Introduction
Chennai, culture capital, has some of the best architectural wonders, perched temples of India nestled in the city. Every temple has its own history and amazing construction and hence tourists from across the globe pay a visit. If you are a religious pilgrim or a culture seeker the temples of Chennai are a place that will provide a lot of insight and enjoyment. Apart from this to ensure that your visit is as comfortable as possible there are many hotels in Chennai offering good lodgings.
The Ornate Kapaleeshwarar Temple
The temple of Lord Kapaleeshwar is present in Mylapore in Chennai and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pre historic Thamizh people used to pray to Lord Shiva in form of ‘Mylai’, which is peacock in Thamizh, this place got its name due to this reason. The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is at old Madras; however, in it, the main deity is not Lord Shiva but Parvati or Karpagambal. Temple was burnt down by the Portugal around 1500 and again it was reconstructed in this place. This sad situation resulted to the construction of this beautiful and appearing temple that is before us. As one of the oldest temples of the city it also ranks one of the most visited tourist sites most of the time.
The Ancient Parthasarathy Temple
Parthasarathy Temple is a Hindu Temple situated in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India and was built at the closing down of the eighth century. It is devoted to Lord Krishna of the Hindu mythology who was a charioteer of prince Arjuna belonging to the Pandava clan. During this time, this prince read the Bbagavat Geeta, which is one of the sacred books of India. It is recognized as a historical site even though the temple is rather in a bad state and in need of immense repair work at the moment. Though there are some possibilities that it is impossible to reach some of the areas, it is still suggested to go to the place. It is also an important place of marriage; thus the early morning visit can present an opportunity to see a Hindu wedding ceremony.
Thyagaraja Swamy’s sacred temple
Tiruvottiyur which forms part of Chennai, one of the oldest cities in India, houses the Thyagaraja Temple which is revered as a Lord Shiva temple. in terms of area it is one of the biggest temples in Chennai occupying an area of around 33 ares. The temple has four entrance towers called Gopurams and many shrines that are committed to the deities of Hindu pantheon. The large wooden chariot of the temple is very interesting; during the Tiruvarur chariot festival, thousands of devotees pull it. This chariot mounted on which the statue of Lord Shiva is seen, is weighing about 300 tonnes high tower about 90+ feet. This could be done when one is in Chennai during April to feel the air of the grand ceremony.
The Rich Ashtalakshmi Temple
Ashtalakshmi Temple was built twenty five years back in the year of 1976. It is a worship place which is dedicated to Ashtalakshmi, which is the goddess of wealth in terms of the Hindu Mythology. As per the meaning, Ashtalakshmi means the eight types of empowerments or the ‘Ashta’ Lakshmi or the eight avatars of Goddess Laxmi. It is known that Lakshmi has numerous forms, and these are Gaja Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Santaana Lakshmi, Dhaanya Lakshmi, Dhairya Lakshmi, Adi Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi and Vidya Lakshmi. This temple facility has both Dravidian and modern architecture and it is very close to the Elliott Beach; hence makes for a lovely and peaceful experience.
The Famous Vadapalani Andavar Temple
The Temple is sacred to the Hindu Lord Muruga also referred to as Kartikeya and the Vadapalani Andavar Temple began as a shed by the devotee Annaswami Nayakar. Lord Muruga again known as Skanda, Kumaran, or Subramanya, born to Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi is also a war God in Southern Part of India. The temple has emerged as one of the most prefered places to hold weddings with about 7,000 formal unions taking place in the temple at any given year. Sculptures and friezes are found in the door jambs and the wooden gates displayed are stucco works on legends from Skanda Purana which is a text of the Kartikeya’s life. Constructed and developed in the twentieth century specifically in the 1920s the temple was maintained by Shri V. A. Sundara Gurukkal. If you are from Chennai and planning to tie the knot then, Vadapalani Andavar Temple suits you the most.
Conclusion
Temples recorded as a part of world heritage, temples that carry the beauty of historical and cultural importance, temples that are divine abodes fulfill today’s spiritual needs can all be found in Chennai. Every temple stands for a story which people believe in in relation to the structure and planning of the temple. Touring these temples gives the tourists an idea of the religious and cultural endowment of the city. There are so many tourist attractions found in Chennai, any one planning to visit these archaeological sites will find many hotels in Chennai to accommodate him/her.