Mahalasa Narayani temple- Goa

There are many kuladevata temples in Goa, set up by Saraswats who originally lived on the banks of river Saraswathi. Kuldevatas are family deities or deities belonging to each Gotra, among the same community . During the Portuguese rule many Saraswaths migrated from Goa. They were worshippers of Siva and Sakthi. When they fled they carried their family deities with them and set them up wherever they established their settlements but the main temples remained in Goa itself. Many travelled down South and were confused regarding the worship and rituals. The great Guru Madhwacharya guided them well and they started worshipping Vishnu and later the temples in Goa were forgotten or neglected.

But now they visit these kuldevata temples to seek the blessings of the deities which were worshipped for ages by their ancestors. This is a small introduction about the kuldevata temples.

I do not know the legend surrounding each temple. I enjoyed the beauty and architecture of each temple which was unique and cleanliness in each temple was beyond comparison. A common thing I found was, these temple do a have a huge structure - a deepa sthambha of a different kind compared to the ones we see in South Indian temples. They appear more like minarets which are illuminated in the evenings, a sight to behold. Each temple also has sparkling and dazzling chandeliers which give brilliant glow all round.The well lit temples, cleanliness and purity certainly refreshes and brings peace to mind.

The first temple I visited

Mahahlasa Narayani temple- This temple is in Mardol, Goa and the temple looked grand with beautifully carved wooden pillars with intricate patterns and silver doors. There is another shrine devoted to Lakshmi Narayana here and devotees offer worship to this deity first before entering the main temple of Mahalasanarayani. This goddess is the reincarnation of Vishnu and is feared by the devotees and people used to take oath here under the 'Justice bell'. Justice dispensed by taking oath under this bell was even recognised by Portuguese courts.

How to reach: Nearest railway station is Madagaon and the airport Dabolim which is about 35 kms.

Good hotels are available in Panaji, Vasco, Madgaon and Ponda.

Each temple also has accommodation facilities, however this is generally made available for the people of the Saraswath community.

Here are the pictures

Pilgrimage along Konkan Coast

Here's  a glimpse of my wonderful, exciting, fabulous and  spiritual journey I took  recently along the konkan coast- to places like  Goa, karvar ,Mangalore with my family . We had loads of fun enjoying the natural picturesque beaches of Goa, boat rides and of course the  favourite 'my pilgrimage'.

First phase of my trip was in Goa and I was excited because this is the place our ancestors belonged to . They migrated down South about 400 years ago, fearing conversions from Portuguese and have been living there since. It was quite exciting to see the place where I could speak my Mother tongue, Konkani  as most of the people  were quite familiar with the same and I felt quite at home. My heart yearned to be there but  I had to come down to earth. I would take you through the enchanting experience of mine in  my future posts.So keep watching and enjoy the same  sitting in the cool comforts of your home.

My friends, I will be visiting all of you very soon,. See you.

Here's a jhalak....(glimpse) of the places I visited and I am going start with Amcha Goa ( My Goa) . .......:-)

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

Trichy Temples- Neelivaneshwar, Tirupanjali

 Tirupanjali Neelivaneshwar temple is 5 Kms from Tiruvellarai Pundareekaksha Perumal temple and about 20 Kms from Trichy. It is situated in a beautiful village surrounded by greenery. This Siva temple is also one of the padal petra sthalams . The Lingam of Neelivaneshwar is very small and is a Swayambhu Lingam . Neeli means banana trees and there are lot of banana trees in this temple and is considered as the sthala vriksham .

The Gopuram here also looks incomplete or worn out like the Tiruvellarai temple. The second tower known as Ravana Vayil is intact. There is a Siva Lingam just outside this tower in a small shrine known as Chotrudaieeshwaran . It is believed that the Lord himself served rice to the the saint Tirunavukkarasar who was hungry and tired when he was on his way to this temple and later Siva appeared here in the form of a Lingam . There's a festival here in the month of Chithirai related to this event.

Before entering the Ravana vayil tower pilgrims have to offer their prayers at the shrine of Yama the God of Death. I think this is the only temple where we have a shrine dedicated to God of death This shrine is in a cave under the ground. To save Markendeya from the clutches of Yama, Siva kills him and it is here that the God resurrected him. Yama here is in the form of a child. People offer special poojas for longer life and to ward off ill effects.

This temple does not have any Navgraha images. There are 9 steps leading from the Ravana Vayil tower inside the temple and this is built with the belief that the Navagrahas themselves were like slaves to Ravana. There are nine small pits near the Nandi in front of the main Lingam and are worshipped as Navagrahas.

The main deity Neelishwarar is also known as Adhikara Vallabhar as the deity here restored Yama all his powers to perform his duty.There are two shrines for Amman here ,one for Visalakshi and other for Neela Nedunkann Amman. This shrine has a separate dwajasthambha.

Parvati had performed penance here and she wished to have some shade during her penance and the sapta kanyas became the plaintain trees to provide shade to Her. Hence the Neelivanam ,with 7 plaintain trees occupies a special place in the temple. Devotees perform special rituals on Sundays to these plantain trees here in belief that this will lead them to matrimony. The plantain trees have yellow threads tied to it as part of the ritual. See the photo.

How to reach: Trichy is well connected by rail, road and air. It is better to hire cabs to reach this temple as the frequency of buses are very low.

                                                     The Main tower

                                               A View from Outside

                                             Ravana Vayil, the second tower

 

Chotrudaieeshwar  shrine on the left side    

                                                      Inside the Main tower

                                                 The Sthala Vricksham

Chottanikkara Bhagavathi temple- Kochi

Chotttaikkara Bhagavathi temple is a very famous and ancient temple in Ernakulam district. It is situated 15 Kms. from Erankulam(Kochi). Bhagavathi is the synonym for Amman. There are two temples here, one for Chottanikkara Amma and other one for Keezhkavilamma which is at a lower elevation .One has to descend few steps to reach this temple.

The Goddess here is very powerful and Chottanikkara Bhagavathy is worshipped as Saraswati (Goddess of learning) early in the morning, Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) in the noon and as Durga (Goddess of power) in the evening. The deity is adorned with white sari when she is worshipped as Saraswathi and for the other two worships, She is decked up with colourful silks and ornaments. The main idol here is a Swayambhu and does not have a regular shape. What is generally visible is the deity adorned with golden kavacham with conch and discus in her hands.There is also an image of Vishnu inside the sanctum hence people refer to the Goddess here as Amme Narayana Badre Narayana.

Keezhkavu temple (the temple at the lower elevation) , the deity is Bhadrakali , another form of Mother Goddess and it is believed that a worship here for a period of 41 days removes mental ailments and rids one of evil spirits. Even now we come across mentally deranged people praying here. There is a tree inside this temple with hundreds of nails driven into it as a mark of devotees being exorcised here. See the last two photos with nails driven into the tree. Navarathri and Magam thozhal are two famous festivals here. Another interesting sight here is devotees offering vedi vazhipadu ( bursting of fire crackers called Kadina).

There are sub shrines for Sastha (Ayyappa), Siva, Nagas and Ganesha. The temple attracts a lot of devotees on Tuesdays and Fridays.

How to reach: Chottanikkara is just 15 Kms. from Kochi ( Ernakulam railway station.)

Excellent transport facilities are available as number of private buses ply on this route.

The nearest airport is Nedumbassery ( Kochi international airport)

Accommodation - Visitors are advised to stay in Kochi where excellent hotels are available of all ranges.