Sri Rathnagiriswarar Temple, Besant Nagar: Built from Shivalinga Statue found

Hello Friends,

The Chennai city is dotted with lovely temples, shrines and mosques. Some of them very old, as old as the city itself, some of them have come into existence some 40 or 50 years back. And then of course there are innumerable Ganesha temples in every neighbourhood, and sadly most of the Ganesha temples co-exist and rub shoulders with Tasmac outlets and men fallen down in drunken stupor.

With the cosmopolitan city that Chennai is, it is increasingly difficult to find clean and peaceful spaces that house temples. This is why the Sri.Rathnagiriswarar temple in Besant Nagar is so much liked by its devotees. It lies in a quiet residential lane of Besant Nagar well taken care of by its devotees and nearby residents. It has an ancient look but fitted with modern amenities and very neatly maintained. The sanctum and sanctorum and inner precincts of the temple are unique and steeped in tradition, while the approach and the inner courtyard has granite flooring and cement structures.

The temple has a rich history to it, as I gather it was built by Besant Nagar Bhaktha Mandali group that strives to promote religious and spiritual activities. And another important and interesting dimension to the temple coming into existence is that the Kanchi Mutt pontiff, Sri Mahaswamigal had ordained this temple to be built and had predicted that a statue of ShivaLinga will be found on the beaches of Thiruvanmiyur. As prophesied, a sivalinga was found and it was consecrated on Mahashivarathri day in 1970 at Besant Nagar, where the temple stands now.

There are separate sannadhis for Adi Sankara Bhagavadpada, Lord Vinayaka (this Vinayaka Idol was originally worshipped by Ramana Maharishi at Thiruvannamalai), Sri Rathnagiriswarar, Sri Aralakesi Ambal, Sri Valli Deivayanai Sametha Sri Subramanya, Sri Rama, Sri Anjaneya, and Navagraha; in the Ghoshtams, Sri Durga, Sri Brahma, Sri Maha Vishnu, Sri Dakshinamoorthy and Sri Nardana Vinayakar are installed.