Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple

Chottanikkarai Bhagavathi Temple

The Chottanikkara BhagavathyTemple (சோட்டனிக்கரை) is a famous temple of the Hindu mother goddess Bhagawati. 

The temple is located near Ernakulam in the southern Indian state of Kerala and is one of the most popular temples in the state and in terms of temple architecture,this temple stands out to be an ultimate testmonial for the ancient vishwakarma sthapathis (wooden sculpture) in sculpting this temple along with Sabarimala. 

Bhagawati is one of the most popular deities in the area, Chottanikkara Devi is worshipped at the temple, in three different forms: as Saraswati in the morning, draped in white; as Lakshmi at noon, draped in crimson; and as Durga in the evening, decked in blue. Lord Shiva is also worshiped at the temple. People suffering from mental illnesses commonly visit the temple, as Bhagawati is thought to cure her devotees. One should not miss the 'Guruthi Pooja' in the 'Keezhkkaavu' temple at Chottanikkara. This is a ritual done at late evening to invoke the goddess. Earlier 'Guruthi Pooja' was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed everyday.

பகவதி அம்மனின் மூன்று ரூபங்கள் இந்த கோயிலில் வழிப்படப்படுவது ஒரு குறிப்பிடத்தக்க விசேஷமாகும். அதாவது, காலையில் வெள்ளுடை அணிந்த சரஸ்வதி தேவியாகவும், மதியத்தில் சிவப்பு உடை பூண்ட லட்சுமி தேவியாகவும், மாலையில் நீல நிற ஆடை உடுத்திய துர்க்கா தேவியாகவும் இந்த பகவதி அம்மன் பக்தர்களுக்கு தரிசனம் தருகின்றார்.

Transport Facility : Train - The nearest station is at Ernakulam about 17 km away from Chottanikkara. The two railway stations in Kochi are Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town. Road : KSRTC Central Bus station is near the Ernakulam Junction railway station. There are plenty of private buses available for travel from Ernakulam to other cities.

Nashville Ganesh Temple

Sri Ganesha Temple in Nashville Tennessee

Nashville Ganesh Temple was built to provide a place for cultural, educational, and spiritual activities related to Hinduism, to promote inter religious, social, and cultural understanding, and to support humanitarian causes.

The temple was designed by Sri Muthiah Sthapathi, and resembles the temple architecture of Chola dynasty (900AD -1150AD).

How to Reach :  Sri Vinayaka Temple, is located on the Old Hickory Blvd in Nashville, which is close to Nashville downtown.

Nashville Ganesha Temple, 527 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209

Check my latest post on Nashville Ganesh Temple

Other Ganesh Temples in USA

·        Swedesboro Raja Ganapathi Temple in New Jersey  

·        Cumming Ganesh Temple in Georgia

·        Flushing Ganesh Temple in New York

BAPS - Atlanta

BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Atlanta

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a worldwide religious and civic organization dedicated to the spirituality of the individual while promoting harmony between individuals, within families, and within diverse communities.

A Mandir is a Hindu place of worship – a haven for spirituality and a place of paramount peace. It is also a center vibrant with social, cultural, and spiritual activities. 

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was inaugurated in August of 2007 after only 17 months of construction time utilizing 1.3 million volunteer hours. The Mandir is comprised of 3 types of stone (Turkish Limestone, Italian marble, and Indian pink sandstone). More than 34,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India, shipped to the USA and assembled in Lilburn like a giant 3-D puzzle. The organization’s current spiritual Guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, came to Lilburn in 2004 and blessed the first foundation stones.

The interior of the temple is even more intricate, but unfortunately photography is strictly prohibited.

How to Reach :  BAPS temple is located in Lilburn, Georgia, in the intersection of Rockbridge Road and Lawrenceville Highway.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta, 460 Rockbridge Rd NW, Lilburn, GA 30047

Riverdale Temple in Atlanta

Riverdale Hindu Temple in Atlanta

Hindu Temple of Atlanta was built in 1990, is located in the city of Riverdale near Atlanta, Georgia. Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by followers of Hinduism in the Greater Atlanta area.

The Hindu temple has two complexes - one complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the other with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. In addition to the presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities.

Other deities in the Atlanta Shiva Vishnu temple

Ø  Lord Ganesha

Ø  Lord Subramanya

Ø  Sri Parvati

Ø  Navagrahas

Ø  Sri Lakshmi

Ø  Sri Durga

Ø  Sri Hanuman

How to Reach : Hindu Temple of Atlanta, is just miles away from Atlanta airport.

The Hindu Temple of Atlanta (Riverdale, GA) 5851 GA-85, Riverdale, GA 30274

Thiruthankal

Thiruthankal  - Sri Karunellinathar Temple

Karunellinathar temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Thiruthangal, a town in the outskirts of Sivakasi, a in Tamil Nadu, India.

Shiva is worshiped as Karunellinathar, and is represented by the lingam and his consort Parvati is depicted as Chokki Amman.It is built on a hillock 100 ft (30 m) and houses a small gateway tower known as gopurams. The temple is a rock cut temple and has many shrines, with those of Karunellinathar and Chokki Amman being the most prominent.

The temple is located on the other side of Ninra Narayana Perumal temple, a famous Vishnu temple and can be reached from that temple on the hillock. The temple is believed to have been built by Gurukalathirayan during the Pandyan regime in 1233 CE.

The place where the temple was located was believed to be housing two Amla trees (called nelli in Tamil) and hence got the name as Irunellinathar, which later went on to become Karunellinathar. There are separate shrines for Vinayaka, Surya, Chandra and Dakshinamurthi. There is a huge life size stone image of Nataraja and Sivakami and housed in the dancing hall of the temple.

Thiruthangal - Sri Karu Nellinathar Temple திருத்தங்கல் - ஸ்ரீ கருநெல்லி நாதர் திருக்கோவில்
Main Deity	Lord Shiva
Name	Sri Karunellinathar
Goddess Name	Sri Chokki Amman
Location	ThiruThankal - திருத்தண்கால்
Temple Tank	-
Significance	-
Ancient	800 Years old
Travel Base	Virudhunagar or Sivakasi

How to reach : The temple is about 5 kms distance from Sivakasi, 20Kms from Virudhunagar, and 20Kms from Srivilliputthur. Frequent buses available between Virudanagar  Sivakasi and Srivilliputhur.

Don't Miss It : In the Same hillock another two temples are there for Lord Vishnu and Lord Murugan - Sri Nindra Narayana Perumal Temple and Sri Palani Andavar Temple.

Very close to this hilllock, small Vana Durgai Amman Temple is there.