Sundhareswarar Temple
Kovur Sri Sundareswarar Temple is a famous
Hindu and famous as one of the Navagraha Sthalam for Planet Mercury. This
illustrious temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and situated in Chennai at Kovur.
This ancient temple is very huge and built
by King Kulothunga Chola in 7th century. The temple is well-known as the
Navagraha temple of Thondai Mandalam. Inside the main premise, the Sthala Vruksham
Maha Vilvam tree is a rare and an old tree in which each stalk of Maha Vilvam
has 27 leaves. A Saint Sri Thyagaraja who was a carnatic music composer sang 5 traditional
songs called collectively- Kovur Pancharatnam about this holy place. This Shiva
place is established in 965 and the presiding idol of the temple is
Sundareswarar, who is famed as a form (incarnation) of Shiva and Goddess
Soundarambikai.
MahaShivratri
is celebrated with a great show and pomp annually to pay homage to Shiva. A
single darshan of Sundareswarar on this auspicious day is considered more than
the Darshan of other deities dispersed in other parts of India. People also
gather to commemorate various other occasions such as- Shrawan Maas, Deepawali
and Holi with a great zeal. Most of the offerings at the this sacred temple are
distributed to poor and poverty-strikens.
