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Kalikambal Temple

Chennai Sri Kalikambal Sametha Kamadeswarar Devasthanam is one among the famous and ancient temples of Chennai.   This temple was originally at Madras Kuppam, where Fort St. George was constructed in 1640 AD.  The English traders helped in relocating the temple to the busy industrial area, George Town of North Chennai where the Viswakarma Community people developed the temple and worshipped Goddess Kalikambal as their family Deity. The Goddess had been worshipped earlier by fishermen and hence also has the name Chenniamman.

The entrance to the temple is through a modern Rajagopuram built and consecrated in the early 1980s. An inner mandapam leads one to the east facing shrine of the festival image of Kalikambal  - Utsava Periya Nayaki. A south facing entrance leads one into the innermost prakaram of the temple, where the west facing sanctum is located. The Goddess Kalikambal is facing west which is considered as rare and significant.  In this sanctum sanctorum of Sri Kaligambal Temple a unique Arthameru  - Srichakram   was established by   Holy  Jagadhguru Sri Adhi Sankaracharya  at the lotus feet of the Kalikambal deity. This is a very famous and highly powerful Srichakra, which is a special feature and significant to this temple.  The presiding deity, Goddess Kalikambal is believed to be one of the twelve manifestations of Goddess Kamatchi of Kanchipuram.  She is seated in Ardha Padmasana posture. To its right is the shrine of Kamateswarar. Also in this enclosure are shrines of Arunachaleswarar and Subramanyar facing east and the navagrahams. A flag staff is situated directly across from the sanctum, in the western portion of the outer prakaram, which also has shrines to Ganesha and Subramanyar (Vada Katirkaman). In the northwestern corner of the outer prakaram is a cluster of shrines of  Vinayakar, Veerabhadrar and Kali facing south.  The 16 stone pillared hall at the centre is carved with 64 deities.  Sri Anjaneyar facing west carved in one of the stone pillars is of a special attraction and more devotees throng this small Sannidhi especially on Saturdays.  

             Brahmotsavam             Knitter procession

There are a few other shrines in the northern portion of the prakaram, where the yagasalai is also situated. In the north east corner of the outer prakaram is a large shrine to Natarajar and Sivakami. This shrine also serves as the alankara mandapam, where the festival image of Kalikambal is housed during the annual Bhramotsavam. The grandest of events in the 11 day long annual Bhramotsavam celebrated in the month of Vaikasi at the Kalikambal temple is the ninth night Kinnitter procession (in the near full moon night in the tamil month of Vaikasi). The Kinnitter is one kind of a chariot unique to this temple. It is beautifully built, lined with metal cymbals. It is also referred to as the Sri Chakra (raja) vimaanam. The brightly illuminated chariot bearing a decorated image of the deity is dragged in procession by scores of devotees through the traditional processional streets of George Town.  The Navaratri and the Vasanta Navaratri festivals are also of a unique nature here.

It is also believed that a fierce form of the Goddess was held in worship earlier, and that this form was replaced with the Shanta Swaroopa form of Kamakshi, along with a Meru in the recent past. The mango tree is the Stala Virusham of this temple.

Chatrapathi Sivaji Maharaja of Maratta had worshipped the deity on 03.10.1677 before his coronation as "Chatrapathi". The National Poet Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi had worshipped Sri Kalikambal and sung in her praise the song "Yadhyumaki Ninrai Kali".

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Written By: Source Internet
Date Posted: 3/8/2007
Number of Views: 589

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