PONVILAINTHA KALATHUR MUNKUDUMEESWARAR TEMPLE, KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT- TAMILNADU-COMPILED
Dear friends, P.V.Kalathur is also called as Pon Vilaindha Kalathur bymany. This is a small hamlet located away from Chengalpattu. There are a few famous Temples inPon 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 thetemple 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 whoreceived golden paddy from the land due to his devotion, similar to the divinepatronage seen in the Munkudumeeswarar legend. However this villagegot its name due to its fertile land. It was said that whatever is sowed by thevillagers would be reaped by them several times. Such was the Nature of thisAgricultural land and hence the name Pon Vilaindha Kalathur. It is noteworthyto mention that the Great Poet Pugazhendi Pulavar who scripted Nala Vemba wasborn in Pon Vilaindha Kalathur. Legend about thetemple As per the legend, this temple was built by a Chola Kingseeking progeny. The priest of the temple was a devout Shiv Bhakt. Aftercompleting Puja, he had taken the garland to his wife. The King came to thetemple unexpectedly. Knowing this, the priest had taken the garland back fromhis 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, thepriest had told him that the hair was from the upper portion tuft of the shivling. As the sanctum was anyway closed, the King said that he wouldreturn the next day to see the tuft on the Shiv Ling. The priest was terrified for having lied. He apologized toBhagwan Shiv and sought His protection. Next day morning, to his surprise, he saw that the upperportion of the Shiv Ling had sported a tuft. Bhagwan had decided toprotect His devotee. Slight variation ofthe legend The Priest and the King: The most prominent legend explainsthe temple's name. A priest of the temple was known for his devotion to LordShiva. The Misunderstanding: On a particular morning, whilepreparing the temple's garland for the king, some of the queen's hairinadvertently got mixed with the temple flowers. Divine Intervention: The king, upon seeing the hair in thegarland, questioned the priest about it, threatening severe punishment if thetruth 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 kingwas astonished and apologized for his suspicion, leading to the Lord beingknown as Sri Munkudumeeswarar. History The Sri Munkudumeeswarar temple near Chengalpattu has ahistory dating back to the Pallava and Chola periods, with a legend attributingits unique Shiva lingam to divine intervention. The temple was first built with brick and mud during thereign of Pallava King Nandivarman III and later rebuilt in stone by Chola KingVikrama 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 inthe Pallava period, followed by significant contributions from various Cholakings, including Parantaka, Rajaraja, and Kulothunga, as well as during theVijayanagara period. Inscriptions: Historical inscriptions found at the templemention its location as "Sathyasraya Kulakala Chaturvedi Mangalam" or"Jayangonda Chozhamandalathu Kalathur Kottathu Kalathur nattuKalathur," with the deity referred to as "ThiruvampangattuMahadevar" or "Perunthiru Koil Mahadevar". Temple flag mast The Dwajasthambam for this temple is right in front of themain sanctum. Sanctum The main sanctum is designed as gaja brushta vimana. Itappears like the back of the elephant. On perambulation of the main sanctum we get the darshanof Sri Vinayaka, Sri Dakshina Murthy, Sri Maha Vishnu, Sri Brahma and Sri DurgaDevi sculpted in the outer wall. The Urchava Murthy is Sri Chandra Sekhara. Sri Parvathi Deviis worshipped as Sri Meenakshi Devi. Chief deity The Presiding Deity of this Temple is known as SriMunkudumeeswarar 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 Foreheadwhich is quite unusual. It is believed that the Presiding Deity here had such aTuft on the frontal side of His Head and hence the name. Sub deities We get the darshan of Sri Anukkai Vinayakar, Sri Muruga withHis consorts Sri Valli and Sri Devyani, Sri Kala Bhairavar and Nava Graha inthe prakaram of this temple. Architecture Facing the Moolasthanam is a huge and majestic NandhiVaahanam along with a Neivedhya Peedam. The Consort of Sri Munkudumeeswarar isSri Meenakshi Ambal who has a Shrine of Her own. There are Sub Shrines for Sri Anukkai Vinayagar, ValliDevasena Samedha Sri Subramaniyar and Sri Kaala Bhairavar. The Navagraha Idolsare found in the Navagraha Sannadhi in the corridor. This is a village Templelocated in a lovely ambience and it could be reached by vehicles. Thereforethis Temple is a Must Visit Temple for those who come to Chengalpattu. Thepillars 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 iscalled as Vilva Theertham. Festivals Various festivals are being celebrated in the templethroughout the year. Prominent among them is the Panguni Brahmothsavam inMarch-April; During this festival, Sri Kootruva Nayanar comes in procession inthe place of Sri Chandikeshwara. The other festivals are Shiva Rathri (March-April), TamilVarusha 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 inJanuary. Aavani Moolam, Chithirai Vishu, Thaipoosam, PanguniBrahmmothsavam, Pradosham, Maha Shivarathiri, Thei Pirai Ashtami, Panchami arethe other festivals that are celebrated in a grand manner. Archaeologicalmonument The temple is being preserved as the archaeological monumentas well. Temple timings It is open from 06.00 A.M to 11.00 A.M and from 05.00 P.M to06.00 P.M. Location Pon Vilaintha Kalathur is accessible through road by way oftaxi or by way of buses from Chengalpattu. The nearest Railway Station isOttivakkam. 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.
