Friday, December 23, 2011

Sri Viswarupa Anjali Varatha Anjaneyar temple Chinnalapatti- Tamil Nadu

Tomorrow  is  Hanuman Jayanthi and I thought it is appropriate that my next post should be on Hanuman and hence this post of the Chinnalapatti Hanuman temple.

Sri Viswarupa Anjali Varatha Anjaneyar temple is situated in the quaint little village of Chinnalapatti which is 15 Kms from the the town of Dindigul. The temple here is small, a pretty neat structure but the idol of Anjaneyar here is huge, about 16 feet in height  made of Saligrama stone. One can view the idol right from the entrance of the temple. The Lord here stands with His hands folded and  with his mace -'Gadha'  resting on his legs. His eyes are like dark marbles which sparkle and gives a feeling as if he is looking at his devotees wherever they stand.

  He is always adorned with beautiful costumes and  priests here who do the alankara(decorations) need a special mention as it is not easy to decorate a huge idol. He appears magnifcient in his various alankaras made of butter, fruits, sweet jalebis, and vadas. Offering Vada mala, a garland made of vadas  (a south Indian snack made of black gram ) numbering 108-1008 is  very  famous here . He is also bedecked with silk robes and jewellery like a king, known as Rajalankara. When He becomes Maruti he is adorned with green costume. These various alankaras are really a visual treat. The temple becomes a beehive of activity on Saturdays.  

The most attractive thing here is photography is allowed even inside the sanctum.

This is considered to be one of the  six abodes of Anajaneyar where chunks of the Sanjeevani hill fell during the great Ramayana war when the Anjayear returned  with the Sanjeevani hill to revive the unconscious Lakshmana. There are about 5 more places considered equally holy , the others are at Suchindram, Namakkal, Nanganallur in Chennai , Deivaseyalpuram and Nugarveliya in Rampoda, Sri Lanka .

Chinnalapatti town is famous for handloom weaving and Chinnalapatii silk is a speciality of this place . Unfortunately this variety of silk is losing charm and is almost extinct now a days. 

How to reach- Nearest rail station is at Dindigul Chinalapatti town is 15 Kms. from Dindigul. There are many buses plying from the town of Dindigul.
My google photos.
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMEy8rtW1L1GnKH-c72LVfVxDmoAm-wBEU8uBOf







47 comments:

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Rare that we get to see photos from inside the sanctum, I love your description of the Lord with his sparkling diamond like eyes.

Mridula said...

Beautiful pictures Chitra.

chitra said...

thanks PW,the idol in this temple really magnificient.

chitra said...

Mridula , thanks.

Ramakrishnan said...

Lovely narration about this little known temple.The closeup photographs of Hanuman in different adornments are magnificent.I was unaware that this is one of the 6 significant abodes of Hanuman.
Sad to note that Chinnalampatti saris are no longer having a market ! All efforts must be made to revive this traditional art/industry.
Great post Chitra.

chitra said...

thank you Ramakrishnan
Very little information is available about this temple. May be it is way off from the main town it didn't get much exposure.

Asha said...

beautiful temple and interesting info. yes, when young i have worn chinnalapattu pavadai.

There is a famous hanuman temple at Banaswadi in bangalore. on hanuman jayanthi, water flows out of the eyes of the idol. Heavy rush of devotees to see this on hanuman jayanthi.

chitra said...

Asha, My mother had a Chinalapatti sari. I remember a bright one with checkeed pattern. Itink I have visited the temple of Hanuman in B'lore. But water flowing out is news to me..

Sridharan said...

It is Unique that camera is allowed inside the inner sanctum ... Nice timely post..We have a hanuman temple next door and Hanumath Jayanthi will be celebrated with fervor that i am looking forward to..!

Arti said...

Great post on Hanuman ji. It is such a pleasure looking at all the decorations and the Lord Himself. So beautiful. I am yet to visit so many places, a trip down south is long due now...

Teamgsquare said...

Wow , Anjaneya swamy looks very grand . These kind of small and lesser known temples are always nice to explore since there are very less or no restrictions.

chitra said...

Sridharan ,
thanks. If possible get some pics of Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations.

chitra said...

Arti, Yes, you should come down South...and there's a lot to see.

chitra said...

TGS,
thanks a lot. what you say is absolutely right.

R Niranjan Das said...

Nice narration and a beautiful temple.

www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

P.N. Subramanian said...

Very relevant entry. I loved it. I remember Chinnalampatti for the Saris they made there.

chitra said...

PNS
thanks a lot..

chitra said...

Niranjan
thanks a lot.

KParthasarathi said...

A nice descriptive post with eye for details.The idol is imposing and majestic.
Thanks Chitra

Teamgsquare said...

Budbudyanchi talayee temple , never heard of this temple till you mentioned it . Its located in Sanguem taluka . I have visited few places around this place like Usgalimal rock cravings , Kurdi Mahadev temple , Rivona Pandava Caves . Thanks for sharing . Hope to read more about this temple and bubbling water pond from your Travelogue .
http://www.indiatravelite.com/goa/budbudyanchitali.htm

Bhagyashree said...

You make me jealous, so many beautiful temples u visit :)

Abhilash Pillai said...

Nice post Chitra.

Yesterday we went to the new Ayyappa temple in Nagpur. It is situated in Besa and has a big idol of lord hanuman(anjaneya).

I would show your blog to Amma, she would be happy to read about the temples.

Oh! forgot to tell you that I am in nagpur celebrating my holidays with the parents. Ammayude super food kahikyukeya...

chitra said...

KP, thanks

chitra said...

TGS,
I will keep other temples in my mind while visiting this temple. thanks for the info.

chitra said...

Bhagya
:), just back from some temple visits.

chitra said...

Abhi, I am very happy your with oyur dear mom, enjoy..nannyi kazhicho..ammayude kaipunyam verethanne ..alle?

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Hi Chitra, I'm dropping by to wish you and yours a very happy and peaceful 2012, best wishes, Tracy. x

Sridharan said...

Hi Chitra
Wish you a very happy 2012...
Please visit our temple website - Gallery page for Photos of Hanumath Jayanthi and other photos. It is a pity that I missed the Hanumath Jayanthi celebrations.
http://www.chitlapakkam-asthigasamajam.com/

chitra said...

Sridharan,
thanks and wish you the same. shall read the post.

Martina said...

Happy new year dear Chitra! Cheers to many more journeys to sacred and beautiful places - and cheers to you sweet friend!

chitra said...

Happy New Year Martina.thanks for the greetings.

Oh my Dior! said...

Happy new year love the last image hope this year is full of more interesting posts!

http://www.ohmydior.org/

Anya said...

Happy Happy New Year Chitra
Hugs from your Dutch friends :-)

Arti said...

I always look forward to your beautiful posts and photographs, Through them I have travelled to many a temples and shrines. Please keep them coming...

Wish you and your family a very Happy and a Prosperous New Year :)

P.N. Subramanian said...

A very happy New Year to you.

chitra said...

OMD
thanks a lot.

chitra said...

Anya,
thanks a lot Anya, my dear friends.

chitra said...

Arti, thanks a lot.

chitra said...

PNS,
wish you the same.

StarTraci said...

Wow! The bright color of his jacket is so fun. You really do justice to these beautiful places that you share. I think you may be the best ambassador out there for the extent and variety of landmarks in your country. One day, I hope to see at least a few.

Happy 2012 and thank you for always being a great friend and supporter!
:-)
Traci

chitra said...

Love you Traci and thanks a lot. Your words are really motivating.

sm said...

beautiful slideshow
happy new year

R. Ramesh said...

jai hanuman ji ki...chitra..hi..nice to b here..and nice to u as active and cheerful as ever..best wishes always boss

V Gopalan said...

Thank you Chitra, and I wish you and your family a wonderful 2012!

V Gopalan said...

Nice post on Hanuman temple. I was just remembering the Hanuman temple i saw in Jaipur. The main deity is a baby Hanuman and it was sooooo cute. Haven't seen like that anywhere!

chitra said...

Gopalan,
thanks a lot.Haven't heard abt. baby Hanuman's temple

Unknown said...

Anyone in this thread know the temple timings? I am visting the temple on coming friday on my way to Madurai / tiruchendur. Can you please mail me the timing to mahendran.sivaprakasam@gmail.com.

Thanks & Regards,
Mahendran Sivaprakasam