Tiruchanur is revered as the holy abode of Goddess Padmavathi, but not many are aware of an ancient Sri Srinivasa temple on the banks of River Swarnamukhi, which is around 250 years old.
This temple was then considered the “Gateway to Tirupati” for devotees from the south. More than two centuries back, a Sri Vaishnavite seer known as Kethandipatti Swamy stayed in the temple vicinity. He hailed from Lakshmipuram, a rich agraharam near Kuppam, who donated his properties worth ₹4 lakh in those days to the poor and came here to lead a monastic life. His disciple was Sri Vedanta Ramanuja Mahadesikan, who later came to be known as “Tirupati Swamy”. He, in turn, ordained sainthood to his disciple and renamed him as Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan, who became known as “Kozhiyalam Swamy”. Born in 1882, Kozhiyalam Swamy assumed sainthood in 1920 and served till 1944 at this temple. The private temple, which was managed by the family trust of former Lok Sabha Speaker Madabhushi Anantasayanam Ayyangar, a native of Tiruchanur, lost its sheen and prominence later. The TTD acquired this temple in 2008 and has now taken up its restoration.
The project, estimated at an outlay of ₹3 crore to ₹5 crore, involves not only rebuilding the dilapidated structure, but also re-consecrating the 250-year-old presiding deity (Moolavirat) in the sanctum sanctorum. The “Maha Samprokshanam” will be performed on April 27.
