Going anywhere!

I think it is fair enough to say that the Asiatic Lion would be about 1,350 km away from this sign. But why would the Wild Water Buffalo (I assume that's the last one on the sign be so much farther away? Even a twisting and turning road+rail route to Manas National Park from Chennai shows up to be only 2,500 km; a crow could cut off much more than 20% of that, as it flies there from Chennai!

The mystery continues with the pictures of the Monitor Lizard and the Mugger, at 900 km away from here. That would put them somewhere in the middle of the border between the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean!

Shore temple

There are some temples built along the sea coast, but I daresay those on banks of rivers would be more in number. Chennai has a few such, including one that is almost at the mouth of the Cooum. This one is hidden away inside Tholkappiyar Poonga; it appears that there is some arrangement by which worshippers can access it at specific times of the day. 

Angala Parameswari, who is the presiding - and sole - deity here is a kaaval deivam (guardian deity). In this form, the Goddess Parvati had chased down and killed an asura who had taken refuge inside a corpse in a burial ground. Angala Parameswari is therefore depicted with a waist-sash of human bones. 

These days, the Goddess is appeased with a few lemons stabbed on the tines of her trident; and there are at least 5 tridents in front of her sanctum - may those help Her in protecting us all!