Chennai Temples Part 2

I hope you all must have enjoyed my previous posts in the series “Chennai Diaries”. To continue my series today I am once again taking you to few more temples of Chennai.

So, today we will see Sri Padmanabhan Swamy temple , AshtaLaxmi temple, Kapeeleshwar Temple  and Hare Krishna Movement Center temple.
1.Sri Ananta Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Address : 2, 2nd Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai – 600 020
Phone : 2441 2529, 2441 3995

Website : www.sriananthapadmanabhaswamytemple.org (Photo courtesy from this website)

This is one of the beautiful temples I have seen in my life. This temple was constructed in the year 1956 by Adyar Hindu Religious Society. Funds for constructing this temple were provided by His Highness Maharaja of Travancore. The image or Vigraha of the temple is similar to the Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Trivandrum.

ceiling inside padmanabhan temple

wall sculpture insidepadmanabhan temple

There are three doors inside the temple to see deities. The three doors have significance. The three doors symbolize Birth. Life  and death. It says that from first door one can see face and eye of Lord and Lord Shiva under his hand. From Second door one can see Lord Brahma sitting on Lotus originating from the navel of the lord and from the third door one can worship the Lord’s Lotus feet which is the ultimate destination of every soul. This temple also has other small temples dedicated to Lord Vinayagar (Ganesh) , Lord Garuda , Lord Anjaneyar (Hanuman) , Sudharshan , Laxmi Narsimha , Ashtadashbhuja Durga and Navagraha .Most of the temple portions are covered with golden colour or gold  sheets.

Temple timings : 0600 – 1200 hrs and 1630 hrs – 2100 hrs.

deity inside padmanabhan temple

Photography is not allowed inside the temple. Not enough parking spaces are available for this temple. But this is highly recommended temple from my end to all Chennai Visitors. Before coming to temple one can check if any event or festivals are going on in the temple, as it leads to huge crowd in the temple.

2. AshtaLaxmi Temple

Address : Beach Road, Odaimanagar, Besant Nagar, Chennai 600092

Phone Number : 044 – 24466777

Temple Timings : 0930 – 1230 hrs and  1600 – 2030 hrs

Best time to visit : Evening

temple view from roadside courtesy google image

The temple is on the shores of Bay of Bengal, in Besant Nagar, Chennai, It is placed on the southern tip of Elliot’s beach. Any one visiting Elliott Beach can easily club this temple in his list if time permits. Currently this temple is under renovation but Darshan are open. The temple was built in 1976 in the Dravidian style. This temple features eight forms of Goddess Mahalaxmi. The 5 tier gopuram has beautiful stone work. As soon as we enter in the temple and walking for little distance in a queue format one can see idols of Lord Mahavishnu and Goddess Mahalaxmi facing in east direction i.e sea side on the first floor of the temple. There are very narrow steps on the left side of idols which lead to third floor .There are four reflections of Goddess Mahalaxmi  on Third floor i.e Santhaan laxmi facing south, Vijaya Laxmi facing west , Vidhya laxmi facing north and Gaja Laxmi facing east. The sea view from the Third floor terrace is just awesome. Again the narrow steps lead us to fourth floor where one can see Dhana Laxmi facing east. The exit is from the third floor and on the ground floor one can find Aadhi Laxmi facing south, Dhairya Laxmi facing west and Dhanya Laxmi facing north.

ashtalaxmi temple third and fourth floors
Courtesy : http://www.indian-heritage.org

view from ashtalaxmi temple terrace
(www.flickriver.com

There are other temples inside the premise dedicated to Lord Vishnu Dashavatar, Lord Vinayaka , Guruvayoor, Anjaneya and Dhanvantri.

It is a beautiful but bit congested temple. It can be easily clubbed with Besant nagar. The beach near temple is isolated but the sea view from temple is excellent especially in evening.

3. Kapeeleshwar Temple

Address : Mylapore , Chennai 600004

Phone number – 044-24641670

This temple is a very old temple of 8^th century. It is famous for its Pallavan Architecture. According to legend, the temple is located on the spot where Brahma, one of the Hindu trinities, installed a Shiva lingam. It is said that  the creator or the Hindu Trinity Brahma , originally had five heads, one of which Lord Shiva cut off to arrest his pride. Following which Lord Brahma installed a Shiva lingam to do penance and that is where the temple stands today. This Shiva lingam is known as Kapaleeshwar and is the main nucleus of the temple.

Every year, during the Arupathu Moovar Vilzha Festival celebrated in March-April, the bronze statuettes of GODs are taken out in a procession around the temple. This 10-day-long event held draws a large gathering of devotees and visitors from within Chennai and outside. The occasion is marked by traditional dances, musical performances and puppet shows.

Kapaleeswarar temple tank(www.wikipedia.org)

kapeeleshwar temple
(www.myopera.com)

4. Hare Krishna Movement Centre Temple

Address :  #63 , 1^st Seaward Road , Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600041

Phone no: 044 – 24571699 , 24571900

Temple timings  – 0430 hrs – 1300 hrs and 1645 hrs to 2030 hrs

It is a very small temple of Sri Krishna Balarama located on Thiruvanmiyur Beach , overlooking the Bay of Bengal. The 4 acre campus of which 2 acre are landscaped with greenery, right now houses a small temple. A monumental temple is planned on this serene and picturesque location.The place is very calm and beautiful and full of positive energy/vibrations.

temple premise

entrance to temple

deity inside hare krishna temple

If you are visiting Marutheeswar temple and Thiruvanmiyur Beach then this place can be clubbed together. Photography is allowed in this temple. If you happen to visit this temple on Sunday evening, do not forget to eat delicious Gobhi Manchurian available at the temple.

This finishes my post for today. “ Chennai Diaries “ to be continued…..

The tip for today’s post is below :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E315AGkZc_k