Aalayam Kanden (Temples I saw)

I am really pained to write this post in Aalayam Kanden where I have refrained from writing anything other than information on lesser known temples. The readers and patrons have stood by me in every effort over the years, both in the blog as well as through the Aalayam Kanden Trust.

As many of you may be aware, in July 2014, author Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, invited me to be part of the cultural mapping of the Cooum river. Over the next two years, I was able to do an extensive study of the heritage sites along the river with the able guidance of Mr Vaidyanathan Ramamurthy. I used the Koova Puranam and the Inscriptions of Madras Presidency Volume 8 by Mr T V Mahalingam, both of which I procured with great difficulty over many months as the source of my study. The complete details of the project have been documented here chronologically https://www.facebook.com/groups/CooumCulturalMapping/

At every step, I consulted with senior historians like Mr Sridharan K, Deputy Director Retired, State Archaeology Department, Ms Padmavathy Anaiappan, Senior Epigraphist, Dr Sankaranarayanan G, Asst. Professor of the Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Maha Vidyalaya of Kanchipuram on the inscriptions, and the findings. Through the study, we did not expect to find anything new, or claim that we did.

One of the significant information we came across in the T V Mahalingam compilation was an inscription at Sitrambakkam on the Cooum trail that speaks about the earliest found inscription of a structural temple. It was also one of the early Pallava Inscriptions in Tamil.

Excerpt from T V Mahalingam Volume 8 Page 543

This was discussed at length with Prof. Sankaranarayanan, who said it had been published in Epigraphia Indica too as an article. The same was also collected.

Mr Vaidyanathan and me, along with Mr Balaji, TTE, Tiruvallur, visited Sitrambakkam on 1st October 2015 (the date stamp can clearly be seen in the pictures) to verify the existence of this stone.

Further we also took a group of enthusiasts on a heritage trip to this location in October, through a publicly advertised facebook event, the details of which can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1480933065563682/?active_tab=discussion

Couple of heritage enthusiasts who accompanied us on the trip also wrote blog posts about this site, after the trip.

http://indiancolumbus.blogspot.com/2016/04/chitrambakkam.html
http://veludharan.blogspot.in/2015/10/the-cooum-cultural-mapping-on-day-trip_13.html

I had included this site in my book The Gods of the Holy Koovam published on February 12, 2017 on Page 19 where clearly the source from where the inscription was read is mentioned.

The book was released by Mr K Sridharan of the State Archaeological Department and all proceeds of the same were given to support the Madras Literary Society library. A number of print, digital and visual media covered the event and wrote about it. All the books have since been purchased and those who hold copies can also verify this information there.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1116962951764923/

Notably among that was Dinamalar which had written about the book launch and also mentioned the Sitrambakkam inscription in their coverage.

The reporter Mr Sivakumar had requested for more information on the Cooum temples so that he can do his bit in conserving them. Therefore, I first sent an article on the Kesavaram temple which was correctly published by Dinamalar. It did bring a lot of attention from the ASI to the temple, which was heartening to see,

Wanting to protect the Selliamman temple inscription too, that lay in the open, I wrote an article on it and sent it to Sivakumar, which I reproduce below.
அன்புள்ள திரு சிவகுமார் அவர்களுக்கு,

தங்களிடம் தொலைபேசியில் குறிப்பிட்டபடி சிற்றம்பக்கத்தில் உள்ள சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த முதல் கட்டப்பட்ட கோவிலின் கல்வெட்டை பற்றிய தகவல்களை கீழே கொடுத்துள்ளேன். உங்கள் முயற்சியின் மூலம் இக்கல்வெட்டு பாதுகாக்கப்பட்டால் மிகவும் சிறப்பாக இருக்கும்.

தென்கரணை என்று அழைக்கப்பட்ட சிற்றம்பாக்கம் கிராமம் திருவள்ளூர் மாவட்டத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளது. இங்கு பல்லவர் காலத்தை சேர்ந்த கும்பேஸ்வரர் ஆலயம் சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் புதுப்பிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது. இதற்கு அருகே அமைந்த ஒரு சிறிய கோவில் தான் செல்லியம்மன் ஆலயம்.

இக்கோவிலின் வாசலின் மலரின் இதழ்கள் வரையப்பட்ட ஒரு கல் கிடக்கிறது. இக்கல் அக்கோவிலின் வாசற்படியாகவும் ஆடுகளும் மனிதர்களும் அமர்ந்து ஓய்வெடுக்கும் சிறு மேடையாகவும் விளங்கும் இந்த கல்லில் தான் இது வரையில் கண்டறியப்பட்ட முதல் கட்டப்பட்ட கோவிலின் தகவல்கள் உள்ளன.

பல்லவர்கள் காலத்தில் பெரும்பாலும் குடைவரைகளே அமைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த நிலையில் முதல் முதலாக ஒரு கோவில் கட்டப்பட்ட செய்தியை தெரிவிக்கும் கல்வெட்டு இது. மேலும் பெரும்பாலான பல்லவர்கள் கல்வெட்டுகள் பல்லவ கிரந்தத்தில் சமஸ்க்ரிதத்தில் அமைந்திருந்த போது வெகு சில கல்வெட்டுகள் தமிழில் காணப்படுகின்றன. வல்லம் குகையில் உள்ள முதலாம் மஹேந்திரவர்மன் கல்வெட்டு மற்றும் திருக்கழுக்குன்றத்தில் உள்ள முதலாம் நரசிம்மவர்மன் கல்வெட்டு போல இதுவும் தமிழில் காணப்படும் சிறப்பு பெற்றது.

முதலாம் பரமேஸ்வரவர்மனின் முதல் ஆட்சி ஆண்டை இக்கல்வெட்டு குறிப்பிடுகிறது. இது கி.பி.670 ஆம் ஆண்டாகும். இக்கல் 29 அங்குல நீளமும் 28.5 அங்குல அகலமும் உடையதாக விளங்குகிறது. மத்தியில் மலரின் இதழ்கள் போன்ற உருவம் செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவ்விதழ்களை சுற்றி இரண்டு வட்டங்கள் ஒன்றின் உள் ஒன்றாக செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

இந்த உருவத்தை சுற்றி எழுத்துக்கள் காணப்படுகின்றன. மொத்தம் ஆறு வரிகள் கொண்ட கல்வெட்டில் முதல் இரண்டு வரிகள் மேற்புறமும் அடுத்த இரண்டு வரிகள் வலப்புறமும் செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஐந்தாவது வரி கீழேயும் ஆறாவது இடப்புறமும் காணப்படுகின்றன.

இக்கல்வெட்டு ஒரு காலத்தில் செல்லியம்மன் கோவில் பெரியதாக இருக்கும் பொழுது அதன் சுவற்றில் இருந்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

இதன் வரிகள்

1. ஸ்ரீ மஹாராஜ பரமேஸ்வர வர்மர்க்கு யாண்டு தலைத்தா

2. வது துணங்கிலவருள் ஆலவாயில் சோமாசியா

3. ரு மருமகன் கும(ரன் )

4, ..டுப்பித்த கோ (வில்)

5,...........அழி (வு)ம் செ

6. ய்தார் தரும வேற்க

இதிலிருந்த ஆலவாயில் என்ற ஊரை சேர்ந்த சோமாசியார் (சோமாஜியார் ) மருமகன் குமரன் என்பவன் எடுப்பித்த கோவில் என்ற தகவலை நாம் அறியலாம். ஆலவாயில் என்பது பொதுவாக மதுரையைக்குறிக்கும். இங்கும் அது மதுரை என்று நாம் எடுத்துக்கொள்ளலாம். அல்லது ஒரு வேளை தென்கரணைக்கு ஆலவாயில் என்ற பெயரும் இருந்திருக்கக் கூடும்.

இவ்வாறு இதுவரையில் கிடைத்த முதல் கட்டப்பட்ட கோவிலை குறித்த தகவல் கூறும் கல்வெட்டு இப்படி வெட்டவெளியில் பாதுகாப்பின்றி அசுத்தத்தில் கிட க்கவிடாமல் அரசும் தொல்லியல் துறையும் பாதுகாக்க வேண்டும்.

இப்படிக்கு

பிரியா பாஸ்கரன்

I had also attached the Epigraphia Indica pages for him to get the complete information.

Sadly the reporter had neither referred the references or my document properly and this was the report he produced, completely missing the appeal for conservation and protection of the inscription,and assuming it was a new discovery.

I was shocked to see this and several people including Dr Sankaranarayanan and Mr KRA Narsiah contacted me to find out what had happened, as they had been involved in the process right from the beginning.

I spoke to the reporter and pointed out his mistake and asked him to issue a corrigendum and apology. Not wanting to mess up the newspaper's reputation and probably his job, he further added to the problem by coming up with something like this:

One Mr Vedham Vedhaprakash went one step higher, condemning me of seeking cheap publicity. He also used my personal images and details without permission to write a series of hate posts, in the name of heritage interest, without bothering to verify facts.

https://indianhistoriographymethodology.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/researcher-should-acknowledge-the-sources-before-making-claims/

After I spoke to him and clarified, he did make some edits to the content of his post, but has chosen to delete my comment on his post and has not taken it off. Obviously he is seeking publicity from a mistake that Dinamalar made because of which my credibilty has been questioned. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=443861985949195&id=100009761916382&comment_id=443886649280062&notif_t=like&notif_id=1493029909257430

His post may be one I saw. There may be several I did not. This is a post to clarify the facts as they stand and pinpoint Dinamalar and the reporter for their folly. Such irresponsible reporting not just damages the reputation of enthusiasts but also puts them off such volunteer activity in the future.

For three years, I slogged hard to document the heritage sites along the Cooum, brought out the book and gave all the proceeds to start a Tamil section in the MLS library which is one of the heritage landmarks along the Cooum. Despite my sincere efforts, this irresponsible act of Dinamalar has slung mud on all my hard work. I am documenting this for future records and reference of net experts who rely on what they lay their eyes on the internet, and make large comments without bothering to verify facts.

Continuing on our series on Nayanmars, we now move on to look at the priests, who worshipped the Lord for their love of him, and not just because it was their profession! Their profound love, even during the most trying of circumstances, made them earn his compassion and find their place among the Nayanmars!

Note: The numbers next to the names of the Nayanmars denote the order in which they appear in the Thiruthonda Thogai!

Thillai Vaazh Andhanar:

When Lord Shiva asked Sundaramurthy Nayanar to sing a hymn in praise of his devotees, he gave the first line himself as " Thillai Vaazh Andhanar tham adiyarkum adiyen". The 3000 Dikshidars of the Chidambaram temple, had the privilege of being named by the Lord himself, because when Lord Shiva manifested in the form of a linga in the middle of a Thillai forest at Chidambaram, these Dikshidars are said to have accompanied him for the purpose of carrying out rituals of his worship.

10. Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar

Birth - Thirukadaiyur Mukthi - Thirukadaiyur

Guru poojai - Avani Moolam

Temple - Amirthakadeswarar Temple, Thirukadaiyur,

Arunajadeswarar Temple, Thirupanandhal

Kalayar was a Brahmin priest and a staunch devotee of Shiva. Every day his primary responsibility was to offer Benzoin (Kungiliyam) fragrance to the Lord at Thirukadaiyur. The Lord, in order to test his devotion, made him lose his livelihood and possessions. Still, Kalayar’s service continued, undeterred.

One day, when there was nothing in the house to feed the children, his wife gave her Thaali asking him to sell it to buy rice. When Kalayar went to the market, he found a man selling Kungiliyam, so instead of rice, he bought Kungiliyam and went to the temple, burnt it and sang the praises of the Lord. Hours passed, and his wife and children fainted with hunger. The Lord, moved by Kalayar’s devotion, filled the house with foodgrains, and riches. He appeared in the dream of Kalayar’s wife, letting her know that there was enough food for the children and she should prepare something for them to eat.

The lady woke up, saw the house full of provisions, and started preparing a tasty meal. Lord Shiva chided Kalayar for forgetting his duty, and urged him to go home and have a meal. Kalayar thanked the Lord and spent all the riches on feeding devotees.

In the meantime, the lingam at the Tirupanandhal temple had tilted, and the King tried all his might, using elephants and soldiers, in vain, to straighten it. Hearing about it, Kalayar rushed to the temple, put the noose on to his neck and pulled with all love and devotion. Within seconds, the lingam straightened up. The King fell at the feet of the devotee, and praised him.

15. Muruga Nayanar

Birth- Tirupugalur Mukthi - Aachalpuram

Guru poojai – Vaikhasi Moolam

Temple – Agneeswarar Temple, Tirupugalur

Muruga Nayanar was a Brahmin priest of Tirupugalur. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Every morning, he collected flowers from plants and trees, creepers and ponds, in different baskets held above the navel, and made garlands for the Lord with the choicest flowers. His devotion was so pure and simple, that when Thirugnanasambandar came to hear about him, he offered his friendship. Sambandar and Appar stayed with Muruga Nayanar while visiting Tirupugalur. Muruga Nayanar was invited to attend the wedding of Gnanasambandar, wherein he attained mukthi along with Sambandar and other invitees.

16. Uruthira Pasupathy Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thiruthalaiyur near Kollumangudi

Guru poojai – Purattasi Aswini

Temple: Pasupathinathar Temple, Thiruthalaiyur

Pasupathy Nayanar was a very pious Brahmin who chanted the Vedas with austerity and devotion. Every morning, he would get into neck deep water in the lotus pond, with his hands held high above his head like a blooming lotus bud, and would chant the Rudram with utmost devotion. The Lord, pleased with his devotion, placed his lotus feet upon the raised hands of Pasupathy Nayanar and gave him mukthi. Because he recited the Rudram with utmost devotion, he came to be known as Uruthira Pasupathy Nayanar.

25. Thiruneelanakka Nayanar

Birth – Seeyathamangai Mukthi – Aachaalpuram

Guru poojai – Vaikasi Moolam

Temple – Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Seeyathamangai

Thiruneela Nakkar was a Brahmin who lived in Thiruchathamangai with his wife. Both of them loved to worship Ayavantheeswarar. One day, the wife saw a spider running up the baanam of the Lord. Without thinking, she blew on it, to chase it away. Thiruneela Nakkar was shocked that his wife would think of doing something so unholy. In a fit of rage, he told her that he was disowning her. The distraught wife stayed back at the temple. That night, the Lord appeared in Thiruneela Nakkar’s dream and showed him his body. He had blisters everywhere, except where Nakkar’s wife had blown. Nakkar regretted his action, and brought his wife back in the morning. He soon heard about the glory of Gnanasambandar and wanted to meet him. When Sambandar came to Sathamangai, Thiruneelanakkar received him and gave him a place to stay. He was invited to perform the wedding of Gnanasambandar at Aachaalpuram, where he also attained mukthi along with Sambandar.

For a detailed post on the Seeyathamangai temple and the tale of Thiruneelanakkar on Aalayam Kanden, click here.

26. Naminandi Adigal Nayanar

Birth – Thiruneipper Mukthi – Tiruvarur

Guru poojai – Vaikasi Poosam

Temple – Vanmeeganatha Swamy Temple, Thiruneipper

Naminandi Adigal was a Brahmin who was very fond of going to Tiruvarur to worship Lord Vanmeeganatha. He had a desire to light innumerable lamps in the temple that would glow until dawn. One day, he approached a house near the temple and asked for some ghee. The inhabitants being Jains, told him they had no ghee and asked him to light the lamps with water. Naminandi Adigal was heartbroken. He went back to the temple, and wept. The Lord asked Naminandi to light the lamps from the water in the pond. Unquestioningly, Naminandi obeyed and the lamps burned bright until day. This continued for many days. One day, he accompanied the Lord on a procession and went home. When his wife asked him to come in and perform the pujas, he replied that he had been along with people of other communities and would like to cleanse himself before worship. It was as though by magic, that he fell asleep immediately. In his dream Lord Shiva told him that all those who are born in Tiruvarur were his Ganas. Naminandi woke up, regretting his mistake. Next morning, when he went to the temple, he saw everyone as Shiva Ganas. A repentant Naminandi sought forgiveness of the Lord and spent his life in performing service.

32. Somasimara Nayanar

Birth – Ambar Mukthi – Tiruvarur

Guru poojai – Vaikasi Aayilyam

Temple – Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Ambar

Somasimara Nayanar was an exponent of Samaveda. He was an ardent devotee of Shiva and believed in revering and serving his devotees as a path to attain salvation. He was greatly inspired by Sundaramurthy Nayanar. He went to Tiruvarur and recited the Samavedha. On hearing the rendition, Lord Shiva is said to have appeared before them. He spent his life in serving Sundaramurthy Nayanar before attaining Mukthi.

34. Sirappuli Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thiruaakur

Guru poojai – Karthigai Puradam

Temple – Thanthonrinadhar temple, Thiruaakur

Sirappuli Nayanar was a devotee of Lord Shiva and he took it as his prime responsibility to feed His devotees and give them what they sought. Pleased with the commitment and dedication with which he fed devotees, Lord Shiva himself came as one among thousand devotees fed by him. Hence he is called Ayirathil Oruvar (One in a thousand) in the Thiru Aakur temple.

37. Gananatha Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Sirkazhi

Guru poojai – Panguni Thiruvadhirai

Temple – Thoniappar Temple, Sirkazhi

Gananatha Nayanar was very devoted to the service of Lord Shiva. He felt the need to train several people to perform the services required by the Lord. So he identified and trained several young people to be devotees and maintain the temple groves, and collect flowers for worship, make garlands, bring clean water and fresh milk for bathing the Lord, cleaning the temple, removing the vegetation, lighting lamps and all other services that were needed in the temple. He was instrumental in disciplining the youth through service to God. He became the Head of the Ganas in the Lord’s abode.

54. Pugazhthunai Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thiruarisirkaraiputhur (Azhagaputhur)

Guru poojai – Avani Ayilyam

Temple – Sornapureeswarar Temple, Azhaputhur

In Seruvilliputhur there was a priest called Pugazhthunaiyar. He worshipped the Lord with true affection and devotion. Most people in the village starting leaving it due to famine. But Pugazhthunaiyar chose to stay, not wanting to leave the Lord alone and hungry. Even when there was no food available, he brought whatever fresh flower he could find, and bathed the Lord in cold water. One day, he felt giddy due to hunger and dropped the pot on the head of the Lord and became faint. In his dream, the Lord told him that every day he would keep a gold coin in his shrine till the famine was over. When Pugazhthunaiyar woke up, he found a gold coin at the feet of the Lord. With hunger being driven away, he continued his worship undisturbed and reached the lotus feet of the Lord.

56. Pusalar Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thiruninravur

Guru poojai – Aipasi Anusham

Temple – Hridayaleeswarar Temple, Thiruninravur

Pusalar Nayanar was a poor Brahmin who was desirous of building a temple for Lord Shiva. He asked several people to help but they thought he was crazy. A disappointed Pusalar decided to build a temple in his heart. He started with the foundation and constructed the temple little by little. Finally the temple rose in his heart. He set a date for the consecration and invited the Lord to come into the sanctum. At the same time, the Pallava King was also building a magnificent temple for Lord Shiva. He had set the consecration date as the same day as Pusalar. The previous night, the Lord appeared in his dream, and asked him to move the date to another day, as he had to fulfil Pusalar’s wish and enter his temple. The King was surprised that there could be a man in his kingdom who had built a temple that was greater than his. So he went to Tiruninravur and asked about the temple that Pusalar had built. No one knew where it was. So the king asked if he could see Pusalar. He went to the tree where Pusalar sat in meditation and saluted him. He humbly asked him about the temple he had built. Pusalar fell at the King’s feet, with tears running down his eyes. He could not believe that the Lord had actually considered the temple he had built in his heart to be more important than the one built by the King. When the King heard that Pusalar had actually built the temple in his heart, he circumambulated him and fell at his feet.

For a detailed article on the life of Pusalar Nayanar and the Hridayaleeswara Temple on Aalayam Kanden, click here.

61. Chadaiya Nayanar

Birth & Mukthi – Thirunavalur

Guru poojai – Markazhi Thiruvadhirai

Temple – Bakthajaneswarar Temple, Thirunavalur

Chadaiya Nayanar was the father of Sundaramurthy Nayanar. He came from a family that called themselves the slaves of the slaves of God. Sundaramurthy Nayanar’s excellent, blemishless love for the Lord was inherited from Chadaiya Nayanar and the grooming of his son towards the path of divinity.

For a detailed article on Chadaiya Nayanar and the Tirunavalur temple on Aalayam Kanden, click here.

Check out the other posts on the Nayanmars series too:

The Ladies: http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/2017/04/know-your-nayanmars-part-i-ladies.html

The Kings : http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/2017/04/know-your-nayanmars-part-ii-kings.html

The Warriors : http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/2017/04/know-your-nayanmars-part-iii-warriors.html

For a free download of an e-book on the lives of the Nayamars, click here:

Appar - A Brief History

Appar also known as Tirunavukkarasar was born Marulneekiyar in an agriculturist family of Thiruvamur in Tirumunaipadi Nadu. He lost his parents in an early age and was brought up by his sister Thilakavathiyar. He grew up as a pious young man, with a seeking to know the best among religions. So he went to Pataliputra,where he was drawn towards Jainism. He was renamed Dharmasena, and became a Jain monk. In the meantime, his sister Thilakavathiyar, was beseeching Lord Shiva at Thiruvadhigai Veeratam, to make her brother see reason, and return to Saivism. The Lord, moved by her prayers, gave Dharmasena severe stomach pain. The Jains did all that they could to cure the pain, but all their actions only ended up aggravating it. When the pain became unbearable, Dharmasena decided to return home, to see his sister one last time, before giving up his life.

When he came home, Thilakavathiyar took him to Thiruvadhigai Veeratam and asked him to sing a hymn in praise of the Lord. With His grace, Marulneekiyar was immediately relieved of pain. He was overjoyed, and took to Saivism. He went from place to place, carrying a sickle (termed Uzhavaram in Tamil) singing the praise of the Lord, and cleaning temples of vegetation. With the grace of God, he performed several miracles. Due to the sweetness of his words, the Lord gave him the title Thirunavukkarasar.

On hearing about Saint Thirugnanasambandar, he desired to meet him. When Gnanasambandar came in his pearl palanquin, Thirunavukkarasar became one of the bearers. Gnanasambandar was equally eager to meet Thirunavukkarasar, jumped down from it, and fell at his feet calling him "Appare" (My father). As he grew older, Appar desired to visit Kailash. He walked up North, till such time he could walk no longer. He then started to crawl. His muscles got wasted and blood started to pour. His bones were getting ground and began to break. He would still not stop moving in the direction of Kailash. Moved by his devotion, Lord Shiva restored his health and asked him to go to Thiruvaiyaru where he showed him the vision of Kailash.

Last days of Appar at Thirupugalur

After spending some time in Thiruvaiyaru, he reached Tirupugalur. The Agneeswara Temple at Thirupugalur has several specialities,

Lord Bhootheswara

It is a temple where the Lord is worshipped in three different forms - Bhootheswara for the Past, Varthamaneeswara for the present and Bhavishyeswara for the future.
It is the temple where Agni worshipped Lord Shiva also known as Sharanyeswara or Kona Piraan and gained a human form with two faces, seven flames, five arms and two legs.

Lord Agni

It is here that bricks were turned to gold for Sundaramurthy Nayanar, because of which, till date the temple is a popular Vasthu Sthalam, from where people take back three bricks and use them in the construction of their new house, to be rid of Vasthu Doshas.
The Goddess Karuthazh Kuzhali also known as Soolikambal, is one of four sisters who grants wishes of safe pregnancy and delivery.
The temple is surrounded by a moat said to have dug by Banasura. The Lord is called Kona Piran as he is supposed to have titled when Banasura tried to uproot him for his mother's worship.

The magnificent moat around the Tirupugalur temple

Appar is said to have come here and performed Uzhavara pani, namely clearing of vegetation using a sickle. The Lord wanting to test him, made precious gems and diamonds appear in the midst of rubble. Appar without a second look, dumped the gems along with the stones and pebbles he was clearing from the pathway. The Lord then sent the Apsaras - Ramba, Menaka and Urvashi to distract Appar and make him fall to worldly ways. But Appar was undettered by the glamorous maiden and their sensuous moves - he started singing hymns in praise of the Lord, on hearing which the maiden bowed before him and returned to their abode.

Knowing that his end was near, Appar went around the temple, singing a hymn " Podhuginren Unnadike Poompugalur Meviya Punniyane" and entered the sanctum sanctorum on Chithirai Sadhayam wherein he merged with the holy consciousness of the Lord.

Appar Gurupoojai :

Every year, the commemoration of Appar attaining mukthi is celebrated on Sadhayam star in the Tamil month of Chithirai. Devotees from far and wide, gather at the temple to witness this spectacular event. There are several events that take place as a fore-runner to the Gurupoojai.

The Tirupugalur temple decorated for the Gurupoojai

On the morning of the event, the 63 Nayanmars are taken in procession through the streets surrounding the temple. In the afternoon, an episode of Kattamudhu, where the Lord brought packed food for a hungry Appar is recreated at the Kattamudhu mandapam, by the side of the temple. The crowds start to swell as dusk approaches. The festivities of the evening, begin with a discourse on the life of Appar. Around 10 pm, a beautifully decorated Appar is brought around the temple Praharam. The devotees who are waiting patiently cheer in joy to see him approach.

The Velakurichi Aadheenam, Srila Sri Sathya Gnana Mahadesika Paramacharya Swamigal, leads the procession. He then, proceeds to recreate the Uzhavara Pani of Appar where the Lord tested him by making precious gems and diamonds appear amidst pebbles and stones. This is done in a small pit, where sprouts are grown specifically for this purpose. Coins are thrown into the pit as the sprouts are cleared using the sickle while devotees sing Appar's hymns.

Once all the coins are thrown away along with the weeds, the procession of Appar moves forward to where the Apsaras are waiting for him. Arambayar Natanam, as this event is called is a very interesting Jugalbandhi where the Apsaras dance gracefully to different songs which are interspersed with Appar's devaram recited by the Sivanadiyars. This continues till the early hours of the morning, when the Apsaras finally accept defeat and return to Devaloka.

Appar then leaves on his final journey around the village of Tirupugalur. By now, the Nadaswaram has been silenced, the dancers have departed and a very solemn air hangs over the devotees who are singing the hymns of Appar as he is taken around in procession through the streets of Thirupugalar. The numbers that have been growing over the evening are now at its maximum. A frenzy of devotion seems to have caught on, as even those who were sitting silently through the dancing, are now seen singing. Some devotees are seen weeping as the procession goes around.

Appar going around in procession one last time

It is around dawn when the procession approaches the temple. By now the maha mandapa, and the front passage into the temple are jam packed as people are jostling with each other to make sure they have obtained a vantage position to witness Appar merging with the divine consciousness. The Adheenam is waiting for the procession to enter.

It seems like forever for the procession to enter the temple and reach the front mandapa. The Sivanadiyars are singing the final hymn of Appar " Podhuginren Un Adikke Poompugalur Meviya Punniyane". Many of them are visibly choking over their tears and the air is absolutely solemn. Slowly yet steadily, the idol of Appar is raised into the mandapa leading to the sanctum. Within minutes, he is taken over by the priests who lead him into the sanctum. The lights are dimmed and Appar is placed at the feet of Lord Agneeswara also called Saranyapureeswara, as Appar took his final refuge in him.

When the Harathi is shown, a ray of light is seen emerging from Appar and merging with the Lord. The crowds that were waiting the whole night, for this moment, cry out loud. It is a moment of ecstasy for everyone present, to see the Lord's greatest devotee merge with him.

The priests step out and the doors are closed. Slowly the crowds trickle out, with a sense of fulfilment, of peace and joy of having experienced a once in a life time event.

About Mangala Rural Retreat:

Tirupugalur is clearly out of the regular tourist circuit dotted with good hotels and restaurants and this divine experience was made possible thanks to Mangala Rural Retreat, an agraharam house converted into a home stay by Prakriti Foundation. It is a very well maintained property right behind the temple, with five well appointed airconditioned rooms, awesome traditional South Indian vegetarian food, delightful double swings, a courtyard and Thinnai to boot. And what's more - it also has modest Wifi!

If you intend to be around here, do check out Mangala!

A view of the rustic interiors of the Mangala Rural Retreat

For more details look up http://www.mangalaheritageretreat.in/

There are a number of temples associated with the Nayanmars and the miracles performed by them in their journey of worship and promotion of Shaivism. Each one of them has unique rituals and commemorative festivals too. But Thirumarugal stands out with multiple specialities. One could go on and on about the various facets of this small, yet significant temple.

The Sthalapuranam of this shrine is said to have been rendered by Lord Shiva himself to Lord Brahma, when he sought a place to meditate to overcome the curse of the Rishis and regain creation.

The tale of Kusakethu Maharaja:

King Kusakethu was a fair and just king. One day when his men were clearing the dense banana groves, their spades would not move at a particular point. So the king got down and started digging. When his spade hit a solid object, blood started gushing out. Shocked, the king dug further to find a Swayambu Linga. Overjoyed, he cleared the land and made a temple for him. The Lord who sits on a square avudaiyar, still bears the cut from Kusakethu's spade on his shoulder.

Once there was a famine in his kingdom. The King did all that he could to help his subjects. He opened up his granary and coffers. He performed several yagnas for rains and donated food and gold. None of this brought rains.

Men and cattle were dying of hunger. The King even meditated in the middle of fire. Nine years passed but yet there were no rains. The king felt there was no point in him living, when he could not help his subjects . So he hung himself on Vaikasi Visakam day. At that moment, the Lord appeared before him. Rains of precious gems and stones started for a ten mile radius around Thirumarugal and continued for several days. The Lord asked Kusakethu what he wanted for which he sought the Lord should ever stay in Tirumarugal and protect his subjects from famine and death. The Lord happily agreed. Since there were heaps of precious stones around the Lord, he came to be known as Rathnagiriswarar and Manickavannar.

Brahma's penance:

Lord Brahma once told the Rishis that they too would be reborn. The rishis who had been performing penance with an aim of attaining mukthi were angered by this and they cursed him to forget the art of creation. Brahma panicked and sought the help of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva told him about Thirumarugal - one among the eighteen most holy places in the world and asked him to go there and worship him. Brahma did as suggested. and on Chithirai star in the month of Chithirai, the Lord appeared before him, and gave him back the knowledge of creation. A humbled Brahma performed a nine - day festival and drew the deity around the temple in a chariot, and offered food to Rishis in repentence of his folly.

Beginning of Varalakshmi Viratham:

Once, all Rishis got together on the banks of the Ganges and decided to perform a Yagna. They could not come to an agreement as to who would receive the offerings, since some were devotees of Shiva, others of Vishnu and few others of Brahma. So they decided to send Bhrigu Maharishi to find out who was the most deserving. Bhrigu went to Brahma and Shiva's abodes but they were too busy to notice him. Frustrated, he went to Vaikuntam. Vishnu too did not notice Sage Bhrigu first. Angered, Bhrigu kicked him on his chest. But instead of getting angry, Lord Vishnu held the Rishi's foot and pressed it saying it might have hurt while kicking.

This humbled Sage Bhrigu returned to the Rishis to say that Lord Vishnu was the most deserving. However, Goddess Mahalakshmi who resides in Vishnu's chest felt angered that her husband did not stop the Rishi from kicking her and instead pressed his feet and offered apologies. So she left him and came down to Bhooloka. She was drawn to Thirumarugal because of the divine aura it was emitting. She created a tank there called Lakshmi Theertham and started meditating on Lord Shiva. The Lord asked her to perform a Vratha by worshipping him with Bilwa and observing Mouna on Mondays, Fridays and Full Moon Days. She did so with devotion. A pleased Lord Shiva brought Lord Mahavishnu to her on a Friday in the Tamil month of Aavani and together they worshipped Lord Manickavannar. It is believed that Goddess Mahalakshmi asked her devotee Charumathi of Magadha Kingdom to perform the same Vratha for the wellbeing of her family, and that is how the Varalakshmi Vratham, originally advised by Lord Shiva to Goddess Lakshmi came to be observed. Even today, several devotees bathe in the Lakshmi theertham and worship the Lord on Fridays to be rid of debts, and to gain prosperity, family unity and happiness.

The Tale of Sage Parasara:

Once Sage Parasara wanted to cross the river Yamuna. So he approached a maiden named Machaganthi, and asked her to ferry him across. While she was, the sage was drawn towards her beauty and asked her to marry him. A hesitant Machaganthi agreed and soon Sage Vyasa was born.

Sage Parasara realised that he had actually married a girl much younger to him, of a lowly caste due to lust and hence wanted to perform penance to be rid of his sin. So he sought the help of Sage Narada, who advised him to go to Thirumarugal and worship Lord Manickavannar. The sage bathed in the Chandra Pushkarani every day and performed penance. The Lord appeared before him on Chitra Pournami. Sage Parasara repented for his sins and asked the Lord to help every devotee who has erred due to lust be rid of his sins by worshipping at Thirumarugal.

The Tale of the Chettiar Girl:

There was a merchant called Daman Chettiar in Vaippur. He had seven daughters. His nephew, who was poor, sought the hand of his daughter. However, the merchant not wanting his daughters to marry a poor man, gave one excuse after another, and got six out of seven married to other boys. The youngest daughter, knowing that her father was being unfair to her cousin, offered to marry him. The two eloped. As it was late at night by the time they reached Thirumarugal, they decided to stay in a choultry there. That night, the boy Vasanthan was bit by a snake and died. The girl did not know what to do as she had left her family and her only hope, had also died.

Gnanasambandar who was camping in Thirumarugal came to know of her plight. He saw the heartbroken girl weeping and even in her misery, singing the praises of the Lord, and beseeching him to help her. This moved him and he invoked Lord Shiva to break the poison and save the Chettiar boy. The boy was brought back to life and Gnanasambandar, in the absence of their relatives, got them married with the well and the Vanni Tree (in picture) as evidences. Every year, during the ten day festival in the Tamil month of Chithirai, the wedding of the Chettiar girl is performed on the seventh day.

The Temple:

The temple originally built by King Kusakethu was rebuilt by Kochengatchola Nayanar as a Madakoil (a temple that cannot be climbed by an elephant). To know more about Kochengatchola Nayanar, click here.

The Lord Manickavannar sits on his elevated shrine. The Sthalavriksham of the temple is the Marugal Banana also known as Kalvaazhai. This banana does not grow anywhere outside the temple if planted.

No one dies of snake bite in and around Thirumarugal. Even if someone is bitten by a snake, they come to the temple and the priest sings Gnanasambandar's hymns and ties a "Kattu" which ensures that the person is not affected by the poison. The Ganesha in the temple is called "Vidantheerndha Vinayakar" and people worship him and are relieved of the effects of the poison. There is also another Ganesha who is called Surantheertha Vinayakar who is said to relieve fever. He too is worshipped by those suffering from fever for relief.

When Gnanasambandar was in Thirumarugal, Siruthondar Nayanar invited him to visit Thiruchenkattankudi. However, the Lord in Thirumarugal manifested as the Lord at Ganapatheeswaram (one of the two main deities at Thiruchenkattankudi) at Thirumarugal itself and Sambandar sang a hymn covering both shrines here. Seeralan, the child of Siruthondar was studying at a Matam at Thirumarugal and even today there is a pond named after him near the Matam where people bathe in and worship the Lord to beget children.

The Lord Muruga at the temple has been sung by Saint Arunagirinathar.

Goddess Amodhalanayaki :

Goddess Vanduvarkuzhalammai or Amodhalanayaki is found in a separate shrine. She is one of four sisters, the others being in Thirukannapuram, Thirupugalur and Thiruchenkattankudi. She is also known as Soolikambal and is worshipped for safe pregnancy and delivery.

Those who have hurdles in getting married come to this temple for pariharam. For boys, the Rudra Thirisadhi is performed to the Lord and for girls, Sahasranamam using turmeric is performed to the Goddess. The girls are asked to use this turmeric powder for bathing and by the time it gets over a good alliance is finalised.

Inscriptions:

At the moment, there is only one inscription belonging to 1882 AD which takes about the King of Thanjavur giving grants of gold to the temple, which the then trustee, Thiravinai Theertha Mudaliar used for various poojas at the temple.

How to reach here:

Thirumarugal is about 10 kms from Nannilam and close to Thirupugalur and Thiruchenkattankudi. It is accessible by bus from both Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam.

Temple Timings:

7 am - 12.15 pm, 4 - 8.30 pm

Contact details:

Sundaraganapathy Gurukkal - 97861 92196

Koonthalur Jambukaranyeswara Temple

Roma Rishi - he was so called because of the hair that covered his body, his flowing mane and long beard. This Rishi stayed on the banks of Arisilaaru and worshipped Lord Jambukaranyeswara who was called so because he resided within a grove of Guava trees. A hair would drop from his body with the passing on of one Brahma and it would take 35 million Brahmas to pass on from him to leave his mortal confines.

Roma Rishi due to his yogic powers, was able to bring gold coins out of his beard, to help those in need. Over time, this made him conceited. One day, as he sat on the banks of the river, Lord Brahma, wanting to teach him a lesson, took the guise of a barber and passed him by. Romarishi called out to him to shave his beard. As the hair dropped from his face, it turned into gold coins and Brahma quickly gathered them in his towel, thanked the Rishi and went away. The Rishi's beard grew back quite immediately. But something else also happened. The next time he tried to bring gold coins from his beard, he was unable to do so.

Roma Rishi

Enraged at being outwitted, he marched angrily towards the shrine of Jambukaranyeswara. He was livid that the Lord whom he worshipped every day, had let him down. Lord Shiva, sent his sons, Ganesha and Muruga to pacify the sage. The two boys met him mid-way and paid their respects. The Sage was moved. Muruga also created a Theertham for the Rishi to refresh himself.

The pleased sage requested Ganesha and Muruga to stay with him at Jambukaranyam forever. They readily consented. While Ganesha took his abode in the South East (Agni Moolai). Romarishi invited Muruga to take his abode in the most sacred of locations, namely the North East (Easanya Moolai). Here he is seen in a shrine raised much higher than that of the Lord.

Koonthalur Kumara Gurupara

Right across him, Shatru Samhara Shani Bhagavan can be seen. This kind of an arrangement is extremely rare and quite unique. Because of this arrangement, those who are affected because of the planetary movement of Mars and Saturn in their horoscope, or who have both Mars and Saturn in the same house, and as a result of which, undergo poor health, delay and hurdles in life, marriage or child birth, find relief by worshipping both Murugan and Shani Bhagavan here.

Shatru Samhara Shani Bhagavan across Kumaragurupara at Koothalur

Murugan in his role as pacifier, and Shani in his role of destroyer of evil, combine to help people rid themselves of problems that are beyond their means to resolve. Roma Rishi is found in a seperate shrine. He is worshipped to be rid from depression, indecisiveness, and mood swings.

Lord Jambukaranyeswara is seen in a small shrine found lower than that of Muruga. The original Pallava fluted Lingam and Muruga in the form of Gnana Sastha are found in separate shrines behind the sanctum. Similarly, the original Goddess Anandhavalli is installed in the Artha Mandapa, while the later version is found in a shrine to the left of the sanctum.

Jambukaranyeswara and Anandhavalli at Koonthalur

Numerous other damaged idols are found in the temple premises. One among them is that of Kulothunga Chola III, who has given a number of grants to the temple. The current version of the temple seems to be that of the Vijayanagara times. Two inscriptions have been recorded in this temple - one from the period of Veerapratapa Krishnadeva Maharaya (1519 AD) which speaks about grants given for conducting poojas at the temple. This inscription refers to Koothalur as Sozha Mandalathu Kulothunga Chola Valanaatu Thirunaraiyur Patru Keezh Koonthalur. The other inscription is about 400 years old which talks about one Vinaitheertha Mudaliar giving land on all four streets that surround the temple as grants based on the request of Easwara Aiyer.

A damaged icon of Kulothunga Chola III

The temple has two tanks - One the Kumara Theertham, installed by Muruga for Roma Rishi, and the other, Sita Theertham, created by Sita, to take bath when Ravana was carrying her away to Lanka. It is believed that she left some pieces of ornaments and locks of hair near the pond, with a hope that Rama would identify them. As her hair fell there, and also because of Roma Rishi, the place came to be known as Koonthalur.

A view from the sanctum of Koonthalur temple

The Lord been sung by Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) and the Lord Muruga has been sung by Arunagirinathar. The latter refers to Muruga as Kumaragurupara and describes him as the nephew of Rama who defeated Ravana with ten heads and twenty arms. The specific reference to Rama here seems to be due to the connection the shrine has with Ramayana.

The temple is well maintained. The trustee lives close by and is happy to open the temple for visitors on request. There is a good Nandavanam and a small function hall attached to the temple. This hall is also opened up for pilgrims to rest or stay overnight at a nominal cost.

The Jambukaranyeswara Temple at Koonthalur

How to reach here: This temple is on the route from Kumbakonam to Poonthottam. All buses that ply via Eravancheri and Poonthottam stop here.

Temple Timings: Can be worshipped at any time during the day.

Contact Numbers : 96886 77538 / 94435 24737

Kandasamy Murugan at Vayalanallur

This post is two years late. Although I had visited this temple first in 2015, and then several times since, even taking people on heritage trips, I never got around to writing about the Lord who had become one of my favourites. As I have always seen in Aalayam Kanden, everything happens with His will and he has willed that this post be written on the account of Kanda Sashti in 2017 and so here it is.

Two years of documenting the temples along the Cooum threw open several rare heritage treasures. One such priceless treasure is the Murugan temple at Vayalanallur. The Topographical List of Inscriptions of Madras Presidency Volume 8 by T V Mahalingam was one of my guiding documents for my study and it spoke about three temples in Vayalanallur, one of which was a Kandaswamy Murugan temple, the second a Durga temple and the third, the Shakthimutreswarar temple.

The current status of the Kandasamy Murugan Temple with the Aditya I inscription luckily intact

Our search of the temples led us first to the Komaleeswaranpet temple, at Kolappanchery. We met Nagahariharan, the priest at Kolappanchery who incidentally mentioned that he was the priest at the Vayalanallur Murugan temple and offered to take us there. He has been conducting the poojas as a volunteer for some years now, purely because his Kuladeivam (family deity) is Murugan.

We were touched by his commitment and followed his two-wheeler into a narrow lane. What would have once been a huge temple, has now been reduced to a single shrine. " Nobody comes to the temple, except on important festival days such as Panguni Uthiram or Thai Poosam where we somehow collect enough money to offer food and prasadams to attract a decent gathering,"said Hari as he opened the door of the temple.

We were awestruck by what we saw. By far, the most magnificent of the Brahma Sasthas that we have seen in that region, stood before us on the floor. Over seven feet tall, with an Akshara Mala in his hind right arm and a Gendi on the left, he stood with a smile turning up the corner of his lips. There was no pedestal below his feet, no garlands around his neck nor any adornments. Just a humble vastram was all that he had.

The magnificent Murugan at Vayalanallur

Hari offered the prasadam he had carried from his house and performed Harathi. We were moved. All that remained of the antiquity of the temple, was the inscription from the time of Aditya I (895 AD) about a gift of land made to the temple by Gunakirti Nambadugan, the Kilan of Ayandampakkam for Sribali and other services at the temple which is still found on the footsteps of the temple.

The Shakthimutreswara temple next to the huge temple tank had been lost to time. A look at the gigantic deity gave us an idea of how large the temple would have been in yore. The three inscriptions of this temple, two from the time of Parthivendravarman and one from Rajaraja I have disappeared along with the original temple and several deities that stood there.

The Shakthimutreswara when we saw him first in 2015

When we enquired with Hari about the Durga temple he did not know much as to where it once stood. However, he remembers villagers saying a huge goddess was lowered into a well because it had become damaged!

Several deities have been found while excavating around the original site of the Shakthimutreswara temple out of which a Bhairavar has been installed in the Vishnu temple and the Surya placed next to the Shakthimutreswara.

With the grace of the Almighty and generous patronage from the loyal supporters of Aalayam Kanden, we have been successfully supporting the Thai poosam festivities at the Kandaswamy Murugan temple over the last two years.

Supporting the Thai Poosam festivities through the Aalayam Kanden Trust

The Shakthimutreswara temple has since been rebuilt in a small way, and the deity has found a secure place inside the sanctum.

The Kandaswamy Murugan has since became a member of the Aalayam Kanden family and he was gracious enough to bless the first copy of "The Gods of the Holy Koovam" which was the compendium of ancient sites along the Koovam.

The Kandaswamy Murugan with the first copy of The Gods of the Holy Koovam

The temple still has very little support or patronage. As we celebrate the victory of good over evil on this Kanda Sashti, let us do our bit to protect and patronise the rare heritage treasures still left among our midst!

Kandasamy Murugan in all his glory after Thai Poosam alankaram

How to reach here: The temple is about 2 kms from Kolappanchery. From Kolappanchery head North. Pass Chokkanallur bus stand and turn right. The temple is on the left. Bus route 54C from Poonamallee to Thandarai is available once an hour. GPS Coordinates : 13.08565622, 80.06954102

Temple Timings: Please inform the Gurukkal before going and he will ensure the temple is opened.

Contact Information: Naagahariharan 90031 54640

Wednesday 6th December, 2017 saw the Royal family of Mysuru and public rejoice alike at the arrival of baby boy to the titular King of Mysuru, Yadhuveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar and his wife Trishika Kumari Devi. The news was received with both cheer and hope as the baby may break the curse of Queen Alamelamma, commonly known as the Curse of Talekad. While the news has been the source of joy of many, especially the Royal family that has borne the brunt of the curse for the last 400 years, speculations are also on as to whether this child will be able to break the jinx of alternate kings in the Mysore Wodeyar dynasty not having children and resorting to adoption to continue the lineage to the throne.

CNN- News 18 image of Queen Trishika Kumari with the new born

Who was Alamelamma and what triggered such a curse? Has the time now come for the curse to end?

Alamelamma was the wife of Tirumala Raja , the viceroy of a declining Vijayanagara Empire. Both were great devotees of Lord Ranganatha of Srirangapatna. Alamelamma, in particular, took special interest in adorning the Lord and his consort with her jewels every day.

The ruins of Talekad

Raja Wodeyar, a chieftain of Mysore, was a vassal of the Vijayanagar Empire. He was desirous of overthrowing Tirumala Raja and obtaining power. In 1610, Tirumala Raja who was suffering from a tumour in his back, decided to travel to Talekad with his first wife to offer prayers at the Vaidyeswara temple and stay there for some time, as medicines were not helping him much. Seizing the opportunity, Raja Wodeyar captured Srirangapatna, and cornered Alamelamma, asking her to hand over all her jewellery.

Entrance of Vaidyeswara Temple at Talekad

Alamelamma parted with her pearl nose ring that now adorns Goddess Ranganayaki at Srirangapatna, but managed to escape with the remaining jewellery to Talekad. The soldiers followed closely behind, to take her prisoner and confiscate the exquisite jewellery. On reaching the banks of Cauvery, she jumped into the river, but not before uttering the following words:

Talkādu Maralaāgi,

Mālingi maduvaāgi,

Mysuru dhorege makkalagade hōgali,

which translates into let Talekad be covered by sand dunes, Malingi, (a town across Talekad on the opposite bank of Cauvery), turn into a whirlpool and Mysore Kings not have heirs.

The Sand dunes that now encompass Talekad

The curse has held good for four hundred years. Raja Wodeyar’s four sons died within a year of Alamelamma’s suicide, and he was forced to adopt a heir. In fear, he erected her statue inside the Mysuru palace to appease her. Even today, on the ninth day of Dussehra, the King and Queen offer prayers to her. Ever since the curse was uttered, alternate Kings have been adopting cousins and nephews to ascend the throne after them, and that has continued till the previous King of Mysuru, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, who died issueless and without naming a successor and his wife, Queen Pramoda Devi, adopted his grand-nephew who became the titular King. Now with the birth of a baby boy to the royal couple, is there a chance for Alamelamma's wrath been appeased? Only time can tell.

Broken pillars and stones are strewn everywhere demonstrating the buried temples underneath

How has the curse affected Talekad, a once flourishing town, right on the banks of the Cauvery river, patronised by the Gangas, Cholas, Kadambas, Vijayanagara and Hoysala Kings?

Over thirty temples along the Cauvery still lay submerged within the sands that have been advancing into the town year after year, forcing the population to move higher and higher upland. Seven temples have been so far unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India, but sand gets piled repeatedly, requiring frequent clearing. This sand has been found unfit for any purpose, even though it is from the banks of such a fertile river. While scientists and geologists propose different theories to explain these phenomena, they are unable to explain why every alternate generation in the Mysore Wodeyar dynasty goes childless ever since the curse was uttered.

Inside the Vaidyeswara Temple

Alamelamma's curse seems to have also cast its shadow on the Vaideeswara who could not save her husband from his tumour. This typically Chola temple is within the village and is the first one on the circular route that has been created to visit the unearthed temples. A Pancha Linga Darshana festival happens once in a few years (often seven years) when on Karthigai Somavara (Monday in the Tamil month of Karthigai) Vishaka Nakshtra and Krishnapaksha amavasaya also occur.

On this day, thousands of devotees gather at Talekad and special poojas and prayers are conducted at all the five Shiva temples - namely Vaidyeswara, Arakeshwara, Pathalaeswara, Maraleshwara and Mallikarjuneswara.

The beautiful Dwarapalaka at Vaidyeswara

While the Vaidyeswara Temple is probably the largest and most beautiful among the unearthed temples, it does not seem to enjoy the kind of recognition and devotion that the Keerthi Narayana Temple, that Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana built for Saint Ramanuja seems to. Vaidyeswara has huge Dwarapalakas, ornate pillars and a magnificent deity. A silver face of Lord Shiva has also been placed strategically behind the linga adding on to the ethereal environment of the temple. Several artifacts unearthed at Talekad have found refuge within this temple. The highlight is an icon of Ganesha (the elephant God) riding his Mooshika(mouse)

Vaidyeswara in all his glory

Right next door to the Vaidyeswara temple, is the Veerabadra temple. His consort, Bhadrakali is found in an adjacent shrine. Veerabadra is the Kshetra Palaka of the temple town of Talekad. Parents pray here for the bravery of their children and adorn them with bracelets that decorate the sword of Veerabadra.

Ganesha riding Mooshika at the Vaidyeswara Temple

The path to the remaining excavated temples on the banks of the Cauvery begins here. A canopy has been placed over the circuitous route within the wilderness to facilitate the comfort of the tourists. One has to walk in ankle deep sand that makes movement difficult. On either side of the canopy, are burnt and broken trees. An occasional owl, and a jackal’s cry from nowhere, sends shivers of fear within. The sound of the rain hitting the metal canopy adds to the eerie sound effects.

Wading through ankle deep sand to visit the excavated temples at Talekad

The first temple that appears on the track, as if out of the blue, is the Pathaleswara temple. As the name suggests the temple is about thirty feet below the ground. There are steps that lead to the temple. These steps are covered with sand and more sand keeps falling from above as people walk and because of the rains. “No more temples can be excavated” says the priest. They are all under the whirlpool and Alamelamma does not desire them to be cleared”.

Pathaleswara Temple at Talekad

The Arakeswara, Mallikarjuna, and Maraleswara temples are similar in nature. Small, single shrine temples, that have been excavated and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. These temples only come to life during the Pancha Linga Darshana.

The Maraleswara Temple at Talekad

The Keerthinarayana temple, the only Vaishnavite temple that has been uncovered, was constructed by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. Vishnvardhana, the younger brother of Veera Ballala I, was originally a Jain and was called Bitti Deva. He is said to have been influenced by Saint Ramanuja to convert to Vaishnavism, and took the name of Vishnuvardhana. When he won Talekad from the Cholas during the Battle of Talekad, he built the magnificent Keerthi Narayana Temple, to celebrate his victory and dedicated the temple to his Guru, Ramanujacharya. He also took the title of Talekadugondan.

The resplendent Keerthi Narayana Temple at Talekad

The circular path of over a kilometre connects the excavated temples and ends at the Keerthinarayana temple where one can get a closer view of the intricate Hoysala architecture within.

A view of the walking path around Talekad from outside the Keerthi Narayana Temple

Talekad still has a number of signs and symptoms that bear testimony to the curse of Alamelamma. So have the happenings in the Mysuru Royal Family over the last 400 years. Will the baby boy make Alamelamma's curse a thing of the past and bring forth an heir into the world? Only time and God can tell.

Bhaktha Hanuman Temple, Ramboda

Hanuman Jayanthi is celebrated in the southern part of India during the Tamil month of Margazhi, Hanuman is seen as an embodiment of courage, true devotion, valour and loyalty and is worshipped not just in India, but in many countries where the Indian diaspora are found. Hanuman's contributions in the legend of Ramayana are signifant and praiseworthy, especially the finding of Sita in Sri Lanka and conveying the message that Rama was on his way to retrieve her.

Although Ramayana is primarily an Indian legend, Sri Lanka has over forty sites associated with it. Just like we have different versions of Ramayana in India - the Valmiki Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramayana and Kamba Ramayana, several literary works in Sri Lanka have revolved around the Ramayana. Janaki Harana written by King Kumaradasa (506-516 AD) is one such work that focuses on the abduction of Sita. The Mahavamsa also makes references to Ramayana and traditions that evolved from it. While in India, the focus is on Rama as the virtuous and Ravana as the tyrant who abducted Sita, the Sri Lankan versions focus on Vibheeshana as the follower of Dharma and Ravana as the glorious warrior, who even won the affection of Shiva, but faced his doom due to his passion for Sita.

The entrance to Bhaktha Hanuman Temple, Rambodha Hills

The Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka have not been identified just on the basis of mythology and folk lore, but several universities such as the University of Peradeniya, and national and international scholars such as Anand Kentish Coomaraswamy, have done extensive research on this subject and identified these sites, through a corroboration of literature with archaeology, geography, topography and marine geology, apart from archeo-astronomy by the Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka, such as Rev. Bikku, Chandrajothi Thero.

We shall see a couple of places pertaining to the journey of Hanuman to meet Sita in Lanka, below:

Bhaktha Hanuman Temple, Ramboda Hills

The author at the foothill of the Bhaktha Hanuman Temple, Rambodha Hills

This is said to be the first spot that Hanuman landed in Sri Lanka while in search of Sita. On the way to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo, one comes across two hills facing each other, with a deep valley in between. The first is Ramboda hills, a part of the Wevandan Hill range and it has got its name as Rama's forces are believed to have camped here, based on the advice of Hanuman. The hill opposite is called Ravana Bodha and that is where Ravana's army is said to have camped during the battle of Lanka.

The Chinmaya Mission has constructed a beautiful Bhaktha Hanuman Temple on the Ram Bodha hills. After a brief climb atop the hill, one can reach the serene and beautiful settings of the temple. Here, the 16 feet Hanuman, carved out of granite, is seen in his magnificent vishwaroopa form. Every full moon day, special prayers are conducted here, which are witnessed by thousands of devotees.

The 16 feet Bhaktha Hanuman at Rambodha Hills

The temple is open between 7 am and 12.45 pm in the morning and 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm in the evening. There is a vegetarian restaurant within the temple complex that serves tasty yet economical food for the devotees and the book shop here has CDs and books about the Ramayana trail research that has been and is currently being undertaken in the island.

Sita Amman Temple, Ashok Vatika, Sita Eliya

We now take a look at the most important site in the whole of Ramayana. It is the Ashoka Vatika where Sita had been kept by Ravana in the hope that she would agree to marry him. It is here, that Hanuman meets Sita and assures her that Rama is on his way to rescue her from Ravana.

Sita Amman Temple, Sita Eliya

There is a small temple built right next to the Ashoka Vatika at the spot supposed to have been where Hanuman met Sita and is called the Sita Amman Temple. The place looks delightfully scenic and one can well imagine why Ravana would have chosen such a beautiful spot, to entertain Sita and perhaps change her mind. A stream runs right next to the temple with a narrow staircase leading down from the temple to the stream. " This is the route Sita Devi took every day for her bath" explains the priest.

The path that leads to the stream next to the temple

He also points out to the Ashoka Vatika and asks, " Do you see the huge footsteps on the rocks?" After Hanuman handed over Rama's ring to Sita to identify himself as Rama's messenger and reassured her that Rama was on his way, he decided to set fire to the trees in the Vatika. The priest tells us that even today, there are frequent forest fires among the Ashoka trees, even though the whole area is wet and humid. "Moreover, the trees do not grow beyond a point, they wither and die ", he says, showing us several such trees.

The huge footsteps of Hanuman at Ashok Vatika

He takes us to the front yard of the temple and shows us the hill ahead. " Can you see Hanuman there?" he asks. And we do. The face of the cliff is clearly shaped like that of a huge monkey. " He is still here. We feel his presence every day in some form or the other," he continues.

The hill face that looks like Hanuman

The original deities in the sanctum are said to have been installed by Vibheeshana after his coronation. Newer versions of deities are installed behind the old deities. There is also a separate shrine for Hanuman here.

Dieties said to have been installed by Vibheeshana at Sita Eliya

The temple here is open from 8 am to 1 pm in the morning and from 2 pm to 6.30 pm in the evening.

About 8 kms from Sita Eliya is Divurumpola, the place where Sita entered the fire, before leaving Lanka with Rama. Although this place is now converted into a Buddhist monastery, there is a platform and a plaque to signify the location where Sita entered the fire. Promises made at this place are even still honoured and considered as testaments in Sri Lanka.

The Buddhist monastery at Divurumpola - the site where Sita entered the fire

These are just a few sites that speak about the valour of Hanuman and his contribution to the retrieval of Sita. Archeo-astrologists in Sri Lanka have even dated the actual date when Hanuman met Sita in Ashok Vatika using the description in literature, and matching them with lunar configurations in the geography and have arrived at 12th September 5076 BC. Not just this date, several other dates of events in the Ramayana right from Rama's birth, have been calculated and agreed upon by scholars and researchers. This is an entire topic in itself and Chinmaya Mission's documentary on this subject throws more light on this.

There is no doubt that Hanuman is the real hero of Ramayana! Let us worship and celebrate him on his Jayanthi!

Hanuman at Sita Eliya

Acknowledgements: Information Courtesy- Chinmaya Mission Ashrama, Rambodha Hills, Sri Lanka

The Karkadeswarar Temple at Manavur

While I was involved in the mapping of temples along the river Cooum, the Koova Puranam served as the main source of reference about sites along the Cooum river. This puranam mentions Koovam was made up of 18 kottams and 24 cheris. Since the river has shrunk over time, and the areas along the coasts have got habitated, some of the kottams and cheris are no longer close to the river. Also, temples have been converted to other buildings or places of worship in some places. Hence the temples from these places did not get featured in the director " The Gods of the Holy Koovam" which was released in February 2017.

However, that does not make these temples less significant. I have always been wanting to write about them in Aalayam Kanden, but as I have mentioned several times before in earlier posts, which post gets written has always depends on divine will and only now has the time come true to write about Manavur Karkadeswara.

Manavur is on the Chennai - Arakkonam rail route. It has a number of temples out of which the most popular and well known temple is the Thirunandhiswarar Temple, where Lord Shiva is said to have given a vision to Sage Agasthya and Nandhi in Kalyana Kolam after his visit to Tiruvalangadu. Very close to the Thirunandhiswara temple is the equally ancient Karkadeswara Temple.

The sad plight of the Karkadeswara temple

The Legend

Jayantha, the son of Indra was notorious for his annoying deeds. Several puranas quote instances of curses he incurred because of this. On one occasion, Jayantha met Sage Athri on his way. Rather than pay his respects or even greet him, he mocked that the sage was walking like a crab. Angered by his arrogance, the Sage cursed him to become one.

Mortified, Jayantha sought pardon and remedy for his curse. Sage Athri asked him to go down to Thiruvalangadu, where Lord Nataraja showed his divine dance to Karaikal Ammaiyar. After worshipping him, he asked Jayantha to reach Manavur and worship Thirunandheeswara in order to regain his form.

Jayantha did as suggested. He came to Manavur and worshipped Thirunandhiswara in his crab form. He dug a tank near his temple, called Karkada Theertham. He meditated on the Lord on its banks.

Days and months passed. One day, as he was praying, there was a flash of light and the Lord appeared before him as a Swayambu Linga. The crab was overwhelmed with his mercy, and prayed to him and as he did he regained his real form.

Swayambu Karkadeswara at Manavur

Jayantha performed abhishekam and pujas to the deity before leaving to his abode. A temple was subsequently raised by the Kings of Thondaimandalam, out of which Manavur was a Kottam. Shrines were added for Poi Sollaa Pillayar and Goddess Kamakshi. Those born under Kataka Rasi or the Sun Sign of Cancer came here to worship Lord Karkadeswara. It is also believed that those suffering from cancer get solace by performing abhishekam to the Lord with milk, and consuming jaggery offering to him.

Situation Today

Goddess Kamakshi

Over time, this temple became less patronised and started getting dilapidated. The temple tank dried up and the festivities stopped. There is a priest who is performing one time puja now at the temple.

A few months ago, a devotee of Lord Shiva from Gudiyatham, has come forward to perform repairs and renovate the Swami and Ambal shrines and Mahamandapa. Balalayam has been performed and the cleaning and construction work has begun. However, there is still a lot to be done. The Chandikeswara shrine and the beautiful Poi Sollaa Pillayar shrines are to be renovated. A compound wall needs to be constructed to ensure there are no encroachments, as already a water tank has been built by the Panchayat, precariously close to the heritage structure.

Water tank precariously close to the heritage structure

The Ganesha here is found in a separate shrine which is at some distance from the Karkadeswarar shrine. This Ganesha is called Poi Sollaa Pillayar. He has been treated as a judge for deciding disputes in the village. When there is a dispute between two parties, they are brought before the Ganesha and asked to swear that they are speaking the truth. If anyone still lies, then they have unpleasant occurences in their lives and therefore, they normally confess or agree and the dispute is amicably resolved. Therefore, the Ganesha has come to be called Poi Sollaa Pillayar.

Poi Solla Pillayar Shrine

The Nandi here is equally unique. He looks more like a calf and is found in a seperate mandapa that also needs immediate repairs.

Nandi at the Karkadeswara Temple

Likewise, the huge Kataka Theertham tank has to be restored and fortified, before it turns into a "Chennaikku Miga Arugil" site. The priest and volunteers at the village are eagerly looking for patronage. When the Chola inscriptions were read at the Thirunandheeswarar and Kandaswamy temples at Manavur, the priest says the inscriptions at this temple were also read and recorded. However, he does not have access to the same. The inscriptions are no longer found in the temple, so any help with the inscriptions of this temple would greatly help the villagers to document history and period of the temple. Similarly, the priest says that there are local tales that Adishankara had visited and worshipped at this temple. However, there are no documented evidences regarding this.

Poi Sollaa Pillayar

I have a personal experience of getting jaggery from this temple, for the benefit of my friend's uncle who was suffering from cancer. Although the doctors had given him only a few months to live at the time I sent the prasadam, his belief and the grace of Lord Karkadeswara, prolonged his lifespan to over a year and a half and he was able to have a peaceful Mukthi as well.

Construction work has commenced in the Karkadeswarar temple

Patronage and resources are eagerly sought for this temple. You may contact the numbers provided below to directly support the temple or may send your donations to Aalayam Kanden Trust for onward transmission to the cause through Account No. 6028000100005596, Punjab National Bank, West Mambalam, IFSC Code: PUNB0602800. All donations enjoy Sec 80G exemption as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act. If you prefer to send a cheque or demand draft, please do so to Aalayam Kanden Trust, Flat A Nutech Saradambal Apartments, No 36 Kripasankari Street, West Mambalam, Chennai 600 033

How to reach here:

This temple is about 300 metres from the Thirunandheeswara Temple in Manavur. The nearest suburban train station is Manavur from where share autos are available to the temple. GPS Coordinates: 13.102158, 79.805257

Kataka Theertham tank today

Contact :

For worship, please contact priest Mr Srinivasan at 80987 95873 prior to visiting so that he is available to open the temple. For donation and information, please contact the Arulmigu Kamakshi Samedha Karkadeswarar Aalaya Thiruppani Kuzhu at 8012247358, 9444799854, 9444060815, 9841060503, 9941927877

The Thirunandheeswarar Temple as seen from the Karkadeswarar temple

To read more about the Cooum temples, check out this link in Aalayam Kanden : http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/p/cooum-riverside-temples.html

To purchase an e-version of the book "The Gods of the Holy Koovam" on Amazon, please click here: https://www.amazon.in/Gods-Holy-Koovam-Priya-Baskaran-ebook/dp/B06VX6VCBB.

All proceeds from the sale go towards supporting the Tamil section of the Madras Literary Society Library, one of the oldest libraries in Chennai and a Cooum heritage landmark.

Dattagiri Murugan Temple

Kongu region in Tamil Nadu is well known for its Murugan temples. As the Tamil porverb goes " Kunrirukkum Idamellam Kumaran Iruppan", every hillock in this region has temples where Lord Muruga is found in all his glory. One among them is the temple at Dattagiri.

The hillock found on the Namakkal - Sendhamangalam road known as Sanyasikundru, has come to be known as Dattagiri. There are two temples found on this hillock - one is a temple for Lord Muruga, known as Guhalayam and the other, a temple for Dattatreya, giving the hillock its new name. Both temples are being maintained by the Sri Shantananda Swamigal Sathsangam.

The Dattagiri Guhalayam seen on top of the Hillock

The Guhalayam is most sought after by those longing for the gift of child birth. Gone are the days when having a child was a routine occurence. Today, technology, poor lifestyle and delayed marriages are causing fertility issues in a number of couples, who seek divine intervention along with modern medicines to bring forth a baby into their lives. The Dattagiri Guhalayam has couples from different parts of world coming here with prayers of child birth.

Procedure for worship:

Procedure for worship at the Vijayaraja Vinayaka and Kasi Viswanathar shrines

Those couples praying for child birth carry water in their own hands and perform abhishekam to Vijayaraja Vinayaka and Kasi Viswanatha found midway while climbing the hillock. They can also perform abhishekam with milk or sandal paste. Worship is permitted in these shrines from sunrise to sunset only (6 am - 6 pm). Not more than five minutes is permitted per couple to ensure everyone who has travelled far gets a fair and equal chance to perform pooja here. The couple chant Sivaya Nama 108 times while performing the abhishekam. They then begin the ascent towards the Guhalayam. Right from the foothills till such time the prayers are completed, they are expected to maintain silence, focusing on the supreme power and sincere prayers for their desire to be fulfilled.

Shri Swayamprakasa Brahmendra Saraswatavadootha Mahaswami

After climbing fifty steps, they first worship at the Dattatreya shrine. This shrine is found in two levels, the shrine for Dattatreya, son of Sage Athri and his wife Anusuya on the higher level, with the samathi of his long term devotee and disciple, Shri Swayamprakasa Brahmendra Saraswatavadootha Mahaswami on the lower level below the idol of Lord Dattatreya.

Afer praying here, they reach the Guhalayam and perform milk abhishegam to the beautiful deity. Then then come down from the shrine, and worship Heramba Panchamukha Ganapathy, Panchamukha Hanuman, Dakshinamurthy, Vanadurga and Veerabadra Swamy. Post which they descend the hillock and perform a circumambulation of the hillock and offer their salutations.

Dattagiri Murugan

The Vibhuti (sacred ash) provided at the end of the abhishekam is taken back with them and worn daily with reverence by the couple, to find their prayers answered soon. They then come back with their little one to offer thanks and perform abhishekam to the Lord again.

Panchamukha Hanuman

As this temple is of recent origin, I had not originally been interested in it. However, after hearing so many instances from friends and family about prayers of child birth being answered here, I decided to visit in order to share the benefits with a larger audience.

Although the temple is new, the serenity and cleanliness of the environment and the very pleasant ambience facilitate divinity. One can see several couples visiting with their little ones, offering words of encouragement and support to those who have come here to pray. Overall, it is a very positive environment, worth visiting.

Heramba Panchamukha Ganapathy

How to reach here: Sanyasikunru or Dattagiri hill as it is called today, is found on the Namakkal- Rasipuram State Highway, about 12 kms from Namakkal.

Temple Timings: Morning - 6 am to 12 pm Evening 5 pm to 7.30 pm

Contact: 91504 11378, 99448 48962

Inside the Aavarani Anantha Narayana Temple

Thousands throng the temple of Lord Ananthapadmanabha Swamy, at Thiruvananthapuram, despite strict security and dress regulations to worship the 18 feet Lord, reclining on a five headed Anantha (Adhisesha) witnessed through three entrances, whereby his Thirumukam (face), Thiruvudal (Body) and Thirupadam (feet) are visible.

Come to lesser known Aavarani, in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, where Lord Vishnu is seen as Anantha Narayana, also known as Aabharanadhari, his gigantic 21 feet form reclining on a seven- headed Anantha. This Lord, even larger than Ananthapadmanabhaswamy can also only be viewed through three entrances through which his Thirumukham, Nabhi (navel with Brahma rising from it) and Thirupaadham are visible. The only difference here, is that this temple is relatively unknown and one can spend minutes or even hours before the Lord, without any disruption.

Legend

The Lord Aabharanadhari reclining on the seven hooded Adisesha

The village Aavarani, was originally named Aabharanadhari after the Lord. It is an extension of Thirukkannangudi, one of the 108 Divya Desams. It is believed that Lord Rama on his return to Ayodhya from Sri Lanka, passed through here and on the request of Brigu Maharishi and Veda Vyasa rested here in the form of Mahavishnu.

The legend of this temple is associated with the life and times of Thirumangai Alwar. According to the Sthala Puranam, the Alwar, desirous of raising resources for the Srirangam temple, came to Nagapattinam to steal the Golden idol of Buddha at the Vihara . He collected some banana stems from a place called Vazhakarai, stole the Golden idol, hid it among the banana stems during the day, and travelled over night towards Srirangam. The place where he hid the statue during day has come to be known as Porulvaithacheri (now called Poravacheri near Sikkal). He then visited Aavarani and worshipped the gigantic Ananthanarayana Perumal. Seeing the huge Lord, he adorned his body with Tulsi garlands which are said to have turned into different jewels. He then called him "Aabharanadhari Narayana". Because of this, the place came to be known as Aabharanadhari.

From here, he went to the Thirukannangudi Damodhara Narayana Perumal temple and worshipped the Ninraan and Irundhaan (Veetrirundha Perumal) forms of the Lord. In his mangalasasanam of the Thirukkanangudi temple, the stanza beginning with "Vangama munneer", according to Vaishnavaite scholars, describes the Ananthanarayana Perumal of Aavarani who is reclined on the Anantha ("sangamaarangai thadamalarundhi samameniyen") and hence it is inferred that this sthalam must have been part of the Thirukkannangudi Divya desam originally. Government records also mention Aavarani village as Thirukkannangudi Agaram which reemphasises this fact.

The Lord

Lord Ananthanarayana at Aavarani

The gigantic form of Lord Ananthanarayana Perumal completely fills the sanctum. Reclining on seven hooded Adisesha, with a Marakkal (measuring utensil) as headrest, his head is placed in the Southern direction and feet towards North. He has a right hand supporting his head, and a left hand extended upto his knee. He wears a number of ornaments on his body true to the name of Aabharanadhari. On his head, he wears a crown, kundalams in his ears, katakas on his arms, a beautiful Nalankilar Haram on his broad chest, sacred thread, and anklets on his feet. Brahma raising from his navel, and Sridevi and Bhudevi found by his side, are also wearing ornaments. Apart from them, Sage Bhrigu and Veda Vyasa are found at the head and foot of the Lord respectively as he gave vision to them at this site.

Other Deities

Goddess Alankaravalli

On entering the temple, one can see the Pakshiraja Garudalwar facing the Lord. He is seen with snakes as ornaments on his body. He is flanked by a beautiful Hanuman, known as Padma Hanuman. Goddess Alankaravalli is found in a separate shrine . The temple well is very special as the water is said to be extremely sweet. The temple tank is called Ananthapushkarani and bathing here and chanting Achutha, Anantha, Govindha thrice, rids one of all problems and turns them towards liberation.

Inscriptions:

The beautiful well at the Aavarani Temple

A total of eleven inscriptions have been read at this temple. Out of which nine are from the Chola period, one from the Pandya period and another from the Vijayanagara Period. The oldest among them is from the time of Raja Raja Chola II from 1150 AD. This inscription calls Aavarani as Aabharanadari Chaturvedimangalam. The inscription also mentions a Siva temple known as Thiruvirameswaram which probably existed in Aavarani.

There are six inscriptions belonging to the period of Kulothunga Chola III, and one of Jatavarman Kulasekhara Pandyan. A 1474 AD inscription of Thippayya Devamaharaya refers to the village as Aabharanadhari yaana Uttaranandapuram and the Lord as Pallikonda Perumal.

The rest of the inscriptions talk about temples nearby. One of the inscriptions refer to Simmavishnu Chaturvedimangalam and a deity called Parvatheeswara mudaiyar and about grants given to the temple. This inscription also mentions the villagers of Ranajaya Chaturvedi mangalam giving grants to Parvatheeswara mudaiyar. This probably was another temple near Aavarani. Another inscription mentions Chitralekha Perumpalli which probably was a Buddha Vihara nearby. There have been exchange of land between the Parvatheeswara mudaiyar temple and the Chitralekha Perumpalli.

Other significance:

Padma Anjaneya at the Aavarani Temple

This temple is one of the Pancha Narayana Kshetrams referred to in the Garuda Puranam as Pancha Badra. The others being the Damodara Narayana Perumal in Thirukannangudi, Yadava Narayana Perumal in Keevalur, Deva Narayana Perumal in Devur and Varada Narayana Perumal in North Alandhur.

How to reach here:

This temple is found on the Nagapattinam - Thiruvarur route, about four kilometres from the famous Sikkal Murugan temple. GPS Coordinates : (10.74561792, 79.77533913)

Contact: S Kumar Bhattar - 97885 17247

Temple Timings: 9-11 am, 5-7 pm

Dakshina Bhadrachalam Sri Kothandarama Temple, West Mambalam

Vankayala Kuppaiah Chetty was restless. His health was failing and he could not comprehend why. Especially that night, he felt as if he was swinging between life and death. It was as if a load was placed over his chest, making it extremely difficult to breathe. "Rama, why am I going through such an ordeal?" he asked his favourite deity.

For years, he had spent hours in the divine company of Lord Pattabhirama, whom he felt was the guiding source of his life. The Lord was in a small, dilapidating shrine. But his glory, grace and presence were in no way small.

Adi Narayana Dasa, a descendant of Kancherla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhadrachalam Ramadasu, had installed Lord Rama in a small shrine in Mambalam village in the 19th century. The deity was similar to that of Bhadrachalam. Lord Rama in a pattabhisheka kolam, with Sita Devi on his lap, Lakshmana holding an umbrella to the divine couple, and Hanuman holding Rama's foot. He stayed nearby and worshipped Lord Rama with devotion. Every year, he celebrated Rama Navami, with great pomp and glory. Over the years, the small temple popularly called Dakshina Bhadrachalam, became dilapidated, desperately needing repairs and renovation. However, the grace of the Lord, continued to draw ardent devotees such as Vankayala Kuppaiah Chetty.

The Kothandaramar Temple, West Mambalam

By now, Kuppaiah Chetty was sweating profusely. He called out to his wife, Andalamma to bring him some water. However, the liquid did not go beyond his throat. It was as if his body was on fire. His wife gently fanned him, as he slipped into semi-consciousness. It was then, that the room was filled with a bright, dazzling light. Kuppaiah Chetty felt he was being transported from his body to stand up straight and peer into the divine light. Lord Rama, his divine companion,stood before him as Kothandarama. His compassionate gaze enveloped Kuppaiah Chetty who burst into tears. He was able to see that he was being slow poisoned by his relatives, who were desirous of usurping the vast properties of the childless couple. The divine gaze seemed to penetrate into the body of Kuppaiah Chetty and remove all the toxins that the poison had created. Just as the light entered the room, it reduced into a spot and disappeared. Kuppaiah Chetty was now breathing normally, and slipped into deep sleep.

A painting depicting how Lord Pattibhirama and Kothandarama are found in the sanctum

Next morning, when he woke, he was feeling fit as a fiddle. It was as if all his ailments over the past few months had disappeared into dewdrops in the sun. He recalled how the Lord had revealed what happened and cured him of his ailment. He ran to the temple to offer thanks to Lord Pattabhirama. As he entered the temple, he saw Denuvagupta Venkatrangayya Haridasar, the manager of the temple sitting with a worried expression. But Kuppaiah Chetty was more eager to seethe Lord and thank him for his mercy. After worshipping him, he came out of the shrine. Now, he was able to see Haridasar better. The worry in his face, drew him towards him. Haridasar started sharing his worry - he had Rs.5000 in hand - Rs.1000 from sale of old things at the temple, and Rs.4000 from donations. But that was hardly enough to renovate the beautiful, yet languishing temple.

Kuppaiah Chetty knew why the Lord had given him a rebirth. His mission was to renovate the beautiful temple built by Adi Narayana Dasa as Dakshina Bhadrachalam. The mission began on that day in 1926 and within a year, the temple was renovated beautifully. He added another Moolavar, Sri Kothandaramar, as he had appeared before him, as well as Lord Ranganatha, who has installed by the side of the sanctum. After that, the temple came to be known as Kothandaramar temple.

A house in the Mambalam Agraharam

Today, the temple stands in pristine condition in what was originally the agraharam of Mambalam village, remainders of which can still be found around the temple. The house in which Adi Narayana Dasa lived and performed Rama Navami, Harikatha and Bhajans, still stands close to the temple, and the urchava murthis worshipped by him are being worshipped till date.

Hanumad Theertham

The temple tank known as Hanumad Theertham was installed in January 1909 by Tummala Penta Narayana Chetty and his wife Kamakshamma. An inscription to that effect is found on the banks of the tank, with a beautiful Sanskrit verse written in Telugu which mentions the creation of a water body as the holiest among dhaanams (grants).

Inscription at the Hanumad Theertham

The main deity Pattabhirama as well as the Kothandarama installed by Vankayala Kuppaiah Chetty, are flanked on either side by Sri Ranganatha and Sri Yoga Narasimha. So in one row, one gets to worship the Lord in Kidanthan, Ninran and Irundhan postures.

The goddess Ranganayaki Thaayar and Andal are found in seperate shrines. Across the courtyard, facing Sri Rama is Sanjeevi Parvatha Anjaneya Swamy. A very unique Hanuman with the Sanjeevi Parvatha in his right hand, and his left hand showing Abhaya Hastha, he stands facing North (Kubera Moolai). Devotees throng his shrine to worship him and have their genuine prayers answered.

Sanjeevi Parvatha Hanuman (Photo Courtesy: Sri Kothandaramar Temple)

The vasantha mandapam has also been renovated where the Vasanthotsavam happens every year. An inscription describing the temple as Dakshina Bhadrachalam is found in the Vasantha Mandapam.

The Mahamandapam pillars have images of both Vankayala Kuppaiah Chetty and his wife Andalamma. Peepal tree is the Sthala Vriksham of the temple and the poojas are carried out as per the Vaikhanasa Agama.

Shri Vankayala Kuppaiah Chetty

Andalamma

Every month, is a festival month at this temple. Brahmotsavam is celebrated with great glory for ten days in the tamil month of Chithirai, followed by the Vasanthotsavam in Vaikasi, Jyeshtabhishekam and Garuda Sevai in Aani, Gajendra Moksham in Aadi - this is a must watch, when the entire Gajendra Moksham episode is recreated for the benefit of the devotees, Aadi pooram and Andal Kalyanam are also conducted in this month, Krishna Jayanthi in Aavani, Pavithrotsavam in Purattasi, Ten days Manavala Mamunigal Saatrumarai in Aipasi, Karthigai deepam in Karthigai, Vaikunta Ekadesi and Hanumad Jayanthi in Margazhi, Theppothsavam and Laksha Dheepam in Thai, Masi Magam Garuda Sevai, and Sri Rama Navami and Panguni Uthiram Thirukalyanam in Panguni are the main festivals apart from numerous other events.

How to reach here: The temple is very close to the Madley Road Subway and the Mambalam Bus stand as well as railway station.

Temple timings: 7-10.30 am in the morning, 5-8.30 pm in the evening.

Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple in Kuvattur

Kuvattur - A name ringing in Tamil news channels a few months ago, is home to the quaint Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple. Set within the village on East Coast Road, the temple has eight wells representing the eight holy rivers of India. In the past, devotees bathed in these eight wells, similar to Rameswaram, and worshipped the gigantic Adhi Kesava Perumal to be rid of ancestral curses (Pitru Dosha).

Legend :

One of the wells representing a holy river inside the temple

The eight holy rivers : Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswathi, Sarayu, Godavari, Narmada, Thungabadra, Kaveri were upset that they were becoming more and more unclean due to washing the sins of those who bathe in them. They approached Lord Brahma and asked for a remedy. He in turn asked them to go to Bhoolokha and meet Sage Vedagosha, who would give them a solution.

The rivers thanked Lord Brahma and came down to Bhoolokha in search of Sage Vedagosha. They found him in a forest worshipping Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal. They bowed before him and explained their predicament.

Sage Vedagosha listened to them. He asked them to stay there and pray to Lord Adhikesava Perumal in whatever way they wished, with steadfastedness and devotion, whereby they would be rid of their burden. The women started performing different tasks for the worship of Lord Adhikesava Perumal. Ganga gave water for abhishekam, Yamuna helped grow flowers for worship, Sarayu grew fruits and vegetables for offering, Saraswathi, cleaned all the vessels and helped the Sage with the requirements for pooja, the Narmada and Godavari cleaned the ashram and decorated it with vines and creepers and made pretty patterns on the floor. Tungabadra and Kaveri sang beautiful hymns in praise of the Lord with devotion.

This went on for many months. The women were steadfast in their devotion. Their interest and passion did not come down as days passed by. They continued their worship with singleminded devotion. Pleased with their worship, the Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal appeared before them on a Panguni Uthiram day at sunset.

The eight women bowed before him, and sought a solution to their problem. The Lord promised to rid them of all the sins they had accumulated from sunrise to sunset every day, and by the time the sun rose again, they would be relieved of all the sins and be crystal clear again. The women thanked the Lord and the Veda Gosha Maharishi. As a token of gratitude, they promised to stay in the same location, in the form of eight wells, till the Sun and Moon rose. They also promised to grant anyone who bathed in all eight wells and worshipped Lord Adi Kesava, the benefits of bathing in these eight rivers.

The eight rivers then manifested in eight wells around the sanctum and Sage Narada and Budhan (Planet Mercury) who were witness to this incident worshipped Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal and built a Mayura Mani Mandapa around his sanctum. The place came to be called Kuvattur as Koopam or Koovam means well.

From then on, devotees started worshipping here to get the benefits of bathing in the eight holy rivers and being rid of all sins in their present and previous births. Similarly, since Budha had himself worshipped the Lord here, those with Budha Dosha in their horoscopes also worship here to be relieved of their dosha.

Lord Hanuman's Dosha:

Hanuman at Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple Kuvattur

After the Ramayana War, Rama wanted to perform Shiva linga Puja to be rid of the Brahma Hathi Dosha that he had acquired by killing Ravana. He asked Hanuman to bring him a Shivalingam from Kashi. However, Hanuman was delayed and Sita, created a lingam out of sand for Rama to worship. When Hanuman returned, he saw that the lingam had already been installed and the prayers were complete. He was upset that Sita had not waited for him to arrive. Seeing his crestfallen face, Rama asked him to install the Lingam he had brought and worshipped that as well.

Hanuman was ashamed of his action. He also realised that he had cursed Sita who was equivalent to his mother. He wanted to be rid of the sin of cursing his mother. So he visited several temples but was not relieved of the pain and suffering in his heart. Finally he reached the Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple in Kuvattur. When he reached the temple and bathed in the eight wells and worshipped Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal, the Lord appeared before him and relieved him from the dosha of having cursed his mother. Hanuman, sought a boon, that anyone who had not taken care of their mother, or not performed service to them while alive, or thier rites after their death, can be relieved of the Matru Shapam by worshipping Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal here.

Similarly, when Yudhistra came to know that his mother had not revealed the fact that Karna was their brother, he uttered that no woman will be able to hold any secret to themselves. This angered other women who cursed Yudhistra for unnecessarily affecting their lives. Yudhistra came to Kuvattur to worship Adhi Kesava Perumal and be rid of the Sumangali Shapam he had acquired.

The temple:

Adhi Kesava Perumal

Although there are no inscriptions in this temple, the inscription recorded at the Angalamman temple near the Adhi Kesava Perumal temple, is from the time of Sadashivayyadeva Maharaya, son of Saluva Manga Udaiyar Devamaharaya of the Vijayanagara Dynasty.

The deities at the temple are also presumably of the Vijayanagara period. Hanuman is found in a seperate shrine across the road with the Sarayu theertham behind his shrine. The Deepasthambam of the temple was originally between the two temples, but with the development of roads into the village, the deepasthambam has been brought into the Adhikesava perumal temple. The seven wells are around the temple. Gopu Bhattar, the archakar at the temple says that the wells are full during the rainy season, but during the summer months, only one of them has water which is used for abhishekam and aradhanam.

The Sudharshana, albeit being small, is a delight to watch. With a smile around the corner of his lips and sixteen arms holding multiple weapons, he is so endearing. The Narasimha behind him, is no less in beauty. Seated on the Naga, with Chakras in all four arms, he is ever waiting for the devotee to grant his genuine wishes.

Lord Adhikesava Perumal looks gigantic and majestic. His dwarapalakas, and Garuda are equally beautiful.

Goddess Maragathavalli and Andal are founded in separate shrines.If you happen to cross the ECR, do stop by to worship the majestic Adhi Kesava Perumal and witness the eight holy rivers in the form of wells.

How to get here: Koovathur is about 80 kms from Chennai and 14 kms from Kalpakkam on the East Coast Road (GPS coordinates: 12.443852, 80.106224)

Temple Timings: The temple is open through the day for the benefit of devotees. The bhattar lives right next to the temple and facilitates with pooja until 7 pm.

Contact Details: Gopu Bhattar 9790846554

The new church of Our Lady of Glory in Pulicat

Last year, during Madras week, I had been on a heritage trip to Pulicat, organised by Aarde Foundation, led by architect Mr Xavier Benedict. Xavier and his team have done magnificent work in documenting the history and heritage of the city, where the Arabs, Portuguese and Dutch landed much before the British did and in a way, was the forerunner to the founding of the city of Madras.

As usual, this post, which should have been written months ago, got buried in my professional commitments along with 30,000 other images waiting to see the light of day.

The waters of Pazhaverkadu were deep enough for the ships of the Arabs, Portuguese and the Dutch to land and trade diamonds, pearls, textiles, herbs and spices. The world famous Palayacatta Lungies originated from Pulicat. The prawns and crabs, caught in the waters of Pulicat, till date are said to be among the tastiest.

One day, when a fisherman cast his net, all that he caught was a log of wood . Angered, he threw it right back into the waters, and went home disappointed. The next day, the same log was caught in his net. This time, the frustrated fisherman, threw the log into the shore, and cast his net again. He ended up catching a huge amount of fish, and went home happily.

A woodcutter, who saw the piece of wood on the shore, started cutting it for firewood. The moment his axe hit the log, blood splashed from it, and he lost his eye-sight. He was wandering about on the beach, weeping, unable to find his way home. His wife, finding that her husband did not return home that evening, went looking for him, and found him, weeping on the beach. On hearing what happened, she found the log. She prayed to it fervently, seeking apology for the unknowing act of her husband. She then collected the blood from the axe, and smeared it on the woodcutter's eyes. This restored his eyesight.

They returned home happily, carrying the log with them. They shared the incident with everyone in the fishing village. The villagers installed the holy log in a hut and started worshipping it. The next year, a Portuguese ship returning from Malacca reached Pulicat and on hearing from the villagers about the holy log, confirmed that it was the wooden idol of Mother Mary which they had lost in the cyclone on the shores of Pulicat when they started to Malacca.

It was the year 1515 CE and they helped the villagers install the wooden idol of Mother Mary in a small shrine, and called her Our Lady of Joy, due to the joy of rediscovering her after losing her in the storm.

Several miracles followed in the years to come. The Lady of Joy helped several people in distress. So her name and fame grew, and the shrine attracted more and more people to it. Because of this, the Dutch who came after the Portuguese, expanded the shrine and called Mother Mary, Our Lady of Glory, a name that refers to the church till date.

Although over time, even the British added architectural additions to the church, the original altar from the Portuguese time remains to date. The church is filled with paintings that depict the history of events and photographs of how the structure has changed over the years.

Sadly, all that remains of the old Portuguese structure is the altar and the house of the priest, that was built at the time the church was, by the Portuguese and redo by the Dutch subsequently. The original church has been pulled down in 2008, to give way to a new and larger building. The original church had been built like a cross with a central arch and praying hall and chambers on either side, It was of typically Gothic architecture style. Aarde Foundation has tried to recreate a model of the church that had been in existence and displays the image of a 3D regenerated model in its small museum.

The church also contains a copy of the decree by the Archbishop of Madras - Mylapore declaring it as the first Parish in Tamil Nadu.

Apart from this church, which still attracts several thousand people from across the world to it because of its glory and miracles, there is another church in Pulicat, the St.Antony's church in the North Eastern side of Kottaikuppam, which still retains its original Dutch architecture and a relic of St.Antony.

Although most of rich heritage of Pulicat has been lost to deliberate destruction and passage of time, it is important that we understand, appreciate and recognise the structures that are still left, before they too undergo transformation and change beyond recognition.

How to get here: Pulicat is about 60 kilometres north of Chennai. GPS coordinates (13.422564, 80.315257)

Contact Details : 044 2797 6460

Kathithamalai Vetri Velayudha Swamy Temple

Kathithamalai, which is now referred to as Kaithamalai, is near Uthukuli in Tirupur District. The Vetri Velayudhaswamy temple, set amidst rustic and ethereal surroundings, attracts a huge crowd of devotees every year.

Mythology:

Once Sage Agasthya was visiting all Muruga temples in the Kongu region. He was accompanied by Sage Narada and the Devas. When they came to this place, Sage Agasthya was extremely thirsty. There was no water to be found anywhere nearby. So, he prayed to Lord Muruga who appeared before him, and hit the ground with his spear (Vel). Immediately, water came gushing out from the pit formed when Muruga's spear hit the ground. Since it was an ootru (spring) which came forth from a Kuzhi (pit), the place came to be known as Utrukuzhi which slowly morphed into Uthukuli.

Sage Agasthya was very grateful to Lord Muruga for having appeared before him to quench his thirst. So he installed him in the same place in the form of a swayambu. This swayambu which looks like a small mound or lingam is in the sanctum sanctorum right next to the idol of Lord Muruga.

Temple:

The temple is found on a small hillock. There are steps to climb and vehicles also ply right upto the entrance of the temple. There is a beautiful five-tier Rajagopuram at the entrance and the temple is spotlessly clean and freshly painted. As we enter, we are welcomed by screeching peacocks which move from one mandapa to the other, unmindful of the crowd beneath.

In the sanctum sanctorum, Lord Muruga is unusually found alone, without Valli and Devayanai, who are found together in a seperate shrine behind the temple. The legend again explains that both of them were desirous of marrying Lord Muruga and came here to worship him and since this was a pre-marriage shrine, they are found together behind the temple, but away from Lord Muruga. Therefore in this temple, Lord Muruga is found as an embodiment of Gnana, without Valli and Devayanai who are the Ichcha Sakthi and Kriya Sakthi.

Because of this, on every Tuesday, special abhishekams are performed to Lord Muruga at 5 am. Then from 6 am to 7 am, a special prayer comprising of 300 verses called Shatru Samhara Thrisathi is performed. Those desirous of obtaining success in their career, marriage, or education, or those who want to get rid of enemies, evil forces or competition, come here to perform the Thrisathi and find success in their lives. It is because of this that he is called Vetri Velayudha Swamy. The sthalavriksham of this temple is Vilvam.

Near the Valli Devayanai shrine, there is a frontier deity called Sukkumalaiyaan who is worshipped by devotees, by tying cradles on the Paalai tree (Blackboard Tree, also known as Saptparni), under which he sits.

Beneath the temple on the South, there is a samadhi of a saint Mayuranatha Siddhar which is popularly known as Subbarayar Kovil. There is a huge anthill inside this temple and it is believed that the anthill has developed over the samadhi of the siddhar. Till some time ago, the samadhi was open to public for worship. Currently there are three snakes that live within the anthill. They appear before the devotees periodically, but do not harm anyone.

Few months ago, someone set the anthill on fire accidently while lighting camphor, post which, the anthill is cordoned off. Devotees are also prohibited from pouring milk and eggs on the anthill. There is a seperate enclosure for making offerings, and for sacrificing hens.

Those suffering from Rahu, Kethu Dosham, come to the Subbarayar temple and worship him by offering milk and eggs to the snakes in the anthill.

While it is believed Arunagirinathar visited Kathithamalai and sang about Vetri Velayudhaswamy, no direct Thirupugazhs are attributable to this temple, at the moment.

While all festivals associated with Murugan are celebrated here with a lot of splendour, the most famous is the Thai Poosam. On the fourth day after Thai Poosam, devotees pull the decorated temple car around the hill. This is probably the only temple where the wooden car is pulled around a hill.

This temple features amongst the six Kongunattu Arupadai Veedu for Lord Muruga. It is considered to be a very powerful place for worship and hundreds of devotees throng here every day.

How to get here: Kaithamalai is 15 kilometers from Tirupur city on the Tirupur - Erode Road.

Temple Timings: 5.30 - 2 pm, 4-8 pm

Contact Details : 04294-262052

Hanuman, Anjaneyar, Anjana Maindhan, Vayuputra, Bajrang Bali, Mukhya Prana Devaru, and Siriya Thiruvadi - Many names, one diety! The embodiment of devotion, loyalty, valour, strength and super power!

For many years, I had heard about this temple where Hanuman sleeps between two rocks in the middle of Palar river. However, attempts made to visit did not fructify easily. Maybe He wanted to test my patience and intent. Finally, made it a few months ago.

The picturesque settings of the Palatrangarai Anjaneya Swamy Temple

The temple is located in extremely picturesque settings on the banks of the Palar river on the foothills of the Govinda and Thadakachi Hills in Pollachi district of Tamil Nadu. There is an arch on the main road that leads to the Aliyar Dam, guiding visitors to the temple. The sound of flowing water on either side of the access calms one's senses and prepares them for worship. One can see joyous children and families squealing with laughter and jumping about in the crystal clear waters that lap around their ankles.

The rustic settings with a mild drizzle around the temple

Legend

The legend of this temple mentions that while Hanuman was carrying the Sanjeevi Parvatha to the war site in Sri Lanka, he stopped by here to rest. When he saw water between two rocks, he bent down to look at it, in order to refresh himself. His reflection stayed as an impression on the rock below. Water continued to flow over the rock over several hundred years and when it finally started to recede, the impression was discovered. There is also another version of the legend which mentions that this was one of the 729 Hanumans created by Saint Vyasaraja, the Raja Guru of the Vijayanagara Empire and the previous avatara of Sri Raghavendraswamy. Saint Vyasaraja, had the ability to draw the form of Hanuman on a rock using his Angarakatti, which would then turn into a 2D carving.

A temple has been built over the Swayambu Hanuman about 500 - 600 years ago. Today it is a modern temple, maintained very well.

Twin Hanumans in the Sanctum Sanctorum

Since the image of the Swayambu Hanuman is on the floor of the sanctum and hence not visible clearly to the devotees, another Hanuman has been installed over him. The stone for making this standing Veera Hanuman has been brought from Marunthuvazh Malai, on the Southern most tip of the Western Ghats in Kanyakumari district. Marunthuvazh Malai is believed to be a portion of the Sanjeevi Parvatha, that broke off while Hanuman carried it to revive Lakshmana during the war with Ravana's forces. Even today Marunthuvazh Malai, has a huge number of unique herbal plants and creepers with medicinal capacities, capable of curing several ailments. The stone brought from Marunthuvazh Malai also has the ingrained healing capacities and therefore, it is not only blessed to have been carried by Sri Hanuman himself, but is also generating relief to those who seek him to be relieved of their illnesses.

The standing Veera Hanuman is seen with Abhaya hastha. the other arm on his hip, and holding a mace. His tail is found in a loop over his head. His face faces the direction of Lanka, says the priest.

Normally, Hanuman would be seen as a sub-deity in a Vaishnavaite shrine. But here, since the whole temple was built over his manifested form, he is the main deity. Water from the Palar still seeps around the swayambu Anjaneya swamy within the sanctum. Having two Hanumans, one over another in the sanctum, enhances the divinity of the sanctified space and people say that prayers of marriage, child birth and most importantly, good health, debt relief and fear of enemies are definitely answered. Devotees offer three garlands to Anjaneya while praying to him - namely, Tulasi, Betel Leaf and Vada. Once their prayers are answered, they offer special abhishekams, beaten rice with jaggery (Vella Aval) and smear the deity with butter (Vennai Kappu).

Apart from the main deity, there are seperate shrines for Yoga Narasimha, Chakrathazhwar and Vinayaka with two faces. Usually one would find Rama in Hanuman's temple. However, here only his feet have been installed.

Hanumad Jayanthi, Aadi and Thai Amavasya and Saturdays are special days at the temple. Yet another significant feature here is the annadhanam. Meals are served every day from 12.30 pm and one has to experience the lovely hospitality and tasty food. We were invited to partake of the food, as though we were guests to the house. The food was simple, extremely tasty and served with such love and devotion.

Ramar Padham

So if you happen to me around Anaimalai, Top Slip or Pollachi, do swing by to this surreal little temple that is guaranteed to bring solace to the soul !

How to get here:

Palattrangarai is situated on the road to Aliyar Dam, not very far from the Masaniamman Temple. It is also on the way to Samathur Palace and Top Slip. Regular bus services are available from Pollachi upto the arch and one has to walk about a kilometre from the arch to reach the temple. Cars and two wheelers can ply close to the temple.

Temple Timings: 7 am to 6 pm

Contact : Archakar 98657 86001

Steps leading to the Varkala Janardhanaswamy Temple

Varkala is a beautiful town on the shores of the Arabian Sea. It comprises of unique Cenozoic Sedimentary formation cliffs in the otherwise flat coast of Kerala, and hence is a notified geological monument. The cliffs overlooking the spotlessly clean beach attract thousands of tourists across the world each year. Equally significant is the number of pilgrims who come to visit the unique and ancient Janardhanaswamy temple here. Janardhana refers to one who destroys birth and provides salvation or mukthi. There are very few temples in India, where Lord Vishnu is called Janardhana and these places are significant for mukthi and pitru pariharam ie. for performing rites for ancestors, and praying for salvation. Varkala Kshetram is also known as Dakshina Kasi.

Legends of the temple:

The temple of Janardhanaswamy has a number of legends associated with it.

Brahma's Yagna

Once Lord Brahma came down to earth, to perform a yagna. He chose a calm and serene location by the sea, which is the current day Varkala. He got so engrossed in the Yagna that he forgot his duty of creation. The devas were worried and approached Lord Vishnu to intervene. Vishnu came to the Yagna site in the guise of a very old Brahmin. The brahmins assisting Brahma in the performance of the yagna, received the old man and offered him food. The old man kept eating all the food that had been prepared quite effortlessly.

Suspecting the old man was no ordinary person, the brahmins alerted Brahma. When Brahma saw him, he knew it was Lord Vishnu in the guise of an old brahmin. Right at that moment, the old man was talking water in his hand and with the word aabhojanam was about to do aachamanam (the process of cleansing oneself after food, by shaping the palm like the ear of a cow, and drinking water from it thrice). Brahma held his hand and stopped him, saying if he consumed the water, the whole world would be drowned in a deluge.

Lord Vishnu asked him to finish the yagna and resume his role of creation and Brahma obliged after seeking a Vishwaroopa Darisana. He requested Vishnu to stay in the place forever as Janardhana and give mukthi to those who worshipped him. The Devas built a temple here and the place came to be known as Janardhanapuram.

Another glimpse inside the Janardhanaswamy Temple, Varkala

Narada and the Navaprajapathis

One day, Narada walked towards the earth signing songs in praise of Sri Vishnu. Pleased with his devotion, Vishnu followed him unobtrusively. Lord Brahma crossed their path, accompanied by the Navaprajapathis. On seeing Lord Vishnu, he bowed and saluted him. The Navaprajapathis who could only see Narada, thought Brahma was saluting his own son, and made fun of him. Lord Brahma told them what had actually happened.

The Navaprajapathis were ashamed of their impertinence in making fun of their Guru. So they asked Narada for the right place to do penance to be rid of this sin. Narada threw his valkalam (upper garment made of deer skin) and it landed in the spot where Sri Vishnu resided as Janarthana. Since Narada's valkalam fell there, the place came to be known as Valkala, now morphed to Varkala.

The Navaprajapathis requested Lord Vishnu to create a theertham where they could take a dip to worship him and be rid of all their sins.Vishnu released the Sudharshana Chakra which created a theertham to the North of where Janardhana resided. This theertham to this day is called the Chakra theertham and is about 240 feet wide.

Beautiful maiden in the Janardhanaswamy temple, Varkala

Balarama and Janardhana

The legend further states that Balarama, a manifestation of Adi Sesha, worshipped Janardhana here. Over time, the temple of Janardhana became dilapidated and was swallowed by the sea. The idol with Sangu (conch), Chakra (discus), Gadha (mace) and the right forehand in aachamanam, sank to the depths of the sea and remained there for centuries.

Janardhana Recovered from the sea

A Pandya king was once haunted by spirits. Any amount of intervention by his physicians and priests did not give him relief. So he set off on a pilgrimage. When he came to Varkala, he was very tired and decided to spend the night there. In his sleep, he had a dream where he saw a dilapidated temple on the shores of the sea. He also heard a voice that instructed him to go to the seashore the next morning where he would see a huge amount of flowers floating on the water underneath which he would find the idol of Janardhana. Further, the voice instructed him to repair the damaged left hand of the idol with gold and install him on the cliff nearby.

Sri Janardhana Swamy at Varkala (Photo Courtesy: Our Heritage Vaishnavam)

The King did as suggested. He and his men, recovered the idol of Janardhana, and installed it on top of the cliff nearby after replacing the damaged left hand with gold. On doing this, the King was cured of the spirits that haunted him and went back happily.

Temple Inscriptions

The temple as we see it now was built in the 13th century. According to a Tamil inscription in Vattezhuthu, found on the South base of the central shrine of Sri Janardhana Swamy, King Vira Padmanaba Marthanda Varma Thiruvadi (1240-1252 CE), of the Venad Dynasty, converted the temple of the Bhattaraka of Varkalai Udhayamarthandapuram to stone from Adhistanam to Uthiram, He further had the Sri Vimana covered with copper sheets, renewed the Mukha Mandapa and consecreated the temple on Karkataka Rasi, Wednesday, 21st day of the Rishabha Month, in the Kollam Year 425 (1252CE), (2/1084,T.A.S Vol 4, Pg 151)

Another inscription found on the North base of the mandapa in front of the Janardhanaswamy shrine, containing a Sanskrit verse, written in Grantha characters. This inscription has been intepreted in depth by Prof. Kielhorn in Epigraphia Indica Volume 4. It says King Goda Marthanda, had the god Hari, bathed by Brahmins around mid-day on Thursday 11th May, in the Kollam Year 655 (1480 CE). The inscription mentions Varkala as Vayka. (Prof Kielhorn is of the impression that it could also be referring to Vaikkom).

An inscription in the East Prakara, belonging to Raja Ravi Kulasekara Perumal, of Attingal Swarupam, who performed Hiranyagarbha and Tulabhara in Tiruvananthapuram, speaks about repairs executed to the temple in Kollam year 700 (1525 CE).

There is a bell found in the southern side of the temple installed in the year 1757 CE. A Dutch ship that was passing by Varkala, who suddenly stop and not move despite the wind being in favour of the ship. All attempts made by the crew to move the ship proved futile. At that time, the captain Michael Everard was advised to pray to Janardhanaswamy and he did with all sincerity. Soon the ship started to move. In gratitude, he came back to Varkala to install this bell, in which his name is inscribed.

An inscription on the East and North base of the Dwajasthamba, belonging to King Rama Varma (Kollam Year 1071- 1896 CE) mentions that the flagmast was set up by the King on Thursday, the 4th day of the Makara month, when Sun was in Mrigasirsha.

The temple as it exists today

The Janardhanaswamy temple is situated on top of the cliff in Varkala. One has to climb around 70 steps to reach the temple. There are two entrances to the temple which is relatively small and built as per Dravidian architecture. The temple overlooks the Papanasam beach, named so because the curse of the Navaprajapathis was removed here.

Words fail one while attempting to describe the beauty of Janardhana Swamy. The sanctum has been placed in such a way that one cannot see the face of the Lord standing straight, unless they get close to the sanctum. On entering, one has to bend down to glance at his divya mangala swaroopam. With the conch and discus in his top hands, and a mace on his left hand, he is seen as if performing achamanam. They say the palm of the right hand is always wet, and the arm has been moving up over time.

It is believed that the world will be submerged in a deluge, when the hand reaches up to Janardhanaswamy's mouth and he completes the aachamanam. The Lord is usually dressed up as Venugopalaswamy, Narasimha or Mohini.Apart from the main deity, there are shrines for Lord Shiva, Ganesha, and Naga Devatha. There is also an Ayyappan temple nearby.

Vedi Vazhipadu - worshipping with firecrackers is a common practice here, and there are people available, to facilitate this worship for a price. A large number of people come here to perform the annual rites of their ancestors, as it is believed that if the rites are performed here, they would attain mukthi. There is a huge peepal tree, with hundreds of cradles hanging from it. These have been tied by devotees who are desirous of begetting a child.

The Arattu festival that happens in the Malayalam month of Meenam is a ten day extravaganza where thousands of people from across the world participate. The festival starts with Kodiyettu on Karthigai day (flag hoisting) and ends with Arattu on Uthiram day, when there is a grand procession and cultural performances through the ten days.

A visit to the Janardhanaswamy temple and looking at the lovely smile playing around his lips is an ethereal experience that cannot be described.

Dress Code: Men have to take off their shirts while entering the temple. Traditional wear is recommended for women.

How to get here: Varkala is about 45 kilometres from Trivandrum on the Trivandrum - Kollam road. It is about three kilometres from the Varkala railway station and the nearest airport is Trivandrum.

Temple Timings: 5.30 am to 12 pm, 5 pm to 8 pm

Contact details : 0470 2607575

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Mr Suresh Uthaman, Varkala for his assistance with pictures for this article.

Arutprakasa Ramalinga Vallalar

Thai Poosam - the day when Poosam star falls on a full moon day in the Tamil month of Thai, is not only celebrated by the followers of Lord Muruga across the world, but it is also a day when several thousand people gather in the small town of Vadalur, near Chidambaram, to watch the Jothi Darisanam - the stripping of the seven veils to display the Arulperum Jothi - the Supreme Light of Compassion. This practice was started by Saint Ramalinga Vallalar in 1872 and continues to this day, attracting several thousand people from across the globe.

Saint Ramalinga Swamigal, also known as Arulprakasa Vallalar, lit this eternal lamp, to symbolise a religion beyond religions, a path where everyone who practised Jeeva Karunyam (compassion towards all living beings) was welcome into. This path he called the "Samarasa Sudha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam" and the Sathya Gnana Sabai where this event happens, is the demonstration of all that he practised and preached. The Jothi Darisanam on every Poosam day, culminating in the ultimate Darisanam when all seven veils are removed to show the vision of the Supreme Light is something every devotee and believer of Ramalinga Swamigal looks forward to.

Birth and early Life

Saint Ramalinga Swamigal was born as Chidambara Ramalingam, on 5 October 1823, the fifth child of Ramayya Pillai and his sixth wife Chinnammai, in Marudhur near Chidambaram. The house where he was born has been converted into a memorial. One has to climb down a few steps to reach the house though, as the level of the road has gone up considerably over time.

The house where Ramalinga Vallalar was born

First experience with Light

When he was five months old, Ramalingam was taken to the Chidambaram temple by his parents, and when the light of the Harathi was brought near him, the boy clapped his hands and laughed, a sign to show that he was indeed a realised soul even at that tender age. At the age of two, Ramalingam lost his father, and his mother took him to stay with his oldest brother Sabapathy in a house in Veerasamy Street, in Sevel Wells area of Madras.(Chennai).

The house where Ramalinga Vallalar lived in Veerasamy Street, Seven Wells, Chennai

Chennai Life and seeing Lord Muruga in a mirror

As a young boy, Ramalingam was hardly interested in studies. Instead, he would spend hours in the Kanda Kottam Murugan temple or the Siva temple in Tiruvottriyur. Sabapathy, wanting to discipline his brother, asked his wife Pappathi Ammal not to give him any food. However, the kind lady made sure she fed him, without her husband's knowledge. She also gave him a room on the first floor of the house where he could study without disturbance.

Young Ramalingam asked for a mirror and a lamp and would spend all his time, in meditating on the light reflecting in the mirror. It was in the mirror that he received the first vision of Lord Muruga. One night, when he came back late from the temple, he slept on the verandah without any food as he did not want to wake anyone. Goddess Vadivudai amman of Tiruvottriyur appeared before him in the form of his sister-in-law, and fed him. The first five Thirumurais of the Tiruvarutpa were sung while at this house. The Tamil Nadu Government has converted this house into a memorial.

The room where Ramalinga Vallalar received a vision of Lord Muruga

Ramalingam had to once substitute for his brother and delivered a discourse on the Periya Puranam. The audience and his brother were stunned at the depth of his knowledge and wisdom in delivering the same in a simple, understandable manner. Ramalingam stayed in this house from 1825-1858. It was here that he was forced to marry his sister's daughter, Dhanammal, even though he had no desire for a material life.

Lighting lamps with water

In 1858, he wanted to move away from Chennai, and travel to Chidambaram. He met a person called Venkata Reddiar, who invited him to stay in his house in Karunguzhi. He stayed here for a total period of nine year from 1858 - 1867. It was here that his poems were slowly turning from singing about deities to singing about the one Supreme Light that was religionless, formless, and all encompassing. He was compassionate about all living beings, and felt sad even when he saw dried crops. Which is why the songs he composed came to be known as Thiru Arutpa.

One night, when he was writing, the lamps dimmed due to lack of oil. Ramalinga Vallalar filled the lamps with water, and they continued to burn through the night, enabling him to complete his writing.

The room in which Ramalinga Vallalar light lamps with water in Karunguzhi

Apart from this, he has also created a drinking water source in this village for both lifestock and people and till date, this water source remains perennial, feeding thousands of lives.

It was here that he started the Samarasa Vedha Sanmarga Sangam in 1865. In 1872 it was renamed as Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam - a society for pure truth in universal selfhood.

Establishment of Sathya Dharma Salai

Ramalinga Vallalar, as he came to be called, did not want any living being to suffer from hunger. He advised humans to refrain from taking non-vegetarian food, which involved killing of other living beings, and instead encouraged them to feed vegetarian food to those who were hungry and needy. On 23rd of May, 1867, he started the Sathya Dharma Salai, a facility to feed people throughout the day, in Vadalur. The stove that was lit by him in 1867, continues to burn till date, feeding hundreds of people on a daily basis.

Anaiya Aduppu - the stove lit by Ramalinga Vallalar continuing to feed people to this day

Construction of Sathya Gnana Sabhai

Sathya Gnana Sabhai or the Hall of Wisdom was constructed by Ramalinga Vallalar in 1871. It was inaugurated in January 1872. This octagonal shaped building has the Sathya Gnana Deepam, the Supreme Light, as lit by Vallalar, which is covered by seven veils that represent the various factors that prevent a human from realising the light within him. The whole building is bound by chains made of 21,600 links to depict the number of inhalations a human takes during the day. It is astonishing to see the chains do not have any joints in them, which shows they were put together by Ramalinga Vallalar using his yogic powers.

My colleague Mr Ganapathi holding up the chains for us to see

On Poosam day every month, the veils are lifted to show the light within. A total of seven veils are said to cover one's soul - namely, the very dark first veil of Maya Shakthi, the bright blue second veil of Kriya Sakthi, the all Green third veil of Parasakthi, the flamboyant red fourth veil of Iccha Sakthi, the golden yellow fifth veil of Gnana Sakthi, the milky white sixth veil of Aadhi Sakthi and the mixed colour seventh veil of Chit Sakthi. When these veils are shed one by one, the soul is able to experience the supreme Light within.

On Thai poosam day, all the veils are lifted, whereas on all other poosams, only the first six veils are lifted. The veil lifting happens three times starting from 7 pm in the evening and several thousands of people gather in the open air outside the main shrine, to witness this.

Witnessing Jothi Darisanam at the Sathya Gnana Sabai Vadalur

Siddhi Valagam and Disappearance

Ramalinga Vallalar moved from Karunguzhi to Mettukuppam, a village about 6 kms from Vadalur to a one room tenement which is now called the Siddhi Valagam. Here he lit the Sathya Gnana Deepam, and meditated upon it for four years. He then placed it outside his room, and asked all his devotees to consider it to be the most Supreme light, and meditate upon it.

The Sathya Gnana Deepam at Siddhi Valagam

He also launched the Sanmarga Flag which is yellow on top and white at the bottom on the 7th day of Aipasi (October 22, 1873), the practice of which is continued every year, at 8 am .

On January 30, 1874, Ramalinga Vallalar, entered his room and before locking it, told his followers not to open it and even if they did, they would not find anything. Hearing about Saint Ramalingam not coming out of his locked room for days, the British authorities forced open the doors in the month of May 1874, only to find that he had disappeared with his mortal body. This has been documented in the South Arcot District Gazette, by the British.

Saint Ramalingam wrote close to 6000 poems which have been compiled into the Thiruvarutpa with ten volumes. He practised and preached vegetarianism, feeding the poor and needy, a religion beyond religions where the true supreme power was light.

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank my colleague, Mr S Ganapathy, for facilitating a visit to the important sites associated with the life of Sri Ramalinga Vallalar.

Since most of the events happen in the evening, the quality of pictures is poor and I apologise for the same.

The River Cauvery

The island of Srirangapatna lies about 18 kilometres from Mahisuru (Mysore), the land of Mahishasura, the demon who had been killed by Goddess Chamundeswari after a battle that lasted nine nights that are celebrated as Navarathri around the world. The tenth day is commemorated as Vijaya Dasami, symbolising the victory of good over evil.

According to mythology, Lord Vishnu manifested at Srirangapatna as Sri Ranganatha to fulfill the prayers of River Cauvery and revealed himself to Sage Gauthama who consecrated him with Cauvery sitting by his feet. This shrine came to be known as Adiranga. Further down the course of the river, Ranganathaswamy has been consecrated at Shivanasamudra popularly known as Madhya Ranga and Srirangam known as Antyaranga. While the Ranganathaswamy temple (Seringapatam as known during the British times) is the largest and most popular in Srirangapatna, the temples of Nimishamba and Kshanambika draw a huge number of devotees.

Nimishamba Devi:

Sri Nimishamba Temple, Srirangapatna

Srirangapatna had been divided into Pette (the industrial area) and Kotte (fort area). Pette area is now known as Ganjam and the Nimishamba Devi temple is found on the banks of the river Cauvery.

King Muktharaja of the Soma Vamsha Aryakshatriya ruler was well respected and loved by his subjects as he was fair, pious and people-centric. He was an ardent devotee of Devi Parvathi. An asura named Janusumandala was envious of Muktharaja and took upon himself to disturb him and his people in every possible way. The harassed citizens appealed to King Muktharaja to save them from Janusumandala.

The King tried all possible ways to get rid of Janusumandala, but was not successful. This made the asura increase the frequency of his attacks which caused havoc to people and property. The frustrated king appealed to Goddess Parvathi to help him put an end to the demon. He performed a yagna to seek the intervention of the Devi. Goddess Parvathy appeared before Janusumandala in a minute. She closed her eyes and opened them and the Asura was reduced to ashes. King Muktharaja was relieved and the people rejoiced. Because the Goddess appeared to the rescue of her ardent devotee in a minute, she came to be known as Nimishamba Devi.

The temple of Nimishamba Devi

The Goddess installed a linga on the banks of the river Kaveri and worshipped him to overcome the dosha of killing Janusumandala. This deity came to be known as Mouthikeswara.

The temple of Nimishamba Devi has been fully modernised. It is usually very crowded and on weekends it can take over an hour to worship her. She is found in a seated posture, with a powerful Sri Chakra Yantra installed before her. Temples following the Sri Vidhya school of tantric worship have the Sri Chakra Yantram which is a mystic representation of the Devi through nine interlocked triangles with a central Bindu. Chanting the relevant mantras before the Srichakra is said to help devotees achieve their rightful prayers in a minute.

Goddess Nimishamba is found underneath a Dharma Chakra which serves as her umbrella. Her upper hands hold the Trishul and Damaru and the lower hands are seen in Abhaya and Varada Hasta. Mouthikeswara and Lord Lakshmi Narayana are found in adjacent shrines. Devotees firmly believe their prayers get answered quite immediately on worshipping Goddess Nimishamba and throng the temple in large numbers especially during Nimishamba Jayanthi which is celebrated on Vaikashi Shuddha Dasami each year and during Navaratri and Full moon days. The version of the temple as it exists now is said to have been renovated by Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar in the early 18th Century and then subsequently modernised.

The rustic beauty of Nimishamba Temple

Devotees offer lemons to the deity which are placed on the Sri Chakra and then returned to the devotee. Consuming the lemon or letting it into running water as advised by the priest based on the type of prayer, is said to be very beneficial. The temple is open continuously from 6.30 am to 8.30 pm at night and on special days it opens as early as 4.30 am.

Kshanambika Devi

The temple of Kshanambika Devi

The Kshanambika Shrine, found within the Jothi Maheswara temple is relatively smaller and lesser known when compared to the Nimishamba temple. It is found inside the fort area quite close to the main entrance.

The Goddess is known as Kshanambika as she grants the desires of the devotees instantly (within seconds). Kshanambika Devi is found in a sanctum sanctorum, with a Sri Chakra Yantra installed in front of her and is also called Srichakra Vedanayaki Ammanavaru. Apart from the mystic design of the Sri Yantram the stone also has mantras inscribed on it.

Sri Chakra Vedanayaki Kshanambika Devi

According to the priest at the temple, devotees who are desirous of having their wishes fulfilled, circumambulate around the temple while focussing on their prayers and wishes and if the desires are genuine, then they are granted quite instantly. He says in case of delayed marriage proposals, several devotees have found a positive response or connection even before leaving the temple.

The Srichakram with inscription

The temple also has a seperate shrine for Lord Jothi Maheswara as well as for Sangameswara swamy and Jagajyoti Basaveswara, the founder of the Veera Shaiva Lingayat tradition. His vachanas have been inscribed on the walls of the temple, that has been originally built in Hoysala style.

The Basaveswara Shrine

A lot of people having realised the significance of the Kshanambika temple have started visiting here and the patronage is slowly picking up. The temple is still in need of resources and contributions are welcome. It is open between 8.30 to 11.30 am and 5.30 to 8 pm.

Panchamukhi Gayatri

So, how quickly do you want your prayers answered?

With the team of volunteers at Chinna Mandali

Usually, articles in the Aalayam Kanden blogs describe an ancient/unique temple. But for the first time, here is an article on an entire village - Chinna Mandali! In fact, not just one, but two! So, you can well imagine the significance of this village.

Chinna Mandali is situated on the banks of the river Koovam. This predominantly agricultural village has been known as Sezhumanavai, Sirumanavai, Sirumanavur and Sirimavur during different times. The village has six temples in close vicinity to each another - Niranjeeswarar, Adhi Kesava Perumal, Ishta Siddhi Vinayakar, Aruramman, Selliamman, and Periyapalayathamman. The Nallathur Amman temple is found on the border between Chinna Mandali and the next village. Although the village and its temples enjoy very little external patronage, it is indeed a delight to find these temples extremely clean, well maintained and efficiently managed, the credit for which goes to the enthusiastic villagers.

Niranjeeswarar Temple:

Niranjeeswarar Temple, Chinna Mandali

This seems to be the oldest based on the antiquities still found in the temple. This temple had been in a dilapidated condition for a very long time and was renovated in the year 2000 CE. The main deity, Niranjeeswara is huge and is found with two mild impressions on the top portion. They say the moorthy is Swayambu. Goddess Maragathavalli is found in a seperate shrine.

Lord Niranjeeswara (originally Kachaleeswara) of Chinna Mandali

There are shrines for Ganesha, Dakshinamoorthy, Durgai, Chandikeswarar and Murugan, apart from Hanuman and the Naalvar found in alcoves. Mr Selvaraj Mudaliar, who had been instrumental in the renovation of this temple, was an ardent devotee of Ramalinga Adigalar, and hence, he too, features in an alcove. A Nataraja of recent times is found in a shrine covered by a rolling shutter, only to be opened on Arudhra Darishanam day. The temple has a huge temple tank, extending close to 3 acres, in need to repair and maintenance.

The huge temple tank that is in need for restoration and maintenance

On first look, the temple looks non-descript. However, some stones have been preserved from the older version of the temple and these have a story to tell. A Kotravai with a deer vahana, referred to as "Paai Kalai Paavai" in Sangam literature, is found on one of the stones. This Kotravai belonging to the 6th Century CE as estimated by the experts, is seen wearing a crown of flames and has weapons such as dagger, trident, spear and bow in crudely carved six arms, She is also seen holding a parrot in one of her arms. Her right forearm is placed on the hip and she is found in Samabhanga form. At her feet, is a soldier on the verse of performing Navakandam - a practice of cutting one's body in nine places, and offering the flesh to the Goddess and then finally cutting his head himself, so that his King is able to win in the war.

6th Century Kotravai in the Niranjeeswarar temple Chinna Mandali

There is another stone plastered to the ground. This stone has sun and moon symbols on the outer side, depicting a grant made to the temple. The other side is too close to the wall and hence cannot be read. A Hero stone depicting a man with folded arms and his wife is seen next to this stone. An "Aazhikkal" with the Chanku - Chakra - Namam symbols depicting a grant made to a Vishnu temple is also seen. There are three stones that have been fused to form a stone bench. These stones have inscriptions in them as well. It is difficult to inteprete whether these stones originally belonged to the temple or were brought from other locations in the village. The villagers say that since this was a Telugu speaking area in the past, a number of Telugu inscriptions were found at the base of the temple, which have all been plastered in while raising the pathway at the time of renovation!!

Hero stone in Chinna Mandali Niranjeeswarar temple

Inscriptions in the Niranjeeswarar Temple:

Three inscriptions have been published in the Annual Report on Epigraphy 1944.

1. 170/1944 - This inscription found on the North and West walls of the erstwhile central shrine of the temple mentions the 5th Day of the Tamil month of Adi, in Virodhi year, refers to the diety as Sirumanavur Kachalaai Eswara and records a gift of land by Panchi Tiruvanada Nayaka, the amaram officer of Tupakula Krishnappa Nayaka. From this, we come to know that the deity had been earlier referred to as Kachaleeswara and is now called Niranjeeswara.

2. 171/1944 - This inscription from Saka year 1690 (1768 CE), Tamil Year Sarvadhari, 21st Day of the month of Chithirai, Friday, Throyadasi Thithi, Hastham star had been found on the east wall of the Vinayakar Mandapa in the old temple. Now there is no such mandapa and hence this inscription has become part of the slabs forming the stone bench. It states that the image of Ishta Siddhi Vinayaka was set up by Kandappan, son of Nagappa Mudali, who was the Muddirai Karta of Raghavanayan Muttu Veera Bhadra Nayaka of Tondaimandalam.

Ishta Siddhi Vinayaka of Chinna Mandali

This Ishta Siddhi Vinayaka is now found in a seperate temple. The Ishta Siddhi Vinayakar Temple also has a number of Telugu inscriptions in fragments, covered by a heavy coat of oil paint, making it impossible to decipher.

3. 172/1944 - A seperate slab inscription that had been set up on the east side of the temple, this refers again to the same Kandappa Mudali, son of Nagappa Mudali, who had set up a well for this temple. The villagers recall this large well quite vividly and they say it had been closed a few decades ago, as it had dried up. This inscription is also part of the stone bench now.

The Kachaleeswara temple, came to be known as the Niranjeeswara temple over the years, also had a beautiful bronze Nataraja. However, this seems to be have been stolen/removed from the temple, while it had remained dilapidated and unpatronised for several years. No one has any records or information when this actually happened, but when the temple was being renovated, they have made another Nataraja in its place.It is this Nataraja that motivated Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar to sing the Nataraja Paththu in praise of him. The Nataraja Paththu is a very popular hymn, set to a catchy tune that is recited by a large number of devotees of Lord Shiva, especially during Arudhra Darisanam.

Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar, the author of Nataraja Paththu
(Photo Courtesy: Mr D Moorthi, Chinna Mandali)

The phrase Eesane, Sivakami Nesane, Enaiyalum Thillai Natarajane is repeated at the end of each hymn making it easy to memorize. While some say the hymn had been inspired by the Nataraja of Thiruvalangadu, not far from here, others think it was the Nataraja at Nallur that had inspired Munisamy Mudaliar. The villagers are categoric in their opinion that Munisawmy Mudaliar had spent several years in his native village, especially in the shrines of Niranjeeswara and Aruramma, and therefore, the Nataraja Paththu had indeed been born here. During Arudhra Darisanam, hundreds of devotees throng the Niranjeeswara Temple to sing the Nataraja Paththu and worship Lord Nataraja. Munisawmy Mudaliar had also sung the Aruramman Thothiram in praise of the powerful Aruramma in this village.

Listen to the Nataraja Patthu by clicking on the play button
(Courtesy: You Tube)

To know in detail about the super talented polymath Sirumanavur Munisawmy Mudaliar, please clink the link to access the article I wrote in my other blog, Thresholds of History.

Aruramma Temple

Among the three female deities of Chinna Mandali, Aruramma is the most patronized. The bust of Aruramma is found in stone in the sanctum with a larger idol of the goddess made of lime mortar (sudhai) for the devotees to worship from a distance, . The Aruramma Jathra is a very famous and popular festival in Chinna Mandali. Celebrated during the months of May - June (during the fourteen hottest days of the year known as Kaththiri) the festival aims to please the Goddess so that the heat comes down, there is no outbreak of epidemic and the rains begin for the next agricultural season.

Watch the Aruramma Jathra by clicking the play button above

Courtesy: You Tube and Captain TV

The first eight days (starting and ending with Sundays) of the Jathra are dedicated to Goddess Aruramma. On the first day, the whole village comes together to offer Pongal to the deity and the tying of "Kaapu" - a sacred thread denotes the commencement of the festival period. During these days, a Karagam decorated as Aruramma is carried out through the village. This deity is placed under a neem tree and is worshipped for the entire duration of the festival. On the eighth day, a unique ritual is carried out at 6 pm in the evening. Men and women roll coconuts on the ground around the temple. Every time they roll the coconut, they fall on the ground to prostrate. They then get up, collect their coconut, roll it again and continue the process until they have gone round the temple.

Aruramman Chinna Mandali

Women complete their offerings in neem sarees while men smear turmeric paste on their torsos, wear garlands across their chest, and sport big bindis on their foreheads and cheeks. They line up for yet another unique ritual called " Pakka Vaar Kuthuthal" (piercing their sides with a needle). A priest pierces the skin under the ribs on the sides, with a needle and thread and this is said to relieve people from physical and mental ailments. There are cultural programmes, and singing through the night and the next morning, the makeshift amman is carried in a procession through the village and left at the end of the village.

Selliamman Temple
Selliamman temples are often Sapthamathrika shrines found near water bodies. However, in Chinna Mandali, Selliamman is found as a single deity and the Nallathuramman temple at the end of the village, is where we find sapthamatrikas.

Goddess Selliamman

A day after the Aruramma Jathra ends, the Selliamman Jathra commences. The deity from Nallathuramman temple is brought to the Selliamman temple and is placed within the sanctum. The Selliamman is then brought outside under the Neem tree and the Kalyana Utsavam is performed. The whole of that night, puffed rice is sprinkled on the deity. On the Wednesday, in the afternoon, Selliamman is taken on a procession to the "Padayal Seer" ritual. During this ritual, the villagers offer various produce from their fields to the Goddess. Plates of fruits, vegetables, different types of variety rice are all offered by the devotees as Seer. That night, Selliamman is placed in the Aruramma temple, where cultural programmes are conducted. The next morning, Selliamman returns to her temples and Nallathuramman goes back.

The village also has a Adhikesava Perumal Temple next to the Ishta Siddhi Vinayakar Temple as well as a Periyapalayathamman temple, to cater to the needs of those families for whom Bhavaniamman of Periyapalayam is the family deity. Despite being away from the tourist map, with very little patronage from outside, the villagers take utmost care in ensuring the temples are clean, well-maintained and all festivals are carried out in a proper manner.

Adhikesava Perumal in Chinna Mandali with Thayar and Andal as Dwarapalikas

The temples are in need of both financial and non-financial support. The financial support would go a long way in maintaining the temples in the village, while the villagers are also looking for volunteers who can help them in gathering more information about the village.

To send your donations, please use the bank information below:

Account Name: A/M Maragathavalli Sametha Shri Niranjeeswarar Trust
Bank: Indian Overseas Bank
Branch: Perambakkam
IFSC Code: IOBA0003438
Account Number 343801000006728
Pan No AAGTA4842C
Email niranjeeswarartrust@gmail.com

If you wish to contribute in kind, please get in touch with Mr Moorthi in the number mentioned below. Om Namah Shivaya!

How to get here: While proceeding from Chennai, turn right after Saveetha University at Empee Distilleries. On the Arakkonam - Perambakkam - Thakkolam highway , proceed through Irulanjeri and Sahayathottam - Don Bosco college of Agriculture to reach Chinna Mandali.

Timing: The priest at the Niranjeeswarar temple is available only between 4.30 to 6 pm. At other times, the deities may still be worshipped through support from the villagers.

Contact Person: Mr D Moorthi 99659 36221, 70947 91520, 93610 52748

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