CHENNAI: Nandambakkam, close to Porur, is home to the Kodandarama Swami temple, which possibly dates back to the Vijayanagara times. According to traditional accounts, it was at a hill near Nandambakkam that Sage Bhringi performed penance. This area was originally known as Brindaranya Kshetram and also as Nandavanam from which the present name Nandambakkam is derived.
The main sanctum enshrines the stately image of Srinivasa Perumal with his upper hands holding the sankha and chakra and the lower hands in abhaya and varada gestures, flanked by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. Many emperors of the Vijayanagara dynasty were devotees of Venkatesvara (Srinivasa) of Tirumala and thus numerous temples for this deity were constructed in their empire.
It is said that several decades ago, the processional image of Parthasarathi Svami from Triplicane (Tiruvallikeni) came to this temple where the holy bath (tirumanjanam) was performed and the two deities exchanged ornaments.
The sanctums for Lakshmi and Andal are on either side of the mandapa in front of the Srinivasa Perumal shrine. The sanctum for Rama, also in this mandapa, is unique as it faces south. The main stone image of Rama enshrined here is unusual as the deity is in a sitting posture holding Sita on his lap, indicative of the Pattabhisheka ceremony. On either side of Rama are his brothers — Bharata, Lakshmana and Satrughna.
According to the traditional accounts of this temple, during the reign of the Vijyanagara emperors, seven neighbouring villages — Ekattuthangal, Parangimalai, Ramavaram, Sitapuram, Lakshmanapuram, Hanumantapuram and Sridevipuram — were donated to this temple for its upkeep and performance of rituals and festivals.
Opposite this Rama shrine is a sanctum for Hanuman in a very diminutive form. There is also a shrine for Nandavana Kannan which has a well-maintained garden (nandavana) in front.