Pon vilainda kalathur sanga verses I am not going to quote here. But stranger than fiction is many temples around the area where Mun kapaleeswarar got the name later to mun kudumi peruvazhudhi chozhan as well as a cult of front tuft brahmins came up in the pallava dynasty some of whom took up Tiruchendur temple puja and settled there. And still stranger is RAMA TEMPLE UNIQUE IN THE PLACE WHOSE DETAILS ARE FOLLOWING, The name originally was tagged to vedantha desikar as PON UDIRNTHA KALATHUR MODIFIED LATER AS PON VILAINDA AND 2 KMS AWAY PON PADAR KOODAM.
Pon Vilainda Kalathur (P.V.Kalathur), a small village close to Chengalpattu, has a history going back to the Pallava times of at least the eighth century CE. Of the four temples here, three are for Vishnu and one is for Siva. Among the Vishnu temples, two are for Rama, both of which are small but unique. One is called the Pattabhirama Swami (Kodandarama Swami) temple and the other is for Darbha Sayana Rama. They are located adjacent to each other. The entrance to the east-facing Pattabhirama Swami temple has an incomplete modern gopuram leading to the prakaram (enclosure) which has the deepa-stambham (light-post), bali-pitham, dvaja-stambham and a small sanctum for Garuda. The principal image is Rama seated with Sita on His left lap. Lakshmana stands to Rama’s right with a bow and a quiver full of arrows, with palms in anjali hasta (salutations). A stone image of Hanuman is also enshrined here, standing to the right side of the entrance to the sanctum, facing Rama. The utsava-murtis (processional images) are Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman and also Venugopala (Krishna) with a long flute in His hands. This Venugopala image is unique as He holds the Sankha and Chakra in the upper hands while the lower hands hold the venu (flute). The small mandapa in front of the central shrine has a tiny sanctum for the main and utsava-murti of Goddess Lakshmi, enshrined here as Alarmelmangai Thayar. The processional image of Andal is also worshipped in this sanctum. Srinivasa Perumal with Goddess Sridevi (Lakshmi) and Bhudevi (Goddess of the Earth) flanking Him, is enshrined in this mandapa. This deity holds the Sankha and Chakra in the upper hands. The lower right hand is in abhaya hasta (offering protection to devotees) and lower left hand in kati hasta (resting on the hip) although images of Srinivasa Perumal generally have the varada (boon-conferring) hasta. The utsava-murti here is just like the main one with the Goddesses, but has varada hasta. Another small shrine in the same mandapa enshrines Vishvaksena, the leader of the army of Vishnu; Ramanujacharya and Vedanta Desika, the eminent Srivaishnava preceptors; and Adi Van Shatakopan, who established the famous Ahobila Math and was its first pontiff (Jiyar). Incidentally, the village adjacent to P.V.Kalathur, called Ponpadirkoodam ( பொன் பதர் கூடம்) also has another unique Rama temple. In the Thondai Mandalam region of Tamil Nadu, there are many temples of the 108 Divya Desangal temples established by the Azhwars, and many are also considered as sacred places. One of them is the Pon Padhar Koodam, where Sri Rama is blessed with the hands of the nine gods. This temple is located 13 km from Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram Taluk. This place is known as "Pon Padhar Koodam" because of its beauty. Once, when Swami Deshikar, one of the Vaishnava priests, came to this area on a pilgrimage, he stayed in the courtyard of a sea merchant's house with the idol of Hayagriva, which he had brought with him for worship. That night, the sea merchant dreamed of a horse grazing his land. The next day, Vyapaari told Desikar about his dream, who was sitting in the courtyard with the idol of Hayagriva, which had a horse's face and a human body. He told him that Hayagriva had completely blessed him. R Deshikar. Then he went to his land and while riding his horse, he was amazed to see that the rice grains in his land had grown into golden grains. From there, 13 km. from Chengalpattu, there is the Pon Padhar Koodam, where Sri Rama blessed us with his holy hands. It was called "Pon Uthirintha Kalathur" and later became "Pon Vilai Ntha Kalathur". When these golden rice grains were thrown, the golden grains fell at a place about 2 km.away. The place where the grains fell is called "Pon Pathar Koodam". This is where the Chatur Puja Rama temple is located. Pon Vilaindha Kalathur, located near Chengalpattu, is an area known for its ancient temples, including the Lakshmi Narasimhar temple and the Marundeeswarar temple. The history of the area is tied to these religious sites, with features like an inscription on Rama's forehead reading "Dhanushkodi Ramar" and the Marundeeswarar temple being recognized under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). K Rajaram IRS 14925 On Sun, 14 Sept 2025 at 17:01, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > PON VILAINTHA KALATHUR MUNKUDUMEESWARAR TEMPLE, KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT- > TAMILNADU-COMPILED > > > > Dear friends, > > P.V.Kalathur is also called as Pon Vilaindha Kalathur by many. This is a > small hamlet located away from Chengalpattu. *There are a few famous > Temples in Pon Vilaindha Kalathur and Sri Munkudumeeswarar is one among > them.* > > This posting is about the Lord Siva temple at P V Kalathur. Already I have > posted about the Narasimha temple here in the morning. > > Hope a divine reading > > Gopalakrishnan 14-09-2025 > > Village Name Origin -legend > > "Pon Vilaintha Kalathur": The village where the temple is located is > called Pon Vilaintha Kalathur, which translates to "the place where gold > grew". *This name comes from a separate legend about a devotee who > received golden paddy from the land due to his devotion, similar to the > divine patronage seen in the Munkudumeeswarar legend*. > > However this village got its name due to its fertile land. It was said > that whatever is sowed by the villagers would be reaped by them several > times. Such was the Nature of this Agricultural land and hence the name Pon > Vilaindha Kalathur. It is noteworthy to mention that the Great Poet > Pugazhendi Pulavar who scripted Nala Vemba was born in Pon Vilaindha > Kalathur. > > Legend about the temple > > As per the legend, this temple was built by a Chola King seeking progeny. > The priest of the temple was a devout Shiv Bhakt. After completing Puja, he > had taken the garland to his wife. The King came to the temple > unexpectedly. Knowing this, the priest had taken the garland back from his > wife and offered to the King at the temple. > > The King saw the strand of hair in the garland and enquired. *To escape > the wrath of the King, the priest had told him that the hair was from the > upper portion tuft of the shiv ling*. As the sanctum was anyway closed, > the King said that he would return the next day to see the tuft on the Shiv > Ling. > > The priest was terrified for having lied. He apologized to Bhagwan Shiv > and sought His protection. *Next day morning, to his surprise, he saw > that the upper portion of the Shiv Ling had sported a tuft. *Bhagwan had > decided to protect His devotee. > > Slight variation of the legend > > The Priest and the King: The most prominent legend explains the temple's > name. A priest of the temple was known for his devotion to Lord Shiva. > > The Misunderstanding: On a particular morning, while preparing the > temple's garland for the king, some of the queen's hair inadvertently got > mixed with the temple flowers. > > Divine Intervention: The king, upon seeing the hair in the garland, > questioned the priest about it, threatening severe punishment if the truth > wasn't revealed. The frightened priest prayed to Lord Shiva for help. > > The Tuft: The next morning, as the priest opened the sanctum, he found a > tuft of hair on the Shiva Lingam, proving his innocence. The king was > astonished and apologized for his suspicion, leading to the Lord being > known as Sri Munkudumeeswarar. > > History > > The Sri Munkudumeeswarar temple near Chengalpattu has a history dating > back to the Pallava and Chola periods, with a legend attributing its unique > Shiva lingam to divine intervention. > > The temple was first built with brick and mud during the reign of Pallava > King Nandivarman III and later rebuilt in stone by Chola King Vikrama > Chozha. According to local legend, Lord Shiva grew a tuft of hair (Kudumi) > on the Shiva Lingam to protect a devoted priest from a king's wrath, > earning the deity the name Munkudumeeswarar. > > Historical Background > > Pallava and Chola Eras: The temple's origins are rooted in the Pallava > period, followed by significant contributions from various Chola kings, > including Parantaka, Rajaraja, and Kulothunga, as well as during the > Vijayanagara period. > > Inscriptions: Historical inscriptions found at the temple mention its > location as "Sathyasraya Kulakala Chaturvedi Mangalam" or "Jayangonda > Chozhamandalathu Kalathur Kottathu Kalathur nattu Kalathur," with the deity > referred to as "Thiruvampangattu Mahadevar" or "Perunthiru Koil Mahadevar". > > Temple flag mast > > The Dwajasthambam for this temple is right in front of the main sanctum. > > Sanctum > > The main sanctum is designed as gaja brushta vimana. It appears like the > back of the elephant*. On perambulation of the main sanctum we get the > darshan of Sri Vinayaka, Sri Dakshina Murthy, Sri Maha Vishnu, Sri Brahma > and Sri Durga Devi sculpted in the outer wall.* > > The Urchava Murthy is Sri Chandra Sekhara. Sri Parvathi Devi is worshipped > as Sri Meenakshi Devi. > > Chief deity > > The Presiding Deity of this Temple is known as Sri Munkudumeeswarar who is > in the form of a Shiva Lingam in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Sri > Munkudumeeswarar in Tamil means having a Kudumi or a Tuft on the Forehead > which is quite unusual. It is believed that the Presiding Deity here had > such a Tuft on the frontal side of His Head and hence the name. > > Sub deities > > We get the darshan of Sri Anukkai Vinayakar, Sri Muruga with His consorts > Sri Valli and Sri Devyani, Sri Kala Bhairavar and Nava Graha in the > prakaram of this temple. > > Architecture > > Facing the Moolasthanam is a huge and majestic Nandhi Vaahanam along with > a Neivedhya Peedam. The Consort of Sri Munkudumeeswarar is Sri Meenakshi > Ambal who has a Shrine of Her own. > > There are Sub Shrines for Sri Anukkai Vinayagar, Valli Devasena Samedha > Sri Subramaniyar and Sri Kaala Bhairavar. The Navagraha Idols are found in > the Navagraha Sannadhi in the corridor. This is a village Temple located in > a lovely ambience and it could be reached by vehicles. Therefore this > Temple is a Must Visit Temple for those who come to Chengalpattu. The > pillars in the mandapam are ornate with intricate sculptures. > > Poojas > > The rituals are done as per Sivagama method. > > Temple tree and tank > > The Sthala Vruksham is Vilva tree and the sthala theertham is called as > Vilva Theertham. > > Festivals > > Various festivals are being celebrated in the temple throughout the year. > Prominent among them is the Panguni Brahmothsavam in March-April; During > this festival, Sri Kootruva Nayanar comes in procession in the place of Sri > Chandikeshwara. > > The other festivals are Shiva Rathri (March-April), Tamil Varusha Pirappu > (April), Adi pooram in July-August, Navarathri during Purattasi > (September-October), Annabhishekam in Aippasi, Deepavali, Skanda Sashti > (October-November), Thiru Karthigai (November-December) and Sankranti in > January. > > Aavani Moolam, Chithirai Vishu, Thaipoosam, Panguni Brahmmothsavam, > Pradosham, Maha Shivarathiri, Thei Pirai Ashtami, Panchami are the other > festivals that are celebrated in a grand manner. > > Archaeological monument > > The temple is being preserved as the archaeological monument as well. > > Temple timings > > It is open from 06.00 A.M to 11.00 A.M and from 05.00 P.M to 06.00 P.M. > > Location > > Pon Vilaintha Kalathur is accessible through road by way of taxi or by way > of buses from Chengalpattu. The nearest Railway Station is Ottivakkam. > Plenty of autos are available from Chengalpattu. > > Address of the temple > > Sri Munkudumeeswarar Temple, P.V. Kalathur – 603 405, > > Contact Details: > > 97890 49704 and 99624 67355 > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/421397741.2195084.1757849499196%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/421397741.2195084.1757849499196%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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