Sundareswarar Temple, Kovur, pic 1--5

சென்னையில் போரூரிலிருந்து குன்றத்தூர் செல்லும் வழியில் கோவூர் என்னும் தலம் உள்ளது. இங்குதான் சேக்கிழார் உலகெல்லாம் உணர்ந்தோதற்கரியவன் என்று ஆரம்பிக்கும் பாடலுடன் பெரிய புராணத்தை இயற்றினார். அக்காலத்தில் வாழ்ந்த தமிழ்ப்புலவர் கோவூர் கிழார் வசித்ததும் இந்த ஊர்தான்.

சென்னையிலிருந்து சுமார் 21 மைல் தொலைவில் குன்றத்தூர் செல்லும் பாதையில் அமைந்துள்ள அழகான கிராமம் கோவூர். 85 அடி உயர இராஜகோபுரம் நம்மை வரவேற்க , நுணுக்கமான சிற்பக்கலைகளுடன் நம் மனதை கொள்ளை கொள்ளும் இவ்வாலயம் சோழர் காலத்தில் கட்டப்பட்டதாக வரலாறு தெரிவிக்கின்றது.
தற்போதய பெயர் : கோவுர்
இறைவன் : திருமேனீஸ்வரர் ,சுந்தரேஸ்வரர்
இறைவி : சௌந்தராம்பிகை - திருவுடை நாயகி
தலமரம் : வில்வம் (27 இலை அடுக்குகள்)

இங்குள்ள சுந்தரேஸ்வரர் கோவில் சோழர் காலத்தில் கட்டப்பட்டது.

 1300 ஆண்டுகள் பழமை வாய்ந்த கோவில் இதுவாகும்

The Sundareswarar Swamy Temple is located in Kovur, Chennai suburb. The temple is around 1 km away from the Kovur bus stand. Kovur is a small town located in Chennai suburb between Porur and Kundrathur.

The Shrine

The Stone Plates reveals that the temple was built by Sundara Chozhan during 965 BC. The Lord here is named as Sundareswarar (a) Thirumaneeswarar. The Ambal is Soundrambika (a) Soundaryanayaki. The shrine proper is in the gajaprishta style, resembling the Tiruvottriyur temple. This therefore indicates that it was built in Pallava times. Both Swami and Ambal have their sanctums within the same super structure. Lord Sundareswarar faces east and is a fairly large lingam. There are icons for Kalyana Sundareswara with consort, Somaskanda, the Goddess Saundaryanayaki, Subrahmanya with Valli and Devasena, Nataraja with Sivakami and Manikkavachakar, and the arupattu moovars. In addition, the temple also houses an utsava moorti of Vishnu with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi. This moorti, titled Karunakara Perumal, is obviously of a sound vintage though the recess in which it is housed is modern and shows that the Perumal has been brought in here in relatively recent times.

Legend

According to legend, when Goddess Kamakshi did penance in the nearby Mangadu, the entire world trembled, as the heat that emerged was unbearable for all living beings. Then Goddess Mahalakshmi took the form of the celestial cow, Kamadhenu, and pacified Kamakshi. As a result, the intensity of the heat got reduced and the entire world heaved a sigh of relief. To add to this Lord Shiva showed the real swaroopam in the Linga along with Parvathi and came to be known as ‘Thirumeneeswarar’. The temple has a seven-tier Rajagopuram on the southern entrance and the sanctum sanctorum, like in many Shiva temples, is in "Gajabrushta" (elephant's back) form. As Mahalakshmi appeared here as a cow the place came to be known as Kovoor ("Ko" in Sanskrit means cow). 

The holy water source is Sivaganga Theertham. Apart from the main shrines for the Lord and His Consort, there are shrines for Vinayaka, Subramanya, Dakshinamoorthy, Lingodbhavar, Brahma, Chandikeswarar, Durgai and Mahavishnu, known as Karunakara Perumal along with His Consorts. Pooja is offered five times in the temple, famous for its "Thiruvembavai" festival and the "Arudhra" festival in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Skanda Sashti Soora Samharam and Sivarathri festivals are also celebrated in the temple, which is flocked by thousands of devotees during the Thirukkalyanam Festival held on Vaikasi Visakam day. The presiding deities as well as the Panchamurthis will be taken in procession on that day. 








The main deity is Sri Sundareswarar with Goddess Soundarambihai. This is being considered as the Budhan (Mercury) Sthalam for the Navagraha worship. The entrance is picturesque with an array of houses and tall Asoka Trees on either side. This temple has the unique Maha Vilvam as its Sthala Vruksham which has bunch of 27 leaves in one single stalk!!!. Saint Thyagaraja’s Pancha Rathna Keerthanas on Lord Rama is very popular and he rarely sang in praise of other Gods. This is the place where he sang the Panchartana keerthanas on Shiva and is called Kovur Pancharathnam.