Kamakshi Amman Temple, Mangadu

Kamakshi Amman Temple, Mangadu
Kamakshi Amman Temple, Mangadu
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Chennai
Deity	"Tapas Kamakshi"
Location
Location	Chennai
State	Tamil Nadu
Country	India

Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right click here to donate.

0%

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)

Coordinates: 13°01′48″N 80°06′37″E / 13.029969°N 80.110375°E / 13.029969; 80.110375

The Mangadu Kamakshi Amman Temple is a Hindu temple in Mangadu, a suburb of Chennai, India. The term Mangadu means "Mango Forests or Mango Grooves" and as the term implies this must have been a thickly wooded Mango groove in times of yore. ^[1]

Legend[edit]

Mangadu is known for the temple of "Tapas Kamakshi" or the Kamakshi (The Goddess) performing penance. This is the place where the goddess performed her penance to marry and re-unite with Lord Shiva. ^[1] All 32 types of Dharmic rituals were performed here by the goddess.

The background is that when Lord Shiva and Parvati where in Mount Kailash the Goddess playfully closed the eyes of the Lord Shiva and as a result the whole universe fell into eternal darkness. So the Lord ordained her to perform Tapasya.

The Goddess came down to this place and performed penance amidst "Panchagni" resting her left leg on the sacred fire and folding her right leg. She holds a "Japamala" or rosary in her hand as she meditated on Lord Shiva who asked her to come to Kanchipuram for marriage.^[2]

After the goddess left the place, the heat of the fire that she had created caused great discomfort and became unbearable for all living beings there. The Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have visited Mangadu and installed a Sri Ardhameru Chakram at this place. This was done to calm down the heat of the fire created by the Goddess and at the same time make it into a place that is soothing for all living beings.

We can even today see the "Chakra" in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and poojas are performed regularly to this Chakra. ^[1] This Chakra is considered to be a Tantric form of the Goddess herself and hence Mangadu also finds a unique place amongst worshippers of the Tantric sect as well.

Temple architecture[edit]

The temple sports the Chola style of Architecture and construction. The Raja Gopuram was a recent addition to the Temple. The Raja Gopuram or the Main entrance faces South and is 7 tiered with great sculptures on it, But the east entrance is still used by many devotees as there is a market along the road leading to the east gate. People buy the flowers, Lemons and other pooja items as they walk through the market into the Temple.

As we enter the Temple, we find the Ganapati Shrine to the left of the main entrance. We pay our respects and as we walk further enter the Main Hall of the Temple. We straight proceed to the Sanctum where we can see the " Ardha Meru Maha Yantra " and an idol of Goddess Kamakshi in the Main Shrine. The Ardhameru Sri Chakram is the chief divinity in this temple. Only Kumkuma archana is performed and no abhishekam is done for Sri Chakram, as it is made up of herbs.

After this we proceed to walk back, we came across the Shrine of "Tapas Kamakshi" - This was installed at the behest of Kanchi Paramacharya. We can also see the various other deities like Lord Surya etc., in the outer courtyard. As we circumbulate the Temple, we can see Sapta Matrikas installed right behind in the Main outer courtyard and walk through to the Dwajastambha installed in the Eastern side. This completes the visit to the Temple. People come here to pray for Marriage, child birth etc.

After the visit to the Kamakshi Temple, people must proceed to the Vaikunta Perumal Shrine or the Shrine of Lord Vishnu which is about 500 meters away to complete the Visit/pilgrimage. Here Lord Vishnu can be seen in a seated posture along with his 2 consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi holding a ring in his palm that he has brought for the marriage of his sister Kamakshi. This is a small temple with separate shrines for Goddess Lakshmi, Sri Andal and Lord Hanuman.

Administration[edit]

The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.^[3]

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple, Dinamalar Temples
↑ V., Meena (1974). Temples in South India (1st ed.). Kanniyakumari: Harikumar Arts. p. 47.
↑ Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959

External links[edit]

Website of the temple

Template:List of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu

[dm-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple, Dinamalar Temples

[Meena-2] V., Meena (1974). Temples in South India (1st ed.). Kanniyakumari: Harikumar Arts. p. 47.

[3] Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Places of worship in Chennai
Temples	Anantha Padmanabhaswami Temple Royapuram Angala Parameswari Temple Alamelumangapuram Anjaneya Temple Nanganallur Anjaneya Temple Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple Luz Anjaneya Temple Apparswami Temple Ashtalakshmi Kovil Choolaimedu Angalamman Temple Anna Nagar Ayyappan Koil Muthialpet Bairagimadam Temple Chennakesava Perumal Temple Chennai Om Sri Skandhashramam Chintadri Pillaiyar Kovil Ekambareswarar Temple Ettampadai Temple ISKCON Temple Puri Jagannath Temple Kachchaleswarar Temple Kalikambal Temple Saidapet Kamakshi Amman Temple Kamaleswarar Temple Kandaswami Temple Kapaleeshwarar Temple Mylapore Karaneeswarar Temple Saidapet Karaneeswarar Temple Ayanavaram Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kothandaramar Temple Nandambakkam Kothandaramaswami Temple Muthialpet Krishnaswami Temple Kumaran Kundram Kurungaleeswarar Temple Madhya Kailash Madras Kali Bari Mallikesvarar Temple Marundeeswarar Temple Melatirupati Mylapore Mundaka Kanni Amman Temple Nandeeswarar Temple Neelagandeeswarar Temple Parasuramalingeswarar Temple Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Temple Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple R.A. Puram Ayyappan Koil Thiruneermalai Ranganatha Temple Ravishwarar Temple Sethu Kshetram Mylapore Shirdi Sai Baba Temple T. Nagar Sri Balaji Temple Thiruneermalai Kaalabairavar Temple Thiruvalluvar Temple Thyagaraja Temple Tiruvalithayam Vadapalani Andavar Temple Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple Velleeswarar Temple Velveeswarar Temple Vengeeswarar Temple
Churches	Santhome Basilica Armenian Church Church of Our Lady of Light Descanco Church Queenship of Mary Church St Andrew's Church St. George's Cathedral St. Mary's Church Saint Patrick's Cathedral Saint Theresa Church St. Lazarus' Church St. Mark's Church St. Matthias' Church St.Mary's Co-Cathedral Wesley Church
Mosques	Thousand Lights Mosque Bahram Jung Mosque Casa Verona's Mosque Dharma Kidangu Mosque Hafiz Ahmad Khan Mosque Makkah Masjid Masjid Mamoor Masjid-o-Anwari Periamet Mosque Triplicane Labbai Jamaath Masjid
Jain temples	Shantinath temple
Buddhist temples	Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Centre
Gurudwaras	Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha Gurudwara
Parsi temples	Royapuram Fire Temple