As one who has been going around, in the neighbourhood of this temple regularly nowadays, I could quench my thirst for visiting the temple leisurely, only yesterday, 4/2/19, which fortunately happened to be the last day of the 4th Anniversary Celebration of the temple's latest KumBhABhishekam, probably in 2015.
WhAt first struck me were the following, (besides the sannadhis for different Gods, already listed by other reviewers of this temple, with the front of the garba-gruham of Vengiswarar, copper-plated and all-shining).
1. The soothing welcome of the promise, in Thamish - "veNdum varam tharum Vengeeswaram !(Vengeeswaram blesses you with the boon you ask). Who wont be pleased with such a welcome promise?
2. The mAssive array of flowers on float in wAter-a hit with many believers nowadays, who keep wAter in a bowl, the surface of wAter fully covered by floating flowers.
With the difference in this temple yesterday, that the nandhi, the vehicle of Lord SivA, too in the wAter ! To add to the beauty were the creepers, and fruits hanging atop this display of flowers on float !
3. The Bell-Tower, though the rope with which the bell could be actuated anytime manually from the ground wAs missing !
4. LAst, but most importantly, the window to the pAst that the sthala-purAn(history of this temple/kshethram) provides.
I wAs taking for granted the "Kollywood"-tinsel world's story of its rich celebrities in the pAst, taking a horse-cArt, in the days preceding the Automobile, in this Thamish-film-world-areA, and the place being called ghodA-pAkkam !
The temple-story on the origin of the name of KodampAkkam is more fascinating and feasible. 1. The name coming from the incident of SivA bending Meru-hill to make a bow for countering the asurAs of ThripurA. kodu(hill)+ambu(arrow)+aakkam(making) wAs how the name came. 2. Also becAuse a (kAr)-kodagan worshipped Vishnu in this area-Kodagan-pAkkam ! The aadhimoola PerumAL of the VishNu temple facing East, (now overshadowed by the more popular South/then-Pashani-facing Murugan Temple), wAs the kArkkodagan-worshipped temple? The origin of the name of the now-famous, yoga-guru, Pathanjali, as the incarnation of aadhi-Seshan, wAs also interesting to read!
The story of the tiger/vengai-legged saint vyAgrapAdhar is fascinating too. And nearby Puliyoor deriving its name from him !
Incidentally, only a few of the visitors to Vada PashanI AaNdavr/Murugan Temple may know of the temple/samAdhis to the three Architects/Founders of the Murugan temple, called the SidhDhar temple, on the north of the Murugan temple in this areA.
By the way, a stAunch believer in anna-dhAnam, a LalithAmbAL, gave me the prasAdh on third attempt only, yesterday, at this temple !
When I extended my one palm, placed above the other, for a small pArt, she said "bring a leaf(the plantain leaf)"; when I went with a small leaf, she ordered me to bring a big nuni-ilai, the ceremonial big end of the leaf as cut from the tree. She wAs satisfied only when she had filled the big nuni-ilai, with prasAdh, sAmBhAr-rice, almost overflowing from the leaf !
"nal-Ichchaiyai poorththi seyvAi, ichchAsakthi !
nal-aRivai koduththiduvAi gnAna-Sakthi;
nallavarAi emai uruvAkkiduvAi kriya-sakthi !
ulaga mudhaRpeNNAna parA-Sakthi !"
I remembered my own rough Thamish-rendering of one stanzA of LalithA Sahasra nAmam, often recited by my fAther, from whom we, his sons, picked it up too