Temples in and around chennai.

 *Chennaites can visit a temple a week within the city and seek blessings*

*Temples Within and Close to Chennai City - Ordered by Distance From Vani Mahal and Highlighted if Over 500 Years Old*

*15 Minutes or Under*

1. Agasthyar Temple (75 years old), T. Nagar, 4 mins

2. Shiva Vishnu Temple (1935), T. Nagar, 8 mins

3. Raghavendra Swamy Temple (1987), T. Nagar, 8 mins

4. Iyappan Temple (1974), Mahalingapuram, 10 mins

5. Agatheeswarar Temple *(over 500 years old)*, Nungambakkam, 10 mins

6. Angala Parameswari Temple (1978), West Mambalam, 10 mins

7. Kasi Viswanathar Temple (400 years old), West Mambalam, 12 mins

8. Karaneeswarar Temple *(12th century CE)*, Saidapet, 14 mins

9. Parthasarathy Perumal Temple *(6th century CE)*, Triplicane, 15 mins

*16 Minutes to Half-an-Hour*

10. Balasubramanya Swamy Temple *(~500 years old)*, Teynampet, 16 mins 

11. Thiruvateeswarar Temple *(difficult to ascertain, maybe 7th century CE)*, Triplicane, 16 mins

12. Vengeeswarar Temple *(sthalam dates back to the vedic age, temple structure is over 1000 years old)*, Vadapazhani, 16 mins

13. Sri Bharadwajeswarar Temple *(10th - 11th century)*, Kodambakkam, 16 mins

14. Kapaleeswarar Temple *(7th century CE)*, Mylapore, 17 mins

15. Vadapazhani Murugan Temple (125 years ago), Vadapazhani, 18 mins

16. Madhya Kailash Temple (1970s), Taramani, 19 minutes 

17. Adi Kesava Perumal Temple *(difficult to ascertain, maybe 6th - 9th century CE)*, Mylapore, 20 mins 

18. Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswami Temple (1962), Adyar, 20 mins

19. Vallakottai Murugan Temple *(over 1,000 years old)*, Park Town, 23 mins 

20. Sri Veeraraghava Perumal and Kanakavalli Thayar Temple *(8th century CE)*, Thiruvallur, 27 mins 

21. Sri Rathnagiriswarar Temple (1975), Besant Nagar, 27 mins 

22. Marundheeswarar *(1,300 years old)*, Tiruvanmiyur, 27 mins

23. Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple (1976), Besant Nagar, 28 mins

24. Kalikambal Temple (1678), Parrys Corner, 29 mins

25. Sri Anjaneyar Temple (1995), Nanganallur, 29 mins

*Half-an-Hour to an Hour*

26.  Thiruvalithaayan Temple *(1,000 years old)*, Padi, 33 mins

27. Lakshmi Narasimha Navaneetha Krishnan Temple (1974), Nanganallur, 35 mins

28. Vadivudai Amman *(over 2,000 years old)*, Tiruvottiyur, 41 mins

29. Sri Ramanatheeswarar Temple *(difficult to ascertain, ~ 11th century CE)*, Porur, 43 mins

30. Aadhipureeswarar *(1,000 - 2,000 years old)*, Tiruvottiyur, 48 mins

31. Matsya Narayana Temple (2011), ECR, 49 mins

32. Neer Vanna Perumal Temple *(over 2,000 years old)*, Thiruneermalai, 50 mins

33. Devi Karumariamman Temple *(500 - 1,000 years old)*, Thiruverkadu, 50 mins

34. Kundrathur Murugan Temple (250 years old), Kundrathur, 51 mins

35. Puri Jagannath Temple (2001), Kannathur, ECR, 52 mins

36. Dhenupureeswarar Temple *(954 - 971 CE)*, Madambakkam, 54 mins

37. Thiru Ooraga Perumal Temple *(500 - 1,000 years old)*, Kundrathur, 56 mins

38. Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple *(~ 1,000 years old)*, Thiruvidanthai, 1 hour

39. Kamakshi Amman Temple *(over 2,000 years old)*, Mangadu, 1 hour

*An Hour to Two Hours*

40. Vaideeswaran Temple *(~ 1,000 years old)*, Poonamallee High Rd, 1 hour 1 min

41. Jagannatha Perumal Temple *(~ 1,000 years old)*, Thirumazhisai, 1 hour 8 mins 

42. Padalathri Narasimhar Temple *(over 1,500 years old)*, Singaperumal Koil, 1 hour 11 mins 

43. Sthalasayana Perumal Temple *(14th century CE)*, Mahabalipuram, 1 hour 13 mins 

44. Shore Temple *(~ 725 CE)*, Mahabalipuram, 1 hour 15 mins 

45. Chettipunyam Hayagrivar Temple (over 400 years old), Chengalpattu, 1 hour 17 mins

46. Thiruporur Murugan Temple *(10th century CE)*, Thiruporur, 1 hour 18 mins

47. Siruvapuri Sri Balasubrahmanyam Temple *(~ 500 years old)*, Thiruvallur, 1 hour 20 mins 

48. Sri Ranganatha Perumal Temple *(over 1,000 years old)*, 1 hour 25 mins 

49. Putlur Amman Temple *(~ 500 - 1,000 years old)*, Tiruvallur, 1 hour 33 mins

50. Gnanapureeswarar Temple *(1,000 - 2,000 years old)*, Thiruvadisoolam, 1 hour 38 mins 

51. Tirupacchur Vaccheeswarar Temple *(1,500 years old)*, Thiruvallur, 1 hour 47 mins 

52. Eri Kaatha Ramar Temple *(1,600 years old)*, Chengalpattu, 1 hour 50 mins

53. Sri Vadaranyeswarar Temple *(~ 5th century CE)*, Thiruvalangadu, 2 hours

*Over Two Hours*

54. Tiruttani Murugan Temple *(9th - 10th century CE)*, Tiruttani, 2 hours 35 minstrels

Basavana vacana

In this poem, the poet addresses the topic of God and worship. He states that the rich make temples for Shiva, and asks what the poor must do to prove their faith. The poet then provides his solution to this question by suggesting that the poor make their bodies into temples for the worship of God.

The poet says that the rich will make temples for Siva. He asks what he, as a poor man, shall do. Rich devotees have the money and the means to finance temples for the gods that they worship, but the poor do not. So, the poet asks what alternative the poor have to show their devotion and piety.

The poet says that his legs are pillars, his body the shrine, and his head a cupola of gold. Because the poor man does not have the means to build a temple, he must make his own body into a temple for worshipping his gods. The poet compares different parts of the body with different parts of the temple structure. The legs are the pillars, the body is the site of prayer, and the head is the dome.

By making his body a temple, the poet suggests dedicating his entire being to his god. The poor must therefore dedicate their lives to God. The poet then calls to the lord of the meeting rivers, his chosen deity- Lord Shiva at Koodalasangama. He declares that things standing shall fall, but the moving ever shall stay.

This means that standing structures such as temples will be destroyed over the course of time, but the temple of the body shall remain because life goes on. Generations of humans will keep carrying devotion in their bodies, even if temples fall. The spirit of worship will keep flowing through human bodies through the ages if people make their bodies into temples for the gods.

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

The master of the house, is he at home or isn’t he?” 

Grass on the threshold

Dirt in the house

The master of the house, is he at home, or isn’t he?

Lies in the body,

Lust in the heart:

no, the master of the house is not at home,

In the very first line, the word “threshold” refers to an entrance or a doorway, and “grass” might be a reference to the uncleaned path. This line is a clear indication to the fact that the thoughts that arise in a human mind is perverted to an extent; and various disturbances become the grass in man’s path to salvation. There is “dirt” in his house, meaning, he is not void of all worldly attachments. The poet is hinting at the human conscience, where man is entangled in this materialistic world and eventually has turned into a selfish creature.The poet is doubtful if there resides a master in the house or not. The master here is a direct reference to God, and that by having a perverted mind, He surely will not be present in the house. This statement is put in a form of a question, only to be more rhetoric, indicative of the fact whether the individual has begun to clear his conscience or is still struggling to learn the proper ideals.

Man is failing to be truthful, he easily succumbs to lying and cheating others, while being oblivion to the fact that he is not being true to himself. Man is lustful by nature – living in this materialistic world, he now is driven by lust and possesses the immense thirst for power, for materialistic wealth. The poet sternly asserts that the God does not reside in a body like such, where the mind is corrupted. 

Our Lord of the Meeting Rivers.

Basavanna was a royal minister and the figure around whom the ‘Virasaiva’ community combined. He and his associates attempted to form an egalitarian community based on devotion to Shiva, rather than on caste divisions. Basavanna’s signature line, the “the lord of the meeting rivers” refers to a Shiva temple in the town of Kudalasangama, where three rivers met. In this poem, Basavanna writes on a level more inclined towards the ‘Advaita Vedanta’*. “The master of the house, is he at home or isn’t he?” stands to symbolize the presence of clean mind and body as a representation of the supreme abode of the God.

I responsible

 Individual Responsibility is central to what it means to be human. Other creatures have a limited ability. It’s only the humans that are able to chose the manner of life and hence their destiny. The journey on the path to liberation is entirely the responsibility of the individual. Each is a lamp unto himself each works out their own salvation.  

Single is each being born single it dies,  single it enjoys the reward of its virtue and single it suffers the punishment of its sins.   Laws of Manu 4.240.

Bhagavadgita Gita 6.5-6

Man should discover his own reality and not thwart himself. For he has his self as his only friend or as his only enemy.

Basavanagudi vacant. 126.

A worship without love, and an unfeeling act behold,my brother, is A pictured loveliness… no joy in its embrace;

A painted sugarcane  no relish in its taste.. thus without sincerity is no piety.

To be continued.

Ignorance

 Many religions regard the evils of human condition as a result of ignorance. Being ignorant of the truth about ultimate reality and the purpose of life, people’s values become confused and consequently they act wrongly. This even binds people to the wheel of birth and death. The veil of illusion obscures the faculty of insight.

Svetasvatara upanishad 1.6-8

The universe is a wheel, the wheel of Brahman.upon it are all creatures that are subject to birth death and rebirth. It goes on and on in circle and never stops. As long as the individual self thinks it is separate from the lord, it revolves upon the wheel in bondage to the laws of birth death and rebirth.

The lord supports this universe, which is made up of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest and unmanliest. The individual soul, forgetful of the lord attaches itself to pleasure and thus is bound.

Maitre upanishad4.2

Also Bhagvat Gita 7.25

Few see through the veil of maya.

Katha upanishad 1.2.5

Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind.

Idolarity allegiance to the false values that substitute for god.

Basavanagudi vacant. 615-16

Bhagvan Gita 9.11-12

Fools misjudge me when I take a human form, because they do not know my supreme state as lord of beings. Unconscious they fall prey to beguiling nature. For there hopes are vain and so are their rituals and their search for wisdom. 

Conflicting

 

The war within.

Chandogya Upanishad. 8.12.1

The body mortal always gripped by death, within dwells the immortal self. This self when associated is our consciousness with our body, is subject to pleasure and pain. And so long as this association continues, freedom from pleasure and pain can no man find. 

Mandaka upanishad. 3.1.1_3.

Two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit, the other looks on without eating.

Seated on the same tree, the jiva moans, bewildered by his impotence. But when he beholds the other, the lord worshipped by all, and his glory, he becomes free from grief.

When the seer beholds the self luminous creator, the lord, the purusha  the progenitor of Brahma. Then he the wise seer shakes off good and evil, becomes stainless, and reaches the supreme unity.

Bhagvad Gita 16.6

There are two orders of creation . One divine the other demonic.

Mahabharata

I know what is good but I am not inclined to do it.

I know also what is bad but I do not refrain from doing it.

 I just do as I am prompted to do by some divine spirit standing in my heart.

Bhagvad Gita 6.5_6

Man should discover his own reality and not thwart himself.

For he has the selfas his only friend, or as his only enemy.

A person has the self as a friend when he has conquered himself, but if he rejects his own reality, the self will war against him.

Impinge.

 The growing convergence and complementary types around faith large and small of our shrinking planet calls for a comparison along religious traditions. This can be easily done through scriptures and the quotes in them.

The goals of spiritual practice for each religion, while not identical have much in common. Since the ideals imbued in human nature are universal. The people who have reached the goal be it enlightenment, salvation, sanctification, self realisation or liberation, manifest the highest human quality like love, compassion, wisdom, purity, courage, patience, righteousness, strength of character, calmness of mind and inner joy. regardless of religious beliefs such people  have impressed others by their virtue. These hence converge and become one and become the best of humanity. There is no place for egoism and enmity.

Though this can lead to a vast analysis I here propose to quote only quotes mentioned under different heads followed by Hindus. It will give us a good reference in our study.

Invocation. 

Rig veda 3.62.10.

We meditate upon the form splendor 

Of the vilifier divine

May He himself illumine our minds.

The truth in many paths. B G chapter 4. 11.

As men approach me so I receive them.

All paths Arjuna lead to me. 

Bhagvatham. 11.3.

Like the bee gathering honey from various flowers, the wise accept the essence of  different scriptures to see only the good in all.

Traces of the lords existences. Rigveda 3.54.5

Who knows this truly.

Eye cannot see him nor words reveal him

By the senses austerity or works he is not known

When the mind is cleansed by the grace of wisdom

He is seen by contemplation the one without parts.

The ONE.

Svetasvatra upanishad 6.11

He is one god hidden in all beings, all pervading, the self within all beings, watching over all works, dwelling in all beings, the witness, the perceived, the only one free from qualities.

Vishnu puran 1.22

Just as light is diffused from the fire which is confined to one spot, so is the whole universe the diffused energy of the supreme Brahman.

Transcendent Isha upanishad 4.8

The self is one ever still, the self is

Swifter than thought, swifter than the senses

Though motionless, he outruns all pursuit.

Without the self never could life exist.

The self seems to move, but is ever still.

He seems faraway but is ever near. 

He is within all and he transcends all.

The self is everywhere, bright is the self, 

Indivisible, untouched by sin, wise, imminent and transcendent.

He it is who holds the cosmos together.

Refer chandogya upanishad 7,23,25 and katha upanishad 2.3.7.8.

Bhagvan Gita chapter 11.3-25

Arjuna

O highest lord I wish I could see you your form as lord. Just as you yourself say you are, supreme divine being.

O lord if you think it is possible that I might see you then Lord of mystic power show me your changeless self.

The Lord.

Open your eyes and see my hundreds, my thousands of forms, in all their variety, heavenly splendour, in all their colours and semblances.

Look upon the gods of heaven , the radiant gods the terrifying gods the kind celestial twins see, Arjuna countless marvels never seen before.

Here is my body in one place, now the whole world… all that moves and does not move  and whatever else you want to see

Of course with the ordinary eye you cannot see me. 

I give you divine vision.

Behold my absolute power.

Sanjay a. With these words Vishnu the great lord of mystic power, gave Arjuna the vision of his highest absolute form…

His form with many mouths and eyes, appearing in many miraculous ways, with many divine ornaments and divine unsheathed weapons. He wore garlands and robes and ointments of divine fragrance. He was a wholly wonderful God, infinite facing in every direction.

If the light of a thousand suns should effulgence all at once, it would resemble the radiance of that god of overpowering reality.

Then and there Arjuna saw the entire world unified ,yet divided manifold embodied in the god of gods.

Bewildered and enraptured, Arjuna the pursuer of wealth bowed his head to the god, joined his palms and said,

Arjuna

Master within you I see the gods, and all classes of beings

The creator on his lotus seat and all seers and divine serpents.

Far and near I see you without limit reaching containing everything and with innumerable mouths and eyes.

I see no end to you no middle and no beginning.. o universal lord and form of all!

You wearer of crown, mace and discus, you are a deluge of brilliant light all around I see you who can hardly be seen, with the splendour of radiant fires and suns immeasurable. You are the one imperishable. Paramount necessary core of knowledge, the worlds ultimate foundation.

You never cease to guard the eternal tradition. You are the everlasting divine being. 

There is no telling what is beginning middle or end in you. Your power is infinite, your arms reach infinitely far. Sun and moon are your eyes. This is how I see you. Your mouth is a flaming sacrificial fire. You burn up the world with your radiance.

For you alone fill the quarters of heaven and the space between heaven and earth. The world above, man,s world and the world in between are frightened at the awesome sight of you o mighty being.

There I see throngs of gods entering you, some are afraid, they join their palms and call upon your name. Throngs of great seers and perfect sages hail you with magnificent hymns.

The terrifying gods, the gods of heaven the radiant gods also the celestial spirits, the all gods, the celestial twins the storm gods and the ancestors, multitudes of heavenly musicians, good spirits, demons and perfect sages all look upon you in wonder.

When the worlds see your form of many mouths and eyes and many arms legs feet  many torsos and many terrible tusks they tremble as do I.

For seeing you ablaze with all the colours of the rainbow touching the sky, with gaping mouths and wide flaming eyes my heart in me is shaken. O god 

I have lost all certainty, all peace, your mouths and their terrible tusks evoke the world in conflagration. Looking at them I can no longer orient myself. There is no refuge.

O lord of gods dwelling place of the world, give me your grace.

Omniscient.

Atharva Veda 4.16.1-8

Immanent

Bhagvan Gita 13.32

Mundaka upanishad 2.2.10-11.

The living presence.

Bhagvan Gita 18.65.66

Be aware of me always, adore me, make every act an offering to me and you shall come to me. And you shall come to me, this I  promise for you are dear to me. Abandon all supports and look to me for protection. I shall purify you from the sins of the past. Do not grieve.

To be  

Normal.

 As we enter different stages of the aging process, we will often need to find a new normal. It's not what people around us usually do but we all have our unique normal. Things we did at one phase in life may be unwise to do or even impossible to do now. Egyptian climbing on a high bench.

Having a proper mindset can make all the difference in how easy or difficult it is to change. Our prospective about things has the power to help us to enjoy the change than resenting it. 

Any change makes us abnormal at first given time it adjusts beautifully.

To take hold of something new we have to let go of the old. This is good.when we give us the something in obedience to God  he gives us back something better. Learn to let go and let God take the lead in your life.listen to your heart than your brain. 

Getting older means dealing with limitations. The best way to deal is not to resist but accept them. Embrace them as opportunities to be creative.

Youth is a beautiful time, but our later years are just as beautiful. It's really amazing how God created the body and our lives around it.  If one carefully watches. The mystery reveals and the blossoming can be seen each as a unique being leaving their mark on time. 

How great is God's creation in everything great and small.

Our values is not in what we do, but in who we are as individuals. 

It is who you become.

leaving a legacy behind.

one must live one's life as a godly person teach the world the word of God accurately in a practical way. Complete the assignment that God has given us. We need to be patient and steadfast, committed and determined. Make everyday count.

The beauty of trust.

When we trust God we realize that things don't usually go exactly as we want it to but with the trust you realize that God does work out all things for good. 

our value is not in what we do but in what we are as individuals. 

To becontinued.