The Sri Madhura Kaliamman Temple is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple dedicated to the goddess

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

located in the village of

Siruvachur Siruvachur is a small village located in the Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest c ...

in the

Perambalur taluk Perambalur taluk is a taluk of Perambalur district in Tamil Nadu, India. Its headquarters is the town of Perambalur. Geography Perambalur taluk comprises the town of Perambalur proper and a number of neighbouring towns and villages with ''gra ...

Perambalur District Perambalur is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The district headquarters is located at Perambalur. The district occupies an area of 1,752 km² and had a population of 565,223 with a se ...

, India. Siruvachur is located at a distance of 5 km from

Perambalur Perambalur is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of Perambalur district and Perambalur ''taluk'' (sub-district). census, the town had a population of 49,648. There are a set of 11th century Buddha statues aroun ...

, its nearest town. The

Car festival Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a ...

and the annual '' Panguni'' festivals are important festivals celebrated.

History

The place where the temple was constructed is believed to be the place where

Kannagi Kannagi ( ta, கண்ணகி) sometimes spelled Kannaki, is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic ''Cilappatikaram''. Kannagi is described as the chaste woman who stays with her husband despite his unfai ...

, the idol of the Tamil epic

Silappatikaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം,IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the e ...

, reassured herself after burning

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

city to the ground. According to tradition, Goddess Chelliamman was a local deity of

. Her powers became delimited by a tantrik, who started using the powers and for destructive purposes.

came across this Devi temple at

and decided to rest there for the night. During her stay, Chelliamman revealed her servitude, and

killed the tantrik and saved Chelliamman.

now received the name as Madura Kaliamman, as she is from Madurai & got rid of the tantric with the blessings of Goddess

. Chelliamman, as a gesture of gratitude and also in order to greet Madura Kaliamman, moved to the Periaswamimali, a nearby hillock, requesting the latter to stay in Siruvachur to which Madura Kaliamman accepted with a suggestion that the initial offerings shall be presented to her (Chelliamman). The temple is about 1000 years old. Sri Mathura Kaliamman is the kula devata (family deity) of the saint Sri Jagadguru Mahaperiyava Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswami of the Sri Kanchipuram Kamakoti Peetham.

Deities

The prime deity is Mathura Kaliamman. The temple is open to devotees only twice a week – Monday and Friday. It is believed that the main deity, Mathura Kaliamman, stays with Chelliamman during the remaining days of the week.

Festivals

is held annually during the month of May. During the festival, the idol of goddess Mathura Kaliamman is brought from the shrine to the car where rituals are performed. The car-festival is a part of the annual festival that is celebrated for a period of 13 days. A yearly Mahabishekam to the Deity has been performed since 1974 by Sri Mathurakaliamman Mahabhisheha Association(a registered autonomous body). This Mahabishekam is performed during the last Friday of Tamil month "Thai".

Places to Stay

* Hotel Temple In - Boarding & Lodging. Opposite to Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College (about 3 km from the temple, on the Chennai - Trichy NH 45). Cell - 73732 11299; 73732 11277 * Hotel Aryas

Places to Eat

* Hotel Ashwin - High class vegetarian food; Opposite to Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College (about 5 km from the temple, on the Chennai - Trichy NH 45) * Hotel Aryas - High class vegetarian food (within 4 km) from the temple, on NH 45

References

{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Hindu temples in Perambalur district