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Kathithamalai Kumaran
Kathithamalai Vetri Velayudha Swamy TempleKathithamalai, which is now referred to as Kaithamalai, is near Uthukuli in Tirupur District. The Vetri Velayudhaswamy temple, set amidst rustic and ethereal...
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Palatrangarai Veera Anjaneya Swamy!
Hanuman, Anjaneyar, Anjana Maindhan, Vayuputra, Bajrang Bali, Mukhya Prana Devaru, and Siriya Thiruvadi - Many names, one diety! The embodiment of devotion, loyalty, valour, strength and super...
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Varkala Janardhanaswamy!
Steps leading to the Varkala Janardhanaswamy TempleVarkala is a beautiful town on the shores of the Arabian Sea. It comprises of unique Cenozoic Sedimentary formation cliffs in the otherwise flat coast...
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Arutperumjothi - A journey through the life of Ramalinga Vallalar!
Arutprakasa Ramalinga VallalarThai Poosam - the day when Poosam star falls on a full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, is not only celebrated by the followers of Lord Muruga across the world, but it...
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The Twin Devis of Srirangapatna
The River CauveryThe island of Srirangapatna lies about 18 kilometres from Mahisuru (Mysore), the land of Mahishasura, the demon who had been killed by Goddess Chamundeswari after a battle that lasted...
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Chinna Mandali - The place where Nataraja Pathu was born
With the team of volunteers at Chinna MandaliUsually, articles in the Aalayam Kanden blogs describe an ancient/unique temple. But for the first time, here is an article on an entire village - Chinna...
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Muthuservamadam Varadaraja Perumal
Varadaraja Perumal Temple, MuthuservamadamI first heard about Muthuservamadam about 18 months ago, when Kaushik Ramachandran, a long term patron and volunteer of Aalayam Kanden Trust mentioned it to...
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A Temple with a Dargah within - Sri Angala Parameswari Temple, Chintadripet
Angala Parameswari Temple, ChintadripetChinna Thari Pettah, known commonly as Chintadripettah was a planned township, created by President George Morton Pitt, out of Sunku Venkatachalam (Sunku Rama)'s...
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Sri Manicka Swamigal aka Satti Samiyar Gnana Peetam, Enathimangalam
Sri Manicka Swamigal aka Satti Samiyar Gnana Peetam, EnathimangalamMy father-in-law had three framed photographs in his otherwise clutter-free pristine room. A picture of his father and two saints whom...
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Dharapuram Dasa Anjaneya Darisanam - Part 1
 Vyasaraja Theertha Source: Annie Gracy, CC BY-SA 4.0 Vyasaraja Theertha was the Rajaguru of the Vijayanagara Kingdom. He was called Vyasaraya initially and after he took over the kingdom from King...
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Dharapuram Dasa Anjaneya Darisanam - Part 2
Uttara Veeraraghava Perumal Temple, DharapuramThis is the second in the series of articles on the ten Hanumans installed by Saint Vyasaraja Theertha, (the Rajaguru of the Vijayanagara Empire during...
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Dharapuram Dasa Anjaneya Darisanam - Part 3
This is the third in the series of articles on the ten Vyasaraja Hanumans of Dharapuram. Please click here to access Part 1 and here for Part 2.After visting the Kadu Hanumantharaya Swamy temple, which...
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Dharapuram Dasa Anjaneya Darisanam Part 4 - Miracles Happen!
Amaravathi river near Veeraraghavapuram AgraharamI had mentioned in Part 3Â about how we were unable to see the Vyasaraja Hanumans in Veeraraghavapuram and Bheemaraya Agraharams as the temples were...
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Sammohana Gopalan, Mohanur
Sri Sammohana Gopalan Shrine at Mohanur It was an article by Shri A M Rajagopalan, in Kumudam Jothidam that I read way back in 2007-08 that introduced me to Sammohana Gopalan. The article carried a...
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Aditya Mahadevar Temple, Anaikattaputhur
Aditya Mahadevar Temple, AnaikattaputhurAnaikattaputhur is a non-descript village in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Referred to as Anai Akkarai Puthur in inscriptions, the village is found along the...
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Adi Annamalai - where Tiruvempavai was born!
 The Adi Annamalai Temple in TiruvannamalaiCome Margazhi - Tamil Households, temples and sabhas come alive to the hymns of Thirupaavai and Thiruvempavai, songs that sing the glory of Lord Vishnu and...
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Aavarani Pudhuchery Nateswarar
Shri Nateswara Swamy Temple, Aavarani PudhucherySome temples are unique and the joy one gets while visiting them is immense. The purpose of Aalayam Kanden is to identify these lesser known gems and to...
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Murugeeswarar Temple, Thaiyur
The entrance to the Murugeeswarar Temple, ThaiyurI had been invited to visit the Murugeeswarar temple at Thaiyur by Kaushik, a long-time volunteer of the Aalayam Kanden Trust, about three years ago....
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Nepal Yathra - Part 1 - Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu
Visiting Nepal and its temples had been on the cards for me for a long time now, even before the massive earthquake of 2015 that damaged many temples across the Kathmandu valley. Similarly, I have...
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Nepal Yathra Part 2 - Manakamana Devi
 In the first part of the Nepal Yathra series, we had covered the visit to Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. On Day 2, we started to Pokhara from Kathmandu. Although there are flights available from...
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Nepal Yathra - Part III - Temples of Pokhara
Our next stop was Pokhara . It was our base station before we set out to Jomsom and from there to Muktinath. Pokhara is the capital of the Gandaki Province and the second busiest city after Kathmandu....
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Shrines of Ladakh - Part 1 - Gurudwara Pathar Sahib
 Recently I had an opportunity to visit Ladakh along with the lovely group of travellers brought together by Balaji Davey of Mantra Yatra. The trip ranged between 12000 and 18000 feet, across peaks and...
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Shrines of Ladakh - Part II - Shanti Stupa, Leh
 Entrance of the Shanti Stupa, LehIn the series I am writing on the Shrines of Ladakh, which I visited with Mantra Yatra, this post features Shanti Stupa, the World's highest monument of peace. The...
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Shrines of Ladakh - Part III - Diskit Monastery, Nubra Valley
 The beauty of Nubra Valley as seen in DiksitIn the series of posts I have been writing in Aalayam Kanden on the shrines of Ladakh, which I had an opportunity to visit with Mantra Yatra in August 2024,...
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Shrines of Ladakh - Part IV - Thiksey Monastery
 Over the last few weeks, I have been writing about the shrines of Ladakh I had an opportunity of visiting during my trip with Mantra Yatra in August. This is the fourth and last part of the series....
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