Temples in and around Salem - Part II

This is in continuation with my previous post on Temples in and around Salem - Part 1. You can access it at http://travelwithguru.blogspot.com/2011/04/temples-in-and-around-salem-part-i.html.

In this post, I would like to cover temples in the Salem-Namakkal route. There are numerous temples along this route. Most of them are relatively small, nevertheless, significant temples and can be covered in a day.

1. Skandasramam:One of the primary landmarks of Salem or probably the most known temple closest to Salem. It is about 10 kms from Salem town. It islocated on top of a small hill called Skandagiri. A couple of small hairpin bends would take you to the main entrance of the temple. The temple was set up in the 1970s. As the name indicates, it is the temple dedicated to lord Muruga. However, the temple is more famous for the sheer size of statues of various gods and goddesses in its premises. In specific, the relatively big statues of Pancha Mukha Vinayaka, Anjeneya, Danvantiri and Dattareya deserve special mention.

There is also a special hall here for statues of various renowned sages and saints across India. Also, extremely unique and interesting in Skandasramam, is the presence of Nava grahas like Surya, Chandra, Ragu and Kethu with their spouses. I found this quite fascinating. Everything about Skandasramam is quite big in scale and the Nava grahas that way do not disappoint. It is very tough to find statues of Nava grahas with such grand sizes and finesse as you observe in Skandasramam. The same foundation have a Skandasramam constructed in Selaiyur in Tambaram, Chennai which is equally impressive. But, it is always good to visit the place where it all started. A must visit in Salem, especially if you have not been to the one in Chennai.

2. Kumaragiri Murugan Temple: For those fit bodies and souls, the next temple to check out is Kumaragiri. The temple is located on a hill top and is dedicated to Lord Muruga. One needs to climb more than 700 steps to reach Kumaragiri hill top. Unfortunately, you cannot take your vehicle along and will have to be climbed by stairs. The temple truly looked fascinating from the foot of the hill but looked like an exhaustive climb. Given our plans for covering more temples that morning, we decided to give it a skip. But, if you have the time and stamina, it is worth the climb. I will have to probably catch it sometime later.

3. Oothumalai Balasubramaniar Temple: The next hill top we covered was Oothumalai. Here, you could go all the way to the temple by car. Oothumalai isabout 11 kms from Skandasramam. This hill top temple too is dedicated to lord Muruga, assuming the name of Balasubramaniar. It is a small temple, but very interesting for two reasons: Here, Lord Muruga is seen holding the neck of his beloved peacock, a unique posture not to be seen in any other temple. Also, the view from the hill top is amazing and one could capture a good view of Salem town from here.

As you descend a few meters, you would notice a small Shiva temple. Next to the linga, on the rocks one would find wonderful engravings of gods and goddesses along with a suyambuSudharshana chakra. This small section of engravings is fenced and is worth a visit if you do reach Oothumalai.

4. Oothumalai Sathyanarayana Temple: In Oothumalai itself, opposite to the small Shiva temple, a climb through a series of steps would take you to a Vishnu temple, assuming the name of Satyanarayana. It is one of the very few temples dedicated to Satyanarayana in Tamil Nadu and hence assumes significance. The flight of steps are few, probably less than 60, but slightly steep in nature. The temple is a small one but the statue of the principle lord here is worth a visit for its beauty. It does feel quite enchanting to take a round around the temple premise.

5. Rasipuram Kamatchi Amman Temple: As you proceed along the route to Namakkal from Oothumalai. Rasipuram is about 27kms from Salem. This Kamatchi Amman temple is actually in a small town called Pudupalayam, about 3 kms fromRasipuram. The temple is again a small one, but the goddess here is a pretty divine sight.

6. Rasipuram Kailasanathar Temple: The more famous temple at Rasipuram is the Kailasanathar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. This is a relatively old temple and is relatively a big temple compared to the ones seen thus far. The Lordess here is known by the name Dharma Samvardhini. Like in a typical Shiva temple, there are shrines for lord Muruga, Vinayaka and Dhakshinamoorthy too. A moment away from temples, Rasipuram is famous for its Ghee roast dhosas and is a definite must try item there.

7. Senthamangalam Vishnu Temple: The next temple that could be connected is Senthamangalam Vishnu temple. This is again quite an old temple and is worth a quick look. The temple is located just adjacent to the main bus stand of the town.

8. Dattagiri Dattareyar Temple: Quite close to Senthamangalam, there is a small hill top called Dattagiri. The temple is primarily dedicated to Dattareyar, unison of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. However, very few locals are aware of the temple as belonging to Dattareyar. There is also a sanctum for Muruga here and that is what the locals associate with the temple. The same foundation of Skandasramam is also credited with construction of the Dattagiri temple.

A certain distance to the temple can be covered by your vehicle. However, one would also have to climb a series of about 50 steps as well to reach the temple. The temple primarily has two deities at the top, Lord Muruga and Lord Dattareya, both being quite magnificent structures. There is also a provision to take a round around the temple premise. This is quite a fascinating one given the cool breeze around.

There is also a small temple at the foot hill. Although small, this house foursanctums for Vana Durgai, Ayyapa, Dakshinamoorthy and Saneeswara. One has to take a round trip of the premise to catch sight of the four wonderful sculptures. As though to say it has been set up by the same foundation as Skandasramam, the four statues are quite big in size and the artistry is spell binding. In specific, the statue of Vana Durgai is such a wonderful sight and is worth all the effort.

9. Namakkal Anjeneya Temple: This is one of the more famous temples and has a good coverage on the net. Just thought would include it to give it a completeness. The Hanuman statue here is one of the largest in the region. Several larger statues of Hanuman are now seen across the state, but clearly this is among the oldest and hence carries its own charm and significance. The temple, by size is quite a small one with just the Hanuman statue. The statue is however not covered on top, as the legend has it that any efforts to place a roof on top of the statue has been unsuccessful in the past, either lost to fire or otherwise. The statue is wonderfully sculpted in such a way that the eyesight of Hanuman directly falls on the feet of Narasimha statue located quite a few meters away at the foot of the Namakkal fort.

10. Namakkal Narasimha Temple: The fort temple at Namakkal is quite an old one made by sculpting through the rocks. It is a wonderful exhibition of Indian craftsmanship. The premise of the lord is like a cave, as is generally the case with Narasimha temples. Narasimha is not alone here. We also have rock carvings of Shiva, Brahma and his sons too standing besides him. Interesting aspect of the statue is the red mark on Lord Narasimha's hands, reflecting the legend that the lord presented himself at Namakkal, after killing Hiranya Kashipu. The lordess here is known by the name Namagiri thayar. The sight of the lordess is indeed a great spectacle and quite a divine experience.

11. Paramathi Bheemeswara Temple: One other temple we explored is Bheemeswara temple at Paramathi. This is beyond Namakkal, at about 15-20 kms away. Here, there is an old Suyambhu linga temple that is said to have been installed and worshipped by Bheema from Mahabharatha, and hence the name Bheemeswara. This is quite a small temple, but the pillars and carvings tell a great story of how they have stood the test of times.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISITS: Apart from the temples above, there are a couple of other temples that could also be explored. A Murugan temple at Belukurichi, which is located between Rasipuram and Senthamangalam could be added to the itinerary. Also, there are a couple of old temples at Mohanur, about 15 kms from Namakkal again, but in a different direction from Paramathi. There is one temple here dedicated to Lord Shiva and one to Lord Vishnu, that could also be worth a visit.