Tiruvannamalai Temples

Idukku Pillayar Koil

     Idukku Pillayar koil is located in Thiruvannamalai, girivalam route.  It’s a very small temple without any god deity. The beauty of this temple is it has very narrow passage where a worshiper has to pass.  The interesting saying about this temple’s are a) The Evil force around us will go off while we pass the small passage. b) We will loose all our egotism by changing our posture in such a way that somehow we should come out.  The architectural fact is the size of the narrow passage is as equal as the width of human skeleton so it allows anyone to come out.  Try it without fall when you go for girivalam.

Panduranga Temple, Thennaamgur (Vandavasi)

     This Thennaangur temple is an architectural splendor.  The 120 feet tall Rajagopuram is built in the South Indian style and the sparkling golden kalasam itself is ten feet high.  The ‘vimana’ above the sanctum sanctorum is designed like that of the Jagannath Temple at Puri in Orissa.  The deities have been sculpted in a technique called sila which had its orgin in Maharashtra. This temple also houses a few large pillared halls or mantaps. In one of these halls we can find fiberglass paintings of LordKrishna and also some intricate carvings in fiberglass paintings of Lord Krishna and also some intricate carvings in fiberglass which cannot be found anywhere in India.  To the left of the left of the temple garden, which is behind the temple, is the shrine of maha Hodasa Devi the chief deity of the Jyothir Mutt.  Here the Goddess appears with 12 hands, which depicts that She is the performer of five duties of creation, protection, destruction, extinction and disposition to grace.  According to Kanchi Paramacharya, Thennaangur or Dhakshina Haalaasyam is the place of birth of Goddess Meenakshi.  The Thennaangur temple is a perfect fusion of the past and the present.  So visit the temple, appreciate the beauty and seek the blessings of the Lord.  Location: About six km from Vandavasi in Thiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu.  How to reach there; Plenty of buses are available from Chennai to Vandavasi from where Thennaangur can be accessed by bus. Festival: During the Aadi month (mid July to mid August) on Ekadasi day (11th day from the new moon day) the annual Brahmotsvam is held for five days.