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Passion for visiting ancient sites and interested to know more about them? Hello, this is Suresh Priyan, and welcome to my channel, "Chithiram Pesuthada", earlier called "CookWithBabyma"

I am interested in exploring ancient places, historical places, temples, monuments and mystic sites. This "Chithiram Pesuthada" channel carries my travel experience and learnings with the site. Every video is a n

ew experience, and this will encourage my audience to visit and experience the feel of our antique sites and the history they carry

Support "Chithiram Pesuthada" by sharing your Healthy feedback and inputs. You can reach me at [email protected]

🏛️ Exploring the tapestry of history through the lens of a Heritage Enthusiast and researcher
🕵️‍♂️ Heritage Sites, Architecture, and Sculptures are my language
🖌️ Join me in unravelling the stories etched in stone and culture
🌍

19/10/2025

Wishing everyone a Happy and Prosperous Diwali! - Team Chithiram Pesuthada

🪔 Deepavali in Inscriptions 🔦 What the Stones Tell Us!
தீபாவளி கல்வெட்டுகளில்!

🛕 1. திருப்பதி (Tirupati) – 16th Century
📜 “அப்பப்படி க உகாதி திபளிகைகான் அதிரசப்படி உ [*]”
📜 “உகாதி திபளிகை னாள் ராஜன் அமுதுசெய்யும் அதிரசப்படி…”
👉 Deepavali was called Deepaligai.
🍬 Offering: Atirasapadi (Adhirasam – sweet cake) to Lord Govindaraja Perumal. A glimpse into temple rituals and royal patronage.

💧 2. சித்தாமூர் (Sithamoor, Tiruvarur) – 1753 A.D.
📜 Mentions “தீவாளி அபிஷேகம்.”
Local people and officials contributed part of their wages for a special Deepavali Abhishekam to Lord Ponvaitha Nathar—a festival of both faith and community sharing.

🌸 3. காஞ்சிபுரம் (Kanchipuram) – Vijayanagara Period
📜 “உகாதி தீவளிகை நாள்...”
Known as Deevaligai, the celebration lasted 100 days in the Varadharaja Perumal Temple. The scale shows its grandeur and temple economy.

🌊 4. இலங்கை (Sri Lanka) – 14th Century “Sarasothimalai”
📜 “திபாவலியாமெண்ணெய்...”
Refers to the oil bath (Ganga Snana) with warm oil on Diwali. A ritual still practised — continuity through centuries!

🔥 5. ஸ்ரீரங்கம் (Srirangam) – 13th/14th Century
📜 Sanskrit verse mentions "Bhadra-Dīpotsava" – Festival of Lamps.
Under King Ravivarman or Kulasekhara, lamps were lit and offerings made near the Purattasi month end, resembling Deepavali observance. Though debated, it's among the earliest "Festival of Lights" references in South India.

18/10/2025

🔥 Olakkanesvara Temple – The Flame-Eyed Shrine atop the Hill!
உழக்கு எண்ணெய் ஈச்சுரர் கோயில் - தீக்கண் சிவன் தரிசனம்!

Have you ever noticed the stone shrine that stands above the Mahishasuramardini Cave? That’s not a lighthouse—it’s Olakkanesvara, the “Flame-Eyed Shiva,” silently watching over Mamallapuram and the Bay of Bengal for over 1,300 years.

Directions / Location:
Located atop the hill behind the Mahishasuramardini Cave, within the Mamallapuram UNESCO Heritage Complex, Chengalpattu District. A short climb from the lighthouse viewpoint leads you straight to this Pallava-era wonder.

Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ Built during Rajasimha Pallava’s reign (c. 690–715 CE).
✦ Originally a masonry temple crowned by a now-lost superstructure—likely resembling the Shore Temple.
✦ Sculptures inside depict Shiva as Dakshinamurti, Ravananugrahamurti, Kalasamharamurti, and Alidhanrittamurti—each showing the Pallava mastery in expressive relief.
✦ The temple’s positioning atop the granite hill hints at its ritual and astronomical significance.

Architecture Wonder:
The temple stands as one of the earliest examples of a stone-built structural shrine rather than a rock-cut excavation. Its Pallava architectural vocabulary—lions, pilasters, and miniature shrines—echoes the transition from cave temples to full-fledged structural Dravidian temples.

Unique Features:
✦ The only structural temple built atop a hill in Mamallapuram
✦ No vimana survives, but the base walls retain intricate panels and Vyala (lion) motifs.
✦ Offers a panoramic view linking the cave temples below and the sea beyond—symbolically uniting earth and divinity.
✦ Possibly used as a daytime navigation point, predating the modern lighthouse beside it.

17/10/2025

Melpadi Somanatheswarar Temple – A Chola Garrison Turned Stone Marvel!
மேல்பாடி சோமநாதீஸ்வரர் – சோழர் காலக் கல்லாலான காவியக் கோயில்!

Once a Chola garrison town guarding the northern frontier — today, Melpadi stands as a timeless sculpture of devotion and defense.

📍 Directions / Location
Located at Melpadi, near Thiruvalam, Vellore District, Tamil Nadu

🌸 Highlights Not to Miss
✦ The ancient Chola town, once called Rajasrayapuram, was named after Raja Raja Chola I’s title Rajasraya.
✦ In 959 CE, Rashtrakuta King Krishna III camped here (as per Karhad Plates).
✦ The town served as a Chola garrison against Chalukya and Rashtrakuta invasions.
✦ Houses two Chola-period temples – Somanatheswarar Temple (main shrine, architecturally elaborate) & Choleswarar Temple, a Palli Padai (memorial) temple.
✦ Inscriptions of Raja Raja Chola I record land donations and officers stationed here.

🏗️ Architecture Wonder
✦ Built originally by Parantaka Chola I and expanded under Raja Raja Chola I.
✦ Entirely carved from granite, including vimana and kalasam.
✦ South-facing entrance and fortified prakaram — Inner mandapa pillars feature intricate carvings of deities and vyalas (mythical lions).

🌿 Unique Features
✦ Separate shrine for Thapaskruta Devi, the consort of Shiva.
✦ Outer walls carry reliefs of Sapta Matrikas, Veerabhadra, and Nagas.
✦ The nearby Choleswarar Temple adds to Melpadi’s identity as a royal burial-memorial complex.
✦ A living site linking military history, Saivite devotion, and Chola artistry.

15/10/2025

Agastheeswarar Temple – The Fiery Agni Lingam of Noombal, Chennai!
அக்னி தத்துவத்தின் ஆலயம் – நூம்பல் அகஸ்தீஸ்வரர்!

Did you know Chennai houses a temple representing Agni, the Fire Element, among the Pancha Bhoota Linga shrines? Welcome to Sri Agastheeswarar Temple, where ancient energy still radiates with fiery devotion.

📍 Directions / Location:
Located at Noombal, near Vanagaram, Chennai, easily accessible from Porur Junction (about 4 km).

🕉️ Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ Presiding deity: Sri Agastheeswarar (Shiva Lingam), facing east.
✦ Goddess: Anandavalli Ambal, facing south.
✦Believed to be Agni Sthalam—one among the Pancha Bhootha Sthalams around Chennai.
✦ Saint Agastya is said to have installed and worshipped the Lingam here.
✦ A sacred Sthala Vriksham – Vanni Tree (Prosopis cineraria) and a small temple pond to the east.

🏛️ Architectural Wonder:
✦ Features a Gajaprishta (elephant-back)-shaped sanctum, typical of early Pallava-Chozha architecture.
✦ Simple granite base with minimal ornamentation, signifying its early medieval origin.
✦ The temple has been renovated during the Vijayanagara–Nayak period, retaining traces of older masonry.

14/10/2025

Mukunda Nayanar Temple – Pallava Legacy in Stone!
மாமல்லபுரம் முகுந்த நாயனார் – பல்லவப் பெருமையின் சைவச் சுவடுகள்!

Not every treasure in Mamallapuram is carved on a hill or monolith — some, like the Mukunda Nayanar Temple, quietly preserve centuries of faith and artistry, echoing from the Pallava king Rajasimha’s time.

📍 Directions/Location:
Located near Mukundanayanar Street, Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu.

🌸 Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ As per the Archaeological Survey of India, this temple was constructed during the Rajasimha Pallava period (circa 7th–8th century CE).
✦ As per the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department, inscriptions mention the deity as “ThiruMukalippa Mudaiyar – திருமுகலிப்பா முடையார்.”
✦ During the Chola period, Shiva here was reverentially called “Mukalinathan.”
✦ The temple houses a Shiva Lingam in the sanctum and a Somaskandar panel on the rear wall — a distinct Pallava iconographic feature.

🏛️ Architectural Wonder:
✦ Constructed in granite with a simple garbhagriha and ardhamandapa layout.
✦ Greeva Koshtam sculptures have Uma Sakithar, Dakshinamurthy, Yoga Narasimhar, and Brahma.

🔍 Unique Features:
✦ One of the few Saiva temples in Mamallapuram, amidst predominantly Vaishnava monuments.
✦ The Somaskanda ensemble is a signature of the Pallava Rajasimha school of art, later revered by the Cholas.

13/10/2025

Ganagitti Jain Temple – The Silent Stone of Serenity in Hampi!
அமைதியில் ஒளி தரும் கனகிட்டி ஜைனர் ஆலயம்!

Amidst Hampi's grand temples of granite and gods, stands a quiet monument that whispers of a different faith — the Ganagitti Jain Temple, dedicated not to Vishnu or Shiva, but to the serene Tirthankaras of Jainism.

Directions / Location:
Located on Kamalapura–Hampi main road, near Bhima's Gateway, this temple is one of the earliest structures built after the founding of Vijayanagara in the 14th Century CE.

Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ Tall monolithic Deepa Stambha (lamp post) in front of the temple.
✦ Simple yet symmetrical Dravidian shikhara.
✦ Traces of Jain iconography — Tirthankaras and Yakshas.
✦ An inscription of Harihara II (1386 CE) recording its construction.
✦ Peaceful atmosphere — far removed from the usual temple crowds.

Architectural Wonder:
✦ Built in granite blocks, the temple showcases the early Vijayanagara style—a modest yet graceful structure with a mukha-mandapa, maha-mandapa, and a garbhagriha.
✦ The superstructure (vimana) is plain and austere, reflecting Jain simplicity.
✦ The deepa-stambha, standing majestically outside, symbolises enlightenment — a hallmark of Jain temple architecture.

Little History:
✦ Commissioned by Iravathi Dandanayaka, a minister under Harihara II, the temple dates to 1386 CE. It was initially dedicated to Tirthankara Kunthunatha.
✦ The structure also shows how Vijayanagara rulers supported diverse faiths, from Shaivism and Vaishnavism to Jainism.
✦ Its survival amidst the ruins reminds us that Hampi was a melting pot of religions and philosophies.

10/10/2025

Arinjaya Choleeshwaram — The Forgotten Pallipadai of the Cholas!
அரிஞ்சய சோழன் பள்ளிப்படை!

Did you know the mighty Raja Raja Chola I built a temple not for a god first — but for his grandfather?
Welcome to Melpadi, where the Arinjaya Choleeshwaram stands as one of the earliest Chola Pallipadai temples, marking both memory and empire.

Directions / Location:
📍 Melpadi Village, near Arcot, Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu.
Located about 25 km from Vellore on the Arcot–Chittoor route, this serene site once formed the northern frontier of the Chola realm — known in inscriptions as Rajaraja Chaturvedimangalam.

Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ The Pallipadai (memorial temple) of Arinjaya Chola, grandfather of Raja Raja I.
✦ Inscriptions of Raja Raja I, referring to the deity as Arinjigai-Isvaram Udaiya Mahadevar.
✦ A Vishnu temple nearby, said to be built for Arinjaya’s queen — showcasing early Shaiva–Vaishnava dual patronage.
✦ The village also preserves hero stones (Veerakkal) and traces of ancient trade routes.

Architectural Wonder:
✦ The shrine is east-facing, built of granite in early Chola style — compact, sturdy, and minimally ornamented.
✦ The Vimana is eka-tala (single-tiered) with clean Pallava-Chola transition features.
✦ Later brick additions and a restored adhisthana hint at continuous worship from the 10th century onward.
✦ Look for fine inscriptions etched on the base — the true storytellers of this memorial.

Little History:

✦ After the death of King Arinjaya Chola (c. 956 CE), his grandson Raja Raja Chola I erected this temple in his memory — marking it as a pallipadai, a shrine built over or near a royal burial.
✦ This site signifies the rise of dynastic ancestor worship, setting the tone for the monumental temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
✦ Melpadi’s temples — Arinjaya Choleeshwarar (Shiva) and Somanatheswarar (Vishnu) — embody the political, spiritual, and architectural beginnings of the Chola renaissance.

09/10/2025

🛕 Timeless Shiva Shrine of Ayanavaram – Where the Chola Stones Still Whisper!
ஆயனாவரம் பரசுராம லிங்கேஸ்வரர் கோவில் – சோழர் காலச் சிவாலயம்?

Amid the busy lanes of Ayanavaram stands a temple that has silently watched Chennai grow from a cluster of hamlets to a metropolis — the Parasurama Lingeswarar Temple, one of the few ancient shrines that still retains its old-world stone sanctity.

Directions / Location:
📍 Location: Parasurama Lingeswarar Temple, Ayanavaram, Chennai – 600023
🛕 Near Medavakkam Tank Road, close to Ayanavaram railway station, ~5 km from Egmore.

Highlights Not to Miss:
✦ The east-facing shrine with a serene Dravida vimana.
✦ Lingam resting on a rounded avudaiyar, a form commonly seen in early medieval Chola temples?
✦ Stylistic features suggest the temple might date to the Chola period, possibly around the reigns of Rajaraja I or Kulothunga I, though no inscriptions have been recorded so far.
✦ Dakshinamurti in deep meditation, with Sanakathi Munis in gnana mudra.
✦ Koshta images of Lingodhbhavar, Brahma, and Vishnu in fine relief.
✦ A peaceful ambience — a rare surviving Pallava-Chola nucleus in urban Chennai.

Architectural Wonder:
✦ The east-facing temple has a graceful vimana of the Gajaprishta type (apsidal / elephant-back form) — a style widely seen in Thondai Nadu temples of the Pallava period.
✦ Based on this feature, the original shrine likely dates to the 8th–9th century CE (Pallava era) and was later reconstructed in brick and granite.
✦ The presence of a Pallava-period Murugan (Brahma Sastha) idol further supports this attribution, though some historians connect its later form to Chola-period renovations.

07/10/2025

🌺 Mahishasura Mardini — The Warrior Goddess of Thirumalaicherry!
திருமலைச்சேரியின் வீராங்கனை – மஹிஷாசுரமர்தினி!

In the quiet village of Thirumalaicherry, amidst fields and fading stone relics, stands this 10th-century Rashtrakuta-era Mahishasura Mardini, worshipped today as Durga Devi.

✦ She stands triumphant — eight-armed, adorned with Karanda Makuta, Marbu Kachu, Keyuram, and armlets.
✦ Her weapons — Chakra, Sankha, Bow, Shield, Arrow, Sword, and a severed head — narrate a moment of divine conquest.
✦ Her lion (Vahana Simha) crouches beside her as she places her left leg upon the subdued demon Mahishan and delivers the final strike with a long sword.

A rare Rashtrakuta-period sculpture from King Krishna III’s reign, it reflects a transition between Pallava grace and Chola vigour — where devotion meets power in chiselled form.

📍 Thirumalaicherry, Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu
🪔 Period: c. 10th century CE — Rashtrakuta King Krishna III

05/10/2025

Hidden Chola Craft at Senji–Panambakkam!
செஞ்சி-பனம்பாக்கம் ஜனமேஜெய ஈஸ்வரர் ஆலயம் — மறைந்திருக்கும் சோழக் கலைச்சின்னம்!

If you love spotting micro-details, don’t miss the dancing-lady pillars, green-stone niche deities, and a rare 16-fluted dhara-linga—all in one compact village shrine.

Directions/Location
✦ Senji–Panambakkam, Tiruvallur district (not Gingee Fort).
✦ Nearest rail: Senji Panambakkam; also close to Manavur.

Highlights not to miss
✦ 16-fluted dhara-linga (moolavar), presently in the ardha-mandapa (safety move).
✦ Kosta set (green stone): Ganesa, Daksinamurti, Lingodhbhava, Brahma.
✦ Façade panels: Risabhantika Siva-Parvati, Nataraja, Uma-Mahesvara, Kannappa, acrobats.
✦ Pillars & brackets: malai-thongal motifs, varied potika.

Architecture wonder
✦ Plan: garbhagrha + antarala + ardha-mandapa + maha-mandapa on a padabandha adhisthana (vritta kumuda); slightly raised like a mada temple.
✦ Prastara: valapi, kapota (naasi-koodu), vyala-vari with lively bhuta-gana faces.
✦ Vimana: two-tier stucco remains.

Little history (records, no legends)
✦ Inscriptions here name Vikrama Chola, Kulottuṅga III, Rajaraja III, and a Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan regnal year.
✦ Mentions the old territorial grid: Jayangonda-Chola-mandalam → Manavil-kottam → Manavil-nadu → Senji.
✦ Endowments include lamp funds, garland preparation, and land grants; the deity is styled Jayamatheesvaramudaiya Mahadevar / Janamatheesvaramudaiya Nayanar.

Condition note (context for visitors)
✦ Vegetation over the vimana; cracked beams in the maha-mandapa; moolavar moved forward for safety. Tread carefully and be respectful around loose stonework.

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