Location
Ashtalakshmi Temple is a recently built temple that stands on the
shores of Bay of Bengal. The temple is situated in the Besant Nagar
suburbs of Chennai city. The temple is grounded on the southern tip
of a popular beach of Chennai that is Elliot's beach. The
Tiruvanmiyur Bus Station is only a couple of kilometres away and
provides easy access to the place.
Overview
Ashtalakshmi Temple is considered as the only temple featuring the
eight manifestations of the Goddess Mahalakshmi. The temple was
built in the year 1976 and features various characteristics of
Dravidian temple architecture. Ashtalakshmi temple and the
Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai are the only temples of the goddess
that are located on the Indian coast. The eight manifestations of
Goddess Mahalakshmi include Sri Aadhi lakshmi the Goddess of health,
Sri Dhanya lakshmi the Goddess of food, Sri Dhairya lakshmi the
Goddess of courage, Sri Gaja lakshmi the Goddess of luck, Sri
Santhana Lakshmi the Goddess of children, Sri Dhana lakshmi the
Goddess of wealth, Sri Vijaya lakshmi the Goddess of victory and Sri
Vidya lakshmi the Goddess of education. Some other deities
worshipped here include Sri Hanuman, Sri Guruvayurappa and Sri
Ganesh. The temple was built by a trust consisting of five members
and headed by Mukkur Srinivasa Varadhachriyar. In the year 1994 the
temple authorities by the state government and at present is run by
the Hindu Religious Endowments and Administrative Departments. The
temple witnesses a great fervor in the popular festivals like
Navratri, Deepavali and Pongal.
Features
The temple features a blend of ancient Dravidian architecture and
the contemporary style of temple building. The temple complex
consists of a series of tiers, five in number, with some prolific
stone works. The images of principal deities, Mahalakshmi and
Mahavishnu, are located in the second tier. On the southern end of
the first tier is the image of Aadhi laksmi. On the western and
northern turf are the images of Dhaanya and Dhairya laksmi. A flight
of stairs takes from the first to the second one. Here one can find
the shrine of Santaana Lakshmi facing the southward dierction. The
shrine of Vijaya lakshmi is located in the same tier but towards the
west. Facing the eastern side of the tier is the shrine of Gaja
lakshmi. The fourth tier contains only the shrine of Dhana lakshmi,
that faces towards the east. The whole structures is painted with a
multitude of colors. With the sea in the background, Ashtalakshmi
temple looks simply superb.
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