Chennai: There is a popular Tamil maxim “Kovil Illa Ooril Kudi Irukka Vendam” which means “Don’t live in a town that doesn’t have a temple.”
In 1980, Bharathidasan Colony at K K Nagar came into existence and as people slowly started moving in, they wanted to stick to the age-old adage and wanted to build a temple in the locality. This led to the construction of the Bhuvaneshwari Amman temple. “Since there were no temples in the vicinity, the residents mooted the idea of building a temple. Construction began in 1980 under the guidance of Sadananda Swamigal,” said temple trustee Arumugam.
According to him, this is the first Bhuvaneshwari Amman temple in the city. ‘Within a year, the temple was constructed and the first consecration took place in the presence of Kanchi Maha Periyava,’ he added.
The temple’s third and latest consecration was performed in 2012 by Picha Sivachariar from Pillaiyarpatti. In the main sanctum, Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Amman is present in sitting posture. On either side of the main sanctum is Lord Karpaga Vinayagar and Lord Muruga depicted with Valli and Deivanai.
Opposite to the main sanctum on both the sides of the entrance to the main mandapam are small shrines for Lord Rama and Lord Ayyappan. On the left wall of the main shrine, Mahalakshmi and Dakshinamoorthy are placed. On the back wall, Lord Vishnu is present and on the right wall, Saraswathi and Durga.
Outside the main mandapam, there is a separate shrine on the right side for Anjaneyar and opposite to it is the Navagraham. “One special occasion celebrated in a grand manner is the Navarathri festival. On all the 10 days, special decorations are made for the Goddess. Special concerts by eminent artistes are also arranged every year,” said Arumugam.
Every Friday, special poojas are performed to the main deity and during the months of Aadi and Thai, on Fridays, vilakku pooja takes place.
Other special occasions include Vinayaga Chathurthi, Chitra Pournami, Rama Navami, Hanumath Jayanthi and Niraimani Vizha. “During Niraimani Vizha the temple is decorated with fruits and vegetables and this takes place for two consecutive days every year. Also, during every Full Moon day, after the poojas, annadhanam is arranged. During the last Sunday in December, Ayyappan pooja is performed,” he added.
The devotees have formed a group called Bhuvaneshwari Mandali and every Tuesdays and Fridays in the evening they recite Sahasranamam in the temple. “The speciality of Bhuvaneshwari Amman is that the Goddess is powerful and if devotees worship her sincerely during Pournami, she grants all that one could ask for,” said the trustee.
The temple is open from 6 am to 11 am and from 5.30 pm to 9 pm.