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| Location |
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Kancheepuram. |
| Main Deity |
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Chitragupta. |
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Nearest Town : Kancheepuram
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District : Kancheepuram
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State : Tamil Nadu
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Chatur Varga Chinthamani of Hemadri stipulates that Chitragupta should stand to the right of Yama, along with Yama duthas. But here he is bestowed the unique glory of being a Main deity and hence the Mula Bhery is Chitragupta. Framed by a Prabavali, the Deity with two hands is of blade granite in Sukasana (sitting) pose, one leg bent and the other hanging and resting on a lotus bloom. As if to indicate his functions, he is provided with a stylus in his right hand and a sheaf of cudjan leaves in the left.
Two festival deities unearthed in 1911, consist of Chitragupta and his consort Kannagi both standing on the same pedestal. Besides this, another Utsava murthi with Devi is in a separate sanctum. The festival deity also holds the same thing as the Moolavar while the Devi holds her right hand in Simha Karna Hasta pose with the left dangling, gracefully. She must have held an utpala.
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It is only on the day of Chitra Pournami that Chitragupta is invoked and worshipped. Apart from his link with Yama, he is also an Adi devata for Kethu, the last of the Navagrahas, who delights in casting a malign influence on the victim. To get release from the clutches of Kethu, and to appease Yama, the Lord of Death, the blessing of Chitragupta are sought. It is not the carved columns or delicate sculptures that enthral you here as the interest to draw one’s mind to take stock of your deeds, before leaving this planet.
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