CHENNAI: The small and little-known village of Elanagar, Kanchipuram District, is the location of a Vishnu temple dedicated to Srinivasa Perumal. Gaddam Tatha Desikan, one of the spiritual leaders of Srivaishnavism, is believed to have constructed this temple in 1212 AD in Elanagar.
The Srinivasa Perumal temple is a small structure. In the main sanctum, this deity is seen in standing pose holding the sankha and chakra in the upper hands with the lower right hand in varada hasta (boon-giving pose) and lower left hand as though placed on top of the mace. Goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi are on either side. Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Srinivasa Perumal is worshiped as Padmavathi Thayar.
The mantapa of this temple has pillars of the Chola style of architecture and thus the architectural details tally with the traditional account of this temple which states that this shrine was constructed in 1212 AD which was when the dynasty of the Cholas was ruling over a large area of the Tamil country. In this mantapa are stone images of Vasudeva, Vishvaksena, Nammazhvar, Ramanujacharya and Vedanta Desika. An inscription near the main entrance, datable to the late 19th or early 20th century AD registers a donation of a certain amount of money (kasu) and is dated in Dathu year and in the Tamil month of Chittirai (April-May).
A unique festival is celebrated in the month of Vaikhasi (May-June) in the asterism of Visakam when there is full moon (Pournami). Fifteen ustava-murtis of Vishnu with Garuda from fifteen Vishnu temples in the Kanchipuram-Vandavasi route go to River Cheyyar near Cheyyar town, including Srinivasa Perumal from Elanagar.