CHETTIPUNYAMHAYAGREEVAR TEMPLE, KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT, TAMILNADU Introduction-Hayagriva
Hayagriva is a horse-headed avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu,who is revered as the god of knowledge, wisdom, and speech. He is a protector of the Vedasand is depicted with a human body and a horse's head, often shown with a white colourand seated on a white lotus. According to mythology, he appeared to rescue the Vedasafter they were stolen by demons and returned them to Brahma. Key aspects ofHayagriva Avatar of Vishnu: He is considered a rare and importantavatar of Vishnu, the preserver god in Hinduism. God of knowledge: He represents the triumph of pure knowledgeover ignorance and darkness. Protector of the Vedas: His primary role is as the restorerof the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India. Symbolism: His horse's head symbolizes enlightenment, and hiswhite colour signifies purity and Sattva (a quality of goodness). Worship: Special worship is conducted for him on HayagrivaJayanthi, the full moon day in August, and on Mahanavami. Hayagriva Incarnationdetails-The LordHayagriva is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is worshipped as the God of knowledgeand wisdom with a human body with Horse Head, brilliant white in colour withwhite garments and seated on a white lotus. The avatar of Hayagriva Bhagavantook place to restore the Vedas to Brahma. Brahma became extremely conceitedabout his power as the creator. Lord Narayana discerning this, decided to ridBrahma of his pride. A couple of water droplets fromthe lotus seat of the Lord incarnated as two Asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha, whostole the Vedas from Brahma. Unable to carry on his work of creationwithout the Vedas, Brahma beseeched Lord Narayana for help. Lord Narayanaincarnated as Hayagriva and destroyed the Asuras and restored the Vedas toBrahma. Introduction about thetemple The Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple is a famous Hayagreevartemple situated at Chettipunyam in the kanchipuram District. However the templeis near to Chengelpet. It lies 30 km away from Chennai city towards Trichy inthe NH 45. From Chennai it is located at a distance of 50 Kms just opposite to Mahindra WorldCity. The main deity is Vishnu, who graces in the name of SriVaradaraja Perumal. Devi Hemambuja Nayaki is his consort. Sri Yoga Hayagreevar,as the god of knowledge, blesses all the students who come here and offerprayers to him. He bestows them with a good education and career opportunities. Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Vishnu temple and Sri VaradarajaSwamy temple are other names for it. Also, Vedanta Desikar, afamous saint, used to chant the Garuda Mandhiram in this place. The Significance ofHayagreevar The word 'Hayagreevar' is derived from two Sanskrit words. 'Haya' means 'horse', and 'greeva'means 'neck'. He is depicted with a human body and the head of ahorse. He is the god of knowledge, learning, and wisdom. In Hindu mythology, itis believed that Hayagreevar restored the Vedas to Brahma, who had lost themdue to a curse. People worship Hayagreevar as the preserver and protector ofknowledge. History The Chettipunyam village derived its name from a community ofChettiyars, who lived here and earned their living through weaving. Initially,the main deity of this temple was Sri Varadaraja Perumal and his consortHemambuja Nayaki. Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple is 500 years old. In 1848,Sri Dewan Rangachar brought the idols of Sri Hayagreevar and Sri DevanathaSwamy from the underground chambers of Sri Thiruvahindrapuram, Cuddalore. SriVedanta Desikar composed the popular Sri Hayagreevar Stotram with 32 versespraising him. The Ashtabandhana MahaSamprokshanam took place in the 1993. Architecture The Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple features the Dravidianstyle of architecture. The temple faces east with a pyramidal-shaped 2-tierRajagopuram. Visitors can see its history written on the walls of the temple. The temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum, Ardha Mandapa,Maha Mandapa, Antarala, and Mukha Mandapa. Dwarapalakas are at the entrance ofthe sanctum. On the first level, the Rajagopuram has stucco images of SriVaradaraja Perumal with his consorts, Sridevi and Bhudevi, and alsoHayagreevar. A 3-tier stucco Vimana is over the sanctum. The vimana is calledAnanda Nilaya Vimana. In Chettipunniyam, the architecture of the Shri Yoga HirgavayTemple is stunning and intricate, showing the work of ancient Tamils. Thetemple’s entrance has a simple but graceful gopuram decorated with variousbeautiful figures of gods and mythical animals. This small but significanttower acts as a sentinel towards the people, representing Vishnu guarding theentrance and demonstrating the influence of Dravidian styles of architecture.The temple has massive hallways and contains huge carved pillars with geometricdesigns and motifs found in the southern part of India. The temple’s innersanctum is remarkable with the dark stone used in its interiors. Deities The primary deity, Sri Varadaraja Perumal, flanked by Sri Devi and Bhu Devion either side, graces from the sanctum. In front of them are the bronze idols of Sri YogaHayagreevar and Sri Devanatha Swamy. Sri HemambujaNayaki has a separate shrine. Normally Sri Hayagreevar is always seen with his consortLakshmi Devi. But,in this temple, Sri Hayagreevar appears alone in a yoga mudra (meditating)posture. It is the specialty of theChettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple. The Urchavar is Sri Devanatha Perumal. Sri Devanatha Perumalis holding Prayoga Chakra in his right hand, an uncommon sight. Sri Andal,Thayar, and Garuda are the other deities housed here. It is said that Sri Mudumbai Ramaswamy Iyengar brought the idols of Rama, Sita,Lakshmana, and Hanuman from Tanjore, and later, he installed them in thistemple. There is a separatesanctum sanctorum for Lord Sri Rama along with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. The temple's Prakaram is huge andcontains many varieties of trees. Poojas The Chettipunyam Yoga Hayagriva Perumal Temple follows the Vadakalai tradition of SriVaishnavism.The main daily pujas (poojas) at the Chettipunyamtemple, also known as the Sri Yoga Hayagrivar Perumal Temple, are conductedbetween the morning and evening hours, in line with Vaishnavite tradition. The temple closes in the afternoon, with regular dailyworship taking place during the following hours: Morning: 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Evening: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Overview of daily pujas While the full schedule of the temple's daily rituals is notpublicly detailed, the daily pujas include: Vaigarai Puja: The first puja of the day, which takes placein the early morning. Archana: A standard Hindu puja involving offering prayers andreciting the names of the deities. Prasadam distribution: After the main pujas, prasadams(sanctified food) are distributed to devotees. Funding for temple The Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple was earlier funded by the revenue generated from the 55acres of agricultural land and the ancestral house of Thiru Rengaswamy Iyengar. Festivals The Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple celebrates the entireTamil month of Thai from January 15 to February 15. The villagers celebrate Thiruparvettai during Thaimonth. The ninth day of Navratri is observed as Mahanavami here. Vaigasi Magam, KarthikaiDeepam, Adi Pooram, Vijaya Dasami, and Rama Navami are the other festivals celebratedin the temple. The temple performs ceremonies as per Vaishnavism. The temple along with devotees also organises a number ofutsavams like Sri Jayanthi, Vaikunda Ekadasi, Desikan Sathumurai, Panguni Uthiram and Udayavar Sathumurai. Vaikasi Makam: Celebrated for Lord Devanatha, marking the dayhe was brought to the temple. Hayagriva Jayanthi: Celebrated on Avani Thiruvonam, drawingthousands of devotees. Other Festivals: Parivettai (Thai), Adhyayana Utsavam and Sattrumurai for Nammazhwar, Ramanuja, andDesikar. Benefits ofWorshipping at Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple Devotees believe that worshipping at Chettipunyam HayagreevarTemple brings blessings of knowledge and wisdom, success in education andcareer, and protection from negative energies. Offerings Devotees tie a cloth in the Azhijal tree and pray toHayagreevar for success in studies, marriage, and progeny. Students offer Elaichi Mala flowers, pens, and notebooks to Hayagreevar for hisblessings. Honey Neivedyam: Peoplewith speaking disorders may offer honey as a remedy. Temple timings The Chettipunyam Hayagreevar Temple remains open from 7.30 am to 12.00 pm and from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pmon all days. Key deities The daily pujas are offered to the temple's main deities: Sri Varadharaja Perumal: The primary deity, also identifiedwith Yoga Hayagrivar. Sri Devanatha Swamy: The utsavar (processional deity). Devi Hemambuja Nayaki: The presiding goddess. Notable daily practice As the temple is a celebrated center of learning andknowledge, students visit and offer prayers to Lord Hayagriva daily,particularly by placing their books and stationery at his feet. Wednesday andThursday are considered especially auspicious for those seeking academicsuccess Well in front of thetemple The wellin front of the Chettipunyam temple is now closed with a grill for safetyreasons, likelyto prevent accidents or contamination. This is a common practice for wellslocated in public areas, especially near places of worship or in urbanenvironments. The closure ensures that the well water is not used forinappropriate purposes and is preserved for its intended use, possibly for thetemple or the local community. Specialty Swami Desikan has veryeloquently described the greatness of Bhagavan Hayagriva in the HayagrivaStotram. Many references from the Hayagriva Upanishad are succinctly containedin Swami Desikan's tribute. About the temple location Chettipunniyam Temple is in Chettipunniyam Village ofChengalpet taluk, Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. The roads near the temple are Bajanai Koil Street,Gandhi Street, and Jubilee Road. National Highway 205 connectsChettipunniyam to major cities in Chennai. The temple is surrounded by localagricultural fields and similar temples dedicated to Ayyanar and Murugan. Administration The Sri Yoga Hayagriva Temple in Chettipunyam is at present managedby an Executive Officer appointed by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR& CE) Department. Address Chettipunnyam Varadharaja Perumal Temple (Hayagriva Temple),Chettipunnyam Village, Kanchipuram District, TamilNadu – 603 204. Phone: +918675127999 How to Reach the Temple By Road-Chettipunyam bus stand is the nearest to the templeat a 1.5 km distance. Plenty of autos are available to the temple. Tarred roadis there for cars and taxies. By Rail-Singaperumal Koil is the nearest railway station tothe temple. It is at a 5 km distance. Plenty of autos are available to thetemple. By Air-Chennai International Airport, at a 36 km distance, isthe nearest. Compiled from varioussources, Google and AI searches and posted by R. Gopalakrishnan on 25-10-2025 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/834751023.272284.1761362874539%40mail.yahoo.com.
