Aum Sai Ram
This is the 3rd Temple visited by me during my 9th Pilgrimage to Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temples at Chennai on Tuesday 11th Oct 2011.
My 9th Pilgrimage at Chennai Started with a Visit to:
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After visiting the Sri Shirdi Sai Maharaj Alayam at Nazarathpet, we took a short break & had our breakfast at Poonamallee & headed towards Poonamallee High road to Visit Sri Anna Baba Temple. On entering the Poonamallee High road towards Koyambedu, we can see this temple Arch towards the right side of the road. One has to take a U Turn after 200mtrs & come back to visit this temple. This temple is at a Distance of Around 2 kms from Poonamalle & Kumanan Chavadi. Share Auto's Ply on this road & are the only source of Public transport from Poonamallee.
Sri Kumar Baba the Founder of this temple has been a Devotee of Goddess Madurai Meenakshi. A Music Director for Spiritual Songs by Profession, Sri Kumar Baba & team were invited by the Sri Sai Baba Mandir at Injambakkam, Chennai in the year 1996 to perform a Bhajan Sandhya.
When Sri Kumar Baba went to take the Blessings of Sri Sai Baba, he heard a Strange voice telling about his presence in Him. Sri Kumar Baba just couldn't beleive in it & carried on for a while. Once during a Visit to Madurai Meenakshi, he could again see & hear the same voice & Meenakshi told him that it was indeed baba who had come to him.
He then started a Prayer hall at his 1 Bedroom Residence at 67th street in Ashok Nagar. The Main Intension of the Prayer Hall was to perform Group Prayers for one & all & to benefit the mankind. As the news spread, more & more people started participating in the thursday prayer & by 1998, the House was too small to accomadate the devotees visiting the Hall.
So a Bigger house in the adjacent area was rented out & devotees could attend the prayer as usual again. But in the year 2000, a Elderly Lady approached Sri Kumar Baba & handed over rupees One Lakh. Baba was bit hesitant to accept any donations but due to Sri Sai Baba's Divine intervention, the donation was accepted towards building a Temple for Sai Baba.
Land for the Construction of temple was searched & around 7 - 8 areas were proposed for the construction of the Mandir. But Sai Baba showed this Property on the Poonamallee High road & Insisted Sri Kumar Baba to Build a Temple for Him.
A 3.5 Ft Abhaya Hasta Dwarakamai Sai Baba Statue was ordered at Jaipur on the Mahalaya Amavasya day in the year 2000. Though the Statue was to be delivered in the Mid of 2001, the Statue was finished with in 2 Months & was delivered to Sri Kumar Baba in December 2000. When enquired with the statue sculptor, he felt as if Baba was forcing him to complete the statue & this made him restless & completed this statue first.
The Box Containing Statue of Sri Sai Baba got landed on the Main road near to the present temple early in the morning due to some trouble & Sri Kumar Baba thought that Baba had chose his place. They enquired in the surrounding area & finally fixed up the Property just 50mtrs from the Main road where Box containing Baba's Statue first Arrived.
After the Statue of Sai Baba arrived, 108 Sai Devotees from Middle class families were invited to sponser 25000 each towards building the Temple of Sri Sai Baba & these 108 Families are recognised as 108 Sai Souls. A Stupa along with the names of 108 Sai Devotees has been Installed in front of the Dhuni.
The Purpose of approaching 108 Sai Devotees was justified by Sri Kumar Baba, by Saying that if a Rich donates the entire money, he will become the sole care taker & the temple will be under his control. Also it is a belief that the money donated by the rich may not be from a proper source.
In the year 2002, Sai Baba's Statue was Installed & Prana Prathistha was performed on 24th, 25th & 26th April 2002. 24th April being Meenakshi's Kalyanam Day, Special Veluku Puja by 27 Ladies Representing 27 Nakshatra was performed before the Prana Prathistha.
Highlights of this Temple
1. A 3.5ft Abhaya Hasta/ Blessing Hands Dwarakamai Sri Sai Baba Marble Statue has been installed in the temple premises.
2. A Marble Statue of Ganeshji, Dattatreya & Bronze Idol of Sri Chakra, Maha meru has been installed in the temple premises along with the statue of Sri Sai Baba. Abhishekam to Sri Chakra is performed on Pournima.
3. Dhuni along with the Stupa for 108 Sai Souls has been installed towards the left of the Main Statue of Sai Baba.
4. Dwarakamai with the Statue of Sai Baba has been installed behind the temple next to the founder's home.
5. No Aarti, Archana or Abhishekam are performed in this temple & No Purohit has been hired to perform any puja to Sai Baba.
6. Coconut Breaking & other formalities are not allowed in the temple premises. Only thing that can get us blessings is through Annadanam & thus this Sai Baba is called as Anna Baba.
7. Sai Devotees are encouraged to perform their own puja. Chant their own mantra & perform puja rituals to Sri Sai Baba.
8. 10 Sai Devotees are allowed to donate Rupees 500 each & the total of 5000 Rupees thus collected is spent on performing Anna Dhan on Daily Basis to around 150 Devotees. Rice, Sabzi, Sambar, curd & pickle is served for the Prasad Meal on Daily Basis at 12pm. Sai Devotees can also pay money in advance & have to wait a minimum of 3 - 4 months from their turn to perform Annadanam.
9. On every Pournima Day, Sai Devotees are encouraged to donate 5kgs of Ponni Raw Rice. Strictly Only Ponni Raw Rice is accepted to maintain the quality of the prasad. A Average of around 4000kgs of Rice is received as Donations Monthly. Around 1000 - 1500kgs is sufficient to perform Annadanam through out the Month in this temple.
10. The remaining 3000+ kgs of Rice is donated to 16 Different temples around chennai on Monthly Basis to perform daily Annadanam & this way lot of devotees visiting all those temple are getting benefit due to Anna Baba's Divine Grace.
11. Around 1200 - 1500 Sai Devotees are provided with Prasad on every thursday & around 200 - 300 Sai Devotees are fed prasad on Sunday's.
12. Strictly no Donations are collected & the temple has not kept any hundi for donations. All the Food Stuff & puja materials donated are entered by the temple staff & record is maintained for all the materials given to temple.
13. The Important feature in this temple being the Guruvalam around the Gopuram on the Pournima Day. This is performed between 06:30pm to 10:00pm on guru pournima & around 3000 Sai Devotees participate in this event. Sai Devotees have to visit the Sai Brindavan from where the line Starts. Complete their Salutions to Naga Sai, Tulusi Matha, & climb the 18th Steps to reach the Gopuram where they have to perform 12 Pradakshina's Chanting Baba's Name. Another Speciality being the Entire Gopuram has been covered with Bronze kavach.
14. Idols of Dhanavantri on the West Direction with Sarpa, Vyasa on the North Direction with Gomatha, Sai Baba on the East Direction with Hamsa/ Peacock & Agasthiya on the South Direction with Nandi has been embossed on the Kavach in the four directions representing Health, Wealth, Prosperity & Knowledge. A Guru Paduka is also installed in front of the Gopuram.
15. On Thurdays Group Prayer is performed at 06:30 pm & all the prayers are read out on that day. Sai Devotees can even mail their prayers to Sri Kumar Baba so that their prayers will be read out.
16. Satsang is performed on thursdays between 11:30 - 12:15pm.
17. On Sunday's Pranayama is performed from 11:30 - 12:00noon.
18. On Punya thithi, Sai Devotees are encourage to perform 108 Pradakshina around Anna Baba & there is a belief that all their Debt will be recovered due to this puja. Performing 12 Pradakshina provides us with good health.
19. A Tulasi Brindavan has been built in the Spiritual Park 2 blocks/ around 100mtrs away from the temple premises. A Tulasi Brindavan with Goddess Lakshmi in the North, Anjaneya in the East, Ganeshji in the South & Baba in the West has been installed in the Spiritual Park. the Circular path around the Brindavan has been laid with pebbles which gives us acupressure benefits.
20. There is a strong belief among Sai Devotees that performing 12 Pradakshina on Thurday & Pournima invokes blessings of Sri Sai Baba.
21. Performing 15 Pradakshina on Fridayday invokes blessings of Lakshmi Devi. Financial Benefits can be received.
22. Performing 27 Pradakshina on Saturday invokes blessings of Anjaneya Swamy.
23. Performing 9 Pradakshina on Sunday invokes blessings of Ganeshji. This has been practiced efficiently by Sai Devotees for the Past 7 years.
24. A Statue of Sai Baba in Naga Baran was installed under the Neem & Banyan tree which has grown one over the other. Performing 9 Pradakshina on friday for 6 weeks during Rahu Kalam between 10:30 - 12:00 noon provides overall benefit from Sai Baba.
To See Complete Set of 80 Snaps of this Temple Visit:
To read the Complete book on this temple download:
Sri Anna Baba's Marble Statue with Abhaya Hastam
Sanctum of Sri Sai Baba with
Lord Venkateshwara & Padmavathi Tayar
Bronze Mahameru/ Sri Chakaram Installed behind the Statue of Sai Baba
Statue of Sri Ganesh Installed in front of Sai Baba
Statue of Dattatreya installed behind Sai Baba.
Statue of Lord Venkateshwara installed behind Sai Baba
Statue of Padmavati Tayar installed behind Sai Baba
Sai Baba Simhasan near to the Statue
Dhuni along with Stupa for 108 Sai Souls
who sponsored for this temple
Baba's Paduka on Stupa
Bronze Statue of Ganeshji at the end of the 18 step corridor leading to guruvalam
Gurupaduka in front of Gopuram
Dhanavantri with Sarpa facing West
Vyasa with Gomatha facing North
Sai Baba with Hamsa facing East
Agasthiya with Nandi facing South
Painting of Sai Baba at the Hall leading to guruvalam.
This is opened only on Pourima
Bronze Statue of Sai Baba at the entrance
of the temple in the Dining Area
Temple Entrance. They Prefer calling it as Prayer Hall Rather than a Temple
Outside temple Premises.
Here Prasad is served to Sai Devotees every afternoon
Statue of Naga Sai at the Spiritual Park Near to Tulasi Brindavan
Tulasi Brindavan
Temple Arch at the Entrance of the temple
on the Poonamalle High Road
Slide Show of the Photo Album
To See Complete Set of 80 Snaps of this Temple Visit:
To read the Complete book on this temple download:
Temple Address
Sri Anna Baba Mandir.
Poonamallee High Road,
Poonamallee,
Chennai-600 056.
Email Id
annababachennai@gmail.com
Contact Details
Sri Kumar Baba - Temple Founder
Phone: +91 44 2679 2363/1473.
Emergency Prayer No:
Mobile: +91 94446 64688
Prana Prathista Date
25th April 2002.
Temple Timings
07:30 am - 01:00 pm
04:00pm - 08:00 pm
04:00pm - 09:00 pm - Thursday
04:00pm - 10:00 pm - Pournima
Courtesy:
Article & Photo: Raghav N
