selva vanayakar

Selva Vinayakar –Shen paakkam – near veloor.
Veloor is a famous place not only for the famous hospital called C.M.C. but also historically. Here it has one of the beautiful fort built by Arcot Nawabs.
It is now famous for temples also. This selva vinayaker is very old and the pillaiyar is swayambu pillaiyar and a group of many pillaiyars. People have been trying to cover the pillaiyar with a roof but any time they try to do it with any type of materials it gets burnt. So the pillaiyars live in the open place. This resembles the Vakrakalli Amman of Uraiyoor near Thiruchi.

The story here told by a lot of people is – the raja of that place welcomed Adi sankara with a lot of pomp and pageantry in a procession. When they were passing this temple a big elephant came and refused to allow them by sitting in the middle of the road.
Adhi Sankara asked whether there is any pillaiyar temple nearby and he also told them that some prayer offerings was forgatton.

The King agreed that he was accupied with the great man’s visit and did not do the offereings to God,which is supposed to be done every around 7 a.m. So Adhi sankara said that people should not make God to wait, always He will be the first.
He offered the pooja and velleam, coconut, sugar cane etc. and the elephant made way for the people to pass the temple.

The elephant is very sensible and kind animal so long as we do not hurt him.

Sri Nithya Kalyana Perumal Koil

Sri Nithya Kalyana Perumal Koil

Yesterday I went to a temple called Nithyakalyana Perumal temple. The second picture is one found on the hundi.

It is on the old Mahabalipuram road and it is about 1000 years old.

It should have been built at the same time as that of Mahabhalipuram.

Here Perumal, in His Boar incarnation, (Varaha avatharam) holds Lakshmi on his lap, on His left side, and glances at her lovingly, with his face turned towards her, towards East. Hence the place is also called Thiruvidaventhai or Thiruvidanthai (thiru -- lakshmi; ida-left; venthai - Lord or King). Other names used to refer to this place include: Asura Kala Nalloor; Varahapuri, Vaamagaveepuri.

The Lord is considered to be bvery powerful in His ability to bless people with the matrimonial state. That is the of specialty the temple – anyone, whether boy or girl, who is not married -- comes here with two garlands. One is for the perumal and the other is for those who want to marry. This person has to wear and go around the temple nine times and pray for the event. They return home and soon, blessed with the holy state of matrimony, the person is believed to get married. he or she returns to the temple with spouse and they offer thanks to Him.

Thirumangai Azhwar has written 13 pasurams on this temple and the lord.

We went on one Sunday and within an hour’s time there were about 1000 people on the queue.

For more information, you can also see:

http://www.divyadesamonline.com/hindu/temples/mahabalipuram/tiruvedanthai-temple.asp

Arai Kasu Amman

Arulmigu Arai Kasu Amman.
India has many temples and our life style is also connected with our religion.
Our big and famous temples have enough literature and money for their support.

My aim is to bring notice of the small temples which are very powerful and beautiful. Also I have visited them and got some real experience.

The original Araikkasu amman (also called Brigadhambal) koil is in Pudukkottai, in a place called kokarneshwaram. She is called Arai kasu Amman because the Tondaiman rulers of Pukkottai has a circular copper coin with the image of Goddess Brhadambal seated on one side. This 'amman kasu" was minted first in 1738. See an old newspaper article for more information on this:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/yw/2003/07/05/stories/2003070500970200.htm

The other Arai Kasu Amman temple that I visited is very close to Vandaloor zoo on the national high way from Chennai. Turn left when you reach the zoo and travel about 5 k.m.

Just as in the other temple in Pudukkottai, here too people believe that when you have lost some thing or misplaced and cannot find pray to this Amman and offer her jaggery (vellam in Tamil or gud in Hindi) or panagam. Whatever you have lost you will get and when you get it you are supposed to go the temple and give vellam, oil, or what ever you want to offer the Amman.

My personal experience- about 35 years ago when my husband bought a diamond stud for my daughter he also bought me 6 small stones so that I can make what ever I want. It was in the locker all the time.

Last year my daughter visited me she wanted to go to the jeweler’s shop. I took diamond from the locker and went with her but did not make anything. And I had completely forgotten about it. By seeing some ring on someone's finger the idea came to make a ring with the 6 diomonds but I had no idea where it was. Checked all the lockers and searched the whole house. No use.
We went as a day out trip with some friends and visited this temple and prayed - I got the diamonds in a purse in my cupboard which I have searched almost four times!