Not very far from Chennai, lies an old Murugan temple which houses the tallest statue(6 ft) of lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, and is said to be 1200 yrs old. Situated 14km from Chennai in Kanchipuram district just off the state high way SH 57 (Sriperumbadur-Thirvallur) towards Sriperumbadhur.
Legend
There lived a king name "Bhagirada" in this region, once upon a time Sri Narada paid a visit to this king ,only to get humiliated by him, which enraged Narada who in turn cursed him. While returning, Narada was greeted by a demon called Koran, who sought the blessing of Narada , he in turn asked the demon to defeat the king in retaliation as a result king was defeated and banished from his kingdom. Repented by his act he sought forgiveness and advice from Narada to gain his prosperity back. Narad directed him to saint Dhurvasa who adviced him to do fasting on fridays and worship Lord Muruga to appease him. His worship paid off, later the king got his kingdom back by defeating the demon. It is believed that this temple was built by the king.
Its the Sanctum-Sanctorum which is 1200 years old built by the usual way of interlacing several monolithic mountain stones, its rather plain stones then the having intricate carvings. Later additional structures were built like surrounding walls and small shrines on each corner of the temple.
The temple is well fortified by around 10 ft wall. A big temple water tank beautifies the front portion outside the premises which once is known for its divinity now stands desolated to be used by village peoples for washing clothes. Temple is run by the trust, despite that this hasn't received enough patronage which it is entitled to. There is no specific parking areas apart from the open surrounding for which they do charge Rs 10.
Few pics
Excursion
Rajiv Ghandhi Memorial park, is just 9km further towards Sriperumbudur just off the NH 4 Highway, a must visit for to pay homage.
