Harasaba Vimochana Perumal- Tirukkandiyur, Tamil Nadu

This temple at Tirukkandiyur  is one among the divyadesams of Vishnu and  is very near to the town of Thiruvaiyaru and here  Lord Vishnu is known as Harasaba Vimochana Perumal as he liberated Hara  (Siva) from  a Saba (curse) which He incurred when he removed one of the five heads of Brahma. 

Moolavar , Main deity here is also known as  Bali Nadhar and Thayar is Kamalavalli. Idol in the temple resembles that of Balaji of Tirupati. A temple sans crowd and the serene atmosphere helps  one to  worship in peace.  Just outside   the sanctum there is separate niche for Chakrathazhvar .Near the main entrance of the  temple one would find the Hanuman shrine. Kamala Valli thayar has a separate sannidhi so has Andal. The 20 day festival in the month Avani is famous here.

Had an opportunity to visit this temple for a second time last week.

Thiruvayaru is the birth place of Saint Thayaraja ,the great Carnatic music composer who has composed hundreds of  hymns on the Lord Rama. Tiruvayyaru town is about 11 Kms from  Tanjore which is famous for its Big temple. 

How to reach-  Tanjore is the nearest town well connected by rail and road.The nearest airport is at Trichy which 60 Kms from Tanjore.


https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMhuTBHBHHCAf07R3R6Rri01B--Yb0mmuyulvbD

Sri Viswarupa Anjali Varatha Anjaneyar temple Chinnalapatti- Tamil Nadu

Tomorrow  is  Hanuman Jayanthi and I thought it is appropriate that my next post should be on Hanuman and hence this post of the Chinnalapatti Hanuman temple.

Sri Viswarupa Anjali Varatha Anjaneyar temple is situated in the quaint little village of Chinnalapatti which is 15 Kms from the the town of Dindigul. The temple here is small, a pretty neat structure but the idol of Anjaneyar here is huge, about 16 feet in height  made of Saligrama stone. One can view the idol right from the entrance of the temple. The Lord here stands with His hands folded and  with his mace -'Gadha'  resting on his legs. His eyes are like dark marbles which sparkle and gives a feeling as if he is looking at his devotees wherever they stand.

  He is always adorned with beautiful costumes and  priests here who do the alankara(decorations) need a special mention as it is not easy to decorate a huge idol. He appears magnifcient in his various alankaras made of butter, fruits, sweet jalebis, and vadas. Offering Vada mala, a garland made of vadas  (a south Indian snack made of black gram ) numbering 108-1008 is  very  famous here . He is also bedecked with silk robes and jewellery like a king, known as Rajalankara. When He becomes Maruti he is adorned with green costume. These various alankaras are really a visual treat. The temple becomes a beehive of activity on Saturdays.  

The most attractive thing here is photography is allowed even inside the sanctum.

This is considered to be one of the  six abodes of Anajaneyar where chunks of the Sanjeevani hill fell during the great Ramayana war when the Anjayear returned  with the Sanjeevani hill to revive the unconscious Lakshmana. There are about 5 more places considered equally holy , the others are at Suchindram, Namakkal, Nanganallur in Chennai , Deivaseyalpuram and Nugarveliya in Rampoda, Sri Lanka .

Chinnalapatti town is famous for handloom weaving and Chinnalapatii silk is a speciality of this place . Unfortunately this variety of silk is losing charm and is almost extinct now a days. 

How to reach- Nearest rail station is at Dindigul Chinalapatti town is 15 Kms. from Dindigul. There are many buses plying from the town of Dindigul.
My google photos.
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMEy8rtW1L1GnKH-c72LVfVxDmoAm-wBEU8uBOf

Marudha malai Subramanya swami Kovil, Coimbatore,Tamilnadu

Kartikai masam  as per the Tamil calender is from mid November  - mid December and this month is considered to be very auspicious for devotees of Siva, Ayappa and Lord Muruga.

I have been waiting for an opportunity to write on Lord Muruga, also known by many other names as Shanmugha, Vadivela, Dhandayudhapani, Karthikeya, Skanda,Subramanya  and many more . There are six important abodes of Lord Muruga known as Arupadai veedu which I would be posting here one by one. But this present temple set among the majestic hills of Marudhamalai is also considered at par with the other six abodes of Lord Muruga.  Interestingly most of the temples of Muruga is found on small mounts or hillocks.

This magnificent temple  is at a distance of 12 Kms. from the town of Coimbatore,  The renovation was under progress when I visited  the temple and a flight of steps leads one to this temple. The hills around are  believed to have medicinal herbs and one does get refreshed by breathing the fresh air here. There is a cave temple here at  level lower than the main shrine and there is also a shrine here for Vinayagar .

The idol is radiant and a glimpse of this resplendent image of Lord soothes the mind. There are sacred  springs considered to have medicinal properties. Please just see the images which I could capture . I think those pictures itself would calm your mind too.


Other Murugan temple on 'My pilgrimage'- Mittai Murugan.

Find here  the link to Arunachaleshwar temple - Tiruvannamalai which is also celebrating Karthikai festival. The Kartikai deepam lit  atop the Tiruvannamali hill is famous and lakhs of devotees flock here on that day which happens to fall on December 8 th this year.


Howto reach
Maruthamali is situated in the industrial town of Coimbatore . This town is like a mini metro and is well connected with various cities by rail, road and air.
Accomrmodation facilities are excellent in the town . The famous hill station Ooty is only a 100 odd kilometres ride from this town.

Google photos link-https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNuJTdeBAn40JTsx3bZm_QucnyHaf4W4jWSM40s

Chidambaram Natarajar Koil- Tamilnadu

Chidambaram Natarajar Koil is one of the  Pancha bhootasthalas  of Siva where the Lord is worshipped in the form of Akash (space). Other Pancha bootha sthalas being Jambukeswara temple -Trichy, where Siva is worshipped as Jal ( water) Tiruvannamalai -fire,  Kalahasti - air  and  Kanchipuram - earth

The Lord Natarajar idol is enshrined in the chitsabha , the hall of Consciousness in the Ananada Tandavam pose (dance of bliss) . The idol of Nataraja is of exquisite beauty and grace  and it surely enchants those who stand in front of Him.   Next to the sanctum is a room which gets opened only during the worship which is known as Chidamabara rahasyam, the form of nothingness. Here the Lord is worshipped as formless and there are Golden Vilva leaves  inside.

The Nrithya sabha ( Dance Hall) is very famous , has exquisitely carved pillars and this is the place where Lord had a dance competition with Goddess Bhadra Kali. At the end of the competition the Lord lifted His  leg towards the sky as  Urdhva thandavar, a  pose, Kali could not take and she lost the competiton.

Near  this mandapam is a niche for Somaskandar and Kala Samhara moorthy  where the Lord protects Markendaya and kills Yama, the Lord of death.

Tiruchitra Kootam (an important Vishnu desam) is also inside this temple very near to Lord Natarajar's shrine. Vishnu here is  Tillai Govinda Rajar and his consort is known as Pundarikavalli thayar . There is also a shrine for Mahalakshmi here. 

 Amman shrine is in the outer prakram and on the left of her shrine we see the Adi Moola Siva .

This temple has lofty towers on all four sides and the the Western Gopuram has 108 dance poses from Bharatanatayam carved to perfection on the gate way.Have included a few pictures of the dance poses .
Other temples en route Chidambaram from Kumbhakonam in " My pilgrimage" are Seerkazhi and Vaidheeshwaran Koil.

How to reach- Chidambaram can be reached from Chennai or from Kumbhakonam. From Kumbhakonam it is nearly 70 Kms . From Chennai it is about a 4-5  hrs.travel by road. Regular buses ply from both places with very good frequency.

Photos link-

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipP5NXGPhRfVU_82z5ShsxpMTHh87bNrKc7THxfG

Brahamapureeshwarar - Tonaiappar temple, Seerkazhi, Tamilnadu

Brahamapureeshwarar -  Tonaiappar temple,Seerkazhi is a highly revered holy shrine and is very close to Vaidheeshawaran koil which is enroute to Chidambaram from Kumbakonam.It is 14th thevara sthalam and is situated near the river Kaveri. Here,  Lord Siva gives darshan in three forms -one as Lingam , Second, in  the form of a colossal statue  Tonaiappar with His consort Uma and last one as Sattainadhar Bhairavar.  All these forms are found in 3 different levels of the temple. One has to climb a few steep steps to have a darshan of Uma Maheshwar, Thoniappar and Sattainadhar.  One can see and enjoy the entire lay out of this huge temple from the top of the Vimanam.

 Brahma is believed to have worshipped the Lord Siva here hence he is known as Brahmapureeshwar,(the main Lingam in the sanctum) During the deluge Siva is said to have secured the 64 art forms in a boat (Thoni) hence he is known as Thonaiappar. Sattainadhar is said to have quelled the arrogance of Trivikramar  after he showed his dominance over all the three worlds. Sattainadhar is worshipped here on every Friday night.

This is also the place where Tirugnana Sambandar received the Milk of Wisdom from Mother Goddess, known here as  Tirunilai Nayaki.

The temple with its vast area  and a calm, serene, salubrious atmosphere shuts oneself from the outside world and helps to have peace with oneself. A temple worth visiting to feel the vibrations of spirituality.

How to reach - The temple is about 25 Kms from the town of Kumbhkonam. Many buses ply from the city of Kumbhakonam.Good hotels are there in the town of Kumbhakonam.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOriVEAx28ZejRAnMzm859ar3yqtXwtMcfYEGYW