Quantcast
Channel: Aalayam Kanden (Temples I saw)
Viewing all 180 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Thiruvanchaikalam!

July 24, 2015, 7:09 am
$
0
0
The Mahadevar Temple at Thiruvanchaikalam
Thiruvanchaikalam or Thiruvanchikulam is the only Devara Padal Petra Sthalam in Malai Nadu (Kerala). That's not all - It is also the place from where Sundaramurthy Nayanar left to his abode of his Lord on a white elephant that was dispatched to carry him. It also stands testimony to the friendship between Cheraman Perumal (believed to have been the Chera King Rajasekhara Varman) and Sundaramurthy Nayanar.

Thiruvanchaikalam or Thiruvanchikulam as it is also called is about three kms from Kodungallur, the place that has the famous Bhagavathi Amman temple wherein the main deity Bhagavathi is believed to be Kannagi who reached there after the burning of Madurai,  before proceeding to her heavenly abode. Today it is an ASI protected monument as well as a Muziris Heritage site. They say this temple dates back to over 2500 years making it one of the oldest temples in South India and the Mahadevar in this temple was the family God of the Cochin Royal Family over centuries and Mahodayapuram, the capital of the Kulasekaras was built around this temple.


Cheraman Perumal/Kazharittu Arivaar/ Perumakothaiyaar

Perumakothaiyar who was chosen as the Chera King was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. It is believed that once when he was surveying his kingdom, he saw a dhobi who was returning from the river after washing clothes. There were streaks of dried sand all over his body, which looked like smeared sacred ash to the devout Chera. Thinking the dhobi was a devotee of Shiva, the Chera King got off his elephant, and bowed before the dhobi with folded hands. The shocked dhobi fell at the feet of the King, saying, Oh King! Why are you bowing before me? I am a mere dhobi" The King smiled at him, and said, "So what, I am a mere Chera".

Cheraman perumal spent several hours worshipping Thiruvanchaikalathappar. At the end of his pooja, when he performed the Harathi, he would here the sweet sound of Lord Shiva's anklets which he would consider as acceptance of his sincere prayers.One day, he did not hear the sound of Lord Shiva's anklets atthe end of his Pooja. Fearing that the Lord had not accepted his prayers, he decided to take his life. As he was about to slit his throat, he heard the voice of the Lord, asking him to stop and apologising for having been mesmerised by the hymns sung by Sundaramurthy Nayanar in Chidambaram thereby causing a delay in acknowledging Cheraman Perumal's prayers.

Cheraman Perumal was keen to meet the saint whose songs had pleased Lord Shiva. So he travelled to Chidambaram to see Nataraja and reached Tiruvarur to meet Sundaramurthy Nayanar. Here he sang a hymn on Lord Thyagaraja and after worshipping him, met Sundarar. Soon, both became close friends. On Cheraman Perumal's invitation Sundarar went with him to Chera Kingdom and visited the wonderful temples of Shiva there.



Sundarar leaving for heavenly abode

On his second visit to Kodungaloor, at the age of 18, Sundarar had had enough of the earthly pleasures and wanted to be back in Kailash along with his Lord. So he came to the Vanchaikulathappar shrine at Thiruvanjaikalam on Aadi Swathi day, and sang a hymn on Lord Shiva, asking him to relieve him of the earthly burden and take him back to Kailash. On hearing his plea, Lord Shiva sent the white elephant Airavata, to escort Sundarar. When Cheraman Peruman saw his beloved friend depart to his heavenly abode, he did not want to be separated from him. So he got on his stately mount, chanted the Namasivaya mantra in his ears, which made the horse soar up in the air.

Cheraman Perumal circumambulated Sundarar thrice in his horse and reached Kailash before him. He then sang a hymn called Thiru Kailaaya Ula which described his journey to Kailash and this was sent back by Lord Shiva through Ayyanaar to be inaugurated at the Thirupattur Arangetra Aiyanaar Temple (close to the Tirupattur Brahma Temple. Read about the Brahma Temple on Aalayam Kanden here.

Sundarar also sang a hymn on his way to Kailash and Lord Shiva requested Varuna, the rain God to reach it back to the Thiruvanjaikula Mahadevar Temple.



About the temple:

Vanchikulathappan is a Swayambu murthy. There is no separate shrine for the Goddess here as in the past there was no practice of worshipping the Goddess as a separate entity from the Lord. This is probably the only temple in Kerala which has a Nataraja Bronze. This is said to have been brought from Chidambaram.
There is a separate shrine for Cheraman Perumal and Sundaramurthy Nayanar. On the passage to this shrine, the hymns sung by Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal have been inscribed in Tamil.

During the Aadi Swathi Guru pooja, Sundarar is taken around the temple in a white elephant along with Cheraman Perumal in his horse, signifying the journey to Kailash.

Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal in the separate shrine
This is a huge temple with over twenty five sub shrines. A look at these shrines tell us how ancient this temple is. In the evenings, the lighting of Chuttu Vilakku, all around the periphery of the temple is a delight to watch. Every month, through Aalayam Kanden Trust, we distribute ghee and oil and light lamps at ancient temples. It was indeed our proud privilege to have been able to do this at the Thiruvanjaikalam Mahadevar temple.

Yet another important pooja that happens here is the Dampathi Puja which is followed by the Palliarai Puja, which is putting the Lord to sleep for the night. Watching the Dampathi Puja and Palliarai Puja, is said to bring couples who are split by differences closer, and promote affection among them. There is a huge rush to perform the Dampathi Puja on Full moon nights, sometimes the wait list going up to months.


This temple is an evidence to the life and times of Sundaramurthy Nayanar, the Lord giving himself to his devotee as a friend, the special bonding that existed in life and liberation between Sundarar and Cheraman Perumal, and to true devotion in itself. Please do try and visit this temple, if you happen to be in this part of the world!

To know more about the life and times of Sundaramurthy Nayanar, check out these posts on Aalayam Kanden!

1. Tirunavalur and the birth place of Sundaramurthy Nayanar - In Tambiran Thozhar's land!
2. When and how the lord initiated him as a friend - God's own footwear!

How to reach here:

This temple is about 38 kms from Trichur and about 3 kms from the Kodungalloor Bhagavathi temple on one side and the N.Paravur Mookambiga temple on the other. About this wonderful unique temple, watch this space on Aalayam Kanden.

Temple Timings:

5 am to 11 am , 5 pm to 8 pm

↧
Search

Kailaaya Eswaram!

August 21, 2015, 3:47 am
$
0
0


The Kailaaya Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar Temple at Kesavaram
Kesavaram is a small village in Tiruvallur District. It is here that a dam has been built across the Cooum river splitting it into two, diverting one branch into the Poondi reservoir while the other continues to flow as the Kusasthalai or Koratalaiyar river. In many ways, the dam whose sluice gates probably have never been opened have ensured no water has flown in the river beyond this. This has resulted in palm trees growing in the dry river bed and with no option of a natural flush out, the city has diverted its solid waste into the river bed, thereby converting the once holy river into a nauseous cesspool.

Kesavaram is the current twisted abbreviation of Kailaaya Eswaram. In the past, the Kesavaram village was a small island surrounded by the waters of these two rivers. Since the Koratalaiyaar flows in a South - North direction, it was believed to aid Mokshaa and hence was known as Moksha Nadhi. The island which was formed in between the two rivers was called Mokshadweepam or the island of Moksha. It is here that Ezhulagamudaiyaal, wife of Kulothunga I, gave grants to construct a temple for Kailaaya Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar.

Inscriptions at the temple
The village of Uriyur which is currently about three kilometres from Kesavaram was provided by the King Kulothunga I as tax free land in order for the regular poojas and worship at the Kailaaya Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar temple. An inscription at the temple talks about this temple being the Dakshina Kalahasthi, equal to Kasi and Gaya Kshetras, and anyone bathing in the Moksha Nadhi and worshipping the Koodal Sangameswarar atop the Panchatchara Giri and then Kailai Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar will be relieved from future births and attain Moksha.

Well let us look at the status of the temple today.

The status of the Kailaaya Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar temple at Kesavaram
The Moksha Nadhi has dried up. The Panchatchara hill does exist, but only fragmental remains of the Koodal Sangameswarar temple that once existed can be seen. The Kailaaya Eswara Mudaiya Mahadevar temple that gave the Kesavaram village its name, today lies unkempt and dilapidated.

A closer look at the crumbling structure


Greedy individuals have usurped all the lands that belonged to the temple, that one has to walk through the private agricultural lands in order to reach the temple. It was saddening to hear that the private landowners are even reluctant to provide a pathway to reach the temple from the main road.

The beautiful stone vimana at the Kesavaram temple


The beautiful stone vimana that can be seen in other Cooum sites like Sivapuram, is being held together with metal reinforcements. The front mandapa is crumbling and a beheaded Nandi which shows signs of having once being beautifully bedecked welcomes us.

The remains of a beautiful Nandi at the temple
The Goshta Devathas are all stunning. A beautiful Ganesha, a heavily damaged Dakshinamurthy with an oversized Muyalagan at his feet, and a stylish Durga hold us enthralled. The Gajaprasta vimana has Narasimha over Lingothbhavar which is a unique feature here.

Beheaded idols of a Dwara Ganapathy, and Uma Sahitha murthy lay dumped in a corner. The villagers speak about efforts made by certain miscreants to steal the statues in the goshtam, which was however thwarted by the caution of the local people and volunteers. It seems such a shame that such treasures are being allowed to rot and ruin.

The damaged Uma Sahitha Murthi at Kesavaram
After witnessing all the damage and destruction outside, if you stepped into the Artha Mandapa, all peace engulfs you. In the dim natural light, the Lord of Moksha, sits quietly, awaiting the lone devotee who might brave walking through the narrow bunds of agricultural fields just to see the Lord in all his glory.

Kailaaya Eswaramudaiya Mahadevar at Kesavaram

Goosebumps spring up in your hands in his calming presence. What can you do but to pray to him to change the situation that the temple currently is in? There is encouraging news. There have been a group of volunteers who are taking efforts to repair the temple and reinstate it to its lost glory.

Dakshinamurthy at the temple
The villagers share numerous tales of people who have come to the temple after seeing the Lord in their dreams. They speak about recent episodes of people with loco-motor disabilities getting cured after praying here. Yes, the Lord is most benevolent and magnificent! Provided people reach out to him.

The Durga at Kesavaram

How to get here:

Kesavaram is about 16 kms from Thakkolam.

Temple Timings:

The temple is open through the day. However, make sure you reach before it gets dark as it would be difficult to maneuver yourselves through the narrow bunds in the agricultural fields once it becomes dark.

Contact details: 81222 74612


↧
↧

Where Sri Raghavendra chose to reside!

August 30, 2015, 8:42 pm
$
0
0
Vadavaru, Thanjavur
The Prince of Thanjavur was in a pensive mood as he walked along the banks of the Vadavaru. His thoughts, as always, were with Guru Raghavendra Swamy, who had entered Brindavana a couple of years ago. He thought of the grace his grandfather Sri Raghunatha Boopal (Raghunatha Nayak 1600-1634) had enjoyed in organising the Pattabhishekam of Sri Raghavendra Swamy in his palace in the year 1621. He had also had the opportunity to serve the Guru during his stay at Thanjavur for 12 years on the banks of the Vadavaru river where he had entered Sanyasa.

That was not all. His father Sri Vijayaraghava Nayak (1634-1673) had also had the grace to invite Guru Raghavendra Swamy to Thanjavur to help him during the great famine of 1642 when the Swamy through his prayers and Yagna brought heavy rains which filled up the tanks and rivers and ended the famine that threatened to kill thousands of people.
The Pattabhishekam of Guru Raghavendra Swamy in the Thanjavur Palace
But all that had changed. Today, he was all alone. The power and the glory of the Nayakas was on the wane and he desperately needed to do something. He missed the presence of the great saint who had helped his father and grandfather. Deep in thought, he had reached the spot where Guru Rayaru had obtained Sanyasa. As usual, his eyes closed and he sat down there in meditation. Somehow, he felt comforted. "All I want, is for you to be with me for ever,"he prayed to the invisible presence of Sri Raghavendra Swamy.

His guards watched him quietly, and in pain. That night, when the prince was asleep, Guru Raghavendra Swamy appeared in his dream. "Do not worry. I will stay with you in Thanjavur. Build a Brindavana for me" he said. The prince was overwhelmed with joy.  Next morning, he gathered his officials together for a meeting, and said that they must build a Brindavana for Guru Raghavendra Swamy in Thanjavur.

The courtiers were happy. "Where is the chosen location, Your majesty?" asked one of them. The Prince just then realised that the location had not been revealed to him in his dream, nor had he asked for it. So that night, before going to sleep, he spent a long time in prayer and meditation, beseeching the Guru to reveal the place where the Brindavana needed to be built.
The pillars are a reminder of the old structure that has been modernised over time

The Guru did not test his devotee's patience much. He appeared in his dream again, asking him to go back to the banks of the Vadavaru river and wait for the location to be revealed. The prince was overjoyed. Next morning, he gathered his courtiers and ladies of the palace and went to the Vadavaru river. They started walking along its banks chanting "Om Sri Raghavendraya Namaha".

As they neared the spot where Guru Raghavendra Swamy attained Sanyasa, a five headed serpent appeared out of nowhere. On seeing it, the prince fell on the ground, calling out to his Guru Sri Raghavendra Swamy. Tears of joy ran down his face. The crowd went up in shouts of awe, and happiness.
The serpent moved slowly and gracefully down the river bank, to a spot under a tree. It raised up its hood, hit the ground with it thrice and disappeared.

It was not long before the Brindavana was built in this location. Usually a Koorma Peeta (Tortoise base) is placed below the Brindavana, but here, since Guru Raghavendra Swamy had himself appeared in the form of a five headed serpent, a Naga Peeta is found at the bottom of the Brindavana.  Moreover, there is no ceiling over it, as instructed by Guru Raghavendra Swamy. "Let it be open to the elements of nature, as I was, when I spent 12 years there" was the instruction received by the prince. Till date, the Brindavana has no roof.
The Brindavana with the Sarpa Peeta (Photo Courtesy: Sri Raghavendra Mutt)
This Brindavana has yet another unique feature. Usually all Brindavanas outside of Mantralayam, with the exception of Bhikshalaya, have Mritika (sand) brought from the Brindavana at Mantralayam placed inside them. Whereas here the Brindavana, has been built without Mritika as the Guru himself decided to reside there. However, the sand from the location where he meditated for twelve years, is sieved and placed on top of the Brindavana and given to the devotees as prasadam.

This Brindavana opens around 7 am in the morning and and closes by 12.30 pm on all week days except Thursdays. The priests do not worship Rayaru after they have had food. The Nayak kings had handed over the Brindavana for maintenance to the forefathers of of Sri Vijendran, the current trustee of the temple, and his family has been maintaining the Brindavana over several generations.

The Naaga Pedastal at the Vadavaru Brindavana
Whatever rituals had been observed while Guru Raghavendra was in meditation here, continue to be observed even now as he is believed to be in meditation in the Brindavana. Wet flowers or flowers tied together with thread are not accepted here. Similarly flowers that do not have any natural fragrance are also not accepted. There are a number of boards explaining the strict rules that have to be adhered to here so that the devotees are able to understand and follow the same.

A very very quiet and serene Brindavana where one can spend hours basking in the grace of Guru Raghavendra Swamy! A must visit if you are in Thanjavur next.

The Brindavana at Vadavaru, Thanjavur

How to get here: 

The Brindavana is about 2 kms from the Thanjavur Old Bus Stand.
Google Coordinates: 10.805000, 79.125278

Temple Timings: 7 am to 12.30 pm on all days except Thursdays when it is open also in the evenings.

Contact Details: D Vijendran 9245111085
                         R Kabijan    9994488297


↧

The Ganeshas of Thandalam

September 17, 2015, 1:56 am
$
0
0

While we were on the recce visits of the temples along the banks of the river Cooum, we visited a village called Thandalam, which is one of the eighteen Kottams of Koovam as per the Koova Puranam. This village has the famous Thaduthaleeswarar Temple where there are two sanctum sanctorums for Lord Shiva and the Goddess is found with a  Thali (mangalsutra) carved into her neck.

As the case with most village temples, this temple was not open when we reached there. While we waited for the priest to arrive, our attention was attracted by the small temple across the road. Little did we realise what was in store for us.


This temple was also closed and on peering into it we found that it was a Ganesha temple and he is found here with his consorts Siddhi and Buddhi.


The priest had still not arrived at the temple opposite, so we thought we would wait here for a few minutes. A casual look at the Vimanam showed us that there were more Ganeshas there.


We decided to go around, braving the broken glass bottles strewn there. It was so delightful to watch the Ganeshas on the Vimana taking the form of the Koshta Devathas of each direction. As Yoga Ganapathy in the form of Dakshinamoorthy for the South,

We had Ganesha in the form of Brahma with four heads on the lower and upper levels of the Vimana

In the form of Vishnu with conch and discus on both hands on another

In his own form, but as Nardhana Ganapathy, and Mooshika Ganapathy on yet another side.

We were amazed to see this depiction in such a small temple.

Such are the beautiful treasures that lie unnoticed along the banks of the Koovam river!

To know more about the Cultural mapping of the Cooum, like our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/CooumCulturalMapping/

To check out some articles on Cooum temples on Aalayam Kanden, click http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/p/cooum-riverside-temples.html

How to get here:

Thandalam is a village in Tiruvallur district near Sevvapet and Putlur.

Google Coordinates: 13.15692291, 79.95499007

Contact details: Mr Kumar 9894657112
↧

Pancha Lakshmi Narayana!

September 19, 2015, 1:44 am
$
0
0


Utsava is a sanskrit word wherein Ut means remove and sava means worldly griefs. The word Utsava Murthy is referred to those deities normally made of metal that are taken out in procession so that they may be worshipped by the devotees of all strata of society, to be rid of all worldly sorrows.

The Utsava murthis aid easier worship as Thirumanjanam or Kalyana Utsavam can be performed more frequently and economically on them. They can be taken to any place within and outside the temple so that a larger number of people can worship them.

There have been a number of examples in the lives of great saints when their prarthana murthis have granted the grace that one would normally associate with worshipping the moolavar (main deity) of a temple. A couple of such examples are the Moola Ramar worshipped by Sri Raghavendra Swamy, the Rama idols worshipped by Saint Thyagaraja.

One such deity is the Sri, Boomi, Neela, Mahalakshmi, Narayani samedha Sri Narayana Perumal of West Mambalam who has been granting the wishes of many a devotee from his humble residence.


Situated in the narrow and busy Baroda Street, next to the back entrance of the Sri B S Mootha Jain school, this Perumal is found with five lakshmis unlike most temples where he is seen with Sridevi and Bhoodevi.
This Perumal has been in worship for centuries in a private household of an industrialist and based on the divine instructions received , they have made worship of these deities public.

The grace of this perumal has spread far and wide and this place is often very crowded. Since the Perumal is found with five Lakshmis, he is worshipped by those seeking wealth, prosperity and good marriage alliances.

Moreover, Perumal's thirunakshathram is Pushyam (Poosam) and those born on Pushyam star are also said to benefit by worshipping him. Sridevi, Bhoodevi and Neeladevi are found on either side of the Perumal and Mahalakshmi is found as Thani Nachiyar.



The fifth Lakshmi, Narayani, is found in the heart of Narayana Perumal. Since Perumal has the Thayar as part of his body, he is adorned with a waist belt (Oddiyanam) and anklets on his feet . The Perumal looks resplendent in his Paramapatha Kolam and those worshipping him in this form are said to be relieved of all their sins and can reach the lotus feet of the Lord at the end of their lives.


The temple is currently looking for a bigger space as more and more people are coming here everyday to worship Sriman Narayana and be rid of their problems. Efforts are on to raise funds to build a temple with Moolavars for these deities as well.

Thirumanjanam is performed at 7.30 am on Poosam star every month, apart from important festivals and Purattasi Saturdays. On these days, Vishnu Sahasranama is chanted at 4.30 pm and Oyyali sevai is performed at 5.00 pm.

How to get here:

This temple is found in Baroda Street, the lane that is behind the Duraiswamy Subway which connects T. Nagar with West Mambalam.

Temple Timings:

Mornings : 7.00 to 9.30 am
Evenings: 5.30 to 8.30 pm

Contact Details:

Kalai Bhattar - 98404 57113






↧
↧

Dakshina Mookambiga - a temple in the middle of a lotus pond!

October 20, 2015, 9:28 am
$
0
0
Dakshina Mookambiga temple at North Paravoor

The word Mookambiga immediately brings to mind Goddess Mookambigai of Kollur, in Udupi district of Karnataka. North Paravoor or Vadakkan Paravoor as it is called in Malayalam,  is a town in Ernakulam district which has the Dakshina Mookambiga temple.

What is special about this temple and why is it called Dakshina Mookambiga? 

The thampuran of Paravoor was a staunch devotee of  Kollur Mookambigai. Every year, during Navaratri, he made it a point to visit his favourite goddess in order to offer prayers. Over time it became physically difficult for him to undertake the long journey to Kollur. He was heartbroken that he could not longer get a darshan of his favorite goddess. The goddess appeared in his dreams and asked him to build a temple for her near his palace. Based on her instructions, the Dakshina Mookambiga temple was built in the middle of a lotus pond  and the Goddess Mookambigai was installed here in the form of Bala Parameswari.. 

Dakshina Mookambigai temple at North Paravoor (photo courtesy: Dakshina Mookambiga temple)
The goddess holds a japamala and a veda manuscript and shows Abhaya Hasta. The temple is symbolically placed within the lotus pond. Just like how a lotus blooms when the sun shines, the brain will bloom and glow when the spiritual light is bestowed upon it in this temple. 

Devotees flock the temple to worship the goddess and offerings here to the Goddess are considered to be equivalent to offerings made at Kollur.

Mookambiga is a popular goddess in this part of the world and about fifty percent of the footfall in Kollur is from Kerala. This is the only Mookambiga temple in Kerala and comes under the Travancore Devasam Board. The poojas are carried out by the tantris of Tripunithura.

The presiding deity is worshipped as Saraswathi and during Navaratri, which is probably the largest festival at this temple, thousands flock here for Aksharabhyasam or Vidyarambam on Vijayadasami Day. This ritual symbolises the beginning of education for a child. 

Vidyarambam at the North Paravoor temple (Photo Courtesy: Dakshina Mookambiga temple)
Children between the age of three and five years, sit before the gurus in the Saraswathy Mandapams, which are make shift tents that are created within the temple complex specifically for this purpose. The Gurus inscribe Harisree on the tongues of the children with gold rings and make them write Om on grains of paddy spread on a plate. Huge queues can be seen before the temple right from the middle of the night. The nada opens at 3 am in the morning after which the Poojayeduppu ceremony is performed.

The Vidyarambam begins at 5.30 am and goes on until 2 pm in the afternoon. Prasadam is served to all the devotees in the mandapa facing the temple tank. In the nine days preceding Vijayadasami, several cultural programs take place in the temple, wherein several budding dancers and musicians make their arangetram (stage debut).

Children performing arangetram at North Paravoor temple (Photo Courtesy: Dakshina Mookambiga temple)
During the rest of the year too, this temple is considered as an important destination for students seeking enhancement in education. A special pooja termed Sree Vidhya Mantra Pushpanjali is performed here and Mookambiga Kashayam is offered to the students as prasadam. This mookambiga kashayam contains select herbs that enhance memory and wisdom. This is generally offered around 7.30 pm in the evening after the Aththazha pooja. Students can also perform Saraswathi puja or offer Chuttuvilakku at the temple to get better results in their examinations. 

Apart from this, a ten day annual festival is celebrated in the month of Makaram (January - February). Other than the presiding deity, there are also shrines for Ganapathi, the remover of hurdles, Muruga - the Gnana devatha, Vishnu, Hanuman, Veerabadra and Yakshi.


How to get here:

The temple is about 23 kms from Ernakulam. Take the Pipeline Road to Salem - Kochi - Kanyakumari Highway in Edapally for about five kms. Follow NH 17 to North Paravoor. Continue on Peruvaram Road once in North Paravoor. Turn left into Fort Road and then at Mookambiga Junction turn into Mookambiga Road. The temple can be found on the right. Map Coordinates : 10.146567, 76.232293

Temple Timings:

5 am to 11 am, 5 pm to 7.30 pm

Contact Details:  093870 45353



↧

Koogaimalai Kumara!

November 12, 2015, 8:02 am
$
0
0
Belukurichi Palaniappa Temple
Belukurichi is a small village on a hillock called Koogai malai, on the Kolli range in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. The Kolli hills are in the Southern part of the Eastern Ghats, yet untouched by commercial tourism which has helped them retain their surreal beauty. The hills find mention in epics like Silapathikaram, Manimekalai, Purananooru and Ainkurunooru. The village had been originally named after Lord Muruga (who is called Palani Appa now) as Velavan Kurichi.

The Palani Appa temple is unique in several aspects. One would have seen Lord Muruga depicted in various forms in different temples - such as Baladhandayuthapani, Gnana Skanda, Brahma Sastha, Subrahmanya, Arumuga, Valli Devasena Pathi, Jayanthi Nathan etc. but Lord Palani Appa of Belukurichi is different from any of these forms.

Why did he come to be known as Palani Appa? Bhogar, one of the eighteen Siddhars had the ability of making statues from an elixir of nine poisonous materials, commonly known as Navapashanam. Water used to bathe these idols when administered to patients, could cure chronic ailments. The famous navapashana statue made by him is in Palani hills. The deity here in Belukurichi is said to have been created by Bhogar much ahead of the one in Palani, from the Pashanams of Kolli hills and hence the Lord is called Palani Appa ( the one that came before Palani).
A view of the Kolli Hills from atop the Belukurichi temple
The Lord facing West is found here in the guise of a hunter. His hair is pulled into a knot on the right side of his head and a string of Konrai flowers (Golden shower) are found etched around it.

Three lines of sacred ash with a spear (Vel) in the middle are found on the forehead of the deity. This symbolises a union of Shiva and Shakthi. A string of golden shower flowers are also found tied around his waist, from where hangs a dagger! He is seen with a Vajravel in his right hand, and a rooster in his left, wearing footwear!
The enchanting Palani Appa of Belukurichi!
Usually, when deities are depicted holding weapons, the height of the weapon does not exceed the height of the deity. However, here we find that the spear is shown taller than the deity. Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma have bestowed their powers to the Lord through the spear, which is depicting having three parts denoting each of them. Due to this, the spear is shown taller than the deity himself.

On full moon days, thousands of people gather here to witness the midnight worship. It is believed that the eighteen Siddhars come here to worship him at that time. The abhishekam and alankarams are all completed by 11.50 pm and the doors of the sanctum are closed and all the devotees move outside to wait. At the stroke of midnight, the doors are opened. Signs of puja having been performed, and visible signs of changes in the alankaram are witnessed to this day.

Once the abhishekam is complete, sweat emanates from the deity's tip of the nose, chin and chest with three different fragrances!



A Shiva lingam has been etched above the entrance of the sanctum. On the ceiling of the Artha Mandapa, two snakes have been depicted swallowing the Sun and the Moon.  Meditating on the Lord, sitting on a green stone right under these snakes, is said to answer genuine prayers.

The Tiruchengode hill where Lord Shiva and Parvathi are found as Ardhanareeswara can be seen at eye level from the head of the peacock found in the Maha Mandapa. It seems as though Shiva and Shakthi are watching over the son who has been created with both their features, right from their abode.

The temple is said to have been built originally by Valvil Ori, who ruled this region around 200 CE. He was one of the seven philanthropists mentioned in Sanga Literature. Tales of his valour are being sung as part of folk lore even today. A statue of Valvil Ori is found at the entrance of the temple complex. Poet Avvaiyaar has also worshipped the deity here.

Kanda Shasti festival which begins today is celebrated with great festivity apart from Thai poosam, Panguni Uthram and Krithigai .

Other deities at Belukurichi
There are shrines for Ganesha, Goddess Kumarinayaki, Vishnu, Krishna, Nagas and Shani.

If you want to spend some quiet time, in the serene company of an enchanting deity, in the ethereal beauty of the Kolli hills, this is your destination.

How to get here:

Belukurichi is about 25 kilometres from Namakkal. On the Namakkal - Tiruchengodu route, Belukurichi is about 13 kms from Sendamangalam.

Temple Timings:

The temple is open from 8 am to 5 pm.

On full moon days, the temple is open from 8 am in the morning till 5 am the next morning.

Contact:  95244 49931


↧

Do you want a job abroad?

February 27, 2016, 8:14 pm
$
0
0


The temple tank of Sri Sundareswara Temple, Periya Kothur

Sometimes, the will of God is beyond our comprehension....well, why sometimes, most of the time! It was in the year 2014, that Arun Kumar, a young man, wrote to me after seeing my interview on television. He mentioned that his brother Balamurugan, employed in New Zealand, along their his father Mr Mohandas was attempting to reconstruct the Sundareswarar temple in his native village Periya Kothur, in Tiruvarur district and wanted me to write an article to raise awareness on the temple. I promised to help, but the opportunity to visit did not present itself till June 2015.

The original vimana and structure of the Sundareswara Temple at Periya Kothur
Even after that, despite a miracle happening right in front of our eyes, for some reason, this temple did not get featured either here or in the series I write in Deepam called Arputha Aalayangal. A few days ago, a lady from the US wrote to me about this temple. That is when I thought that the time has finally come true to feature this magnificent temple here.

Renovation happening now
The Sundareswara temple, true to its name, was once beautiful, it slowly started falling prey to vegetation. The original name of the temple was Thiruvidaikadudaiya Mahadevar temple. The brick vimana covered with lime plaster was the first to get eaten away. The rows and rows of inscriptions on the exterior walls prompted the villagers to ensure that the stones were removed and reused in the construction. Unfortunately, they could not save the vimana and it is a pity that it is now being redone in concrete. But considering the costs involved and valuing the primary objective of the villagers - to make sure the temple exists instead of crumbling to dust, one has to learn to put up with modern methods of construction.

Inscriptions from the time of Kulothunga III and Rajaraja III 
What really moved me were the deities that were stored in a nearby school shed right next to the temple pond. With the highest number of cases of idol smuggling (of course most of them have been bronze) but a stone icon of the 12th century is definitely a valuable piece)reported in Tiruvarur district, it really is very important that they are moved to some place safe at the earliest.

Temporary abode of Gods
An inscription at the temple states that the temple complex for Thiruvidaikadudaiyar was constructed by a merchant group called the Kulothunga Chola Perilamaiyaar, through the instructions of the King Kulothunga III in the 12th century CE. A very interesting inscription of a total of 97 lines belonging to the time of King Rajaraja III (1227 CE) speaks about the people of the village of Urangudi who have joined hands with the enemies. The inscriptions says that the village council had appealed to the revenue officer not to allow them to come back and also not to collect the taxes that were due from them for temple festivals and based on his acceptance the order was being inscribed on the temple wall.

According to an inscription from Kulothunga III period (1183 CE)A person called Thirunavukkarasu son of Kandhamangalamudaiyan Putridangondan has gone around collecting alms for installing the idols of the Devaram authors, Saints Appar, Sundarar and Gnanasambandar in a seperate shrine in the temple. He has also donated lands for the daily offerings to the lord. Today only the idols of Gnanasambandar and Sundarar are found. Appar is nowhere to be seen.

Another inscriptions reconfirms this information and mentions the name of the sculptor of this temple as Sokkakootha Sirpasari. A couple of inscriptions speaks about village resolutions on the methods of harvesting the temple lands and handing over the produce collectively by the villagers are also recorded.

Gnanasambandar at the temple
The idols belonging to the temple are all exquisite. Right from the beautiful Nandi found in a seperate mandapa outside the temple, to the Narthana Ganapathy, the Pancha Ganapathy, Dakshinamurthy, Bhairava, Subramanya and Chandikeswara each a specimen of the rich sculptural beauty of the Cholas.



Lord Sundareswara is found in the sanctum sanctorum which has been more or less left intact. The Goddess Soundaranayaki is still awaiting installation. The construction work is progressing slowly as it is majorly funded by Mr Arun Kumar. Other help is trickling in occasionally.

Pancha Ganapathy
When we visited the temple we were told that Lord Sundareswara grants prayers of those who wish to go abroad for employment. Several youth and their parents come to the temple, where worship is currently happening even though construction is going on in some parts, on Thursday and worship the Lord with Bilwa leaves to see their prayers granted. A couple of friends had accompanied me. The son of one of them had been given soft notice by his company due to technical layoff, and he was under stress to find an alternative job before expiry of his contract and visa.

Lord Thiruvidaikadudaiya Nayanar aka Sundareswarar
On the day we were visiting, he had already given seven rounds of interview in a reputed travel firm, and was awaiting personal interview. The mother prayed to Lord Sundareswara that her son should somehow get the job. He had called earlier to say that he had not done the last round very well and felt that he only stood a 50% chance.

Dakshinamurthy
However, as we collected the Vibhuti prasadam and stepped out of the temple, the mother got a call from her son, saying he had been selected. He said that in the last few minutes of the interview, he had become blank and did not remember what he had answered. We were really amazed. Today, the young man has joined the company and is doing very well for himself and his mother is full of gratitude for Lord Sundareswara!

Chandikeswara
That was our personal experience and Mr Mohandas, who has been taking great care of the temple narrates a number of such instances where young people have benefitted from worshipping the Lord! So if you want a good career abroad, this is the place to go!

How to get here: Periya Kothur is in Tiruvarur district, near Vadapathimangalam Sugar mill. One can come by auto from Kamalapuram also. Please contact the number below for detailed travel instructions.

If you wish to lend a helping hand to the construction of the temple, please contribute generously to this account number.

Shri Arulmigu Sundareswarar Alayam, Tiruppanikkulu, SB A/c No. 30854146423,
State Bank of India, Vadapathimangalam Branch, IFSC Code: SBIN0001897

Contact details: Mr Mohandas 04367-0295674, 9629271212

Thank you Blog Adda for choosing this post as Tuesday Tangy Post! 1.3.16



↧
Search

Sankara Narayana!

April 30, 2016, 10:13 am
$
0
0

Recently, we undertook a four day visit to temples in UK and DK.....puzzled? Well, it is just Uttara Kannada and Dakshin Kannada! Usually, I would be the one meticulously planning itinerary to lesser known yet unique places, but this time I was swamped at work and had to rely on the travel operator.

Even that was a random choice, based on a search on the internet. Karnataka vacations, based out of Bangalore. All that we had was an exchange of a few emails. I was quite happy with the quality of planning by Mahesh Temkar. At no point, did I reveal to him that I was a blogger, but was pleasantly and embarrassingly surprised when on arrival, he mentioned that he had been a visitor to the blog and had instructed our driver, Srikanth to take us to as many old, and unique temples as time would permit. This was a true treat, and Srikanth, was a very pleasant and knowledgeable driver.

We saw a number of beautiful and unique places, still not prominent on tourist maps. Sadly none of the literature or even name-boards had any English or Hindi in them. Aalayam Kanden has been working on overcoming the language barrier in such sites by translating the sthalapuranams into English for better benefit of the tourists and one such case was the Trikkur Mahadeva Kshetram in Kerala. You can read about it here.



One such place was the Sankara Narayana Temple at Sankara Narayana. Yes the place itself is named after the temple. When Parashurama wanted to donate land to Brahmins, he is said to have thrown his axe into the ocean, and received the land extending from Gokarna to Kanyakumari from God Varuna. This landscape came to be known as Kerala. Parashurama divided this land into 64 villages and donated it to the Brahmins. Not just that, he created 108 temples here which are to this day known as Parashurama Kshetrams.



Seven out of these 108 temples are currently found in Karnataka. They are Subramanya, Udupi, Kumbakashi, Kodeswara, Sankaranarayana, Kollur and Gokarna. These are known as Saptha Parashurama Kshetrams and are said to be equivalent to Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avanthika and Puri.

Out of the seven Parashurama Kshetrams, Sankaranarayana is very significant. This is the location where both Shiva and Vishnu have manifested in the form of Swayambu lingas. These lingas are found about one feet below ground immersed under water in the sanctum sanctorum. A perennial spring washes over the lingams and flows out of the sanctum through the Gomukham. This spring is called Suddhamrutha Theertham.

Sankaranarayana Photo Courtesy: Sankaranarayana temple


The Sankara lingam is found on the left for the devotees and is round in shape, whereas the Narayana Lingam found on the right, is flat and the hoof marks of a cow are seen on it. It is believed that the Kamadhenu stood over the lingams and expressed her milk over them and while doing so, her hoof mark got embossed on the Vishnu lingam. In the past, the priest used to show the lingams with the help of a mirror to the devotees. However, now this practice has been discontinued and silver Kavachams have been adorned over the lingams so that they are visible for the devotees to worship.

On entering the temple complex which has been recently renovated, one can see the Koti Theertham. The greenery around the temple tank and the clear water make it a very pleasant experience to bathe in its cool waters. Devotees atleast sprinkle the holy water on their heads, before entering the temple. A huge mural in typical Kerala style welcomes you. On either side of the entrance, there are huge wooden images of Nandi and Garuda depicting the vahanas of the two Lords found in union inside.


In the sanctum sanctorum, there is a huge deity of Sankaranarayana, the left portion depicting Sankara and the right portion depicting Narayana. Apart from the main deity, there is also a silver icon on the north eastern side of the sanctum. The foyer has various forms of Shiva and Vishnu on either side. Although the temple has been recently renovated, the inscriptions from the ancient temple have been preserved and are installed on the circumambulatory path.

The Lord is also called Kroda Sankaranarayana. There were two Asuras, namely Karasura and Rakthasura who were tormented human beings on Earth. On seeing this, Kroda Maharishi appealed to Lord Shiva and Vishnu to take the form of Sankaranarayana and destroy these two asuras. The Lords agreed to do so and destroyed the two asuras at Sankaranarayana. Then, based on Kroda Maharishi's request, they manifested as Swayambu lingams so that devotees could continue to worship them there.

A hill next to Sankaranarayana is called Krodagiri and it is here that Kroda Maharishi is believed to have done penance to invoke Lord Shiva and Vishnu. Even today, idols of Sankaranarayana, Gowri and Lakshmi are found inside the cave where Kroda Maharishi is said to have meditated.


Apart from the main deity, there are also shrines for Mahaganapathy who is worshipped before Sankaranarayana, Gopalakrishna, Panchamukha Anjaneya, and a small lingam called Partheswara. Just like Sankara and Narayana are found in a single form, Gowri and Lakshmi are found next to each other in a single shrine. This is not something that we commonly find in other temples.

Every year, a grand Jathra festival is celebrated on the second day after Sankaranthi. Thousands of pilgrims visit here during this time and participate in the car festival too.

So if you are in this area, do take time out to visit this unique temple!

How to get here: Sankaranarayana is about 35 kms from Udupi on the Udupi Mangalore route. Nearest railway station is Kundapur.

Temple Timings: The temple is open from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm in the morning and from 3.30 pm to 8.30 pm in the evening.


 

↧
↧

Keesaragutta - A hill strewn with Shivalingams!

May 22, 2016, 4:17 am
$
0
0
Sri Ramalingeswara Temple at Keesaragutta

India has a number of temples associated with the Ramayana legend. Sometimes we even find similar legends associated with temples across states. All these legends glorify the life of Rama, and the devotion Hanuman had for him.
One such temple that is associated with Ramayana is Keesaragutta. After the killing of Ravana, Rama was returning home. During his journey back, he installed Shivalingams at different places, not just to be rid of the Brahma Hathi Dosham he acquired due to the killing of Ravana, but also to give peace to all those who lost their lives in the war, and to thank Lord Shiva for helping him reach and rescue Sita Devi safely.

On his way back, he saw a beautiful hill side and lush green valley, a perfect location to stop by, and worship Lord Shiva. So he alighted there and requested Hanuman to get him a Shivalingam for worship. Hanuman immediately assumed Viswaroopa and set off to Kashi to bring back a suitable lingam for Rama's worship. 


On reaching Kashi, he was not able to decide which lingam would be suitable as each one of them presented with a unique feature. Not wanting to make the wrong decision, he picked up 101 lingams in both his hands and started on his way back. 

In the meantime, since it was getting closer to dusk, Rama wanted to complete his pooja. As there was no sight of Hanuman, he prayed to Shiva to help him. Lord Shiva manifested before Rama in the form of a swayambu lingam. Rama started worshipping Shiva. Half way through the pooja, Hanuman came, carrying the 101 lingams. 

He was shocked to see Rama already performing poojas. Dejected, he threw away all the lingams he had brought from Kashi. Rama noticed Hanuman's disappointment, and pacified him. He also installed one of the lingams brought by Hanuman and assured him that the first pooja will always be performed to the Hanumad Lingam. Moreover, he said that the name of the hill would be known as Kesarigiri, after Hanuman, the son of Kesari. Over time, Kesarigiri has come to be known as Keesaragutta.

Maruthi Kashi Lingeswara Temple
Even today, over sixty lingams of different shapes and sizes are found strewn all over the hill, in and around the temple. Ramalingeswara, is found in the sanctum sanctorum and the Maruthi Kashi Lingeswara in a seperate shrine across the temple. A huge Viswaroopa Hanuman is found right next to the shrine. Just like the other temples in this area, devotees are allowed to directly perform abhishekams for Ramalingeswara from 6 am to 12 pm every day.


After crossing the huge temple arch on the main road, one comes across the Nagadevatha shrine, where a beautiful Goddess with entwining snakes all over is found. Devotees stop here first and offer prayers, sprinkle turmeric and Kumkum powder on the Goddess and then proceed towards the Keesaragutta temple.

Apart from the main deity, there are seperate shrines for Goddess Parvathi, known here as Bhavani Matha, Ganesha, Subramanya, Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Mahalakshmi, Makaali, Mahasaraswathi, and Sivapanchayadhana Moorthy. This temple is known as Ubhaya Rameshwaram.

Another unique feature of this temple is Lord Lakshmi Narasimha in a seperate shrine. This Narasimha is a Varaprasadhi, bringing harmony among married couples and helping cure dreadful diseases. The Narasimha has been installed by the Akkana and Madanna brothers, who were viziers of the Golconda Sultanate. There is also a Vedapadashala at the temple that is run by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams. 

Vishwaroopa Hanuman
On one side of the temple, there is a lotus pond and Goddess Sita Devi is found in a cave nearby. Remnants of the Golconda style of architecture can also be seen all around the temple.

King Madhava Varma II of the Vishnukundina dynasty is said to have patronized this temple largely and also performed an Ashwamedha Yagna here in the 5th Century. During his reign, Keesaragutta was the location of the military base. The antiquity of this temple has been established through several archaeological excavations that have taken place here. The findings have revealed the strong existence of Buddhist and Jain culture in these areas .  

Twelve Jain Thirthankara statues have been found at about one feet.  The remnants of the original temple built during the Vishnukundina period,  built of brick, with rectangular structures having five shrines with circumambulatory path, and square garbagriha,remains of a fort, along with antiquities such as shell bangles, coins, stucco figures, huge statues of Mother Goddess (Laja Gauri), lingas of crystal, Vishnukundin coins, pottery circles, red ware, black ware and grey ware.



A very interesting object exposed during excavations was a Garbhapatra made of clay and decorated with seven snakes, all encircling the body with five female figures and a male figure on the lid squatting on a lotus pedestal. This patra was intended to keep precious materials at the time of consecrating of temples and was a feature in Jaina tradition. All objects found during excavations are found in a museum close to the temple complex.
Every day, Rudrabhishekam, Panchamrutha Abhishekam and Sathyanarayana Vratham are conducted at the temple. Shivarathri festival is celebrated with great pomp and festivity for seven days. During these days, special poojas and abhishekams are performed to Ramalingeshwara and Bhavani Matha. Thousands of devotees throng here during this time. During Devi Navarathri, on Arudhra Nakshathra Somavaaram (Mondays), special poojas are performed.

How to get here: Keesaragutta is in Rangareddy District, about 35 kms from Hyderabad city. It is about 18 kms from ECIL X road. 
Temple Timings:  6 am - 1 pm, 3 pm to 7.30 pm
Contact Details:  08418-202200





↧

The Temples of Karuvazhakarai!

June 5, 2016, 9:27 am
$
0
0


Shahuji I, popularly known as Shaji was the Maratha ruler of Thanjavur during the period 1684-1712. During his reign, there were several unrests and threat to his Kingdom from the Sethupathis of Ramnad and Rani Mangammal, who ruled over Madurai with Trichy as her capital. Shahuji, was constantly strategizing to save his empire from his neighbours who were waiting with drawn swords.
It reached a point when he felt that only divine intervention can strengthen his arm, as the game plan kept changing day after day without a result in his favour.

He consulted with his minister, Lakshmana Pandit, on a solution to reinforce his hold over Thanjavur. Lakshmana Pandit consulted with several astrologers and learned men, and they all came up with a uniform solution - to construct temples for Shiva and Vishnu on the banks of the holy Cauvery river. 

Lakshmana Pandit shared this solution with King Shahuji who immediately tasked him with finding the right location to get the temples constructed. So Lakshmana Pandit set out along the banks of the Cauvery, visiting several temples on its banks and seeking divine intervention in showing him the right place for the construction of the temples. 

He travelled across Kumbakonam, Swamimalai, Thiruvidaimarudhur, Dharmapuram, and Mayiladuthurai and set off on the northern bank of the river towards Poompuhar. It was getting to be dark and Lakshmana Pandit decided to spend a night in a grove of Marudham trees (Arjuna trees) on the outskirts of Poompuhar.



The grove had almost all trees and flowering plants that would be used to worship Lord Shiva and Vishnu and Lakshmana Pandit felt an unusual sense of serenity and calmness when he rested there. By morning, his mind was made. It was there the temples were going to come up.

He felt down on the floor and thanked the Gods for showing him the ideal location and went back to Thanjavur with news for Shahuji. Very soon, the construction of the temples began - Lord Shiva sat right in the middle of the grove and came to be known as Raja Rajeswara and Lord Vishnu in the form of Lakshmi Narayana was installed towards the end of the grove. The place where the Lakshmi Narayana temple was built came to be called Lakshmi Narayana Puram and the village came to be known as Marudhur or Karuvazhakarai.

Six Maratha Brahmins, a Yajur Veda family from Senkalipuram and a Sama Veda family from nearby Kanja nagaram who were experts in the Vedas were brought to the village to take care of the temple, Very soon, the King was able to overcome the problems from his neighbours and was also able to defeat the Moghuls and acquire lands upto Varanasi.

Over time, the land between the temples became habitations and soon were taken over by individuals. The temples lost their glory and became dilapidated. The Shiva temple was granted to a family for maintenance about 200 years ago, through a court deed and the descendants of the family maintain it to date. It is a delight to see a well maintained, albeit poorly patronised temple, right in the middle of a grove, with practically every single tree, fruit or flower that is used to worship Shiva.


Lord Rajarajeswara sits majestically in the sanctum sanctorum while Goddess Devanayaki is waiting patiently in her humble abode for the odd devotee to visit. There is also a Bhairava from the Maratha period in the temple. Another noteworthy feature is the huge Nataraja and Sivakami that is under worship. Shiva looks extremely splendid and regal that you cannot take your eyes off him. His Holiness Maha Periya has visited this temple twice during his life time, and spent several hours in meditation before this Nataraja.


The remains of the Lakshmi Narayana Temple that was once worshipped for victory, beauty and prosperity is today being reconstructed through the efforts of Shri Anandhanarayanan, who is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the temple is reconstructed. But for the main deity, Sri Lakshmi Narayana, and a few other idols, most of the structure and idols belonging to the original temple have been lost and are now being recreated in Mamallapuram.



The consecration is being planned in July 2016 and every single rupee contributed in completing the work will bestow upon the donor, victory in their endeavor, beauty and prosperity. If you happen to be in this locality, please stop by to visit both the temples at Karuvazhakarai, now popularly known as Marudhur.



You may kindly send your contributions to Sree Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Tirupani Committee, State Bank of India Pallavaram CI, SB Account No. 33737211400

How to get here:

Marudhur is found on the road from Mayiladuthurai to Poompuhar at about 9 kms from Mayiladuthurai. 

Contacts: 
For Lakshmi Narayana Temple - Mr Anandhanarayanan - 94440 79673
For Rajarajeswara Temple - Mr Swaminathan - 95974 37157


↧

Bappanadu - A symbol of communal harmony

June 30, 2016, 9:03 am
$
0
0
Durga Parameswari Temple at Bappanadu


Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, increased devotion, sacrifice and sharing with the less fortunate brethren. There are a number of temples in India which stand as an example of communal harmony wherein members of one community participate wholeheartedly in the rituals or worship of another.


One such example is the Durgaparameswari temple at Bappanadu in Dakshina Kannada. Bappanadu was originally called Moolikapura as the place was full of herbal and medicinal plants which could cure event the rarest of diseases. There was a temple near the river in Moolikapura and the Goddess had manifested in the form of five lingas. Since the goddess was found near the river, she was called Jaladurgaparameswari. King Dharmapala of Chandravamsa who ruled this area in the 4th Century, worshipped this goddess with great devotion and built a temple for her.


Mythology however says, that Bappa Byari, a Kerala Muslim trader, who lived in the 14th Century, almost a thousand years after the temple was originally built, was returning home from a voyage with all his goods and his companion, Usman, when there was a sudden flood in the Mulki river. It rained heavily and the rains made the waters swell and lash across the land. Bappa Byari's ship was tossed here and there and the trader was extremely worried for his safety and that of the goods he was carrying. He could not see anything in the dark. The lights from the Durga Parameswari temple near the shore that normally guided the sailors was nowhere to be seen.


He had heard of the temple and the Hindu Goddess who was worshipped in the form of five lingas but had never had an opportunity to visit the temple. But now, when his life was at stake, he prayed to the supreme power common to all to save his life and the goods that he had procured with great effort. Within minutes, he could hearing a crashing noise. His ship hit something and stopped. He knew he was close to the shore but had no idea where he was. The good news was that the ship was not rocking anymore and the floods were receding. Bappa Byari sat there, praying all night. When it dawned, he was in for a surprise.





The old temple that had once stood on the shore, had been razed to the ground by the gory storm. Debris lay everywhere. The ship had hit the shore, and was stopped by the goddess herself, present in the form of the five lingas. Bappa was so happy that he was alive and his goods were safe. As a token of gratitude, he built back the temple of Goddess Durga Parameswari.


The place to this day, is known as Bappanadu after him and the descendants of Bappa Byari are still given prasad first when the deity is taken out on a procession during festivals. The family offers flowers and fruits as a token of respect to the deity, and this act symbolises the deep communal harmony that exist between not just these two communities, but numerous others in this part of the world. Whenever there is a ceremony in this temple, people of all castes and religions come together to perform several rituals that are part of the ceremony.


The temple has a large Rajagopuram and a spacious circumambulatory path inside. The sanctum sanctorum houses the five lingas that are termed - Moola Durga, Agni Durga, Jala Durga, Vana Durga and Agra Durga on a common pedastal. The five durgas can only be seen during abhishekam to the deity. At all other times, they are covered by Alankaram and only the deity of Durga Parameswari placed before the Swayambu deities can be witnessed.




Apart from the main deity, there are also shrines for Ganesha, Narasimha, Naga Devatha and Kshetra Paala. Navarathri is the biggest festival that is celebrated in Bappanadu. There are Chandi Homams performed on all nine days in the morning, and annadhanam is provided to the devotees. In the Malayalam month of Meenam which starts on 15th of March and ends on 14th of April, the Rathotsava is celebrated with great pomp and glory. Devotees beat drums and sing hymns in praise of the Goddess as five rathas for the five deities are taken out in procession.




Although no epigraphical evidence has been found to prove that Bappa Byari rebuilt the temple, there have been several legends associated with him, including Yakshagana performances that have been passed down generations. Apart from that, there is adequate public documentation to show the involvement of Muslims in the construction of the temple. Not just Muslims, even to this day, several Christians sell Jasmine flowers grown in their gardens in the temple, although there is a demand available for the flowers outside as well. Members of other religions often perform Parvathi Swayamvaram at the temple for fulfilling prayers of marriage for their children.






How to get here: Bappanadu is on the Kochi - Panvel Highway, about 12 kms from the Durga Parameswari Temple in Kateel, and about 30 km from Mangalore.

Google map coordinates: 13.094961, 74.785659

Temple Timings:

5:30 AM to 2:00 PM. 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM

During Friday, Navarathri and Jathra Time:
5:30 AM to 10:00 PM

Contact Details : 0824 -2290585





↧

Nara Simham!

September 13, 2016, 5:35 am
$
0
0
The Malluru Narasimha Swamy Temple Entrance
It was over two years ago, that a devout follower of Aalayam Kanden called me to speak about the Malluru Narasimhaswamy Temple. The way she went about describing it, I was hooked. I got in touch quite immediately with my colleague and friend in Hyderabad to explore possibilities of visiting. However, as with everything else, this desire too had to wait for the will of God, which only came true last week. And the same friend to whom I had first spoken excitedly about the temple was able to accompany us too!

I am not surprised any of this happened. Ever since Aalayam Kanden began, six years ago, I have come to clearly understand that whatever I write here, is purely dependent on His will, and so be it!!
So we set off, all excited at 4 am in the morning towards Malluru from Hyderabad. After crossing Warangal and Hanamakonda cities, we entered the dense reserve forests through which we drove for about five kms to reach the foothills of the Hemachala hill on top of which the temple is located.

The way to the temple through the dense Hemachala forest
It is believed that the Narasimhaswamy manifested as an Ugra moorthy in a cave on top of the Hemachala hill and was brought to light by Sage Agasthya. In order to pacify the Ugra Moorthy and calm him down, Agasthya installed Goddess Lakshmi in his chest and Lord Hanuman as the Kshetrapalaka.

We crossed the arch and the newly constructed shrines for Venugopalaswamy and Uma Maheswara and took the 74 steep steps that lead to the shrine of the now Yogananda Narasimha swamy. The sight of the magnificent lord is awe-inspiring. He is over 9.2 feet tall and the only swayambu Narasimha in standing posture. He is found with a crown and four arms carrying the conch, discus, mace and lotus flower.

Steps leading up to the temple
The Narasimha avatar, a combination of man and lion, was taken by Lord Vishnu, to answer the prayers of his devotee Prahalada. At Malluru, the Lord is said to be depicting the human form.

Over weekends and special occasions, the abhishekam is performed at 12 noon. The abhishekam comprises of smearing oil all over the body of the Lord who has emerged on the wall of the cave. Several devotees bring bottles of oil for this purpose. The priest pours the oil into a vessel and passes it around to the devotees who in turn drop coins into the oil, and make their wishes. It is believed that these wishes definitely come true.

The priest takes a Tulsi leaf and presses it lightly into the chest of the Lord and to the wonder of everyone watching, the leaf goes into the chest and disappears. When the priest removes his hand, the dent is no longer there! It is believed that Narasimha is found here in the human form, with flesh and muscle! Even the garlands are placed on either side of the shoulder and gently pressed and they cling to the body of the Lord!



Not just that, there is a secretion of sandal from his navel. No one really knows how this secretion happened on certain days of the month. The priest mentions that sometimes the secretion turns red or white. This, according to them, is the wound that Narasimha suffered while fighting Hiranyakasipu.

The paste that secretes from the navel is given to those couples who seek childbirth, or to those suffering from chevva, rahu or kethu dosham. The persons concerned have to come in person and perform some rites, before the sandal paste is given to them. Consuming the sandal paste grants couples bonny babies and they then come back with the new born to perform abhishekam and offer prayers.

There is a stream running near by called the Chintamani theertham. The name, Chintamani is said to have been given by Queen Rudramadevi. No one really knows the source of this stream, but the water is crystal clear and sweet to taste. It is an elixir for all chronic ailments and the stories of those who have been miraculously cured after consuming the water from this stream are plenty. Devotees bathe in this stream and carry water from here in containers and consume the same over days.

Photo courtesy : Google
The water does not get bad over time, unlike water from other rivers. The temple is said to date back to 4000 years to the time of the Satavahana king, Dilipakarana. The Kakatiya rulers, Rudramadevi and her grandson Pratapa Rudra have given several grants of land and money to the temple. The hill on which the temple is situated is crescent shaped and was called Hemachala in the past. Now it is known as Malluru.

The Chintamani Theertham that cures diseases
Every year in the month of Vaikasi, on Suddha Chaturdasi day both Kalyana Utsavam and Brammotsavam are performed in this temple with great pomp and glory.

How to get here: The temple is 70 kms from Bhadrachalam, and 127 kms from Warangal city. There are buses from Hanamakonda and also all buses that ply to Eturnagaram stop at Malluru.

Temple Timings: The temple is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm with a lunch break between 1-2.30

Contact info: 9440634985, 9666887393



↧
↧

Venkata Subramaniam!

October 24, 2016, 5:05 am
$
0
0
Venkatasubramania Swamy Temple, Valasaravakkam

Skanda Sashti refers to the six days of battle between Lord Muruga or Skanda with Soorapadma. It is usually commemorated in the Tamil month of Aipasi, and starts on Pradhamai Thithi, the day after New Moon. Deepavali normally falls on the New moon or the previous day in this month. So the Skanda Sashti Viratham is observed immediately after the festival of Deepavali.

Skanda is said to have fought with the demon Soorapadma for five days before killing him on the shores of Thiruchendur and accepting the split portions of his body as peacock (his vahana) and a cockerel on his flag. The Soora Samharam comes to an end with Thirukalyanam (marriage) of Lord Muruga on the sixth day and abhishekams performed to cool down the anger of Jayanthinathar. (the victorious Skanda).

During this time,  devotees fast by taking only one meal per day and worship Lord Muruga. There are several temples dedicated to Lord Muruga and we are now going to look at one such unique temple, amidst the hustle and bustle of busy Arcot Road in Valasaravakkam.

Today, Valasaravakkam is home to several commercial establishments, high rise apartments, schools and such. But prior to the 1950s all it had was extensive groves, which were slowly being converted into layouts for construction. When one such plot of land was being dug up for laying cornerstones, an idol of Lord Muruga was unearthed.



The idol was not only large and beautiful, but also very unique in nature. The Lord Muruga was seen as Brahma Sastha, holding a Gendi or Kamandalam in his left hand and a Aksharamalai in his right hand. There was a Vishnu chakram behind his head and surprisingly, his right foot had six fingers! The owner of the land vowed to construct a temple for the Muruga if he was successful in selling his plots of land. Soon he was successful in doing so and the temple came up nicely, to house the Lord, who had been a long-term resident of the land.

When Thirumuruga Kripananda Variar Swamigal heard about this Murugan, he visited the temple and named him Venkatasubramaniam, as he had the Vishnu chakram behind his head. He also revealed the special significance of this Lord. Anyone worshiping Venkata Subramania Swamy for eleven weeks with devotion, will be granted any genuine wishes that he/she might have.      

Lord Venkatasubramania Swamy
(Photo Courtesy: Mr Venkata Subramanian)
                                         
The procedure for performing this eleven week ritual is as follows:
The person placing the wish before the Lord must visit the temple for eleven weeks and offer two lemons along with items for archanai. A sankalpam with the wish will be performed by the priest and after the archanai, one lemon will be returned to the devotee who must take it home, and drink the juice of that lemon.

The wish is normally fulfilled before the end of the eleven week period. Once fulfilled, the devotee performs abhishekam to the Lord to offer his gratitude. I have seen several people do this ritual with devotion and be benefitted.

On the Sashti day of every month, abhishekams are performed to the Lord's spear and special Tirisadhis are chanted.  Moreover, on Panguni Uthiram, Ekadhina Laksharchanai is performed and festivals such as Thaipoosam and Skanda Sashti are celebrated with great pomp and glory.

Hanuman at Sri Venkatasubramania Swamy Temple
(Photo Courtesy: Mr Venkata Subramaniam)
Apart from this very benevolent Venkatasubramania Swamy, this temple also has a benevolent Hanuman. Devotees tie coconuts with their shell on to rods around the Hanuman shrine and pray for seven weeks. Within this time, their wishes are fulfilled. Once done, the coconut is removed and de-shelled and offered to the Lord along with Tulsi garlands and garlands of Vada.

The temple also has a seperate shrine for Santhoshi Mata. On full moon days, abhishekam is performed here and on Avittam star every month, Lalitha Tirisadhi recitals are done.

Apart from these shrines, there are also shrines for Ganesha, Shiva and Navagraha.

Do visit this very beneficial Venkatasubramanya, during the Skanda Sashti this year, and be blessed!

How to get here:

The Venkata Subramania Swamy temple is in Venkatasubramania Nagar, in Virugambakkam on the lane opposite the Corporation office on Arcot Road.

Temple Timings:

The temple is open from 6.30 am to 10.30 am in the morning and from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm in the evening. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Krithigai days, the temple would be open up to noon in the mornings and up to 9 pm in the evenings.

Contact details:
91762 37273, 97898 87058

↧

Three eyes and ten hands!

December 27, 2016, 7:06 pm
$
0
0
Hanuman with Deer Vahana at Ananthamangalam
Hanuman - the God of strength, valour, loyalty and devotion! We see him, mostly in Vishnu temples in a separate shrine as Siriya Tiruvadi and in Rama temples, alongside Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.
He is also found in different forms - with joined hands, holding a lotus flower and turning to one side, with five faces as Panchamukha Hanuman or in the huge Vishwaroopa form. At Ananthamangalam, we see Hanuman with three eyes and ten hands, holding weapons in each one of them as Trinethra Dasabuja Anjaneyar.

Legend of the temple:

After the war in Sri Lanka to retrieve Sita Devi, Rama was returning to Ayodhya with her, Lakshmana, and Hanuman. On his way back, he was warmly welcomed by Sage Bharadwaja to his ashram, and offered food and rest. While he was eating, Sage Narada came there to meet him. He had some news to share. Narada mentioned that although Ravana, and his army were killed in the war, there were still scions of the family who were planning revenge. Two asuras, by name Rakha Bindu and Raktha Rakshagan were meditating under the sea, to acquire special powers and they must be stopped immediately and only Rama could do it.

Rama understood the threat but was in a hurry to get back to Ayodhya, as his brother Bharata had vowed to enter the fire, if his brother did not return within a particular time. So he instructed Hanuman to slay the two Asuras and join him at Ayodhya. He gave Hanuman his bow and arrow to help him in his mission. The other Gods who were equally troubled by Raktha Bindu and Raktha Rakshagan, gave their weapons too to Hanuman. He acquired different weapons in his ten hands, that symbolised the power of the Gods - Conch and Discus of Lord Vishnu, Trident of Lord Rudra, Kapala of Lord Brahma, Vajrayutha of Lord Indra, Bow and arrow of Lord Rama, whip and butter ball of Lord Krishna, and axe and deer of Lord Shiva. Apart from this he also acquired Lord Shiva's third eye and the wings of Garuda.

Photo Courtesy : Dinamalar.com

The empowered Hanuman set out to kill the two asuras - Raktha Bindu and Raktha Rakshagan. He dragged them out of water, overpowered and killed them. On his way back, he rested in a pleasant grove, happy that he had accomplished the task assigned to him by his Lord. This place came to be known as Aanandhamangalam to denote his frame of mind. Over time, this has changed to Ananthamangalam.

Temple Description:

The moolavar is found in a seperate shrine opposite the Rajagopalaswami temple. He is seen with three eyes and four arms. The rear arms, holding the conch and discus and the front arms, holding the whip and the butter ball. His tail has the Navagrahas etched on them. Worshipping this Hanuman is said to rid one of all the evil effects of planetary movements in one's horoscope. It is a "Graha Dosha Nivarthi Prarthanai Sthalam".

Hanuman's deer vahana is found opposite to him. A brand new deer has been installed and the retired deer relegated to the outer prahara.

                                    

The Rajagopalaswami temple has Lord Vasudeva Perumal in the Sanctum Sanctorum, with Sridevi and Bhoodevi. The utsavar is Rajagopalaswami with Bhama and Rukmani. Sengamalavalli Thayar is found in a separate shrine.




Method of worship:

Those desirous of Graha Dosha Nivarthi, adorn Hanuman with flower garlands, Tulsi garlands and betel leaf garlands, go around the shrine five times, and perform archana to the deity. This can be done both to Moolavar or Utsavar, who is found in a shrine within the Rajagopalaswami temple across the road.

Festivals and Poojas:

Special Thirumanjanam and Aradhanai are performed to Hanuman on Hanumad Jayanthi, Tamil New Year, Purattasi 4th Saturday, Deepavali and Moola Nakshatram day every month.

On Saturdays and Amavasya (New Moon Days) annadhanam is provided to the devotees.



How to reach here:

The temple is found on the Chennai - Nagapattinam East Coast Road, between Thirukadaiyur and Tharangambadi about 3 kms from Thirukadaiyur . There is an arch on the main road that leads to the temple.

Temple Timings:

8 am - 1 pm, 4 pm - 8 pm. On new moon days, the temple is open from midnight the previous day till 10 pm.

Contact details: 

Moolavar - Sridhar Bhattar - 94431 91933
Utsavar - Madhavan Bhattar - 94438 85033
↧
Search

The real Spider - man!

March 30, 2017, 4:59 am
$
0
0


The Ayavantheeswara Temple at Siyathamangai
The Tale:  It was a chilly morning. It had rained the whole night before and the dampness still hung in the air. Pools of water dotted the mud road leading to the temple. But the priest who was hurrying to the temple was unmindful of all these. All his senses were tuned in to the Lord and he longed to get back into his presence.

His wife, Mangayarkarasi, followed him with a pot of water balanced on her hip, literally hurrying to catch up. Together, they cleaned the shrine and the priest sat down to worship the Lord. His eyes welled up in tears, as he looked in wonder at the magnificent deity before him and his lips chanted the prayers in utmost sincerity.

The wife, held the basket of flowers, for her husband to pick up and decorate the lord, slightly bending forward to make it more convenient for him to do so from his seated postion. As he placed yet another flower on top of the Lord's head, she saw a spider that had probably come with the flowers run up the on the Lingam.

She did not know what to do, as her husband was concentrating on his prayers, and her hands were holding the basket of flowers. Without thinking, she blew on the Lingam, thereby making the spider fall away. When she blew, the flower on top of the baanam fell on the priest's hand and he looked up, startled.

"What did you do?" he asked his wife. " A spider was running up the Swamy, so I blew him away", she replied innocently. The priest was furious. " How can you do something so unholy? Did you not realise that while blowing on the Swamy, droplets of spit would have fallen on him? Go away, I disown you from this very moment" he said, rudely pulling the basket of flowers out of her hand.

Mangayarkarasi did not know what to do. She had nowhere to go. She slowly stepped back with tears in her eyes, and went into a corner of the temple and sat there. The priest, Thiruneela Nakkar, did not even notice any of this. His mind was fully engrossed in his prayers. After satisfying himself that the Lord was bathed, fed and worshipped well, Thiruneelanakkar went home. Not for once, did the thought of his wife, occur to him.

Thiruneelanakka Nayanar and his wife Mangayarkarasi
That night, the Lord appeared in the dream of Thiruneelanakkar. He showed him his body. But for the place where Mangayarkarasi had blown the spider out, his whole body had blisters due to the spider crawling on him. When Neelanakkar saw that, he felt sorry for the Lord. The Lord told him that Mangayarkarasi had actually done him a favour by blowing the spider away, and that he should not be angry with her.

The next morning, Neelanakkar ran to the temple. When he saw the Lingam, it had blisters all over, but for the place where Mangayarkarasi had blown the spider away. After applying sandal and holy ash on the body of the Lord, he went looking for his wife. The poor soul had spent the night in one corner of the temple. On seeing her husband approach, she stood up frightened. Neelanakkar looked at her with kindness, and told her that the Lord had been pleased with her devotion and took her home.

Neelanakkar's tale of devotion reached the ears of Thirugnanasambandar, who expressed a desire to meet him. When he came to Thirusathamangai,(Siyathamangai), the place where Tiruneelanakkar stayed, he and his wife decorated the entire village and received the holy child with devotion. Gnanasambandar spent a few days in the company of Thiruneelanakkar and went back. Some time later, when his parents decided to get him married, he invited Thiruneelanakkar to conduct the wedding ceremony.

Neelanakkar happily agreed. After the wedding was performed, Gnanasambandar sought mukthi from the Lord. The Lord created a huge entrance of fire, into which Gnanasambandar entered with his wife, parents and all those who came to the wedding. Thiruneelanakkar too, entered the fire with his wife, to reach the lotus feet of the Lord.

Lord Ayavantheeswara of Siyathamangai
Ayavantheeswara : The Lord, worshipped by Thiruneelanakkar and his wife is known as Ayavantheeswara which means Shiva worshipped by Brahma (Ayan). Today He is only known by the Tamil equivalent as Brahmapureeswara. He is a Swayambu moorthy, facing West. To date, one can see the bumps on the Baanam of the Linga, caused by the spider. The temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalangal where Thirugnanasambandar has sung a hymn on Ayavantheeswara. The Sthala Vriksham is Sarakondrai (Golden Shower) and the Lord is said to have manifested amidst a garden of Sarakondrai as he is very fond of the same.

Goddess Ubhaya Pushpa Vilochani
Goddess as Shiva Swaroopam: The Goddess Ubhaya Pushpa Vilochani or Iru Malar Kannammai. She is found as Shiva Swaroopam wearing the crescent moon and Ganga on matted hair, with a third eye on the forehead, feet planted apart and one hand on her hip. She is found in a separate shrine with a Nandi in front of her, due to the Shiva Swaroopam,

There is a legend that when a group of wealthy traders from Chettinad were passing by the then dilapidated temple, the Goddess ran out in the form of a young girl, held on the senior most person in the group, urging him to visit the temple. Not wanting to disappoint the child, the old man brought the group to the temple. When they saw the condition it was it, they were shattered and took all efforts to rebuild it.

The Chandra - Surya Theertham
Temple Tank : The tank in this temple is unique with the upper half being called the Chandra Theertham and the Lower half called Surya Theertham. Worshipping Lord Ayavantheeswara on five Pournamis (full moon days) after bathing in the two theerthams fulfills prayers of marriage and child birth.

The Rishabantika Ardhanareeswara
Ardhanareeswara:The Ardhanareeswara in this temple is found in the form of Rishabantika with a hand placed over the bull behind him. The other deities in the temple are equally beautiful, including the bronze idol of Nataraja. 

Nataraja and Sivakami Ambal
Inscriptions:  A total of seven inscriptions have been recorded in the Ayavantheeswara Temple belonging to the period of Thirubhuvanachakravarthy Kulothunga Choladeva and Rajarajadeva. The inscriptions speak about the temple as that of Thiruvayavandi Udayar of Sattamangalam in Mulaiyur Nadu, a sub-division of Geyamanikka Valanadu.

An inscription speaks about the great assembly of Idayarukkudi alias Kalikadindasola chaturvedimangalam, a Brahmadeya of Marugal Nadu, ordering the village accountant of Sattamangalam, to exempt from taxes lands belonging to the flowers gardens of Ayavanti Udaiyar and utilise the money for burning two twilight lamps for the welfare of the village.



Another inscription states that the charity of maintaining a water shed on the banks of Mudikondasola Peraru instituted by Thiruvekambamudaiyar in the 15th year of King Rajarajasoladeva had not been maintained and hence the village assembly was taking over the land and passing it on to Namasivayadevan for maintaining the Siruthondar Matam initiated by him at Thiruchenkattankudi. It also records a grant made by an individual to light a twilight lamp before Siruthondar.

There is one Grantha inscription also at the temple which speaks in praise of the God and Goddess.

Deities in the Koshta
Festivals: Apart from the regular festivals, the Thiruneelanakkar Guru Poojai is celebrated on Moolam star in the Tamil month of Avani nd the wedding ceremony of the God and Goddess is celebrated during Moolam star in the month of Vaikasi.  This temple is special for those born under Moolam star. The prayers are conducted as per the Rudra Vyamala Tantra Agama. Witnessing the divine wedding makes wedding bells ring in the family.

The divine couple in the Koshta
How to reach here: Location Co-ordinates : 10.882183, 79.758426

The temple is about 18 kms from Nannilam and 20 kms from Nagapattinam,

Temple Timings :  8 am to 12 pm , 5 pm to 8 pm

Contact Details :  Muthukumaraswamy Gurukkal 97510 75028, 04366 - 270073





↧

Jai Sri Ram!

April 5, 2017, 6:04 am
$
0
0
Rama Navami - the birthday of Lord Rama, the Seventh Avatar of Vishnu, falls on the nineth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chithirai. The Rama Avatar signifies righteousness, tolerance, and steadfastness of virtues and the victory of Rama over Ravana symbolises the victory of good over evil.

On this auspicious day, sharing information on some lesser known temples related to Ramayana.

1. Adambar Kothandarama Temple:
Kothandarama at Adambar with the golden deer - Mareecha
Adambar is one of the five Pancha Rama Kshetrams  - the others being Mudikondan, Vaduvur, Thillaivilagam and Paruthiyur. On the way back to Ayodhya, Sita Devi is said to have asked Rama how she was influenced by the Maya Deer even with she was in the company of Sri Rama for which Rama replied that when a person was born as a human being it would be very difficult to identify Maya, and more importantly to be aware and stay clear of its influences.

Sita Devi said that she had once been influenced, but all the hardships that followed had made her aware and she would never be influenced again. With a smile, Rama snapped his fingers, and lo and behold! the golden deer started dancing in front of Sita again. Without hesitation, Sita wanted the deer again, and urged Rama to catch it for her. Rama strung his bow and uttered " Tham Hanthum Kritha Nischaya: Hathambar". 

Adambar Ramar is found with Sita, and Lakshmana, a praying Hanuman and Mareecha the deer symbolizing the Sthalapuranam of this temple. Currently the temple has no bhattar, however, the post master facilitates opening of the temple on request. Please call and confirm his availability before visiting.

Location: Adambar is in Nannilam Taluk, about 4 kms from Ananthamangalam. (10.9144905, 79.5619244)
Contact : Mr Shankar, Post Master, 8040970630

2. Madhuvana Ramar Temple, Valangaiman:

Madhuvana Rama, Valangaiman

Valangaiman is the place where Mareecha is said to have run, in order to escape Rama's arrows. When Hanuman returned from Lanka, after meeting Sita, he shared the information with the Vanaras who were camping here. Overjoyed, they jumped from tree to tree, breaking the honeycombs and drinking the honey.  This upset the bees, and they swarmed about, stinging people and animals alike. The monkeys caused havoc, uprooting trees and breaking branches.

The King came to know of the trouble caused by the monkeys and prayed to Rama to pacify them. Rama sent Hanuman to the monkeys and they stopped causing trouble once he started singing songs in praise of Rama. Here, Rama is found in a seated posture, with one leg placed on a lotus flower, with the right hand showing Abhaya Mudra and the left hand placed on his thigh. Sita is found seated by his side with a Nilotpala flower in her right hand, and her left hand showing Varada mudra.

Lakshmana stands by their side, with hands folded in Anjali Mudra. Since Hanuman was sent away to control the monkeys, he is not found in the main shrine. There are two Hanumans found one below the other in a separate shrine. 

Location: Valangaiman is about 8 kms from Nachiyar Koil. (10.8885089, 79.39323848)

Timings: 10-11, 5-9 

Contact: Raghavan Bhattar - 94439 82096

3. Ilakku Ariviththa Vinayakar:


Ilakku Ariviththa Vinayagar
After Rama came to know that Sita was in Ravana's custody in Sri Lanka, he attempted to build a bridge from the main land to Sri Lanka to rescue her.  While he was proceeding on the Sethu route towards Kodiyakkarai, Ganesha intercepted him and showed him a hill from where he could get an aerial view of Lanka and Ravana's palace. Hence he is known as Ilakku Arivitha Vinayagar. Rama climbed up the hill at a place now known as Ramar Padham. He was able to see Ravana's palace but only got a view of the backside. As it would not befit a warrior to attack from behind, Rama gave up the idea of approaching Lanka from Adhi Sethu. 

He then proceeded towards Rameshwaram. Ganesha again intercepted him at Uppur, He directed him to view Lanka from the Gandhamadhana Parvatham. This time, Rama got a good view of the front side of Ravana's palace and decided to approach Lanka from there.

After the killing of Ravana, and his brothers, Brahma Hathi Dosham followed Rama. He worshipped at the Chatureshwaram - namely Rameshwaram, Kameshwaram, Kuruvi Rameshwaram (Thiruppalli Mukkoodal) and Thiru Rameshwaram (Sita Rameshwaram) to be rid of this dosha. But could not overcome it fully. When he came towards Vedaranyam, Ganesha kicked the dosha with one leg, thereby relieving Rama once and for all from its clutch.

The guidance of Ganesha during the rescue of Sita, started at this temple. A must visit if you are by this part of the world.
Location: The temple is on the Thanjavur - Kodaikarai road (10.37373474, 79.84839592)
Timings: The temple can be viewed through the day.

4. Poovanur Kothandarama Temple:


Poovanur Rama Temple
Poovanur was once a huge grove of Punnai trees. Lord Rama is said to have rested here along with Sita, and Lakshmana on his way back to Ayodhya, after he sent Hanuman ahead to Bharatha, in order to inform his arrival. Jatamuneeswara who was a manaseeka disciple of Lord Rama requested him to stay there and bless him. Rama manifested his image, along with that of Sita, and Lakshmana in Salagrama stone and gave it to Jatamuneeswara for worship. Jatamuneeswara covered the idols in an anthill, and was worshipping and protecting them for centuries.

When Bhagavannama Bodhendral, a saint of the Kanchi mutt and an ardent devotee of Sri Rama, was touring this area, Lord Rama, appeared in his dream, expressing his desire to be worshipped by him. The next day, Bodhendral tried to find the idols but could not do so. That night, Jatamuneeswara appeared in his dream, agreeing to share the location of the moorthis, provided he was also given a place next to Rama when the idols were installed.

Once Bodhendral agreed to do so, the location of the idols was revealed and they were installed in the ancient Varadaraja Perumal temple complex. The Jatamuneeswara was also installed in the praharam. Bodhendral installed a Salagrama Vigraha of Hanuman at the spot where the idols of Rama , Sita and Lakshmana were found, by the side of a beautiful lotus tank, which still looks very beautiful even today. The Hanuman is magnificent, with folded hands, and wearing thandai and nupura on his feet. 

Location: Poovanur is 8 kms from Mannargudi and 3 kms from Needamangalam. (10.74834695, 79.41220466)

Temple Timings : The priest offers one time pooja. It is a very impoverished temple. Please inform the priest before visiting.

Contact details: Varadaraja Bhattar 80561 42231

5. Kekkarai Kasi Viswanatha Temple:


Rama Padham and Pinda Kuzhis at Kekkarai


Kekkarai is the twisted form of Gaya Karai. When Rama was on his way to Thiruppalli Mukkoodal, the Triveni Sangam near Tiruvarur, he stopped by at the Kasi Viswanatha Temple to offer Pindam (rice balls offered in memory of ancestors) to Dasaratha. This place is considered to be equal to Gaya and even today, several people come from far and near, to offer rituals here on New Moon day or death anniversaries. 

The temple has Kasi Viswanatha in the main sanctum and two pairs of footsteps, denoting that of Rama and Lakshmana near the Nandikeswara. It also has nine holes which symbolise the nine rice balls the brothers offered to Dasaratha. The temple has two other Kasi Viswanatha deities, one each for the three rivers that come together near here. The temple tank is well maintained, and bathing here is said to rid one of all pitru sabhams (curses of ancestors). However, due to lack of patronage, the temple is poorly maintained and is open only for an hour a day.

Location: From Tiruvarur, take the Kekkarai road. Cross the railway crossing and then the temple is about a km away, on the way to the Tiruppalli Mukkoodal Temple. (10.78098182, 79.65217444)

Temple Timings: The temple is only open between 9 - 10 am. The Gurukkal performs puja at several other temples and hence is unable to wait beyond the period mentioned. So please plan accordingly.

Contact details: Balaji Kailash Gurukkal - 9095124124/9758722777

↧
↧

Know your Nayanmars - Part I (The Ladies)

April 7, 2017, 8:41 am
$
0
0
The Nayanmars were great devotees of Lord Shiva who, through their incredible deeds find mention in the Thiruthonda Thogai, sung by Sundaramurthy Nayanar, at the behest of Lord Shiva. The first line of the verse was given by the Lord himself, as "Thillai Vaazh Anthanar Tham Adiyarkum Adiyen" and with his guidance,  Sundarar named and praised his devotees. 

The Nayanmars lived between the 6th and the 9th Century and contributed to spreading the Saivaite Bhakthi movement. The hymns sung by a few of them have been compiled as the Tirumuraigal , and these hymns, moved & motivated several people to follow Shaivism. 

The list of Nayanmars as recited by Sundarar in the Tiruthondathogai was further expanded by Nambiyandar Nambi to include Sundarar and his parents.

The series of posts on the Nayanmars, is a brief introduction into their lives and devotion, which raised them to their exalted position. For convenience of classification, they have been grouped differently from the order in which they are mentioned in the Thiruthondathogai. However, I am mentioning their order as well for connecting better.

I would like to thank Dr Saundarya Rajesh for triggering this idea.

Let us first start with the women: 

23. Karaikal Ammaiyar
Birth – Karaikkal  Mukthi – Thiruvalangadu
Guru poojai – Panguni Swathi
Temple – Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple, Karaikal


Punithavathiyar was the daughter of Dhanadhathan , a rich merchant of Karaikal,. She grew up as an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. When she came of age, Dhanadhathan got her married to another wealthy merchant, Paramadhathan. One day some people who came to meet Paramadhathan, brought two mangoes for him, which he sent home. At that time, a devotee of the Lord came to Paramadhadhan’s house, weary and hungry. Punithavathiyar welcomed him warmly and offered him food. She served him one of the mangoes. 

In some time, Dhanadhathan reached home. Punithavathiyar served him food and the other mango. Relishing the tasty mango, he asked for the second. Punithavathiyar did not know what to do. She beseeched the Lord to help her tide over the situation. The Lord made another mango appear in her kitchen. Delighted, she quickly cut and served it to her husband. Realising the taste to be extremely divine, Dhanadhathan asked her where it had come from. She told him that the Lord had given it to her. The husband found it hard to believe and asked her to get another mango if that was the case. So she prayed again to the Lord and another mango appeared in her hands. When she gave it to Dhanadhathan, it disappeared. From that moment, his feelings towards Punithavathiyar turned to one of reverence. He left on a voyage to earn money, made lot of wealth, and settled in Madurai after marrying a wealthy merchant’s daughter. 

Unaware of all this, Punithavathiyar stayed in Karaikal, offering food to devotees of the Lord. When her relatives heard that Dhanadhathan had settled in Madurai, they took her to him. When he heard of their arrival, he ran out with his wife and daughter, and prostrated before Punithavathiyar. He said he was living with her blessings and had named his daughter after her. The relatives were shocked, but Punithavathiyar prayed to the Lord. If her husband no longer sought her, she was not desirous of her human body anymore. She requested the Lord to give her a skeletal form and proceeded to Kailash. She sang several hymns along the way. When she reached the foothills, she thought it would be disrespectful to climb with her feet, and started climbing on her head. When she reached, the Lord called her “Ammaiye” with a lot of affection. She cried, “My father” and fell at his feet. The Lord asked her what she wanted, and she said, she sought a place at his Lotus feet while he danced. The Lord asked her to go to Thiruvalangadu, where she got the vision of his Thandava and she stayed in eternal happiness.


57. Mangayarkkarasiyar Nayanar
Birth – Pazhayarai Mukthi – Madurai
Guru poojai – Chithirai Rohini
Temple – Dharmapureeswarar Temple, Pazhayarai

Mangayarkarasiyar was the daughter of the Chola King who married Nedumaran, the King of Madurai. She was a staunch Shaivaite but her husband was a Jain. Mangayarkarasiyar wanted her husband to adopt Shaivism. She kept praying to the Lord to show her a way to make her husband see reason. She along with her minister, Kulachiraiyar was instrumental in getting Thirugnanasambandar to Madurai to meet with the King. When the Jains set fire to the dwelling of Gnanasambandar, Mangayarkarasiyar was shocked and wanted to end her life, if at all anything happened to the holy child After Gnanasambandar cured Koon Pandiyan of his hunch and stomach ulcer, he became Ninra Seer Nedumaran, and adopted Shaivism. Mangayarkarasiyar went all over the Pandya Kingdom spreading Shaivism and worshipping the Lord in different shrines, and finally attained His lotus feet.


62. Isaignaniyar Nayanar
Birth – Thiruvarur  Mukthi – Thirunavalur
Guru poojai – Chithirai Chithirai
Temple – Thyagaraja Swamy Temple Tiruvarur,
Bhakthajaneswarar Temple, Thirunavalur

Isaignaniyar at Tirunavalur Temple

Isaignaniyar was born in Kamalapuram in a Sivachariyar family. She grew up with great love and devotion to the Lord. Her parents got her married to another great devotee, Chadaiya Nayanar. It was their pure love and surrender that gave them the fortune of being Sundaramurthy Nayanar’s parents. She named her son Nambi Aarooran in praise of the Lord of Tiruvarur and this devotion also passed on to her son, who even broke the promise he made to his wife, Sangiliyar to worship the Lord at Tiruvarur.

For a complete article on the Thirunavalur Bhakthajaneswara Temple on Aalayam Kanden, click here



↧

Know your Nayanmars - Part II (The Kings)

April 7, 2017, 7:11 pm
$
0
0


Ten Kings have been named by Sundaramurthy Nayanar as Nayanmars. This works out to 1/6th of the total number. These Kings ruled the land as representatives of the Lord, putting service to Him and his devotees, above everything else! The list below describes the life and devotion of these kings. The number allocated shows the order in which they were named by Sundaramurthy Nayanar in his Thiruthondathogai!

4.  Meiporul Nayanar
Birth &  Mukthi -  Tirukovilur 
Guru poojai – Karthigai Uthiram 
Temple - Tirukovilur Veeratam


Meiporul Nayanar was the King of Chedi Nadu and ruled from Tirukovilur. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and would treat all his devotees with great respect. Another King Muththinathan, had tried to win Meiporul Nayanar at war but had not been successful. After several attempts, he decided to take the route of deceit. Disguising himself as a devotee, he reached the palace of Meiporal late one night. The King’s personal bodyguard, Thathan stopped him, telling him the King was asleep. Muththinathan said that he wanted to meet him urgently. The Queen, on seeing the visitor, woke the king up. The King welcomed the visitor, and asked him what he wanted. The latter mentioned that he had brought a rare agama from the Himalayas and wished to discuss it with the King alone. Trusting him, the King asked his queen to go away. Once they were alone, Muththinathan took out the dagger hidden inside the book, and stabbed the King. As he fell, Thathan rushed inside. He drew his sword to kill the enemy. However, Meiporul Nayanar forebade him, as he was in the guise of a devotee and asked him to be escorted till the borders, so that no one would harm him. Such was the King’s devotion towards the Lord and his devotees!


36. Kazharitratrarivar Nayanar (Cheraman Peruman)
Birth & Mukthi – Kodungallur
Guru poojai – Aadi Swathi
Temple – Mahadevar Temple, Thiruvanjaikalam
Cheraman Peruman and Sundaramurthy Nayanar at the Thiruvanjaikalam Temple


Perumakkothaiyar was born in the royal family of Cheras but instead of taking up the throne, he spent his time in the worship of Lord Shiva. One day, the King Chenkorporaiyan gave up his throne to lead an austere life. So the ministers approached Perumakkothaiyar to accept the throne. He thought it would be a hindrance to his worship and sought guidance from the Lord. The Lord blessed him with the knowledge to know what others think and hence he came to be known as Kazharitrutrarivar. After his coronation as Cheraman Peruman, he was riding on his royal elephant, when he saw a washerman returning home. The wet sand from the river had dried on his body and it gave an appearance like holy ash smeared all over. To Cheraman Peruman, he appeared like a devotee of Shiva. So he jumped down from the elephant, and bowed before the washerman. Shocked, the washerman fell at the feet of the King, saying I, am your slave, a washerman for which the king responded I, your slave, am a Chera. Cheraman Peruman was a great devotee of Lord Nataraja. The Lord accepted the prayers by sounding the bells on his feet every day. In Madurai, there was a poet named Banabathirar. He was wallowed in poverty. So, Lord Shiva told him to take a message from him to Cheraman Peruman in return for which he would receive rich gifts. Banabathirar took the message to Cheraman who danced with ecstasy on seeing the message from the Lord himself. With tears of joy, he ordered for all the riches in the palace to be brought out for Banabathirar to take. He offered those along with the elephants, horses and the throne itself. The poet was taken aback at his generosity. He only chose those things he wanted, and humbly returned the rest to the King.

One day when Cheraman finished his prayers, he did not hear the sound of bells. He was hurt and upset that the Lord was not happy with his prayers. So he pulled out his sword and tried to kill himself. On seeing this, the Lord hurriedly sounded the bells on his feet. When Cheraman enquired the reason for delay, the Lord said that he had been distracted due to the sweetness and devotion in the song of Sundaramurthy Nayanar. On hearing this, Cheraman wanted to meet Sundaramurthy Nayanar. He met Sundarar at Tiruvarur and both divine souls embraced each other. They went around temples, singing hymns. Cheraman invited Sundarar to visit Kodungallur, which the latter accepted. The King placed him on the royal elephant, and fanned him and when he reached the palace, he put him on the throne and washed his feet. Sundarar on his second visit, sang to the Lord of Vanchaikalam that he wanted to attain his lotus feet. So the Lord, sent a white elephant to escort Sundarar to Kailash. On hearing this, Cheraman got onto his horse, and whispered the Panchakshara. The horse climbed up into the sky and caught up with Sundarar’s elephant. They reach Kailash where Sundarar was allowed entry but Cheraman Peruman was not. Sundarar explained to the Lord that Cheraman had come out of love for the divine almighty. He was then allowed entry and he sang the Thirukailaaya Gnana Ula. This was heard by Maasathanar (Ayyanar) who revealed it to the world at Thirupidavur.

For a complete article on the Thiruvanjaikalam temple on Aalayam Kanden, click here

38. Kootruva Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Kalappaal
Guru poojai – Adi Thiruvadhirai
Temple – Adhiteshwarar Temple, Kalappaal

Kootruva Nayanar was a devout Shaivaite who spent hours lingering in the thoughts and service of Lord Shiva. He was a chieftain of a small area. Over time, he acquired different battalions and expanded his territory, by winning over enemies. He approached the Dikshithars of Thillai to crown him as King. They refused saying they would only do it for the Chola Kings. Disappointed, Kootruva Nayanar wept in front of the Lord of Thillai asking him to place his lotus feet on his head as crown. Delighted with his devotion, the Lord placed his feet on his head that night which was his crown for the rest of his life.

39. Pugazh Chola Nayanar
Birth – Uraiyur Mukthi – Karuvur
Guru poojai – Adi Karthigai
Temple – Panchavarneswarar Temple, Uraiyur



Pugazh Cholar was the great devotee who had asked Eripaththa Nayanar to kill him when his royal elephant had scattered the flowers meant for the Lord’s worship. He once went to Karuvur, to collect the taxes payable by the Kings of Kongu and Kudagu. There he asked his ministers if there was any one who was unwilling to pay, The ministers reported that Adhigan had not paid yet. Angered, Pugazh Cholar ordered his forces to attack Adhigan’s kingdom. Adigan was no match to the Chola army and he soon ran away into the forest. The soldiers collected gems, jewels, money and horses of Adhigan and also took the heads of those killed as souvenirs. When Pugazh Cholar came to inspect the heads, he found there was one among them of a devotee of Lord Shiva. Feeling he had sinned in killing a devotee of Shiva, Pugazh Cholar held the head of the devotee in a plate above his head, and entered the fire.

40. Narasinga Munaiyaraya Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thirunavalur
Guru poojai – Purataasi Sadhayam
Temple – Bhakthajaneswarar Temple, Thirunavalur
Narasinga Munaiyaraiyar with Sundarar's parents in Thirunavalur
Narasinga Munaiyarayar was the King of Thirumunaipadi. He was a staunch Shaivaite and gave several grants to conduct daily worship in temples. On every Tiruvadhirai day, he would provide food and a hundred gold coins to the devotees of the Lord. Once when he was doing so, a man ailing with leprosy, came wearing the Holy Ash. While the others turned their face with aversion, Narasinga Munaiyaraiyar welcomed him warmly, treated him with respect and offered him food and twice the quantity of gold. Such was his love for the devotees of God!

For a complete article on the Bhakthajaneswara temple at Thirunavalur on Aalayam Kanden, click here

45. Aiyadigal Kadavarkon Nayanar
Birth – Thirukachiyegambam  Mukthi – Kanchipuram
Guru poojai – Aipasi Moolam
Temple – Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram

Aiyadigal Kadavarkon was a Pallava ruler (believed to be Simhavarman - 550 to 575 CE) who ruled from Kanchipuram. After ruling over his subjects fairly and peacefully, he decided to spend the rest of his life in the worship of the Lord. So he crowned his son as the King, and set travel to different temples of the Lord, worshipping him and offering his services till he reached the lotus feet of the Lord. The hymns rendered by him on twenty four temples have been found and are called Kshetra Thiruvenba. They have been classified under the 11th Thirumurai. 

48. Ninra Seer Nedumara Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Madurai
Guru poojai – Aipasi Bharani
Temple – Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai

Nedumaran was the Pandya King. He was a Jain and hence did not encourage Shaivaite worship. His wife Mangayarkarasiyar and minister Kulachiraiyar, requested Thirugnanasambandar to come to Madurai and provide wisdom about Shaivism to him. The king was called Koon pandiyan because he had a hunch. Gnanasambandar, cured him of his stomach ulcer and through the grace of the Lord, he also got rid of his hunch, and came to be called Ninra Seer Nedumaran. The King became a staunch Shaivaite and spread the glory of the Lord for many years, before gaining a place in His abode.

51. Kazharchinga Nayanar
Birth – Thirukachchi Ekambam
Guru poojai – Vaikasi Bharani
Temple – Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram


Kazharchinga Nayanar was a Pallava King. Desirous of worshipping the Lord at Tiruvarur, he set off with his wife. The King was joyous of seeing the Lord, and spent several minutes in meditation. The queen in the meantime, wandered around the temple. There were baskets of sweetly smelling flowers being tied into garlands. Seeing a flower fallen off the dais, she picked it up and smelled it. Cheruthunai Nayanar, who saw the queen smelling a flower intended for the worship of the Lord, immediately pulled off his sword and cut her nose. The queen rolled on the floor, in pain. On hearing her wails, Kazharchingar came looking for her and when he saw her,  roared in anger, as to who had the audacity to perform such an act. When Cheruthunai Nayanar explained what had happened, Kazharchingar was furious. He said that the punishment given was not adequate and chopped off the hand that smelled the flower too. There was a rain of flowers from heaven, in praise of his act. 

52. Idankazhi Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Kodumbalur
Guru poojai – Aipasi Karthigai
Temple – Mukundeeswarar Temple, Kodumbalur

Idankazhi Nayanar was the King of Konadu. Once, a devotee who was in the habit of feeding other devotees every day, stole grain from the King’s storage. The soldiers caught him and produced him before the King. When he came to know that the devotee had stolen grain, only to feed the devotees of Shiva, the King immediately set him free, asking him to take as much grain as he wanted. He also made an announcement that the devotees of Lord Shiva could take as much grain as they wanted from the King’s storage at any time.

59. Kochengatchola Nayanar
Birth – Thiruvaanaikka Mukthi – Chidambaram
Guru poojai – Masi Sadhayam
Temple – Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikka
Thirumarugal - one of the Madakovils built by Kochengatcholan
A white elephant was worshipping the Lord manifested under a white Jamun tree near Chandra Theertham in Chola country. Because of this, the place came to be called Thiruvanaikka. A spider that resided on the tree above, spun a web over the head of the Lord, protecting him from falling leaves. When the elephant brought water to bathe the Lord, it found the spider’s web and thinking of it to be unholy, broke it with its trunk. The spider was upset and built a web again. The next day, the elephant broke the web again. This time, the spider wanted to teach the elephant a lesson. It got into its trunk and started biting hard. The elephant could not remove the spider and unable to bear the pain, it beat its trunk on the ground, and died. In the process, the spider also lost its life.

Subadevan, was a Chola king. He and his wife Kamalavathy longed for a child, and prayed to Lord Shiva. With his grace, Kamalavathy soon conceived and when she went into labour, an astrologer predicted that if the child was delivered an hour later, he would grow up to be a great king. So Kamalavathy asked her maids to tie her upside down so that the child birth was delayed. When the child was born, his eyes were blood shot. Kamalavathy called out to her child as “En Sengannano!” before breathing her last. This child was none other than the spider that had died inside the trunk of the elephant. Chengatcholan became a great King as prophesied, and served God with the thoughts of his previous birth. He built a huge temple for Lord Shiva at Thiruvanaikka and several other temples as Madakovils – temples that cannot be climbed by elephants. He then went to Chidambaram where he built houses for the Dikshitars and spent the remainder of his life, in His holy presence.





↧

Know your Nayanmars! - Part III (The Warriors)

April 8, 2017, 11:33 pm
$
0
0
Continuing on the series of Nayarmars, we now look at the warriors!  Although their roles were taking lives of the enemies for the sake of their king and homeland, they have performed incredible deeds to be included among the Nayanmars!

8. Eanadhinadha Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Eananallur
Guru poojai – Purattasi Uthiradam
Temple – Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Eananallur


Eanadhinadha Nayanar was a valiant warrior of Eananallur. In the same village there lived another fighter, Adhichuran, who was a bully. Not many students frequented his school, while they thronged to learn the art of warfare from Eanadhinadhar. Angered by this, Adhichuran challenged Eanadhinadhar for a combat. The warriors and their students fought each other valiantly but in the end, Adhichuran had to run away from the arena. The next day, he planned to win over Eanadhinadhar through deceit. So he smeared the holy ash across his forehead, and covered it with a cloth. He then invited Eanadhinadhar for a duel. Accepting the challenge, Eanathinathar got ready to punch. At that moment, Adhichuran removed the cloth. On seeing the holy ash on the enemy’s forehead, Eanadhinadha froze and allowed him to have his way. He did not drop his sword and shield, for he did not want the sin of attacking an unarmed enemy, to befall Adhichuran. Such was his devotion to Lord Shiva and his devotees!

11. Manakancharar Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi -Kanjarur (Anandathandavapuram)  
Gurupoojai – Markazhi Swathi 
Temple – Panchavateeswarar Temple, Ananadathandavapuram


Manakancharar was a chief of army, a very humble and pious man, whose life was dedicated to Lord Shiva. For a long time, he did not have a child, and through his prayers, a girl child was born. She grew up into a beautiful woman, with long hair. Manakancharar wanted another pious devotee to be her groom and chose Eyarkon Kalikamar. On the day of the wedding, Lord Shiva arrived at the hall, in the form of a Mahavradhi. When Manakancharar saw him, he fell at his feet with his wife and daughter seeking his blessings. The Mahavradhi saw the girl’s long and beautiful hair and said he could use it for his “Panchavati” (Sacred thread made of human hair worn across the chest). Without any hesitation, the father pulled out his sword, and chopped off his daughter’s hair, and offered it. The Mahavradhi disappeared, and Lord Shiva appeared as Rishabaruda and blessed them. By this time, Eyarkon Kalikamar had reached the wedding hall and was delighted to hear about what happened but was not sure if it was appropriate to marry a woman whose head was shaven. To their surprise and delight, the girl’s hair grew back to how it had been before. They all bowed to the Almighty’s grace.

28. Eyarkon Kalikama Nayanar
Birth  & Mukthi – Thiruperumangalam
Guru poojai – Aani Revathi
Temple – Virundheeswarar Temple, Thiruperumangalam


Eyarkon Kalikamar was the son-in-law of Manakancharar Nayanar and the General of the State Army. He heard about Sundaramurthy Nayanar sending Lord Shiva to Paravaiyar’s house to pacify her after his marriage to Sangiliyar. He was furious that a devotee of Shiva would attempt to send the Lord barefoot, in the night, as a messenger. He thought if ever he met Sundarar, he would kill him. The Lord wanted both devotees to be friends. So he created a severe stomach ulcer in Eyarkon Kalikamar, and told him that only Sundarar was capable of curing his pain. At the same time, he appeared in Sundarar’s dream, asking him to go to Kalikamar and help him. Kalikamar did not want a life given through Sundarar. So he tore open his stomach and died. His wife prepared to join him in death, when she heard of Sundarar’s arrival. Asking everyone to stop crying, she received him. When Sundarar enquired about Eyarkon Kalikamar, she said he was out of pain and sleeping. Sundarar insisted on seeing him and when he did, he found he had killed himself. When he came to know that he was the cause of Kalikamar’s death, Sundarar took out his sword to end his life too. At that moment, Lord Shiva brought Kalikamar back to life. The two devotees fell at each other’s feet and became thick friends.

35. Siruthonda Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Thiruchenkattankudi
Guru poojai – Chithirai Bharani
Temple – Uthrapadheeswarar Temple, Thiruchenkattankudi
Siruthondar and Thiruvenkattu Nangai cutting Seeralan for feeding the Bhairagi
Paranjothi was born in the Mamathra clan of Thiruchenkattankudi. He joined the Pallava army and rose to the position of the general. He led a battle against the Chalukyas to Vatapi (Badami),and brought back a Ganesha who is now called Vatapi Ganapathy. After the war, he expressed his desire to go back home and spend time in the worship of God. Paranjothi married Thiruvenkattunangai and had a son named Seeralan. He spent all his riches and time in feeding the devotees of the Lord for which he was called Siruthondar. One day, the Lord appeared as a Bhairagi in Siruthondar’s house. Thiruvenkattunangai welcomed him warmly. But he said he would not come when the man of the house was not in, and that he would wait under a tree near the temple. Siruthondar on his return, humbly requested the Bhairagi to visit his house for lunch. The devotee said that he would only take the meat of a child less than five, with no physical impairment, the only child in the family and the parents must cook the meat happily. Siruthondar heard the impossible and came back to his house. 

He discussed with his wife, and they decided they would cook their son, Seeralan. So they brought him back from school, bathed and dressed him, and with the mother holding the hands and feet, the father cut off the head. Thinking the head would not be appropriate, the mother cooked the rest of the meat. When the Bhairagi sat down to eat, he asked if all parts had been cooked, they said they had cooked everything except the head. He responded that he liked that too. Immediately the maid Santhananangai brought the head curry which she had cooked separately. The Bhairagi said that he would not eat alone, and asked Siruthondar to invite other devotees. Siruthondar went outside and looked around but could not find anyone else. So the Bhairagi asked Siruthondar to take lunch with him. He also asked about Seeralan. Siruthondar said he would not be of any use. But the Bhairagi insisted. He asked the couple to go out and call him. When the couple called their son, he came running as if coming back from school. They found the Bhairagi and the meat missing. Overwhelmed, the couple wept in joy. The Lord appeared before them as Somaskanda and gave mukthi.

50. Munaiyaduvaar Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Thiruneedur
Guru poojai – Panguni Poosam
Temple – Arutsomanadheswarar Temple, Thiruneedur


Munaiyaduvaar Nayanar was a valiant warrior who took pleasure in feeding the devotees of the Lord every day. He would fight on behalf of those who offered him riches and win the battle for them. With the money he received, he would welcome devotees to his house and feed them. Because of fighting for others, he came to be called Munaiyaduvaar Nayanar.

55. Kotpuli Nayanar
Birth & Mukthi – Thirunatiyathankudi
Guru poojai – Adi Kettai
Temple – Manickavannar Temple, Thirunattiyathankudi
Kotpuli Nayanar Shrine & depiction in Thirunattiyanthankudi Temple

Kotpuli Nayanar was a general in the King’s army. He gave grains for the worship of the Lord in various Siva temples. As he was called away for war, he stored a lot of grain at home, asking his family members to pass it on to the temples. After Kotpuliyar left, there was famine in that area. So his family members thought, it is better to consume the grain, rather than give it away.After few months, Kotpuliyar returned victorious, bringing back gifts and money that the King had given. On coming to know that the Lord’s grain had been consumed by his family members and relatives, he took out his sword and killed them one by one. Finally only an infant was left. One of the soldiers who was witness to the incident, asked Kotpuliyar to spare the child because he had not consumed the grain. But Kotpuliyar replied that the child was also guilty because it had drunk the milk of a mother who had consumed the grain. He threw the child up in the air and killed it as well. The Lord was pleased with his devotion, and gave mukthi to Kotpuli Nayanar and all his relatives. 










↧
Viewing all 180 articles
Browse latest View live
Search