Kalkulam village is a little village 90 kms from Chennai and 8 kms from Pavunjur, in Madurantakam
Taluk. This village can be reached via the East Coast Road, to take right at Kadalur junction via Anaicut or via Padalam. The Padalam route is scenic with lush green fields and the road is pretty good.
Once you reach the village, a little path leads you to the Muthalamman Temple, which has been renovated a few years back by a family residing in Chennai. The idol is Mariyamman with just the face. The amman is very powerful and lots of people from far and near visit this temple.
When we visited today a family was making Pongal in the premises and Abhishekam was going on.
Behind the temple is an amazing neem tree which has the trunk of elephant legs branching into four. Never seen any tree like this anywhere else. The temple has lots of vibrations and always brings a sense of fulfillment each time we visit.
The Kameshwar temple at Madavilagam, Kalkulam
This temple is about 2500 years old and built of stone. Obviously the temple has seen glorious days, but sadly neglected today. The 3 Kaala Poojai has been reduced to 1. The Priest says although the temple comes under the govt control has no money coming in. The daily pooja is being conducted by good samaritans pitching in.
This temple has a huge Soorya Pillayar at the entrance. The main deity is Kameshwar in the form of Shiva Lingam. The praharam houses various deities which include Dakshinamurthy, Murugan with consorts, Perumal as well a host of Utsava Moorthies.
One specialty of this temple is Saint Vyagrapadhar is said to have visited this temple. Vyagrapadhar was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He resided near Chidambaram. Everyday he used to pick flowers and Vilva leaves for the Lord. This task could not be performed easily as he had to climb trees and bear the brunt of sharp thorns. He prayed to Lord Shiva to make this everyday task easy. The lord granted his wish by giving him feet of the tiger. Thus he was able to pluck flowers and leaves easily.
Saint Vyagrapadhar's statute is seen in this temple in the Praharam.
More about Vyagrapadha:
Vyāghrapāda is another name for Madyanthinar, whose story is associated with the sthala-purāṇa of the Thillai Nataraja Temple in Cidambaram (Chidambaram) which is one of the Pañcasabhā or “five halls where Śiva is said to have danced”.—According to legends, the origin of the sthala is described thus: In Tillaivana he erected a hut for him and worshipped the liṅga everyday. Śiva blessed Madyanthinar with the limbs of a tiger to climb the trees without slipping and the sight to see in darkness too. Siva blessed Madyanthinar with such blessings so that, as per his wish, he could collect the flowers before sunrise even if there was fog everywhere. The lord, after showering these graces, named him Vyāghrapāda (man with tiger’s limbs) and so the forest came to be called Vyāghrapuram and Puliyūr. Later, Vyāghrapāda married the sister of Sage Vasiṣṭha according to his father’s desire and they lived happily, worshipping the Tirumūlanāda (Śiva in liṅga form). In course of time, a male child was born to Vyāghrapāda and the child was named Upamanyu. The child was brought up in sage Vasiṣṭha’s place.
Source: Wisdomlib.org
The Goddess is Kokilambal. Many people living in this village and surrounding villages name their Girl Children Kokila after the Goddess.
This temple in our native village needs to be renovated very soon. It's sad to see the forgotten treasures of our land dying a silent death because of the negligence of the authorities.
Vyagrapadhar
3rd May 2020:
So many heroes are there in real life, not just reel life. And one such person is N.R. Jaishankar who is helping out the locals of this village and the surrounding hamlets by providing them groceries which they need for their daily life. Thanks for the initiative of collecting donations from people to ensure this service is regularly done. May your tribe increase.
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