Thiruporur Kandaswamy temple (or Thiruporur Murugan temple or Kanthaswamy temple) in Thiruporur, a panchayat town in Chengalpattu district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been expanded during the 18th century with the images excavated from Thiruporur.
The temple has a five-tiered gateway tower leading to a pillared halls and the sanctum. The temple is open from 6:30 am – 12:30 pm and 3.30 - 8 pm. Four daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Vaikasi Visagam celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June), Kanthasasti festival and Navarathri festival being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
As per Hindu legend, Murugan fought with demons in three places, namely, the sea at Tiruchendur, land at Thirupparankundram and in air at Thiruporur. It is believed that sage Agastya on his way to Pothigai hills visited this place. Since Muruga won over Tharuka asuran, this place came to be Porur (por in Tamil means war) and also called by other names like Tharukapuri and Samarapuri. According to the sthala puraanam, at some point of time, the place was submerged in a deluge. A sage named Chidambara Adigal was residing in Madurai and a divine voice asked him to unearth the statue under a palm tree. He dug out the statue and built a temple around it. There is a separate shrine dedicated to him in the temple and he is given special respect during the Vaikasi Visagam festival. During the last event of the festival, he is depicted merging with the presiding deity.[1]
History
Flag pole at the temple
The temple is believed to have been built during the Pallava era in the 10th century CE. Chidambara Swamigal, believed to be a descendant of the Sangam age poets, rebuilt the temple during the 17th century.[2] An effort was made to dig up a room in the temple by archaeologists during 2013, which yielded only items used during rituals and not any archaeological artifact.[3] During 2013, as many as 36 acres (15 ha) belonging to the temple located at Thandalam that was leased earlier, was recovered from the land grabbers. The recovered land was valued at ₹100 crores.[2] In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu religious and charitable endowments Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[4]
Architecture
The temple is located in Thiruporur, in Old Mahabalipuram Road, 28 km (17 mi) from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower, raising to a height of 70 ft (21 m) and 200 ft (61 m) wide. The temple covers an area of 4 acres (16,000 m2).[5] The sanctum of the temple is approached through a 24 pillared hall near the gateway tower. The temple tank is located outside the temple. The sanctum is built with granite, which houses the image of Murugan in the form of Kandaswamy in standing posture. The sanctum faces East and the image of the presiding deity is 7 ft (2.1 m) tall. The image is sported with two hands with one of them holding Vel (divine spear), and an image of peacock besides the presiding deity. There are separate shrines of his consorts Valli and Deivaanai around the first precinct. There is a separate shrine for Shiva and Parvathi and all the Parsvatah Devatas (attendant deities) associated with Shiva temples.[1][6]
Religious significance
Kandaswamy is revered by Chidambara Swamigal in 726 verses. The image of Muruga is believed to have been discovered under a palm leaf. There is a palm leaf maintained in the temple, which is believed to have been the original palm leaf. Aruna giri naadhar, a 16th-century saint has glorified the temple in his work in Thiru pugazh. He has mentioned that Shiva is the head of all Vedas, the sacred texts. Bala deva raya has mentioned Kandaswamy as "Samara puri vaazh Shan mugatthu arase" in his works in Kanda Shasti Kavasam.[1]
Festivals and religious practises
The image of Kandaswamy is believed to have originated on its own and hence ablution is not done to the presiding deity as with the other temples. There is an yantra over a Tortoise base where all the rituals are performed.[1] The temple is open from 5:30 am – 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm on all days except during festive occasions when it has extended timings. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The four major rituals in the day include
The major festivals of the temple include Vaigaasi Visaagam celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaigaasi (May–June), Maasi Bramorchavam during"Maasi" Month (March), Paalkudam / Paal Kaavadi Festival (Milk Pot) on Pongal (Tamil Harvesting festival), Kandha shashti festival and Nava rathri during Aippasi (October–November).[1][8]
Temple property and encroachments
More than about 2000 acres of land worth ₹600,000 million that belongs to the Thiruporur Kandhaswamy Temple and the Mamallapuram Aalavandhan Nayakar Charity Temple and Trust is said to face encroachment. In January 2022, the Madras High Court directed the registration authorities to bring the temple properties under Section 22A of the Registration Act 1908[9] and recover the encroached properties approximately measuring more than 550 acres.[citation needed]
^D., Madhavan (11 December 2013). "Only puja objects unearthed at Tiruporur temple". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^"Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple - Official Details". Hindu Religious and Endowment Board, Government of Tamil Nadu. 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^C., Dr.Chandramouli (2003). Temples of Tamil Nadu - Kancheepuram district. Chennai: Directorate of Census Operations, Tamil Nadu.
^Virupa, Kumaresan, ed. (2014). பல்நோக்குப் பார்வையில் முருகத் தத்துவம் II: Proceedings of the International Conference on Murugabhakthi 2014. Thirumurugan Thiruvakku Thirupeedam. pp. 1048–49.
^"Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple - Pooja Details". Hindu Religious and Endowment Board, Government of Tamil Nadu. 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^"Madras HC directs HR&CE to reclaim the properties of 2 temples and file a report". The Commune. Chennai: The Commune. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
March 03, 2023
thiruporur, kandaswamy, temple, thiruporur, murugan, temple, kanthaswamy, temple, thiruporur, panchayat, town, chengalpattu, district, south, indian, state, tamil, nadu, dedicated, hindu, murugan, constructed, dravidian, style, architecture, temple, believed, . Thiruporur Kandaswamy temple or Thiruporur Murugan temple or Kanthaswamy temple in Thiruporur a panchayat town in Chengalpattu district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu is dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture the temple is believed to have been expanded during the 18th century with the images excavated from Thiruporur Sri Kandaswamy TempleReligionAffiliationHinduismDistrictChengalpattuDeityKandaswamy Murugan LocationLocationThiruporurStateTamil NaduCountryIndiaLocation in Tamil NaduGeographic coordinates12 43 31 N 80 11 20 E 12 72528 N 80 18889 E 12 72528 80 18889 Coordinates 12 43 31 N 80 11 20 E 12 72528 N 80 18889 E 12 72528 80 18889ArchitectureTypeDravidian architecture Rock cutWebsitethiruporurmurugantemple wbr tnhrce wbr inThe temple has a five tiered gateway tower leading to a pillared halls and the sanctum The temple is open from 6 30 am 12 30 pm and 3 30 8 pm Four daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple of which the Vaikasi Visagam celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi May June Kanthasasti festival and Navarathri festival being the most prominent The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu Contents 1 Legend 2 History 3 Architecture 4 Religious significance 5 Festivals and religious practises 6 Temple property and encroachments 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 ReferencesLegend EditAs per Hindu legend Murugan fought with demons in three places namely the sea at Tiruchendur land at Thirupparankundram and in air at Thiruporur It is believed that sage Agastya on his way to Pothigai hills visited this place Since Muruga won over Tharuka asuran this place came to be Porur por in Tamil means war and also called by other names like Tharukapuri and Samarapuri According to the sthala puraanam at some point of time the place was submerged in a deluge A sage named Chidambara Adigal was residing in Madurai and a divine voice asked him to unearth the statue under a palm tree He dug out the statue and built a temple around it There is a separate shrine dedicated to him in the temple and he is given special respect during the Vaikasi Visagam festival During the last event of the festival he is depicted merging with the presiding deity 1 History Edit Flag pole at the temple The temple is believed to have been built during the Pallava era in the 10th century CE Chidambara Swamigal believed to be a descendant of the Sangam age poets rebuilt the temple during the 17th century 2 An effort was made to dig up a room in the temple by archaeologists during 2013 which yielded only items used during rituals and not any archaeological artifact 3 During 2013 as many as 36 acres 15 ha belonging to the temple located at Thandalam that was leased earlier was recovered from the land grabbers The recovered land was valued at 100 crores 2 In modern times the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu religious and charitable endowments Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu 4 Architecture EditThe temple is located in Thiruporur in Old Mahabalipuram Road 28 km 17 mi from Chennai the capital of Tamil Nadu The temple has a five tiered rajagopuram the gateway tower raising to a height of 70 ft 21 m and 200 ft 61 m wide The temple covers an area of 4 acres 16 000 m2 5 The sanctum of the temple is approached through a 24 pillared hall near the gateway tower The temple tank is located outside the temple The sanctum is built with granite which houses the image of Murugan in the form of Kandaswamy in standing posture The sanctum faces East and the image of the presiding deity is 7 ft 2 1 m tall The image is sported with two hands with one of them holding Vel divine spear and an image of peacock besides the presiding deity There are separate shrines of his consorts Valli and Deivaanai around the first precinct There is a separate shrine for Shiva and Parvathi and all the Parsvatah Devatas attendant deities associated with Shiva temples 1 6 Religious significance EditKandaswamy is revered by Chidambara Swamigal in 726 verses The image of Muruga is believed to have been discovered under a palm leaf There is a palm leaf maintained in the temple which is believed to have been the original palm leaf Aruna giri naadhar a 16th century saint has glorified the temple in his work in Thiru pugazh He has mentioned that Shiva is the head of all Vedas the sacred texts Bala deva raya has mentioned Kandaswamy as Samara puri vaazh Shan mugatthu arase in his works in Kanda Shasti Kavasam 1 Festivals and religious practises EditThe image of Kandaswamy is believed to have originated on its own and hence ablution is not done to the presiding deity as with the other temples There is an yantra over a Tortoise base where all the rituals are performed 1 The temple is open from 5 30 am 12 30 pm and 3 30 pm 8 30 pm on all days except during festive occasions when it has extended timings The temple priests perform the pooja rituals during festivals and on a daily basis There are weekly monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple The four major rituals in the day include Kaalai sandhi at 9 a m Ucchi kaala Pooja at 12 p m Saaya ratchai at 5 30 p m and Raakkaalam at 8 p m 7 The major festivals of the temple include Vaigaasi Visaagam celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaigaasi May June Maasi Bramorchavam during Maasi Month March Paalkudam Paal Kaavadi Festival Milk Pot on Pongal Tamil Harvesting festival Kandha shashti festival and Nava rathri during Aippasi October November 1 8 Temple property and encroachments EditMore than about 2000 acres of land worth 600 000 million that belongs to the Thiruporur Kandhaswamy Temple and the Mamallapuram Aalavandhan Nayakar Charity Temple and Trust is said to face encroachment In January 2022 the Madras High Court directed the registration authorities to bring the temple properties under Section 22A of the Registration Act 1908 9 and recover the encroached properties approximately measuring more than 550 acres citation needed Gallery Edit Thiruporur sculpture pallavas Lord Kandaswamy during Sashti Urchavar Veedhi Ula Thiruporur Kandasamy urchavar Sactum Santorium Entrance thiruporur Maasi Bhramorchavam Maasi Bhramorchavam Maasi Bhramorchavam Tank lighting The temple tank located opposite to the temple Devotees awaiting to start palkudam Jan 2020 Palkudam by devoteesSee also EditReligion in Chennai Heritage structures in ChennaiReferences Edit a b c d e Sri Kandaswamy Temple Dinamalar 2011 Retrieved 4 November 2015 a b J V Siva Prasanna Kumar 12 July 2013 Rs 100 cr Kandaswamy temple lands recovered Deccan Chronicle Retrieved 5 November 2015 D Madhavan 11 December 2013 Only puja objects unearthed at Tiruporur temple The Hindu Chennai Retrieved 6 November 2015 Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple Official Details Hindu Religious and Endowment Board Government of Tamil Nadu 2014 Retrieved 6 November 2015 C Dr Chandramouli 2003 Temples of Tamil Nadu Kancheepuram district Chennai Directorate of Census Operations Tamil Nadu Virupa Kumaresan ed 2014 பல ந க க ப ப ர வ ய ல ம ர கத தத த வம II Proceedings of the International Conference on Murugabhakthi 2014 Thirumurugan Thiruvakku Thirupeedam pp 1048 49 Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple Pooja Details Hindu Religious and Endowment Board Government of Tamil Nadu 2014 Retrieved 6 November 2015 Tirupporur Subramanyar Temple Tirupporur Madras HC directs HR amp CE to reclaim the properties of 2 temples and file a report The Commune Chennai The Commune 23 January 2022 Retrieved 27 January 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thiruporur Kandaswamy temple amp oldid 1127226049, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
