shiva and shakti worship

Tirumazhisai Alwar is one of the twelve alwars - the twelve great devotees of Lord Vishnu from South India who were responsible for the Bhakti movement. The town where Tirumazhisai Alwar was born is Thirumazhisai Nagar, which is located near Chennai city. There is a 1000 year old temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in this town. The name of the deity in this temple is Jagannath.

Lord Jagannath temple in Thirumazhisai Nagar is one of the three important Jagannath temples in the world. Jagnnath is a name given to Lord Krishna. Puri is considered as Uttara Jagannath Kshetra (North Jagannath), and Tiruppullani is considered as the Dakshina Jagannath Kshetra (South Jagannath), and Thirumazhisai Nagar is considered as the Madhya Jagannath Kshetra (the middle Jagannath site).


Even though the exact age of Jagannath temple is unknown, from the records and inscriptions, it is evident that this temple was maintained by Kulothunga Chola III of 12th century AD. Tirumazhisai Alwar, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu, who was associated closely with this temple, belonged to 8th century AD. Hence, we can assume that this temple should be at least 1000 years old. It could have been built by Chola kings when they were ruling this region.

There is another temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, in Thirumazhisai Nagar, which is located well on the high road. However, Jagannath temple is located interior in the town. The temple has a majestic temple tower (Rajagopuram) with five levels, and the temple tank (Bruhu Teerth) and a mandap stand in front of the temple tower. If you enter into the temple, you can find the dhwajasthambha in front of the main shrine. The main shrine has the main deity of the temple, Lord Krishna, who is called as Jagannath in this temple. Jagannath is found with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama on his either sides. All the three idols are big, wide, and gigantic, and they are in sitting posture. The idols of the saints Markandeya and Bruhu are also seen in the sanctum itself. There is a separate idol for Tirumazhisai Alwar - a big idol in sitting posture with his third eye on the thumb nail in his right leg.

The goddess of the temple Tirumangai Valli Thayar has a separate shrine in the corridor. There are separate shrines for Andal, and Narasimha with Lakshmi on his lap in the corridor. Near the main sanctum, next to the shrine of Tirumazhisai Alwar, there is a shrine for Kannan (Krishna). The idol is too beautiful. Garud is found in front of the main sanctum as usual. There are shrines for other alwars too in this temple. The walls of the temple have the idols of Ganesh, Vishnu, and Vaishnavi.









http://shivatemplesintamilnadu.blogspot.in/2013/06/jagannath-temple-thirumazhisaichennai.html

Madambakkam is known for its historic Shiva Temple of Lord Dhenupureeswarar, believed to be revamped during the tenure of Kulothunga Chola. The temple itself is said to have built during the period of the Parantaka Chola II (Sundara Chola) by around 956-973 A.D. It has got beautiful sculptures and different postures of SHIVA. There are more than 18 different special temples around the shiva temple which is amazingly formed in Tamil OM Shape.

The Gajaprishta Vimana temple contains inscriptions ranging from the period of Cholas through Sundara Pandya to Vijayanagara kings. The inscriptions reveal that the original name of Lord Dhenupureeswarar was Sittreri Udaiya Nayanar and that of Goddess Dhenukambal was Nampirattiyar.

The Mandapa through which visitors pass to see the main
THE SMALL and little-known suburb of Madambakkam, situated close to Tambaram, is home to a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Siva, known here as Lord Dhenupureeswarar.
This temple, dating back to more than a thousand years, was built during the reign of the Chola king, Parantaka II, also known as Sundara Chola (956-973 A.D.), father of Rajaraja Chola I, who constructed the famous Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. This temple was probably rebuilt of stone during the reign of Kulottunga Chola I.

The main sanctum of this temple, which houses the presiding deity Lord Dhenupureeswara in linga form, faces east. Unlike most shrines, which are square or rectangular in plan, this one is apsidal in shape (called gajaprishta vimana in Sanskrit), a feature found in some Chola temples in and around Chennai.
There are beautiful sculptures of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Goddess Durga in the niches of the outer walls of the sanctum. Also seen nearby are shrines for Lord Ganesha, Sri Varadaraja Perumal with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, Sri Kapilanathar and Annapurani and Sivasubrahmanya with Valli and Deivanai.

The sanctum of Goddess Dhenukambal, situated close to the main shrine, faces south and has a separate entrance in front. There are a number of cylindrical pillars in front of this shrine with beautifully carved bases.

The walls of the main shrine and the Ambal shrine have numerous ancient epigraphs neatly etched in ancient Tamil script belonging to the reign of the Chola kings like Kulottunga III and Rajaraja III. There are also some epigraphs of Jatavarman Sundara Pandya and rulers of the Vijayanagara age like Kampana Udaiyar, Devaraya II and Sadasiva Raya.
These epigraphs record the gifts of land, lamps and livestock to this temple and also various other services rendered for conducting festivals and daily worship. The inscriptions reveal that the original name of Lord Dhenupureeswarar was Sittreri Udaiya Nayanar and that of Goddess Dhenukambal was Nampirattiyar.

The Vijayanagara rulers also contributed to the architectural expansion of this temple. The front mandapa, through which visitors pass to reach the shrine of Lord Dhenupureeswara belongs to this age. The exquisite sculptures found on the pillars here are a treasure house of Vaishnavite and Saivite iconography and reveal the talent of the sculptors of this period.
Noteworthy among these sculptures are a four-armed Vishnu, Narasimha in a standing posture, Garuda, Siva and Parvathi, and Muruga.

There is an unfinished gopuram over the main entrance. Adjacent to it is a large temple tank now brimming with water. Saint Arunagirinathar of the 15th Century A.D., author of the `Tirupugazh,' has composed a hymn on this temple.
This ancient village, now called Madambakkam, was once known as Ulaguyyavanda-Chola Chaturvedimangalam. It was part of the ancient territorial subdivision called Nedugunra Nadu in Puliyur-Kottam situated in Jayamkonda-Cholamandalam.
Many important festivals like Pradosham and Panguni Uttiram are celebrated in this temple. During Navarathri, which begins from September 26, many devotees visit this shrine to offer special pujas. This beautifully maintained temple-complex, situated in serene surroundings, is a protected monument under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India.

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