Dear sps your suggestion of temple tours gave me old memories.
i was at one point seeking out the 275 theevara paadal petra sthalangkal with a fiery enthusiasm.( have slowed down a bit)
it was then that i used to visit 3 temples in the forenoon( when even small temples were open)
in the area you mentioned
kachur-off maraimalai nagar thivida1suram- behind chingelpet( close to thiruporur) thiru kazhukundram
was one combination
kachur shiva is virunthitta eesar where he begged on the streets to get the lunch for saint sundara. idaichuram is reportedly a marakatha lingam and sambabdar asks in each stanza ivar vannam enne? kazu kundram famous for the now absent kites( has eny one seen them?)
How come these sites aren't highlighted? See, I was always under the erroneous impression that there wasn't much to see in Chennai... Fort St. George, Marina Beach.. Snack Bar.. er Snake park etc.. and then off to Mahabalipuram... I think we mustmake some efforts to put these on the tourist maps (not for religious purposes, but from a historical perspective).
thiruvalangadu thiru pachur( on main road left) and thiruven bakkam form a nice shaivaite trio.( can add thiru evvalUr too.) thiruvenbakkam is our own abu simbel the actual temple was on poondi lake bed. it was removed slab by slab and brought to the shore and reassembled.
thiru oondriswarar.
a blind sundarar having been promised succour goes to venbakkam where the god in a playful mood doesnt give him an eye but an oondru kol
hence his name
the amman appears as a lightning to show sundarar the way to kanchi( she's called minnoLi nayaki)