Envis Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India

Printed Date: Monday, December 2, 2024

Madurantakam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madurantakam is a town and a municipality in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is known for the man-made and second largest lake in Tamil Nadu, the Maduranthakam Lake and Aeri Katha Ramar Temple.

 

 

 

It is one of the holy places visited by Ramanuja though it has not been sung by the alvars.  This is the place where under the Magizha tree, Sri Ramanujar was given "Pancha Samskaram"(initiation) by his teacher Peria Nambigal. The place is also unique in that Ramanuja's statue is found dressed in white on all days while in almost all temples the saint is dressed in ochre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sri Kodanda Rama, also known in this region as Yeri Katha Rama (the one who saved the village from flooding from Madurantakam lake), is enshrined in the Aeri Katha Ramar Temple. The temple is about 1300 years old. The Moolavar is in a standing position facing east and is around 8 feet tall. This temple is situated near the Madhuranthakam lake shore. Sita resides in the temple as Sri Janaki Valli. The other deities enshrined are Sri Chakrathalwar, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha and Sri Hanuman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kodandaramaswamy temple has two sets of utsavar idols of the presiding deity and His consort, and Lakshmana. While one deity is named Rama, the other is known as Karunakaran.

 

 

 

There is also a separate shrine for Goddess Sita, known as Janakavalli Thayar, which is claimed to be very rare. This shrine was built by an English Collector, Colonel Lionel Blaze who assured the people that he would build a shrine for Devi if the newly built surplus water weirs withstood the fury of monsoon rains. The huge tank with immense storage capacity would breach every year after the monsoon rains and wash away the rough stone-built outlet of the tank. While camping at Madurantakam during a monsoon night, the tank was full and almost overflowing. The Collector visited the tank bund and is said to have seen Rama and Lakshmana keeping guard at the tank. The construction of the shrine for the Goddess began the very next morning and the Lord is known as Aeri Katha Ramar as he saved the tank bund from collapsing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thiru-Venkateswarar Temple is also a renowned temple in the town. It was built by a king whose skin disease was relieved when he bathed in the tank; then he realized his wonder and built this temple during British Raj; Similarly other temples includes Renukapara-meswari ( Amman ) temple, Siva temple, Murugar temple's, Chelliyamman temple and Anjaneya temple .

 

 

 

 

The major festival of the temple is the Ramanavami festival, which commemorates the birth of Rama. Ani Brahmostavam celebrated during the Tamil month of Aani (July - August) and Panchasamskaram festival to commemorate the sanctification of Ramanuja are other major festivals celebrated in the temple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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