Srivilliputhur Aandal temple

Aandal temple in Sriviliputtur is  yet another famous and ancient temple and is  also one among the 108 divyadesams of Vishnu.   The imposing tower of this temple is very attractive and the main tower of the temple is on the  official emblem of  Government of Tamil Nadu.

The Aadi(Tamil month)Pooram festival is  famous here and is for 12 days. The festival  is on now and thousands of devotees converge here for the same . Pooram is the birth star of Aandal and the  chariot  festival on the 9th day attracts lot of devotees to this temple.  Aandal is believed to be an  incarnation of Goddess Bhoodevi.

There are two temples here . One for Lord Vishnu, known here as Vatapatrasayi and he is in a  reclining position here.  Vata patra means the leaf of banyan tree and this is found at the head of the deity here.  This is the sacred place where the great devotee of Vishnu, Aandal used to worship the Lord . The sanctum has beautiful paintings of Gods and Goddesses.

Aandal temple is next to the Vatapatrasayi temple. In between the temples is Nandavanam, a small shrine  where Aandal was found and adopted  by Perialwar ( devotee of Vishnu).  Aandal temple has beautiful mandapams with exquisite carvings and here She gives darshan to her devotees along with Rengamannar (Vishnu) and Garuda.  .There is  a well inside the temple where Aandal used to see her reflection everyday after wearing the garland   meant for the Lord. She succeeded in winning the affection of   the Lord . As per Lord's wish her father took her to Sri Rangam , Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple where she merged with the Lord.

Andal  is the only woman Alwar (saint) of Vaishnavism and  She has composed two beautiful literary gems in Tamil, Tirupavai and Nachiyar Tirumozhi which is sung even today by devotees during the  Tamil month of Maarghazhi.

Her father Perialvar also has a separate sannidhi in Vatapatra Sayi temple and there are also  separate shrines for Chakrathazhvar and Nammalwar.

Srivilliputhur is famous for palgova,  a milk sweet and people make it a point to buy this when they visit this place.

How to reach: Srivilliputhur is about 75 Kms from Madurai  on NH 208.

Madurai is well connected with air, rail and road. Many buses ply from all parts of Tamil Nadu to the town of Srivilliputhur.
Accommodation: Budget  hotels are available in Srivilliputtur and Rajapalayam town which is just 14kms. from here but I would suggest staying in Madurai is a better option as all types of accommodation, luxury , deluxe and budget hotels are available there.
Temples nearby :

Temple of Ninra Narayana Perumal at Tiruthangal  (on Virudhunagar- Sivakasi route)which is just 20 Kms. away.
Kasi Viswanathar Koil -Sivakasi, 25 kms.
Kuttraleeshwarar temple- 75 Kms. on NH 208
Sankaran Koil-  40 Kms

Trichy Temples- Uthamar Koil

Uthamar Koil  is one among the 108 divyadesams of Vishnu. This temple is unique as this temple houses  all the Trinities- Vishnu, Siva and Brahma . Brahma has very few temples in India and this is an added attraction for this temple.  Here we find a blend of Vaishavisam and Saivism.

The temple is very simple and does not have huge towers like other temples. Facing east is the temple of Purushothaman (Vishnu) . Here he is in Sayana Kolam , meaning- reclining on Aadisesha. The Panchaloha idol of Purushothaman and his consort Poorna Valli Thayar are stunning.  Garudalwar is facing the Vishnu's shrine.Outside there are separate shrines for Mahalakshmi and Poornavalli Thayar. 

Facing South is the shrine for Dakshina Moorthy and on the  West side is the temple of  Siva known here as Bhikshadaneshwar and his consort is known as Soundarya Parvati . She has a separate sannidhi inside this temple. At the entrance of this temple there is a  niche for Gnana Guru and Nandi is facing the Siva sannidhi. There are separte shrines for Krishna, Varadaraja, and Azhwars and Chakrathazhwar. 

The legend goes like this- Siva removed one of Brahma's head in a fit of anger and he incurred a curse. To get salvation Siva went around the world with Brahma's skull to beg for food, hence the name Bhikshadaneshwar. Whenever some one filled his vessel with food it disappeared  and he remained hungry. Finally he  reached Uthamar koil and  Mahalakshmi filled it with food thus ending Siva's hunger.

At the Northen side is the shrine of Brahma and next to it is his consort Gnana Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. Brahma grants here all the wishes of his devotees as Vishnu directed him to do so. Childless couples offer their prayers at this temple to beget offspring.

 It is also believed that once Vishnu wanted to test Brahma and  He  hid in a Kadambha tree. Brahma was worried and started searching and found the Lord here in the form of a  Kadamba tree and worshipped him . Perumal blessed him by giving Him the privilege as the creator of all lives. Lord Brahma stayed here blessing his devotees.

How to reach: This temple is in Srirangam and is 5 Kms from Trichy town. Trichy is well connected by rail, road and air. 

Regular buses ply  with good frequency to Srirangam.

One can also hire auto rickshaw or cabs.

Accommodation - A number  of hotels are available in luxury , economy and budget category.

 Vimanam  atop of Lord  Purushothaman (Vishnu) Sanctum

 

Shiva's shrine

Outside the temple 

Aerial View of the temple

Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple- Sri Rangam (Trichy)

Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple is the biggest temple in Trichy , covering an area of 156 acres. It is the first and foremost among the 108 divya deshams of Vishnu and here, the Lord Ranganatha ( Vishnu) is in a reclining pose on Aadisesha. The massive idol of the main deity is beautiful . The Utsavar is fondly called as Nam -Perumal meaning "Our Lord" in Tamil, Azhagiya Manavalan " the handsome groom" while His consort Ranganayaki is known as Thayar meaning "Mother".

Sri Rangam is an island surrounded by river Kaveri. There are 21 towers for this temple and the temple is enclosed by 7 concentric walls with a length of 6 miles. With in these towers situates the whole town. The town cannot be separated from the temple. The temple is the biggest functioning Hindu temples in India. This temple is about 2000 years old.

The outer most tower on the South side is the tallest, called as Rajagopuram with 13 tiers and as you walk towards the main sannidhi you cross 6 more towers. The temple is an architectural marvel and also houses a 1000 pillared mandapam. The 4 th tower is the one which leads us inside the temple and here one gets an opportunity to get on to the terrace of the temple for a panoramic view of the whole temple complex. . Non- Hindus are allowed to go up to the 6 th tower and not beyond, near the Lord Ranganatha's Gold plated sanctum.

The Garudalwar facing the Ranganathar is a massive form around 15 feet in height, in a sitting posture facing the main sannidhi. Photography is banned here. Vaikunda Ekadashi festival is very famous and pilgrims throng the temple to have a darshan of Lord Ranganatha during this 21 day festival.

Enroute to Thayar sannidhi I found something interesting, There are 5 holes in the floor just in front of a small Vishnu shrine, inside a lotus pattern and pilgrims were trying to put their fingers inside and peeping towards the direction Ranganatha swamy's shrine. It is believed that the Goddess used to look at the God by supporting her hand on the floor. Pilgrims were trying to experience the same.( see photo)

Ranga Thayar idol is beautiful and she is in a sitting posture and has the Panchaloha idol in front. There is also a Gold plated mandapam here to conduct special poojas for the deity. There is a small gallery in front of the Thayar sannidhi and there are some fabulous paintings of Narasimha Moorthy. There are shrines for Chakra thazhwar and Anjaneyar, Ramanujar and a dozen others dedicated to various forms of Vishnu like VenuGopal, Narasimhar etc. The Kodanda Ramar sannidhi and Utsavar of Andal also is very attractive.

I have already written about the legend of Ranganatha in my earlier post , Trichy- Rock fort temple how he came to reside in Sri Rangam.

Andal shrine is of great importance here. She was a great devotee of Lord Ranganatha and she is believed to have merged with the God here. The Tiruupavvai (collection of hymns) composed by her praising the Lord is sung by young and old in the month of Marghazi .( December mid-January mid)

Trichy is well connected by rail air and road. Srirangam also has a railway station but for a good stay it better to stay in Trichy town which is just 5 Kms.