Sri Ranganathar Temple, Devadhanam, Ponneri, Chennai

Just on the outskirts of Chennai near Ponneri lies a small village known as Devadhanam and here one would find an ancient temple of Lord  Ranganathar  which is considered to be 1000 years old  built by Chalukya kings. Akin to the Lord of Srirangam, here also the deity is reclining on his serpent Adisesha.

It is hard to believe that  one is just a few Kilometers from the city of Chennai as this  village here  is calm and peaceful and appears  lush  green with paddy fields all around.

The temple Gopuram stands tall and can be seen from a few kilometers away, There are hardly any shops here except one outside the temple selling articles meant for worship.

The best thing in this temple is that , one can go very near the idol and can offer prayers . The idol here is huge about 18 feet in length , The Lord's idol is sculpted well  and Ranganathar appears handsome with His beautiful eyes and well chiselled nose and lips. The facial expressions are done to perfection. This  idol is not made of stone hence there is no Tirumanjanam ( no ceremonial bath-abhishekam)  only Thaila kappu.

The Lord is resting on a wooden log with his right hand under the locks of his hair , His two consorts are seated near his Tiruvadi ( Holy feet) There are also idols of Bhaktha Anjaneya and Narada inside the sanctum.

Facing the Sannidhi one finds Garudalwar's shrine and the Dwajasthambham.

There are also sub shrines for God's consort Ranganayaki, Chakrathazhwar and  Anjaneya .

There is a small ant hill behind the temple with a small niche for worshipping Nagas. It is believed that Nagaraja protects this temple.

Devotees worship Lord by lighting  ghee lamps   for 7 consecutive Saturdays and they firmly  believe that God will  grant all their wishes.

The temple is situated in a perfect serene atmosphere and this temple really calms the inner turmoil and brings about peace. Yes, I have experienced it.

temple timings
7 Am-12Pm
4Am-7.00 pm

 Teertheswari sametha Somanathar temple-
There is a Siva temple very near to Ranganathar temple which believed to be 400 years old. 

Unfortunately the temple was closed and we could not  get inside. just got a couple of pictures for my album.

Tirumayam Perumal, Pudukottai

Situated  on  the foot of the  Tirumayam Fort are two rock cut temples one of Shiva and other Vishnu known here as Tiru Mayam Perumal. The idol is akin to  Lord Ranganathar, Sri Rangam as here also the deity is reclining on Adisesha, the serpent king.

This temple is 61st divya desam of Vishnu and is highly venerated by Vaishnavites.

The deity also known as Pallikonda Tirumayam Perumal.

The beautiful idol of Ranganatha is inside a rock cut cave.

The sanctum appears as if a whole scene is recreated from mythology where Lord protects his devas and consorts from the evil Asuras. The scene depicted is - The Lord  reclining on Adisesha .The Asuras Madhu and  kaitaba terrorising the devas. Devas surrounding  and pleading to God to rescue them from the Asuras.The two consorts of Lord ,Boo devi  hiding below the feet of Narayana and  Lakshmi below Lord's hand which is held like a hood.  One leg of God is kept straight and other leg tilted towards Boodevi as if comforting her. Even the Sesha here one finds is folding its hood out of fear.

There are Pancha loha idols in front.

It was really a beautiful experience understanding the legend behind the temple.

Brahama idol is  on the walls of the rock.

Then there is a shrine for Amarnda perumal( One who is in a sitting posture)  Satya moorthy with his consorts. Garudalvar is quite big and  has a shrine in front of the Lord.

There are huge mandapams inside and outside with beautiful images.

There are also shrines for Lakshmi Narasimha, Andal, Maha lakshmi, Chakrathazhwar.

One can reach this temple from  Pudukottai as well as from karaikudi.

Sankat Mochan temple and Kalbhairav temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

A trip to Varanasi is not complete without a visit to  the  famous temples of Sankat Mochan Hanuman and Kala Bhairava  which are considered to be very sacred by the Hindus.  I have already made a post on  Varanasi Kasi Viswanath temple and Ganga Aarti on My Pilgrimage

Sankat Mochan temple- the presiding deity in this temple  is Aanjaneya, the monkey God who loved  Lord Rama  with his heart and soul . He is considered to be a great devotee of Rama and each breath he dedicates to his Lord.

This temple is situated on  South side of Varanasi and Lord Hanuman here relieves his devotees from all their  problems.
This temple was constructed by Late Sri. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya who was recently awarded with India's top civilian award Bharat Ratna posthumously.

The deity here appears with Sindur smeared all over the body.
One can also worship Lord Ram along with Seeta and Lakshman in this temple , the shrine is exactly in front of Hanuman's idol  where the devout Hanuman can always feast his eyes on the His Lord.

Temple timings
5 am -10 pm.
cameras all electronic gadgets are not allowed inside the temple . Lockers are available outside the temple for safe keeping.
One can use rickshaws to visit this temple.More details here.

Kalabhairav temple- Vishvesher Ganj
 Lord Kalabhairav is  fierce form of  Shiva . His temple here is of great significance  as he is the one who guards the city of Varanasi, known as Kotwal of Varanasi.  One has to meander through the narrow by lanes of the city to reach this temple.
The Lord sits here with all his silver adornments and one can worship the deity from very close quarters.
The temple timings are
5 AM -1.30 Pm
4.30PM-9.30 pm
The other Bhairavar temples  I have visited are in Tirupathur and  Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. Read here for details under Vairavar Kovil and Tirupathur Koil.