Vaidheeswaran Koil- Kumbhakonam, Tamil Nadu

Vaidheeswaran Koil is an important Sivasthalam. It is also one of the Navagraha sthalams which enshrines the planet Chevvai, (Mars)  This temple is  en route to Seerkazhi and Chidambaram (Posts in the offing) from Kumbakonam.

The presiding deity is known as Vaidheeswaran  as he is the Divine Healer. He had cured Chevvai when he was afflicted with leprosy. Lord Vaidheeswaran's  Consort is Thayal Nayaki, she  holds a medicinal oil pot in her hands. The Tiruchandu Urundai , the prasadam offered in the temple is considered to have tremendous healing capability and is a panacea for curing many ailments. Nettripadi chandanam ( the holy sandal paste) from Murugan temple is another prasadam with healing properties. There are separate  shrines for Vinayagar and Dandayudhapani and Lord Singaravelar ( Murugan ) here. Singaravelar sannidhi is like a separate temple inside the same complex as it has a separate dwajasthambha.  Devotees offer salt , pepper, jaggery to the presiding deity here.

Vaidheeshwaran koil is 15 Kms. from the town of Kumbhakonam and is easily accessible by  road.

How to reach
Nearest town is Kumbhakonam and is well connected by rail and road. Nearest airport is at Trichy which is nearly 100 Kms from the town. This town has good boarding and lodging facilities.
PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPSKgwY7JZEuFRKghncVzlMG-kIlaLVs5wyM6BA

Gunaseelam Sri PrasannaVenkatachalapathy temple, Tamilnadu

Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple is a famous Vishnu temple in Gunaseelam  about 20 Kms. from Trichy.This temple attracts lot of pilgrims and people also believe that worshipping the deity here helps one to cure mental and physical ailments. Pilgrims stay here for about 48 days ,worship God and partake the prasadam from the temple and get relief from their problems.The temple looks neat and clean.

Legend is that sage Gunaseela used to visit Tirumala to have the darshan of Lord Balaji , once he requested God to come to the place where he was and God obliged, pleased with the sage's devotion. The temple is small when compared to the huge temples I have visited. There is a mandapam and a water tank outside the temple.
How to reach- Trichy is well connected with rail, road and air. 
Accommodation facilities are excellent as this is quite big town which attracts lot of tourists.

Dhenupureeshwar and Durga temple, Pateeshwaram,Tamil Nadu

Navarathri Greetings to all my friends. 

 This time, I am taking you to Patteswaram temple which is  close to Swami Malai , One of the Aarupadai Veedugal of Lord Muruga,  The presiding deity is Dhenu Pureeshwarar ( Siva) and His consort is Gnanambigai. The Nandi here, is found on the left side of the main entrance unlike other temples where we find it  facing the Lord. It was as per Lord's wish that Nandi moved to one side as  Siva  wanted to have a look at  Tirugnanasambandar, the child poet saint  as he was approaching the temple.  The legend has it that, this Sivalingam was consecrated by Lord Rama.  There is a small shrine for Anjaneyar  and there are separate shrines for  Vinayagar and Subramaya.  The Madapam in front of the Amman sannidhi has pillars embellished with intricate designs. The  idols of of Kala Bhairavar and Vinayagar inside the temple are  huge in size. The gates of the main temple are  guarded by gigantic statues, Dwarapalakas of the Lord.

The Goddess Durga's idol situated on the Northern side is considered to be  very powerful who showers her divine blessings like a mother, on all her devotees.  Durga here is Santha swaroopi, has 8 hands and is sitting on Her mount Lion.  The temple gets crowded on Tuesdays and Fridays and many perform Rahu puja here to ward off the ill effects of the planet. The Cholas were worshippers of Durga and the deity was installed here after the fall of Chola dynasty.

How to reach- This temple is very near to the Kumbhakonam town ( 5 km ) and is well connected by road. Many buses ply from the town and this temple is very close to Swamimalai temple.Nearest airport is Trichy and rail station is at Kumbhakonam. One would find good hotels in the town itself.

Navarathri celebration in Madurai Meenakshi temple is quite famous and just made a trip to catch a glimpse of that. I could gather only a few pics from outside.

PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipP7XF8V3Zf-yfoXOLxbfYPXY-btAk9Vtj1bR094

 

Sree Tirumala Tatha Lakshmi Narasimha temple- Ullal, Karnataka

Sree Lakshmi Narasimha ( 4th avatar of Lord Vishnu ) temple is in Ullal , a quaint little town situated on the coast of Arabian sea and which is  at a distance of 8 Kms. from Mangalore.  Lord Narasimha with his consort Lakshmi is enshrined here.  This is a GSB temple . There are shrines for Kalabhairava  and Subramanya. This temple is  situated in a  calm and serene atmoshphere.

Some more information is available about this temple  at  gsbkerala .com 

How to reach- Ullal has a  railway station , Mangalore is the biggest town nearby which is easily accessible. Good number of hotels are available in Mangalore town . Check here for other temples in and around Mangalore.

PHOTOS
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNWsr9LzKO1fSy73PEgJJtW44kAMTUSXtTU6Dbf

Aranmulla Parthasarathy temple- Kerala

Happy Janmashtami greetings to all . 

Befitting the occasion, I am taking you to the famous Aramulla Parthasarathy temple in Kerala near Chengannur which is on the banks of river Pampa. Aramulla is declared as a heritage village.It is famous for its snake boat race and the Tiruvabharanam procession for Sabarimala temple halts at this temple. Aramulla mirrors are also famous as it is cast with a special metal.

The temple of Parathasarathy, the divine charioteer  is situated in a calm and salubrious atmosphere totally away from the dust and din of the city. The temple is on a higher elevation and a flight of steps leads one to the temple. There are towers  on  four sides of the temple and on Northern side we see river Pampa where the famous Vallom kali  ( snake boat race) starts during Onam, the famous harvest festival of Kerala. This year, Onam falls in September  and those who are interested to see this colourful snake boat race can head towards Aranmulla.There is an intersting legend connected with the Aranmulla boat race . read it here.

Have a 360 degree virtual tour of the temple click here.

The Lord here,  Parathasarathy is Krishna, gives Vishwaroopa darshanam to His devotees as He appeared to Arjuna after the famous Gitopadesham. The temple sanctum is circular in shape with typical Kerala architecture . The idol here is believed to be consecrated  by Arjuna . There are 4 more temples of Vishnu which comes under the 108 divadesams consecrated by the other 4 Pandava brothers, in Kerala. I will be posting about all those one by one. These temples are in the nearby villages and devotees make it a point to visit all of them on the same day.

Just outside the sanctum on the Northen side we find the idol Nirmalyadhari Vikshasenar, 

There is a subshrine for Balabadra, in outer circumambulatory path. 

How to reach:

Nearest rail station is Chengannur. Aramulla temple is 9 Kms from this town.  Nearest airport is at Trivandrum .  

A diversion at Kulanada on NH would take one to this temple.

  My friend Asha has written  an interesting  post on  Uriyadi Varagur temple about the Janmashtami celebrations. Shall be visiting the temple soon and would bring you pictures in the near future.

 To read about Parthasarathy temple of Chennai ,on 'My Pilgrimage' click here.

My Clicks Of Parthasarathy temple, Aranmulla.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipN0KXCZGe2ldKUpVDZUHesSEnqPVPpkVTaEXZ8e