Arunachaleswar Temple (Tiruvannamalai)

There are five main Pancha Bhootha Lingams in South India (Tamilnadu & Andhra Pradesh) and recently I completed my tour of the last one. This I will be posting one by one. In my thirst for the spiritual quest I found the visits to the temples extremely an enchanting experience. Each temple has its own charm, a legend to tell and all this I want to share with one and all.

These Pancha Bhoothas lingams - Agni, Vayu, Bhoomi, Akash and Jal are situated in Tiruvannamalai, Kalahasthi (Andhra, all others are in Tamilnadu), Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Tiruvanaikal near Trichi. The last visit was to Tiruvannamalai and I thought I would start with the same.

Tiruvannamalai

This temple is 1000years old and situated at the foot hills of Tiruvannamalai. The Siva here who is the in the form of Agni, is called Annamalayar or Arunachaleswar. This temple has a sprawling area of 24 acres and surrounded by huge towers. The one at east side is the tallest called the Rajagopuram has 11 tiers and is 217 feet tall.

It is the second tallest in Tamilnadu the first being the Meenakshi Kovil at Madurai. We can see the temple with the back drop of the hill . It is really magnificent.

As we enter the first prakaram we come across the Subramanian temple on the left and this is the place where he appeared before the saint Aarunagirinathar. On to the right is the One thousand pillared mandapam. Behind the Subramanya temple there is a mandapam and when we went the function (valaikappu) was being conducted to the Amman (goddess). It is the seemantham for the goddess, done in the belief that she is expecting Lord Ganesha in her womb as Ganesh chathurthi falls in August.

Opposite to this Mandapam is the Vinayagar temple and Ganesha's idol having a valmpuri trunk was kept outside with silver kavacham.

Opposite of the Vinayagar Kovil in the centre is a huge Nandi the vehicle of Lord Siva and on the right side we could see the Pathala lingam. For this we had to get down few steps as the Lingam is situated in the basement. This is adjacent to the thousand pillar mandapam.

Then we cross the next tower and here also we can find a Nandi in the centre and Vinayagar which is made of pink stone. We also saw the Kalabhairava temple opposite to Ganesha temple facing the west. After this comes the third tower also called as the kili gopuram where we can see a parrot sculpted on the tower.

Inside as we move one can see the Unnamalaiyamman sannidhi but we headed straight inside and went to get the special ticket to get the darshan of Annamalair. After finishing the darshan we moved towards the Amman sannidhi and we could see many pilgrims lighting lamps for the Navgrahas, situated on left side of the Amman sannidhi.

We circumambulated the temple where we could see the deities of Lord Dakshinamurthy, God's palliyarai, (sleeping chamber) and Chandikeshwarar sannidhi. We went around the whole of 4th prakaram where we could see the idol of Ganesha under a tree, then the Kalahasthiar temple, which are sub shrines spread around the main temple. There are two temple tanks in the first and second prakaram.

Then we went for Girivalam (circumambulation of the Arunachala hill or Tiruvannamalai. At the start of the hill there is 1500 year old temple dedicated to Adi Arunachaleshwar and his consort Abhidha kuchambigai. The Girivalam is about 14 kms. and it is expected one completes the girivalam on full moon night then visit the main temple to get the full benefits of the Lord’s blessings. How ever we did it the other way around to save time. The Arunachala hill itself is considered to be the Lord himself and this hill gives different views from different angles. On one side it appears as the reclining Lord with a face and his flowing Jada, on another side it appears as twin hills; the ardha narishwara . It is believed that Siva and Parvathi exists here as adrdha narishwara. The Karthigai deepam festival is very famous here and during that period a huge lamp erected on a pedestal is lighted atop the hill and it burns for about 13-14 days and can be viewed from kilometers away.

Around the hill there are 8 lingams and we visited all this shrines called, Yama lingam, Nruthi lingam, and Vayu, Varuna, Surya, Kubera, Isaneya and Indra lingams. Of this Indra lingam is very near to the Arunachaleshwar temple. En route to girivalam, we also saw a new temple coming up with 1008 lingams.

This temple town is considered sacred by the devotees for meditation and we found lot of sadhus all around the town. We visited the Ramana Maharshi’s ashram and could see the evening prayer in progress and many were meditating in the prayer hall. There is also a small temple inside the ashram. We stayed in Seshadri mutt and there is a Samadhi of the swami gal there. Many foreigners and people looking for peace and solace were attending the discourse at the ashram. It was altogether a fantastic experience.

How to reach Tiruvannamalai

Nearest airport –Chennai

Nearest railway station _ Tiruvannamalai, Katpadi and Villupuram

Accommodation: there are many Mutts and ashrams in addition to commercial hotels offering various kinds of accommodation.

Mookambiga Temple- Kollur, Karnataka

When I was in college my friends told me about the famous Kollur Mookambiga temple. They visited this temple to seek the Goddess's blessings before writing exams. It was only then I knew that the temple is popular among students.People worship her in the form of Saraswathi, Parvathy and Lakshmi here. I too had the desire to visit this temple at that time but had to wait for a long time.

When my son was born I wanted to take him to Kollur to seek the Goddess’s blessings as I had faith that it would be good for my son. So when my son was 4 years old we made a trip to this temple. I think it was Devi Mookambiga’s blessings, my son achieved academic excellence. I have a belief also that if I pray to her fervently all my prayers will be answered. I also worship her daily by praying to her and last visit of mine to that temple was in February 2009. I would like to share what ever I know about this wonderful temple with my readers. Given a chance I would love to visit this temple again as it gives me solace and makes my mind pure.

This ancient temple is situated in the Kodajadri hills and the Sowparnika, a perennial river flows very close to the temple. This temple is dedicated to Siva -Sakthi and it exists in the form of a Jyothirlingam which is situated right in front of the Mookambiga Devi’s Panchaloha idol (A Mixture of 5 metals) which is kept on Sri Chakra. On either side of this idol we find Kali and Saraswathi. This idol was installed by Adi shankaracharya and when Goddess appeared before him he sang the famous Soundarya Lahari in praise of the goddess which people chant even today and get the blessings of the Mother Goddess.

The deity here looks beautiful adorned with jewels and silk. The Devi has a good collection of jewels as the devotees make it as an offering to the temple. This temple attracts lot of pilgrims and the Navrathri festival here is very famous. Little children are brought here for Vidyarambham. ( A cermoney conducted before the child starts his school)

The legend says that a demon who was deaf and dumb called Mookasura was creating trouble for the Gods was killed by the Goddess, hence she is known as Mookambiga. The temple looks more like a Kerala temple and it has a Dwaja sthambam and Deepa sthambam (a tall lamp post with concentric circles arranged one above the other) in the front of the main entrance of the temple. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is copper plated. Just behind this is small place where the Goddess appeared before Sankara charaya Swami.

In the outer prakaram there is Vidyaramba Mandapam and where the vidya rambam is performed during the last day of Navrathri i.e. Vijaya dashami. Devotees flock here on that day with their wards to seek Goddess’s blessing. As we circumambulate the outer prakaram we can find the shrines of other deities like Pancha mugha Ganesha, Krishna, Siva and Veerabhadrar. Devotees perform various rituals here and this temple provides Annadanam (Free meals) to all its devotees in the afternoon and night. It’s really helpful for the devotees who traverse miles to reach the temple. Serving food to thousands is not an easy task and this is very well organized and done very quickly by the temple authorities. During my last visit I too had a chance to taste this prasadam and though the menu was simple it tasted heavenly.

It is also believed that one cannot just visit Mookambiga temple unless the Goddess wishes .This belief is there among many people and I too believe in the same. I am just waiting for her next call.

Jai Mookambigai!


Mookambiga temple front view

The Dwaja And Deepa Sthamba

Access
By Air - Mangalore, the nearest airport. Kollur is 135 Km. from this city.

By train- Nearest railway station is Udupi. But very few trains pass through this station. Mangalore is well connected with all the cities.

By road- There are plenty cabs, State transport and private buses frequently to Kollur from Mangalore as well as Udupi. The hotels also arrange taxi services for those who are interested. It’s a 3hours drive from Mangalore and one and a half from Udupi.

Accommodation- Mangalore and Udupi have good hotels.

Those who want to stay in Kollur, there are many guest houses and small hotels.

Krishna Puram Temple- Tirunelveli

This temple is situated 12 Kms. from the Tirunelveli town and the deity worshipped here is Venkatachalapathy along with his two consorts Bhoodevi and Sreedevi. As we cross the main tower and enter into precincts of the temple there is a Dhwaja sthambam and in front of that sits Garuda the vehicle of Lord Vishnu facing the deity. As we move towards the sanctum sanctorum there is a mandapam with life size images of Arjuna with a beard performing penance with bow and arrow in hand, Bheema and Karna and a half man and half beast called purusha mrigam. There is a story behind each sculpture and one can really spend time taking in the beauty of each one.

Court scenes are depicted beautifully in stone and the mandapam on Northern side of the temple is called the Veerappa Naicka mandapam. It has beautifully carved scenes from puranas. During the festival crowds from nearby villages flock to these temples other wise visit by tourists are very low. When we come out of the temple we can go clockwise for circumambulation and here we find the two sannadhis of Sree and Bhoodevi on either side of the main temple. The corridor in front of both the sannidhis are wonderful with beautiful figures sculpted on it .

Another architectural marvel worth mentioning is the scenes of a prince and princess being abducted by Kuravan and Kurathi (gypsies) and the king giving a hot pursuit. These figures are really poetry on stone, sculpted to perfection with smooth and shining appearance. It doesn’t appear that these are age old sculptures, as one feels they would breathe life any time. The princess is sitting on the shoulder of the Kuravan and the prince is carried by the Kurathi in a basket kept on her head. A lance piercing and the blood oozing from the wound of the gypsy by the charger are depicted by a gash and shade of red stone.

This temple is an architectural marvel and each sculpture looks fabulous and terrific. Even the ornaments and clothes engraved on the figurines are looking grand and awesome. But this temple can be given little more attention maintenance wise. This temple is a real heritage which needs to be preserved for its art as it holds a charm of its own.

Corridor in front of Sreedevi shrine

Sreedevi shrine


Pictures- courtesy -Vinayak Bhat
Access

By air- Nearest airport- Madurai/ Tuticorin

Trains- Tirunelveli is well connected with all the metros.

By road-Cabs as well as regular bus service from Tiruneveli bus stand are available.

Accomodation- there are many hotels and restaurants available in Tirunelveli suiting to all sections of people.

Nellaiyappar Kovil – Tirunelveli

I have spent nearly 2 years in Tirunelveli and it would be befitting if I write about the famous Nellaippar kovil which I used to visit regularly. This is situated in the heart of the town. This temple is really as old as Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, or slightly older than that. This temple is hailed as one of the pancha sabhas of Nataraja other being Chidambaram, Madurai, Kuttralam and Tiruvalankadu. Nellaiyappar is also known as Venuavneswar and this temple is the 14th thevara sthalams in Pandya region of Tamilnadu.

This temple is vast, spread over acres of land and houses two temples of Nellaiyappar (Siva) and Kanthimati (Parvati) his consort. The towers of both these temples are huge and they are really attractive with colorful figures engraved on it. This is situated near the river Tamarabharani.

As we enter the Nellaiyappar’s Kovil a huge Nandi which is the vehicle of Siva welcomes us. This is the first prakaram once you enter the temple. Unlike other Nandis found mainly of black granite this one here is in white.

Then we enter the next prakaram where we see the Dwajasthambam (flag post) and we have to climb a flight of steps and there is a mandapam and we can see the musical pillars which resonates with the seven musical notes when one strikes the pillars with small piece of stone or wood. It is really a wonder how these musical pillars were carved out of a monolithic stone. These kinds of pillars are found in Meenakshi temple in Madurai and Suchidram Siva temple near Kanyakumari.

When we enter the next prakaram again there is a small Nandi and just before we enter to have the darshan of the main deity we can see the huge idol of Vinayaga. On either side of the entrance there are Dwarapalakars guarding the entrance. Nellaiyappar doesn’t look like a proper Siva lingam here as it has a different shape, slightly rectangular. There are guides to explain the history of the temple free of cost. Next to Nellaippar sannidhi is Nellai Govidharajar sannidhi, here one can find Vishnu in a reclining form on his serpent. It is believed that Vishnu visited this place to perform the wedding of Shiva and Kanthimati.

As we come out of the prakaram we can see shrines of Dakshinamurthy, Chandikeshwarar and Durgaiamman and Bairavar.

The Moolavar of Nellaiyappar is found in the basement and one has to get down a few steps to have a darshan of the same. This was the Lingam that was worshipped by the king before the proper temple was constructed. Coming out of this prakaram where the dwaja sthambam is located, when we go clock wise we can find all the 63 Nayanmars (saints) of Siva, Utsavar moorthy then Saptamathrukal,( seven God mothers) and Somaskandar. The Thamara sabha, the Copper Hall of Dance is constructed with exquisite wood work and here the Arudra darsanam festival(December15- January15) Of Lord Nataraja is conducted in the month of Marghazi. The Lord and his consort’s idols are housed here during that time and elaborate rituals are conducted for the cosmic dance festival of Nataraja. There are two Nataraja shrines here one is called Peria sabapathy and other Chandana sabhapathy, as the idol is always adorned with sandal wood paste hence appears white.

Then on the Northern side there are Sanishwara’s and Gajalakshmi’s shrines. As we near the Dwajasthambam we can see the shrine of Kubera Lingam. Once we get out of this prakaram one can proceed to the south side where Kanthimathi Amman temple is situated. These two temples are connected by a beautifully carved corridor Sangali mandapam with life size statues on either side. On the way to Amman sannidhi again we see a shrine of Dakshinamurthy and there are many Siva lingams. Kanthimati Amman’s idol here is considered to be a swayambhu and women flock to this temple and offer prayers to her by singing hymns. There is a separate Dwajasthamba here also and the one thousand pillared mandapam is certainly a good attraction for tourists. The temple tank is also attached to this temple.

Again when we come back to the main temple complex we find many shrines of Vinayaga, Subramaniya, Shankar and Gomathiamman, Vayu lingam etc. Just to go around this magnificent temple it would take about 2 hours. One can spend easily a day in the temple looking at various engravings and life size figures of people of yore.

Access

By Air – Nearest airport is Madurai/ Tuticorin

By train _ well connected with all the metros

By road- Tamil Nadu state transport has good number of buses and well connected with all the major towns in Tamil Nadu.

Temple is just 3 Kms. from the bus stand.

One can hire an auto rickshaw or can use the town bus.

Sankar Narayanar Temple at Sankaran Kovil

The Sankar Narayanar Kovil is situated 50 kms. From Tirunelveli, or around 75Kms. from Madurai. The place takes its name from the temple and is called Sankaran Koil and is the second largest town in Tirunelveli District .This temple is 900 years old. Here the main deities are Siva, Sankar Narayan and Parvati. This temple wears a festive look during the month of Aadi (that falls In August) as Aadi Tapasu festival is famous here.

Sankaran koil

There are three different sannidhis (Three temples) in this temple complex. As we enter,the first sannidhi is that of Sankar and the second one is that of Shankarnarayan and third one is of Gomati (Parvati).

This is the place where Goddess Parvati, known here as Gomathi Amman had performed a penance to have the darshan of Vishnu and Siva in unison. She performed the tapasu in the month of Aadi which is an auspicious month for the south Indians. Both Vishnu and Siva appeared before her in unison called Shankar Narayan. The deity here is half Vishnu and half Siva and this can be easily distinguished by the costume that is adorned to the deity. One onside it is tiger skin cloth and ash on forehead representing Siva and on the other half it is white cloth and the Tirunamam which is typical of Vishnu.

Inside the Gomathi Amman temple there is a place where devotees can take Puttruman ( i.e. Holy sand of ant hill as a prasadam. The general belief is that the Holy Sand- "Puttruman" is capable of curing all the diseases. Devotees believe that Sankarankoil‘s Nagasunai (sacred tank) have been dug by serpent kings named PadumanSangam which has a miraculous power to heal those who bathe there. It is believed that all devotees who pray to the goddess Gomati Amman get her divine blessings . As it is festival time during the month of Aadi this temple gets crowded with pilgrims. and

This temple is held sacred by both vaishanavites and Saivites as it a fine example to depict that both Vishnu and Siva are same. Another legend associated with the temple is that once there was a quarrel between and Shaivites, the followers of Siva and Vaishanavites, the followers of Vishnu as to who is the greater god. To put all notions of people at rest to show that both Vishnu and Siva are same , both Gods appeared before their devotees in unison one half representing Siva and other half as Vishnu.

The Temple tower is huge and has beautiful engravings of mythological figures. Inside the Sankaran kovil there is a separate shrine for the Nagaraja and one can see many devotees lighting lamps and performing pal abhishekam (bathing with milk) for the serpent gods here. Then there are other shrines for Durga, Chandikeshwarar, and Vinayagar and Dakshinamoorthy.

Access

By air- nearest airport is Madurai.

By train- Major railway station is Tirunelveli, is well connected with trains from Chennai, and other Metros.

Nearest railway station is at Rajapalayam which is 25 kms. From Sankaran Kovil.

There is a train from Chennai (Podhigai express) to reach Rajapalayam.

By road- cabs are available from Tirunelveli and Rajapalayam and Madurai

Plenty of state transport buses are available and well connected with the nearby towns like Kovilpatti, Virudhunagar etc.

One can visit Kuttralam water falls (also known as Courtallam) tourist spot which is very famous on the way on Sankaran Kovil.