Tamil Podcast #5 Vaaram Oru Alayam- Sri Thirumeyneeswarar Thiru Kovil Kovur(near Chennai)

Sri Sundareswarar Alayam

Duration 9m 44s

This week's podcast is about Sri ThirumeyneeswararThiru Kovil Kovur(near Chennai).Away from the din and bustle of the city, the small town Kovur is on the way to Kundrathur. This 21-km distance can be covered in less than an hour's drive from Chennai.

The entrance is picturesque with an array of houses and tall Asoka Trees on either side and greets us by 85 ft high temple tower (Raja gopuram) unique and great in art and sculpture.This temple has the unique Maha Vilvam as its Sthala Vruksham. (Sacred tree in the temple) which has bunch of 27 leaves in one single stalk!!!

Kovur Sundareswara Temple is where Saint Tyagaraja sung the famous Kovur Pancharatnam on praise of Lord Shiva, while visiting his friend which are still famous.
Thyagarajas 5 compositions in praise of Sunderesvara Swami of Kovur (Chennai): Sambho Mahadeva (Pantuvarali); I vasantha nivauti (Sahana); Kori Sevimpa rare (Kharaharapriya); Sunderasavaruni (Sankarabharanam); nammi vachchina (Kalyani).
Sekhizhar had started writing his great epic Periya puranam here too.

There is a Vishu temple with presiding deity as Karunakaraperumaal with Sridevi and Bhoodevi is nearby associated to this temple. Both these temples date back to the Chola period dating between 7th to 12th century A.D. which is beleived to be built by Kolothunga Sholan.