CHENNAI: The Kasi Viswanathar temple in West Mambalam, one of the many temples in this area, is named after the famous Siva temple in Kasi (Varanasi). According to this temple’s sources, this place was once called Maha Vilvam (Maha Bila Kshetram) from which the name Mambalam came. This temple was a small shrine in the 17th century.
The main entrance faces east and is located on Karuppiah street but many devotees enter the temple through the entrance on the south side which is on Kasi Viswanathar street. Both the entrances have tall, modern gopurams, the one on the east having seven storeys and the one on the south having three tiers.
The mandapam in front of the main sanctum is large and made of concrete, but the pillars remind the visitor of the granite ones in Vijayanagar era mandapams.
A particular pillar in this mandapam, has images of Ardhanarishwarar, Garuda, Hanuman (Sanjeevi Rayar), Yoga Narasimha, Parathyankara Devi, Sarabesvarar, Sankara Narayana, and Nandishwarar.
A tiny stone Nandi faces the main shrine which houses the Siva Lingam worshipped as Kasi Viswanathar. The devakoshtas (niches) on the walls of this sanctum have the images of Nritta Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga.
A row of sixty-three Nayanamars is seen close to the principal shrine. The prakaram (enclosure) has sanctums for Vinayaka, Subramanya with consorts, Nataraja, Chandikeshwara, Bhairava and Navagraha. The sanctum for Goddess Visalakshi, consort of Kasi Viswanathar, faces south, and is located in the prakaram.
Many festivals are celebrated in this temple, the main one being the Brahmotsavam (annual festival) for ten days in Panguni. Some of the other festivals are, a procession for Goddess Visalakshi on Pournami (full moon) day in the month of Chittirai.
On Vaikasi Visakam, there is procession for Muruga; on Uttiram nakshatram in Ani, there is a special abhisekam for Nataraja and annabhisekam is done in Aippasi during Asvini nakshatram. Margazhi Thiruvadirai is special as in all Siva temples.