thirumetrali Street (Pillaiyarpalayam). If devotees follow the path between two houses(with the door nos 7 and 9) and then turn to the right we come to the site where the temple (KaalaththiNaatham)is situated. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in the temple. Opposite to the idol is the figure of the holy bull and thealtar where all evil thoughts are destroyed. There is a bael tree in the premises of the temple.

137. Anaadhi Ruthresam

The presiding God in the temple is Anaadhiruthreswarar. In the middle street of Pillaiyarpalayam, at Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) -there is a flour mill. Very close to the mill is a path that leads to this temple. Close to thistemple is the PoyyaMoli Vinayakar Temple. Devotees can make their way to the Anaadhi Ruthresam Temple byfollowing a path (that is at the back of the Poyyamoli Vinayakar Temple-an extension of MaadhanampalayamStreet) and finally they will find the temple on the right. There is an iron gate in front of the temple (new way).The temple is in a pit. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in the temple. Opposite to the holy idol is the figure of theholy bull and alter where all evil thoughts are destroyed. In the court of the temple are separate holy places ofworship devoted to Gods Vinayaka and Subramanya .Opposite to the idol of Lord Vinayaka in his separate holyplace of worship are images of holy serpents. There is an idol of Sandeswarar, a well and a temple tank in thecampus of the temple.

138. Mahaaruthresam


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The presiding God in the temple is Mahaaruthreswarar. This temple is situated in the Maadhanampalayam Streetat Pillaiyarpalayam of big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The door no of the temple is no 16. The temple hasbeen well-built, inorder to bring out the holy grace of the temple. There is a wide holy hall on the left side of theinner court. In the court of the temple is a holy place devoted to God Anandhavinayakar. There is anestablishment of holy serpents under a holy Bael Tree. Close to the holy Bael tree is a sacred place devoted toholy serpents in the name of Nagamman. Next, is the holy figure of Lord Subramaniya with his consorts Valli andTheivanai. As devotees go round the temple, the holy figures of Dakshinamurthy, Thirumaal, Brahma andGoddess Durga (in their separate holy places of worship) shower countless number of blessings on the devotees.The holy figure of Sandeswarar and a separate place of worship for the nine holy planets are found in the temple.There is also a holy figure of Lord Bairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva) in the temple. Behind the temple, theholy plants apt for the respective holy planets are grown for the purpose of doing worship.

139. Muththeesar temple

The presiding God in the temple is Muththeeswarar. If devotees go beyond Subramanya temple situated inKrishnarayar Street (of Pillaiyarpalayam at kanchipuram) and then turn to the street on the left, they will find atemple. The temple has a graceful structure. There is an idol of Lord Shiva in the temple. Opposite to the idol ofLord Shiva is the figure of the holy bull and the altar where all evil thoughts are destroyed. There is also a holyplace of worship devoted to a Goddess. In the court of the temple are the holy figures of chinthamanivinayakarand Sandeswarar.

140. Vilvanaadeswarar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Vilvanaadeswarar. In the Thirumetrali Street at Pillaiyarpalayam of bigKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , there is a temple devoted to Thirugnaanasambandhar. If devotees follow a smallpath adjoining the temple (Thirugnanasambandhar Temple) they will be able to cite the temple in a place calledSengunthar grove. There are bael trees in the temple. The idol of Lord Shiva present here is a very ancient andgraceful one. The carvings on the holy figure of the bull display the skill of the sculptor. In the court of the templeis the holy figure of Valampurivinayakar. There is a separate place of worship devoted to Sandeswarar.

141. Ekambaranatham (Pillaiyarpalayam)

The presiding God in the temple is Ekambaranathar. In the southern limit of Puthupalayam Street (at PillaiyarPalayam of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) ) very close to the false chariot hall-Poyther Mandabam, there is aMutt-cum temple. Their holinesses Maadhava Sivagnaana Swaamigal and his disciple Sage Kachchiyappa stayedhere and spread saivism.(Shiva religion that regards Shiva as the supreme being) The holy idol of Lord Shivaestablished by Maadhava Sivagnaana Swamigal is named ‘Ekambaranathar’. By the side of this idol, is the sacredplace where the body of his holiness Sage Kachchiyappa was buried.

142. Dharumasiththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Dharumasiththeeswarar. This sacred place situated in kachchabeswarar templeof big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . There is a holy idol of Lord Shiva close to the sacred hall (where the holyfigures to be taken out during temple processions are kept).

143. Yogasitheesam

The presiding God in the temple is Yogasiththeeswarar. This sacred place situated in kachchabeswarar temple ofbig Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is found on the left-inside the sacred hall

144. Gnaanasiththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Gnaanasiththeeswarar. This sacred place situated in kachchabeswarar templeof big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is on the left of the holy Nataraja hall. The idol of Lord Shiva presenthere faces the south direction.

145. Vedasiththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Vedasiththeeswarar. This sacred place situated in kachchabeswarar temple ofbig Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . This holy place of worship is situated near the divine assembly of LordNataraja. There is an idol of Lord Shiva here having four holy faces called by the holy name-Mughalingam.Sincethe holy idol has four divine faces the idol is also named Chathurmugheeswarar.

146. Yugasiththeesam


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(Kachchabesam)

The presiding God in the temple is Yugasiththeeswarar. This sacred place is situated in the campus ofKachchabeswarar temple. The celestial tree apt for this sacred place is the Palas tree. Very close to this tree is asacred place of worship known as Yugasiththeesam. There is an idol of Lord Shiva by the name Paadhaleeswararhere.

147. Lingabesam - 3(Kachchabesam)

The presiding God in the temple is Lingabeswarar. This holy place is situated in the outer court of theKachchabeswarar temple-very close to the Palas tree, in the campus of the temple. Devotees have to climb a fewsteps (stairs) as the holy place is situated on a higher level (facing the tank).

148. Lingabesam - 4(Kaayaaroganam)

The presiding God in the temple is Lingabeswarar. This sacred place is found in the outer court of theKayarohaneeshwarar temple.(kayaaroganeeswarar guru-temple) This is a separate sacred place of worship. Theidol of Lord Shiva in this sacred place looks very graceful. Opposite to this is the figure of the holy bull.

149. Kaagavanam (kaganam)(Agatheeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Agatheeswarar. This temple is situated to the south-west of Kanchipuram ,about 25 kilometers away at Kaaganam (near Vembakkam). All the crows joined together and established an idolof Lord Shiva in the presence of the holy preceptor Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi). The idol in the sanctum-sunctourm of the temple is called by the holy name ‘Agatheeswarar’. The idol looks very graceful. This holy placeis held in high esteem because the Divine Preceptor Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) gave spiritual advice tohis disciples and blessed them. Behind the temple is a sacred place where a holy bird (a descendent of SreKagabujandar) was buried alive.

Devotees who come to this sacred place are assured of the choicest blessings of the great preceptor SreKagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) and God himself. Moreover, sre Bhaaskharamaharishi had a vision of this sacredplace and the presiding God in his dream. Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi came to this sacred place, worshipped thepresiding God in the temple and received his blessings. As per the holy advice of Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi, thevillage peoples dismandeled and reconstructed the Temple and did Kumbabishegam in the year 2004. Now specialpoojas and daily poojas are going on well as per the divine orders of Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi.

150. Sahasralingam(One thousand Idols of Lord Shiva)

The presiding God in the temple is Sahasralingeswarar. In the second court of the Ekambaranathar temple (at BigKanchipuram) in the north western corner there is a wonderful idol of Lord Shiva which has one thousand andeight holy idols of Lord Shiva (Shivalingas) within it.

151. One hundred and Eight Sivalingas(Ekambam)

These wonderful idols of Lord Shiva are found in the inner court of ekambaranathar temple-in the north direction.The wonderful idol of Lord Shiva has one hundred and eight different idols kept on different rows.

152. Maarkandesam(Ekambam)

The presiding God in the temple is Maargandeswarar. In the inner court of the Ekambaranathar Temple, close tothe holy idols of Lord Shiva namely -Maththalamadhavesham and maargandesam are found side by side, in thesanctum-sanctorum of the temple. It is the idol that was worshipped by Maarkandeyar.

153. Naagalingesam(Ekambaranathar temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Naagalingeswarar. In the inner court of the Ekambaranathar temple, very closeto the holy figures of Lord Aarumugha (Lord Muruga) and his consorts Valli and Theivanai, there is a holy idol of


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Lord Shiva in the name of Naagalingam. This idol is an ancient one.

154. Pralayam Kaaththa yeesarAnd

155. Viswanaatham(Ekkambam)

The presiding Gods in these temples are Piralayankaaththeeswarar and Viswanathar. These holy places are foundin the court of the ekambaranathar temple at big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . Just before the holy figures ofthe four Saivite saints (devotees of Lord Shiva namely-Thirunaavukkarasar, Sundarar, Gnaanasambanthar andMaanikkavasakar) there is an idol of Lord Shiva in the name of Pralayam Kaaththa yeesar. Close to this idol, isanother holy idol by the name Viswanaatham. Now this idol (Viswanaatham) is called by the holy nameSpadigamurthi.

156. Meykkandeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Meykkandeeswarar. This is a temple situated in Thondai Mandala AatheenaMutt of Nimanthakkara Street at Big Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . The name of the idol of Lord Shivaestablished here is called Meykkandeeswarar. Devotees are sure to acquire wisdom if they worship this idol.

157. Vedapureeswarar

The presiding God in the temple is Vedapureeswarar. It is a sacred place devoted to Lord Shiva found in the outercourt of the Karukkinil Amarnthaval Temple near Mettu Street. The idol looks very graceful and bears the nameVedapureeswarar.

158. Siththeesam

The presiding God in the temple is Siththeeswarar. In the Aaladi Pillaiyar Street at Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram)in the court of the Panaamudeeswarar temple, very close to the holy place devoted to Varasiththi Vinayakar, thereis another holy place devoted to Siththeesar. Outside this holy place is the figure of the holy bull and the altarwhere all evil thoughts are destroyed.

159. Ayyanaar Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Ayyanaar. In the northern limit of Krishnadevarayar Street of Pillaiyarpalayamat Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) there is a separate temple devoted Lord Ayyanaar. The temple is popularlyknown by the people as Ayyanaarappan Temple. In the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple is the holy figure ofAyyanaar with his two consorts. The holy name of Lord Ayyanaar is this temple is now popularly known byanother holy name-‘Lord Ayyappan’.

160. Jain Temple(Arulmighu Thiruloggiyanathar Swamy Temple

The presiding God in the temple is Thiruloggiyanathar or Varthamaana Mahaaveerar. This temple is situated on asite about 4 kilometers from the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) Bus Terminus in the south western direction-atPillaiyar Palayam.(On the outskirts of the Thiruparuththikkunram Village) by the side of the road that leads toPerumbakkam ie.on the banks of the River Vegavathy. The shrine in the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple iscalled by the holy names-Thirulogiyanathar, Aadhi Bhagavan and Vardhamanar. Other Theerthankararars arePushpanandhaswamy Senachchaariyar, Malli Senachchariyar, SundeeraKeerthi Senachchariyar, AnanthaveeriyaSenachchariyar and Munipunga Senachchariyar.

There is a flag post in the campus of the temple and the altar where evil thoughtsare destroyed. There is an inner court where the shrine of the presiding God LordVardhamana is presented as sitting in unique distinction doing meditation. To thesouth of the presiding God there is a separate sacred place devoted to GoddessDharma Devi. In the outer court of the temple, in the south-western corner, thereis a separate place of worship for Lord Brahma. The holy figure of Lord Brahma ispresented as sitting in his holy seat. As devotees go round the court of the temple,they will come across a sacred tree-‘Dharmakura’, apt for this holy place. This treeis more then 2000 years old. Just opposite to holy altar (where all evil thoughtsare destroyed) to the north is a holy well, which contains the holy water of thissacred place. This divine well was dug during the age of the Mooventhaas-theChera, Chola and pandiya rulers. To the north of this sacred well there is aseparate place of worship devoted to Munivasar (also known as Paasunathar).


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He is the 23rd Theerthankarar. The word Theerthankara means Preceptor of Jainism.

Arunagirimedu

To the south west of thiruloghiyanathar temple, is a sacred place-arunagiri medu on the banks of a lake. Thesacred bodies of pushpaanandhasenachchariyar, anandaveeriyavaamanachchariyar, chandrasiththasenachchariyarand mallisenachchariyar buried here. The simmavarma pallava built this temple during the period of his reign atKanchi (a.d.550-a.d.575). The sacred place where the Jain temple stands is held in high esteem as‘Vardhamadeeswaram’.

Dharmakura Tree

This holy tree symbolizes Dharma (the law of righteousness). This peculiar tree, after reaching a medium height,does not grow further nor grow smaller as years pass by. The sacred tree has the unique power of protecting therule of kings who used to hold a scepter in their hands. A scepter is a divine rod held by a king to symbolize hisrule that upholds truth and justice. Symbolizes

161. Thirumaagaral (Magaral)(Thirumaagaraleeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Thirumaagaraleeswarar or Udumbeeswarar and the consort of the presidingGod is Thirubuvana Naayagi. This temple is situated in Magaral, a sacred place (a village) about 15 kilometersaway from Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) -on the bus route from Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) to Uthiramerur.This temple is known by the people as Thirumagaraleeswarar Temple. The presiding God in the temple is calledThirumagaraleeswarar and the consort of the presiding God is called Thirupuvananayaki. The sacred place is heldin high esteem, because Saint Thirugnanasambhanthar (a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva) came here and sangdevotional songs on the God in this temple. The great saint Thirugnana Sambandhar has said that people canwash away their sins by worshipping the God in this temple. The diseases of the devotees could be cured if theypray with great devotion to the Lord Thirumagaraleeswarar (Lord Shiva).

Lord Brahma worshipped the presiding God here. When the Chola king came to this holy place for hunting-in aplace overgrown with wild plants, his arrow accidentally fell on a holy, gold lizard (a big lizard) and plenty of bloodoozed out from the wound. On seeing the plight of the holy, gold lizard (bleeding to death) the Chola king becameunconscious. Then Lord Shiva appeared before him and commanded him to build a temple for him (Lord Shiva)and blessed him. The Chola king then established a holy idol of Lord Shiva, which was an exact replica of the holy,gold lizard. Built a big temple for Lord Shiva and placed the holy idol in the temple. The holy place gets its nameMagaral, from the demon named Magaran who worshipped the God in this temple and attained salvation. Manysages came here to worship God.

162. Sanjeeviraayar Temple(Ayyangarkulam)

The presiding God in the temple is Sanjeeviraayar (Sanjeevi Aanchaneyar). South of Kanchi, on the southern bankof River Palar, there is a holy place known as Iyyangarkulam. In this holy place, there is a temple calledSanjeevirayar Temple. When Lord Hanuman (Anjaneya) carried the holy Mountain named Sanjeeva to Ceylon, asmall piece from the mountain dropped in this holy place. The unique greatness of the temple lies in the fact thatLord Hanuman came here, all by himself and has been staying in this holy place. Since time immemorial andblesses the devotees who come to this sacred place. It is the only big Anjaneyar Temple in the South India. Thewater of the holy tank in the temple is known as ‘Nadaivavi’.


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Every year when the temple festival - Chitra Pournami is held with greatpomp and show, Lord Varadharaja Perumal of Kanchi sets his holy foot onthis sacred place and blesses the devotees who come to the temple on thisauspicious day. On the night of the auspicious day, Lord Anjaneya and LordVaradharaja Perumal get into the holy tank and have a holy bath together.Then they occupied their holy seats side by side (in the sacred river Palar)with unique distinction and bless the devotees with all good fortune. No onehas died of snake-bite in this sacred place since ancient times. The fort whichhas been built by Lord Anjaneya lies to the north of this sacred place.Worship is conducted by devotees would have the desired effect on then if he(Hanuman) worshipped on the auspicious day when the star Moolam falls.

163. Thiruppanamur(Thirubuvaneswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Thirubuvaneswarar and the consort of the presiding God is ThirubuvanaNaayagi. To the South West of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) about 20 kilometers away, very close toVembakkam (a small Village) there is a sacred place name Thirupanamur. The presiding God in the temple isThirubhuvaneswarar and the consort of the presiding God is Thirupuvananayagi. This temple was built during theage of the Cholas. Lord Shiva fulfills the wishes of his devotees. It is a holy idol, worshipped by the divinePreceptor Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi). This divine preceptor worshipped Lord Shiva, in this sacred placeand received many boons from him. The Chola king worshipped Lord Shiva here, went abroad and established hissupremacy there. His fame spread throughout the globe and the little ‘Thiribhuvana Chakravarthy’ was conferredon him. This sacred place is held in high esteem, because Lord Thiurbuvaneswarar came here on his own accordand occupied his seat of unique distinction here.

164. Thiruppanangaadu (Thiruvanpaarthaan Panangaattur)(Thaalapureeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is ‘Thaalapureeswarar or Panangaattunathar’ and the consort of the presidingGod is ‘Thaalaburi Naayagi’. This sacred place named Thirupanangadu, lies to the south of Kanchi-on the southernbanks of the River Palar, about 10 kilometers away. This place is known by the holy name ThiruvanparthaanPanangattur in the holy text Theveram. This sacred place is held in high esteem, because SundaramurathiNayanar (a devotee of Lord Shiva) had the good fortune of seeing the holy form of Lord Shiva and receivingAmruth (the food of the celestials) from him to satisfy his hunger. The famous Sundara Theertham (holy tank) isfound in this sacred place. The two holy idols worshipped by Sage Agasthya and his disciple Pulathiyar are foundin two separate holy places in the same temple. The presiding God in the temple is known by the nameThalapureeswarar. The presiding God in the temple possesses the great power of offering eye-sight to those whohave lost eye-sight. Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi), the divine Preceptor worshipped the God in thistemple. A Sage by the name Kottaimuni was born here and he received spiritual wisdom. The holy figure of SageKottaimuni presents him as in his sacred seat in a separate temple, very close to the Thalapureeswarar templeand blesses the devotees who worship him.

165. Kuranganilmuttam(Valeeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is ‘Vaaleeswarar’ and the consort of the presiding God is ‘Yirayaarvalaiyammaii’.South of Kanchi, about 7 kilometers away - there is a village named Dusi. To the east of this village, there is asacred place called ‘Kuranganil Muttam’. Saint Thirugnanasambanthar (a devotee of Lord Shiva) sang devotionalsongs on God in this temple. The monkey, the squirrel and the crow worshipped the God in this sacred place andreceived the boons they aspired for and finally attained salvation. The God in this temple guards and ensuressafety to human-being against all harm caused by other creatures. So he is considered as a very supreme God.

166. Sumangali(Sathyanatheeswarar Temple)


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The presiding God in the temple is ‘Sathyanatheeswarar’ and the consort of the presiding God is ‘SumangaliNaayagi’. To the south west of Kanchi, about 20 kilometers away on the road that leads to Cheyyar fromVembakkam, there is a small village - Sumangali. Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi was born as a son to this sacredplace, itself. Once upon a time, the Lord Yama (the God who brings death to creatures) took away the life ofSatyavaan. His wife Savithiri, who wanted to bring Satyavaan back to life, established an idol of Lord Shiva andworshipped it. Lord Shiva who was much moved by the great love of Savithiri for her husband and for herdevotion to him, (Lord Shiva) beckoned Lord Yama, made him awaken Satyavaan who was died and grantedSavathri a boon which enabled her to lead a long and happy life with her husband. From then on Lord Shiva toosits in unique distinction in this sacred place. Women who worship the God in this temple will never lose theirhusbands when they are alive. Those who worship the presiding God with great devotion are free from the fear ofdeath. Bhaaskharamaharishi has engaged himself in discharging divine services to the temple.

167. Naatteri-Brahmmadesam(Chandramavuleeswarar Temple)

The presiding God in the temple is Chandramavuleeswarar. To the west of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) , about30 kilometers away, there is a holy place known as Natteri Brahmadesam (or Brahmadesam). Lord Brahma, wholost his unique holy post, worshipped God (in this temple) with great devotion and got back his holy position (asthe Lord of creation). This stone temple was built during the age of Cholas. This temple is a shining example ofthe architectural skill of that period. Cholas who worshipped the God in this sacred place, waged wars returnedvictoriously after battles and were able to establish their supremacy through out the length and breathe of thecountry (India). The God in this sacred place is in an all-powerful one, so much so, he is able to bring fame andname to all those who worship him. Sage Agasthiya and many other sages worshipped God in this temple andacquired the 8 great mystic powers.

168. Thiruvathipuram (Cheyyar)(Vedapureeswarar Temple)

The name of the presiding God in the temple is ‘Vedapureeswarar’ and the consort of the presiding God is‘Baalagujaambaal’. To the south west of Kanchi, about 40 kilometers away, there is a holy place calledThiruvathipuram. This sacred place is known as Cheyyar (in recent times). There is a temple devoted to‘Vedapureeswarar’ the northern banks of the River Cheyyar. Since Lord Vedapureeswarar came to this sacredplace and imparted spiritual knowledge to the celestials regarding the Vedas, the sacred place came to be called‘Thiruvothur’. It is in this sacred place that saint Thirugnanasambanthar used his holy miraculous powers andtransformed a male palm tree into a female palm tree. Arunagirinathar (a staunch devotee of Lord Muruga)worshipped the God in this temple and received boons from him (Lord Muruga). Devotees who worship thepresiding God would get the blessings of Goddess Saraswathi and will be endowed with prosperity. The celestialscame here worshipped God and acquired spiritual powers.

169. Bairavar Temple(Alividaithaangi-Bairavapuram)


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The name of the presiding God in the temple is ‘Sre Kaalabairavar’ and theconsorts of the presiding God are ‘Sabthamaathaas’. South west ofKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) about 20 kilometers away, there is a village(near Vembakkam) which is under the control of the Azhividaithangi villagePanchayat by the name Bairavapuram. The Pancha Pandavas (the five son ofking Pandu) stayed here with their army, prayed to Lord Bairava and thepresiding Goddess who exercise her divine control and rules Bairavapuarmreceived the sacred blessings of Lord Bairava and Goddess Vishnu Durgai,waged a war against Kauravas and returned victoriously after the battle andgot back their lost kingdom. Lord Kala Bairva (a manifestation of Lord Shiva)sits with unique distinction in this sacred place and the eight villages (underthe control of Azhividaithangi Panchayat) are under his divine protection. TheGod possesses the miraculous power of driving away the evil spirits which doevil unto the people. Lord Bairava exercises his divine control over the 7powerful deities. This is the only sacred place (temple) devoted to LordBairava in the South India. By virtue of the divine seats occupied by LordBairava and Goddess Vishnu Durgai (in separate places of worship close toeach other) devotees who came to Bairavapuram receive countless number ofblessings.

170. Kadambar Temple

The name of the presiding God in the temple is ‘Kadambanathar’. About 15 Kilometer away from Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) , on the road that leads to Uthiramerur (from Kanchi) there is a Village by the name KadambarKoil. The God in this temple is called by the holy name ‘Kadambanathar’. The very fact that this sacred place issituated on the western banks of the river Cheyyar which flows in the north-south direction, bears testimony tothe sanctity of the sacred place. Ages ago, Lord Shiva sent his divine son, Lord Muruga to destroy the demons-Malayan and Magaran. In accordance with the holy instruction of his Divine Father-Lord Shiva, he (Lord Muruga)destroyed the demons and returned to his father in this sacred place. Since then, Lord Shiva sits in uniquedistinction here and he came to be called ‘Kadambanathar’ (bearing the holy name of his holy son) Lord Shiva hasa high regard for this holy place, (greater than his regard for Kasi) since he loved his stay in this sacred place andtherefore this place possesses immense sanctity.

When the ash of dead Pandya ruler (who was cremated) was taken to Kasi to be mixedinto the river, a holy voice was heard. The voice said, “This is a sacred place thatpossesses greater sanctity than that of Kasi. So let the ashes to be spread over thesacred banks of the River Cheyyar”. In accordance with the holy command of God (a holyvoice) the ashes where taken to the banks of the River Cheyyar. The holy place-the bankof Cheyyar had its miraculous affect on the ashes that were placed in this holy place, somuch so that as soon as the ashes were spread over the banks of the River Cheyyar, theyturned into divine gold-flowers much to the amazement of the people present there at themoment. Those who worship God in this sacred place are sure to attain salvation.

171. Karukkinil Amarnthaval Temple

The presiding deity in the temple is Karukkinil Amarnthaval. The temple is situated near Mettu Street inKanchipuram (Kancheepuram) . It is an ancient temple devoted to Goddess Karukkinil Amarnthaval. The holyfigure of the Goddess is very ancient one. The shrine of the Goddess in the sanctum - sanctorum of the temple ispresented in a sitting posture with eight Divine hands. She is one among the eight Deities appointed by LordBairava those guards the eight Directions of the Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) City. She is the Deity who guardsthe southern Zone of Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) especially Pillayarpalayam. Thus the Goddess appears as avery powerful one, who is able to overcome all evils.

172. Narasamangalapperumal Temple(Dusi Mamandur-Narasamangalam)

The presiding God in the temple is called Lord Narasamangalapperumal and the consort of the presiding God iscalled Narasamangalaththaayaar. This temple is situated in a small village named “Narasamangalam” which isplaced near Dusi-Mamandur village about 11 kilometers south to Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) in Kanchipuram(Kancheepuram) -Vandawashi Highway. It is a very divine place held in high esteem from the olden days. Onceupon a time The Demon Hiranyan Did penance on Lord Shiva here. Lord Shiva, who was much pleased byHiranyan’s devotion to Him, granted him away a very powerful boon which assured him protection of life (his life)


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against any harm to his life on earth, in the sky, by weapons, animals, creatures or by any other power in anyplace-in a dry place or in a wet place. (Day or night) In short, he was blessed with everlasting life. No power inthe three worlds could do anything to destroy him. Moreover, he was able to gain mastery over the three worlds.

Later, By using the powerful boon, the demon Hiranyan ruled all the three worlds withviolency.All the Celestials went to Lord Vishnu and prayed him to protect them from thedemon Hiranyan to protect the law of justice in the world. Then, Lord Vishnu took the formof “Narasingar” (the holy form of Lord Vishnu which is a combination of the figures of a manand a lion) and destroyed the demon Hiranyan here. From then on Lord Narasingar Blessesthe devotees in the name of Narasamangalapperumal from here. This is a divine place whereLord Narasimha spends his time enjoying heavenly bless. This Temple was constructed bythe great Pallava empires. A panjapandavar cave also exists near the Temple.

173. Harichandra Temple(Sothiyambakkam)

The presiding God in this sacred place is Harichandra and the consort of the presiding God is Chandramathi. Onthe High way that leads to Vandavasi about 13 Kilometers away from Kanchipuram (Kancheepuram) to very closethe Village Dusi-Mamandur there is a holy Village named ‘Sothiyambakkam’. Sothiyambakkam is a sacred placewhere Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi was born and brought up with the Holy powers of Sre Kagabujandar (SreKakabusundi).

As per the Divine orders of Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi), an Harichandra Temple was newly constructedby Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi here as per Aagama Sastra through the Charitable Trust managed by SreBhaaskharamaharishi. After this Temple there was twenty Harichandra Temples was constructed by SreBhaaskharamaharishi in twenty Two different places through his Charitable Trust “Sre Kagabujandar (SreKakabusundi) Shiva Seva Trust”. The devotees those worships those Harichandra Temples will be fulfilled with fullDivine powers leads to Dharma (Law of Righteousness).

174. Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) Guru Temple(Sothiyambakkam - Pavoor)

Introduction - The Presiding God of Sre Kagabujandar Guru Temple.

The Supreme preceptor of the Universe Sre Kagabujandar thevery incarnation and embodiment of the Supreme Shiva isundoubtedly the all powerful God Almighty Himself. He (SreKagabujandar) is the Supreme Preceptor of the Universe. Theprime duty of the Supreme Preceptor, through the ages hasbeen to impart spiritual knowledge and offer spiritual guidanceto the divine Preceptor forms of Lord Shiva such asVedamurthi alias Uthiramurthi - the divine Preceptor form of

Lord Brahma, Krishnamurthi the divine preceptor form of Lord Vishnu and Gnanamurthi aliasDhakshanamurthi - the divine preceptor form of Lord Maheshwaran. The Supreme Preceptorwho has been a unique spiritual teacher through the ages the worlds have passed by, willstill continue with his divine venture (of offering spiritual guidance and imparting spiritualknowledge) in the ages to come. Thus He extends his everlasting supremacy over the worldsand rules them with Truth and Grace. The divine task undertaken by Him is of dueimportance as it lays emphasis on righteousness in all walks of life and helps promote peaceand harmony for the survival of the worlds.

The lofty seat of spiritual excellence is Sre Kailash-the heavenly abode of the SupremeShiva. At an elevation of about sixteen million feet from this heavenly abode (Sre Kailash) issituated the Great Amrithalok- the loftiest seat of spiritual excellence. In this sacred andsecret heavenly abode, Sre Kagabujandar displays His sacred, gigantic form. This sacredabode of Amrithalok could be accessible only by great souls. In this sacred place the divine


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Preceptor is found seated with his consort Sre Baguladevi to His right, under the KarpagaVritcha tree and He is surrounded by a court, comprising of several millions of celestials andsages who are always at His Holy Command. It is indeed a breath taking sight to see theSupreme Preceptor (in His holy gigantic form) with his consort Sre Baguladevi to His right,bless the Universe with His unique sixteen graceful hands with all good fortune. Thus we seethat the Supreme Preceptor occupies His divine seat at Amirthalok under theKarpagavirutcha Tree and extends his divine rule over all the fourteen worlds with hismillions of celestials and sages always at His Holy Service.

Sre Kagabujandar at Kanchi

Ages ago, the holy sub-planets namely the 12 Rasimurthis, 27 Nakshatramurthis, 11Karnamurthis and 27 Yogamurthis headed by Lord Shiva made their journey to Sre Kailash.Desirous of attaining everlasting life and establishing their everlasting rule over the worldsthey (the holy sub-planets headed by Lord Shiva) flocked to Sre Kailash and expressed tothe Supreme Shiva their boundless happiness at His direct divine rule and over lordship overthe vast universe. Then, they begged the Supreme Shiva to grant them boons which wouldensure them everlasting life and thereby enable them to establish their everlasting rule overthe worlds under the over lordship of the supreme Shiva. They also added that they wouldbe ever grateful and thankful to him if He would fulfill their wishes and enable them to rulethe worlds under His divine supremacy. The Supreme Shiva, who had been lending a patientear till then, thought for a while and then commanded the holy, sub-planets to abide by hisdivine conditions to help them acquire their boons.

The Supreme Shiva in His extempore speech insisted that they (the holy sub-planets) shouldgo to the ideal, holy place of Kanchi which ranks first among the other holy places forsanctity, righteousness and salvation. The very act of setting their holy feet on the sands ofKanchi would empower them. He also underlined the need of doing penance in this sacredplace which is noted for sanctity, righteousness and for attaining salvation to enable them toacquire the boons they aspired for. According to the holy command of the Supreme Shiva,the holy planets should go to the Jothivanam, which lies in the southern celestial boundaryof Sre Kanchi and to the north of The Holy river Cheyyar to do penance for acquiring boons.The celestials obeyed the holy command of the Supreme Shiva by going to Kanchi and doingpenance at Jothivanam (Sothiyambakkam) which is an apt holy place in all respects.

The Supreme Shiva's love for the celestials knew no bounds. His divine heart throbbed in HisBreast when He came to understand the severe penance done by the celestials as a mark ofrespect and adoration for him.As an answer to the severe penance done by the celestials,Hepresented Himself at Sothiyambakkam in Kanchi as Sre Kagabujandar-the very embodimentof the Supreme Shiva.It was a marvelous sight to see the gigantic form of Sre Kagabujandaras He appeared on the earth with his consort Sre Baguladevi to His right and several millionsof Celestials and Sages surrounding Him. The face of the Supreme Preceptor-SreKagabujandar was full of heavenly radiance and the whole celestial border was lit up with Hisradiance.

Sre Kagabujandar at Sothiyambakkam-Pavoor (Near Kanchipuram).

The Supreme Preceptor-Sre Kagabujandar appeared atSothiyambakkam-Pavoor with His Consort Sre Baguladevi and Hisholy band of Celestials and Sages in the celestial boundary ofKanchi. His divine face shone with the heavenly radiance of severalmillions of suns. Words cannot describe to you the beauty andradiance of the Supreme Preceptor's gigantic holy form. As soon as


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the Supreme Preceptor made His divine appearance, the holysub-planets flocked to him, knelt before Him and worshipped Him as a mark of theirveneration for their Supreme Preceptor who was ready to fulfill their wishes. SreKagabujandar in turn, took Amrith from the celestial pot held in one of His divine hands andoffered it to the sub-planets, blessed the sub-planets with His sixteen mighty hands, grantedthem the boons which would enable them to live an everlasting life and extend theireverlasting rule over the worlds under the Supreme Preceptor's over lordship in the ages tocome. The Supreme Preceptor had allotted a Naligai period (a measure of time consisting of24 minutes according to the celestial calculation of time) to carry out His divine task ofmaking His divine appearance with His consort Sre Baguladevi and His mighty, holycompany of celestials and sages for the soul purpose of blessing the sub-planets and forgranting them the boons they aspired for. Having completed His divine tasks the SupremePreceptor with His consort Sre Baguladevi and millions of celestials and sages (whoaccompanied the Supreme Preceptor) left for the heavenly abode of Amrithalok.

Just as one lamp lights another, Nobleness enkindles Nobleness. The same principle hasfound its application when the holy powers of the Supreme Preceptor, His consort SreBaguladevi, the countless number of Celestials and Sages who were present on the holyoccasion (when the preceptor blessed and granted boons to the holy sub-planets)transferred the holy powers to the existing holy powers of the sacred place of Kanchi andempowered and enlightened it (Sre Kanchi) to such an extent that every inch of the holyplace of Sothiyambakkam-Pavoor was engulfed in sanctity and the air was filled withcelestial fragrance. Thus we see, the great holy powers pervade the entire sacred place ofKanchi, with its main focus on the Celestial boundary called Sothiyambakkam-Pavoor. Sincethe inhabitants who lived in the Celestial boundary of Kanchi had seen the glittering holyform of Sre Kagabujandar glow with the light of several millions of Suns, the place wasnamed Sothiyambakkam (Jothiyambakkam).

Later the place within the Celestial boundary was split up intothree different sub-urban areas in three different directions. Thesacred place to the north was called by the holyname-Sothiyambakkam, the sacred place to the south was calledby the holy name Pavoor, and the sacred place to the east wascalled by the holy name Bagavandapuram. Amazed at seeing thebrilliant holy form of The Supreme Preceptor, the Celestials and

Sages who were present at the holy occasion chanted Hymns in praise of the Lord andexpressed their delight. So the place has another holy name Pavoor to its credit and theplace lies to the south of the main village (Sothiyambakkam). Moreover, since many of theinhabitants of the surrounding area witnessed this heavenly, holy scene the place in the eastof the main village (Sothiyambakkam) came to be called Parthargal (Parthangal). AtpresentParthangal is known by the official name of Bagavandapuram. This is so because TheSupreme Preceptor came to occupy His holy seat in this holy place since time immemorial.The appropriate place where the Supreme Preceptor made His holy appearance lies on theoutskirts of Pavoor, The holy place was called Sothiyambakkam-Pavoor. Thus we see thatthe holy name of Pavoor was suffixed to it as the Supreme Preceptor had appeared atPavoor. The place has another name Amirthalokh to its credit. This special name(Amirthalokh) speaks volumes of the greatness of the sacred place.

Sre Kagabujandar and Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi.

The Supreme Preceptor-Sre Kagabujandar exhibits His divine form and executes His divinework (Of imparting spiritual knowledge and offering spiritual guidance) through His disciplesand thus establishes His over lordship over the entire Universe.


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Sre Kagabujandar displays only one-fourth of His holy mighty form, with only four divinehands in the sanctum-sanctorum in the rest of the temples devoted to Him (In the world).On the contrary, He exhibits His complete divine form with His sixteen gigantic hands only inthis unique temple which lies within the Celestial boundary of Sre Kanchi. In perfectcompliance with the holy will of Supreme Shiva and to execute His divine duties in a greatermeasure and to drive away all evil and to sow the seeds of spirituality in the hearts of menin this critical Kaliyugha period and to uphold the principles of truth and justice it could beaptly said that Sre Kagabujandar, the very incarnation and embodiment of the SupremeShiva has come to occupy His holy seat for the sole purpose of saving mankind and othercreatures from all natural clamities. Thus He could be rightly called as our saviour.

In order to execute His duties to the last degree and as a first step of His holy plan aimed atpromoting peace and harmony, He adopted a holy child who was born as incarnationchristened Him with the holy name of 'Bhaaskharan' which is the holy name offered to thehead of solar family-The Sun, and blessed Him with all good fortune. When He gained thegrace of God as He attained the apt age to carryout His divine duties the holy title 'Guruji'was suffixed to His name. As days passed by, The holy child excelled in His divine services tothe great Preceptor and proved His great devotion and executed all His divine works andservices with such great fervor The Supreme Preceptor was immensely pleased, focused Hisholy attention on the holy child and looked up to him as one of the greatest disciples in thesands of time bestowed the holy title Maharishi and had it suffixed to the holy name of thechild. Thus we see the burning love of the great preceptor for the child which drew his divineattention to Him (Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi) and the burning love of the SreBhaaskharamaharishi for the great preceptor which is set ablaze in His heart and neverextinguishes, but glows more and more day after day.

Special Features of Sre Kagabujandar Guru Temple.

This sacred Temple is situated sixteen kilometers (16K.M.) from the temple town of Kanchi on theKanchipuram - Vandawashi route at the junction of theMangal Kott Road (MJN - Mangal Junction Road) in theinner road that leads to Puduppalayam. The holy place isaptly situated in strict accordance with the rules laiddown by The Sre Kagabujandar Siddhar Sivagama Sastraand presents a unique and different Architectural skill.The main hall of the temple (Mandapam) adorns the verystructure of the temple. On the tower of the sanctumsanctorum of the temple the figures of the divine creatures such as birds, animals andcrawling creatures add their beauty and grace to the holy structure of the temple.

A temple with such immense holy powers with sixteen steps could be accessible only bygreat souls who yearn for the divine blessings of the great preceptor who had witnessedmany ages (Kalpa periods) since time immemorial. It is a fact that mankind can redeemmillions of sins which mar their souls by offering Cows as a divine donation. The blemishes,disturbances and evils caused by all the nine Planets could be easily removed by worshippingthe Presiding God and by enhancing remedial measures as prescribed by the spiritualteacher. This holy place could aptly be called- Sathyavirthashetra. Since it stands to reason,that all evils and defects which harass men could be completely removed through the divinefaith of the devotees on the presiding God, it is note worthy holy place for salvation. Thisdivine faith would go a long way in making the devotees adhere to the remedial measuresfor the removal of the blemishes and bring light into their lives.


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Sre Kagabujandar Charitable Foundation

Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi, the Founder and Managing Trustee of Sre Kagabujandar GuruTemple has founded a Charitable Organisation named as "Sre Kagabujandar CharitableFoundation" in order to fulfill the object of construction and maintenance of SreKagabujandar Guru Temple. Now the construction activities of the Temple is in progressthrough the Charitable Foundation. The Kind Contributions from our belowed devotees arewelcome inroder to fulfill the task of completion of the Temple works as designed andeducated by "Sre Kagabujandar to Sre Bhaaskharamaharishi" inorder to perform another"Kumbabishegam (Purification ceremony)" as shortly as possible.

Click Here Application for Free Prasanna Nadi Predictions (Palm Leafe Predictions).Click Here Application for Nadi Nameology(Nadi Numerology) Predictions.Click here to Sage Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) Guru Temple Images.Click here to Sre Kagabujandar (Sre Kakabusundi) Guru Temple Project work. Click here to Sre Kagabujandar GurukulamSchool Project Work.

Sre Kagabujandar Nadi Astrological Research Centre,# 77, Arignar Anna Street,

Sre Kachchabeswarar Nagar, (opp: GURU TEMPLE)PILLAYARPALAYAM

KANCHIPURAM, Pincode: 631 501TAMILNADU, INDIA

URL's :http://www.kagabujandar.orghttp://www.nadiastrologer.orghttp://www.nadireader.org

Emails :[email protected]@[email protected]

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