Madambakkam is known for
its historic Shiva Temple of Lord Dhenupureeswarar, believed to be revamped
during the tenure of Kulothunga Chola. The temple itself is said to have built
during the period of the Parantaka Chola II (Sundara Chola) by around 956-973
A.D. It has got beautiful sculptures and different postures of SHIVA. There are
more than 18 different special temples around the shiva temple which is
amazingly formed in Tamil OM Shape.
The Gajaprishta Vimana temple contains inscriptions ranging from the period of Cholas through Sundara Pandya to Vijayanagara kings. The inscriptions reveal that the original name of Lord Dhenupureeswarar was Sittreri Udaiya Nayanar and that of Goddess Dhenukambal was Nampirattiyar.
The Mandapa through which visitors pass to see the main deity belongs to the Vijayanagara period.
Madambakkam is a panchayat town in Kancheepuram district in the Indianstate of Tamil Nadu. It borders Selaiyur, Vengaivasal and Sithalapakkam.
THE SMALL and little-known suburb of Madambakkam, situated close to Tambaram, is home to a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Siva, known here as Lord Dhenupureeswarar.
The Gajaprishta Vimana temple contains inscriptions ranging from the period of Cholas through Sundara Pandya to Vijayanagara kings. The inscriptions reveal that the original name of Lord Dhenupureeswarar was Sittreri Udaiya Nayanar and that of Goddess Dhenukambal was Nampirattiyar.
The Mandapa through which visitors pass to see the main deity belongs to the Vijayanagara period.
Madambakkam is a panchayat town in Kancheepuram district in the Indianstate of Tamil Nadu. It borders Selaiyur, Vengaivasal and Sithalapakkam.
THE SMALL and little-known suburb of Madambakkam, situated close to Tambaram, is home to a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Siva, known here as Lord Dhenupureeswarar.
This temple, dating back to
more than a thousand years, was built during the reign of the Chola king,
Parantaka II, also known as Sundara Chola (956-973 A.D.), father of Rajaraja
Chola I, who constructed the famous Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. This
temple was probably rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulottunga Chola I.
The main sanctum of this
temple, which houses the presiding deity Lord Dhenupureeswara in linga form,
faces east. Unlike most shrines, which are square or rectangular in plan, this
one is apsidal in shape (called gajaprishta vimana in Sanskrit), a feature
found in some Chola temples in and around Chennai.
There are beautiful
sculptures of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Goddess Durga in the
niches of the outer walls of the sanctum. Also seen nearby are shrines for Lord
Ganesha, Sri Varadaraja Perumal with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, Sri Kapilanathar and
Annapurani and Sivasubrahmanya with Valli and Deivanai.
The sanctum of Goddess Dhenukambal, situated close to the main
shrine, faces south and has a separate entrance in front. There are a number of
cylindrical pillars in front of this shrine with beautifully carved bases.
The walls of the main
shrine and the Ambal shrine have numerous ancient epigraphs neatly etched in
ancient Tamil script belonging to the reign of the Chola kings like Kulottunga
III and Rajaraja III. There are also some epigraphs of Jatavarman Sundara
Pandya and rulers of the Vijayanagara age like Kampana Udaiyar, Devaraya II and
Sadasiva Raya.
These epigraphs record the
gifts of land, lamps and livestock to this temple and also various other
services rendered for conducting festivals and daily worship. The inscriptions
reveal that the original name of Lord Dhenupureeswarar was Sittreri Udaiya
Nayanar and that of Goddess Dhenukambal was Nampirattiyar.
The Vijayanagara rulers
also contributed to the architectural expansion of this temple. The front
mandapa, through which visitors pass to reach the shrine of Lord
Dhenupureeswara belongs to this age. The exquisite sculptures found on the
pillars here are a treasure house of Vaishnavite and Saivite iconography and
reveal the talent of the sculptors of this period.
Noteworthy among these
sculptures are a four-armed Vishnu, Narasimha in a standing posture, Garuda,
Siva and Parvathi, and Muruga.
There is an unfinished
gopuram over the main entrance. Adjacent to it is a large temple tank now brimming
with water. Saint Arunagirinathar of the 15th Century A.D., author of the
`Tirupugazh,' has composed a hymn on this temple.
This ancient village, now
called Madambakkam, was once known as Ulaguyyavanda-Chola Chaturvedimangalam.
It was part of the ancient territorial subdivision called Nedugunra Nadu in
Puliyur-Kottam situated in Jayamkonda-Cholamandalam.
Many important festivals
like Pradosham and Panguni Uttiram are celebrated in this temple. During
Navarathri, which begins from September 26, many devotees visit this shrine to
offer special pujas. This beautifully maintained temple-complex, situated in
serene surroundings, is a protected monument under the care of the
Archaeological Survey of India.
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