On the banks of Thambrabarani

Many villages and small towns at the foot of western Ghats/Podhigai Hills in Thirunelveli District present scenic beauty as the river Thamrabarani adds wealth to her banks.Nature is at its best and it is a feast to the eyes to look at the tall coconut groves and plantain trees all around.This place is not only fertile but also known for many temples. Nava Kailash and Nava Thirupathis are the cluster of temples in this region and it will be nice to plan the route before undertaking the journey. In places like SriVaikundam & Then Thirupperai, both Shiva & Vishnu temples are present within a short distance and a proper planner is not likely to miss either of them. Hence it is wise to cover both Shiva and Vishnu temples together so that revisiting the same place on the next day is avoided. Normally it takes two days to cover all the 18 temples. It is better to hire a cab at Thirunelveli for visiting these places as few of them are in remote places where bus services are not frequent.

A big board installed at Sri Kailasanatha swami temple at Then Thirupperai gives an account of all the nine Kailasams with a distance map.If we follow the sequence given in the board, lot of time can be saved on travel. The Nine Kailasams are at 1) Papanasam 2)Seran Mahadevi 3) Kodaganalloor 4)Kunnathur 5)Murappanadu 6)Sri Vaikundam 7)Then Thirupperai 8) Rajapathi & 9) Serndhapoomangalam. The Lord is called as Kailasanatha in all the places. There is also a view that the first Kailasam is not Papanasam but the one at Brahmadesam off Ambasamudram.As Navagrahas (Nine planets) have worshipped Sri Kalasanatha at these places, many people visit them on the advice of the astrologers.

Papanasa Swami temple at Papanasam is about 50 KM from Tirunelveli. The sanctum is situated near a "Mukkila" tree,which signifies three Vedas. Thr river Thambrabarani reaches the plains near the temple and flows in South-North direction As Indra,the King of Devas got rid of all sins at this place, the Lord is known as "Papanasa Swami" (Destroyer of Sins).Shiva is said to have shown His Dharshan here to Sage Agasthya & his wife Lobamudra. This place is associated with the Sun God(Soorya) for whom the "Pariharas" are offered.Turmeric is crushed as powder inside the temple complex and ladies offer it to the Goddess Logambikai who is believed to fulfill their desires.

The second among the Nava Kailasam is at Seran Mahadevi,which is 24 KM from Thirunelveli. The temple is 3 KM away from the town. As this place is not served by buses, cabs or autos have to be engaged to reach the temple. Moreover, the temple is kept open between 7 and 8 A.M and 5-6 PM. Since we reached the temple around 9.30A.M., the gates were locked and our attempts to bring back the archaka was in vain. Two sisters who were staunch devotees of Lord Shiva have constructed this temple.The Lord is also known as Ammanathar.Moon is associated with this temple.

Kodaganalloor is the third Kailash among the group of temples. It is reachable from SeranMahadevi. This "Ankaraga Nivarthi sthalam" is also known for the removal of "Sarpa Dosham". People looking for good alliances for their daughters offer garlands made of Turmeric to Nandi who is said to be very powerful.

Kunnathur is about 10 KM from Tirunelveli en route to Thiruvengadanathapuram.This "Rahu Parihara sthalam" is surrounded by hills and the location is beautiful. Peacocks in large numbers fly freely in this isolated place. We were fortunate to capture a peacock in our camera when it was sitting on the compound wall of GothaParameswara temple at Kunnathur.Six headed idol of Sri Subramanya in the outer prakara is beautifully carved.This temple is also kept open for few hours in the morning and in the evening.

Murappanadu is situated between Tirunelveli and Tuticorin and the distance from Tirunelveli is 17 km. This is considered as "Guru Parihara sthalam". The temple is on the western banks of the river Thambrabarani. The river flows from South to North in this place and is viewed on par with Kasi and Ganges.

Srivaikundam is 24 km away from Tirunelveli on the road that leads to Thiruchendur. It is considered as "Sani parihara sthalam" This town is the birth place of Sri Kumaraguruparar,the Adhi Guru of Sri Kasi Mutt.

Then Thirupperai is on the way to Thiruchendur (38 km from Tirunelveli.) This "Budha preethi sthalam" is also known for Kala Bhairava worship.He has six hands and his vehicle(Dog) is not there.The temple is renovated and kept neat.

Rajapathi is 35 km from Tirunelveli on Tiruchendur route. One has to travel about 5 km from Thenthirupperai towards Athur. The temple is newly constructed to house the ancient Siva lingam. Commuting to this "Kethu parihara sthalam" is not that easy.

Sernthapoomangalam can be reached from Athur on Tiruchendur route. The river Thambrabarani meets the ocean at a place called Punnakkayal near here. This "Sukra dosha Nivarthi sthalam" has Kubera in the vimanam.

One should not miss visiting Brahmadesam,Thiruppudaimarudur and Sivasailam which can be accessed from Ambasamudram.Kalakkadu is another important place near Nanguneri which has to be covered during the trip to Tirunelveli District.The magnificent temple of Kasi Viswanatha at Thenkasi is a feast for art lovers. Needless to add, the glorious temple of Nellayappar at Tirunelveli should be the starting point of the whole agenda.

Podhigai Malai Kumaran

A visit to Thirunelveli Dt should cover important abodes of Lord Subramanya. Thiruchendur is a well known temple which draws large number of pilgrims everyday. The temple is kept open throughout the day to enable those who come late in the afternoon. In fact,it is the ideal time for the pilgrims who want to have peaceful dharshan at the sanctum. Of course, this may not be possible during festive days.

There are other temples of historic background in this district that do not draw huge crowds on non festive days. Kazhugumalai,near Kovilpatti is one such place where we find a rock cut temple for Subramanya. The Lord gives an unusual dharshan here with one head and six hands. Arunagirinathar has sung Thiruppugazh on this deity.

The peacock is normally on the right side of Muruga. But it is on His left at this shrine. Kazhukaachalamoorthi's sanctum is on an elevated place,well carved out of a huge rock. Temple Tank is close to the rock and well maintained. Subramanya's shrine faces west and Shiva's shrine faces East.

This temple belongs to Ramayana period when the bird Sambathi visited this place and worshipped the Lord to attain salvation. Ashtabandhana Mahakumbabishekam of this temple was conducted on 1.7.2010 and Mandalabisheka poorthi will be carried out on 15.8.2010.

Kurukkuththurai is on the outskirts of Thirunelveli. The sanctum is cut on a rock that lies right inside the river Thamrabarani. The flood waters enter the sanctum during rainy days and poojas will commence only when the waters recede.

There is yet another temple carved out of huge rock at Valliyoor. It can be reached by travelling on Thirunelveli- Nagercoil highway. One can see many small and big hills enroute that are delightful. Nanguneri is a famous vaishnavite pilgrim centre on the way. The road leading to Kalakkad passes through Valliyoor. The temple is situated 3 K.M away from the town at a place where there are not many houses nearby. Lord Subramanya and His Consorts give dharshan inside the cave which is cut out of the hill.

Ilanji is a place that looks like God's own country. It is surrounded by hills and paddy fields. Subramanya shrine is on the right of Shiva's shrine. The atmosphere is truly Godly and one has to experience it. It is said that the Murthi at the entrance represents Siva shanmugha , a combination of Shiva and Shanmugha (with 5 heads of Siva and 6 heads of Subramanya). Hence the Murthi has 11 heads) which can be seen rarely(probably only at this place). Lord Shiva is called "Iruvaaluga eshwara" as "vaaluga"denotes white sand. Since the Bhaanam is made is sand,abhishekam can be conducted after placing a "kuvalai"over it. Subramanya is called as "Ilanji Kumara" and "Varadharaja". Sage Dhurvaasa has worshipped Subramanya here and requested Him to stay at this place and bless all devotees. Saint Arunagirinatha has sung four Thiruppugazh songs on this deity.He describes the nature's abundant feast to the eyes at this place in one of his songs.

Aaikudi is a tiny village which can be accessed from Thenkasi. The Subramanya temple at Aaikudi is small but well known to His devotees.Once the prayers are fulfilled, the devotees draw the silver chariot of Balasubramanya and offer "Paayasam" to Him. The temple is situated on the banks of the river,Hanuman. "Padi Payasam " offer is unique to this place.

Vallimalai Vijayam

When Lord Subramanya stayed at Skandhagiri after conquering Soorapadma and his army, Devendra prayed the Lord to marry his daughter,Gajavalli, who performed penace to join Sri Subramanya.Sri Shanmukha married her at Thirupparankunram near Madurai. As the Sage Naradha informed Him to bless Sundaravalli who was also conducting "Tapas" at Valli Malai near Vellore to marry the Victorious Lord, He went to Vallimalai and stood in front of Sundaravalli who was born there and brought up by the King of Hunters. Whenever the King appeared there,the Lord stood as "Vengai" tree and once he vanished,He took the form of a young Hunter as if He was mad after Valli. Without realising the fact that the Lord Himself has appeared in front of her,she hesitated the very presence of the young "Hunter" and the Lord finally took the form of an old man and expressed His willingness to marry Her. When Valli turned down the request, the Lord thought of His big brother,Ganapathi. The Elephant God appeared as an Elephant to frighten Valli. On seeing the elephant she asked the old man to chase away the elephant and obliged to marry him. Sri Subramanya appeared in front of her and the marriage took place in the presence of her family members.

Vallimalai can be accessed from Katpadi, the nearest Railway Junction on Chennai-Jolarpet route. Buses are available from Vellore,Thiruthani and Thiruvalam. Those who want to reach the place by road have to take Bangalore High way. After crossing the outskirts of Kanchipuram, a Vaishnavite temple called Thirupputkuzhi can be reached. Mahavishnu in sitting form facing East, gives dharshan at the sanctum. Sri VijayaRaghava Perumal had performed rites to Jatayu of Ramayana period and the tank in front of the temple is called Jatayu Theertham. Thirumangai Alvar has sung pasurams in praise of the Lord.

A 15 minutes drive from Thirupputkuzhi takes us to Thiruppaarkadal ,near Kaverippaakkam where we find two old temples ,the first one dedicated to Srinivasa perumal ,standing on an "aavudayaar" and the other one also a Vishnu shrine, wherein the Lord is seen in the form of Ranganatha,a huge deity.

If we drive further for another 40 minutes,we can reach a historic Shiva temple at Thiruvalam on the banks of Neevaa nadhi. Both the Swayambhu Linga murthi (Vilvavaneswarar)and Nandhi in front of Him face east. The Nandhi near the flag post is huge in size .The Lord has been sung by Thirugnanasambandar in Thevaram Hymns.The Goddess in this temple is known as Dhanurmadhyaambikai.

While proceeding towards Vallimalai,we come across a wonderful Chola Temple,maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The main deities are known as Somanadheshwarar and Thapas kruthaambikai.This place is known as Melpadi,referred in Kanda Puranam. Arinjaya Chola's Pallippadai (Samadhi koil) is said to be close to the site. Those visiting Vallimalai should make it a point to visit this temple.

As soon as we reach Vallimalai, we come across a majestic entrance to the Subramanya temple at the foot of the Hill. Then comes the Temple Tank on the way to the Hills.We have to take nearly 500 steps to reach the top where we find a Subramanya temple,carved inside a rock.A small shrine for Valli carved out of the rock is seen at the entrance. Small ponds of water are also seen at this height!! This deity was sung by Saint Arunagirinathar in his Thiruppugazh. A special mention has to be made for Sri Vallimalai Swamigal, who stayed here in a cave and propagated Thiruppugazh to his disciples. His ashram can be reached on the other side of the hill.There are no proper steps to reach this place.However one can reach there within 30 mins. without difficulty. Swamigal's samadhi is seen near the ashram. the rock nearby looks like a huge elephant- that reminds us Ganapathi who came to scare Valli at the behest of Subramanya.

Another spot called Ponnai is a must for devotees as there is a rare Ganapathi (Swarna Ganapathi) temple in which there are atleast 108 idols of Ganesa are seen. Navagrahaas are seen behind the sannadhi with respective trees&vahanas. People call it as Navagraha Kottai.
Thus our Vallimalai Vijayam covers temples of Ganapathi, Shiva,Vishnu, Subramanya and Navagraha on the same day.

A Celestial Wedding

Thirumazhapadi is a small village situated on the banks of the river Coleroon,a branch of Cauvery. This river is flowing northwards in front of the temple.It is auspicious to have dip in the river that runs towards North("Uththara Vaahini"). This place is connected by road on the ThiruMaanur- Tiruchirappalli route via Pullambadi and Lalgudi..The bus stops right in front of the temple. It is a very big shrine,built and renovated by the Chola Emperors. Sambandar,Appar and Sundarar have sung Thevaram Hymns in praise of the deity, Vaidhyanatha,also known as Vajrasthamba Natha. The Goddess is named as Sundarambikai.Lakshmi Theertham is a small Tank facing Her shrine.

A five story RajaGopuram is at the entrance followed by another Gopuram at the second entrance. An enclosure for Nandi can be seen in between these Gopurams.

People offer poojas to Nandi on auspicious days.The outer prakara has majestically carved Veerabhadra,and Somaskanda(in a single stone),sixty three Nayanmars and shrines for Kaathyaayani devi,Balambikai,GajaSamhara murthi,Durga and Ardha Naareeswara.A palm tree and a dais having four richly carved nandis are also seen in the prakara.

Deva koshtas include Ganapathi,Dhakshinamurthi,Lingothbhava,Brahma & Durga.Two Dwarapalakaas stand at the entrance of the Sanctum.Lord Vaidyanatha in the form of Shiva Linga faces East. Ambal shrine is on His left with separate prakaram.

This village witnesses a great event every year in the Tamil month of Panguni(March/April) coincided by the star Punarvasu. The legend says that Adhikara Nandikeswara is born to a sage called Silatha Rishi at Thiruvaiyaaru which is 5 km east of Thirumazhapadi.The Lord Himself comes forward to conduct the wedding of Adhikaranandikeswara at Thirumazhapadi,where the bride was born.Usthava idols of Lord Panchanatheeswara and Dharmasamvardhani are decorated and taken to Thirumazhapadi in a palanquin fitted with glass pieces.People who carry the palanquin on the shoulders cross the river by foot as the level of water at this part of the year is too low. Lord Vaidyanatha and Goddess Sundarambika are also taken in a palanquin to receive Panchanadheeswara on the sands of the river along with Adhikara Nandhikeswara.The whole village takes a festive look.Plantain trees are tied at the entrance of many houses to greet the newly wedded couple and the Divine couple.

The marriage starts in the evening in a dais situated near the Rajagopuram. The Divine couples in palanquins are brought near the dais to witness the marriage.Adhikaranandhikeswara and the bride(Suyasambika) are beutifully decorated and the marriage is conducted. Then the deities are taken in a procession and brought towards the sands of the river.Crackers are burst to give a nice send off to the newly wedded couple. Finally the palanquin of Panchanadheeswara departs for Thiruvaiyaaru along with Adhikaranandikeswara and Suyasambika. Lord Vaidyanatha's palanquin returns to Thirumazhapadi temple to mark the end of the event.

People throng to see the wedding in large numbers from surrounding villages and the administration arranges special buses for the event from Ariyalur,Thanjavur,Trichy and Thirumanur.There is a saying in Tamil,"Nandi Kalyanam kandaal Pindhi kalyanam Illai", which means that if a person witnesses Nandikeswara's wedding(at Thirumazhapadi) will not have Married life in his next birth.In other words there is no rebirth for those who witnesses the marriage of Adhikara Nandhikeswara.

Siva Sankara(charya) Vijayam

The title of this month's blog may raise eyebrows of many readers.No better title could be selected when the recent trip to Kanchi covered temples often visited by the Sage of Kanchi,Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, the place where he stayed for a long time and the place where the huge "MahaPeriyavah Mani Mantapam" is being built on the banks of the river Palaar.

The trip started well by visiting Sri Varadaraja Swami Temple. I was accompanied by Mr Mani, my close friend for over three decades.According to him, the temple was not so crowded on that day as it used to receive more buses from nearby states. Yet it took nearly an hour for us to have dharshan of Sri Varadaraja and Sri Perundevi Thaayar. Arrangements were on for the float festival to be conducted that evening.

Then we proceeded to Sri Punyakoteeswarar temple(mentioned in Kanchi Puranam)and saw a board inside the temple saying that the Paramacharya had told that the visit to Sri Varadaraja Temple would be fulfilled only when this Shiva temple was visited.

Later in the evening we visited shrines of Ashtabujam, Thoopul Vedantha desikan, Narasimha Muktheeswara, Yathodkari,
Vazhakkarutheeswara and Nagareeswara at Little Kanchipuram.

When we got up on the next day we heard cracker noise followed by Nadaswaram music outside the house.It was a pleasant surprise to see the procession of Sri Yadhodkari Perumal with the elders reciting Samaveda.

The deity,mounted on Sesha Vahanam was going towards Orikkai, where "Thirumanjanam" would be held in the afternoon on the sands of the river Paalar.We started hurridly to have glimpse of the event at Orikkai. We were told that that the deities are taken to Paalar once in a year and that happened on the day of our visit.

We visited Sri Vedheeswara Temple on the way and reached Sivasthanam,where Kanchi Paramacharya had stayed close to the shrine of Sri Brahmapureeswara in the eighties. A dhyana Mantapam is there which houses the image of the Sage.A veda patasala and a dining hall are also seen inside the campus.

The Mahaperiavah Mani Mandapam which is coming up at Orikkai is a magnificent structure. The sculptors were busy in creating poetry out of stone . A crane was lifting huge granite slabs to the top of the front mantapam. As the work on Rajagopuram and Compound wall is yet to begin,it appears that it may take some years to complete the project. But the organisers are keen to complete it at the earliest. It should n't
be a distant dream as the Acharya's blessings are always there for His devotees.

Kailasanatha at Thiruvalangadu

Some sacred places are equated to Mount Kailash due to various reasons. Shiva Temples at Kalahasthi and Thiruvaiyaru are described as "Dhakshina kailasam". Some places are compared with Kasi(Varanasi) likes those at Vedaranyam,Mayuram,Sri Vanchiyam etc. There are places which are regarded above Kasi , like those at Vridhachalam and Thirup poovanam(Near Madurai). The shrines at Thiruvaiyaru and Thiruvalangadu are hailed as "Kailasam" ,the former gave Kailash Dharshan to Sri Thirunavukkarasar(Appar)and the later to Karaikkaal Ammaiyar (one among the 63 nayanmars).

The sacred tamil Poet Sekkizhar narrates the life and works of Karaikkaal Ammaiyar in his incomparable masterpiece called "Peria Puranam". When Karaikkal Ammai attempted to go and worship Mount Kailash, the Lord asked her to go to Thiruvalangadu to be blessed. Karaikkal ammaiyar went to this place in the form of "Pei"(Desired form of a ghost) and had dharshan of Kailash. Hence she walked upside down ,considering the Holiness of this place.(It is said that Kanchi Paramacharya during His visit to Thiruvalangadu, had His feet covered due to high regard He had with Karaikkaal Ammai.)

This place is called "Vataaranyam " in Sanskrit hence the Lord is known as Vataranyeswara. It is one among the five sacred sabhas of Sri Nataraja,the other four at Chidambaram,Madurai,

Thirunelveli & Kutraalam. Goddess Kali could not dance to match the Urdhuva Thandava of

the Lord. Later,rishis like Munchikesa performed penace to have the Urdhuva thandava dharshan. In order to fulfil the request of the rishis to give thandava dharshan to all devotees who come to this place,Sri Nataraja continues to give dharshan of His matchless Thandava in Rathnasabhai,witnessed by His consort,Sri Sameecheenambika.

Devotees of this place have formed a group in the name of Sekkizhaar and conduct a conference every year inside the temple on 25th and 26th January inside this temple. Thevaram recitation and religious lectures form the agenda of this programme. My close friend, Mr Chandramohan who had gone to Mount Kailash few years back,was invited by this group to deliver a speech on Kailash during the occasion. I joined him and visited the place on 26th Jan and had dharshan at the temple. Mr Chandramohan gave a detailed account of his journey to Mt Kailash and also narrated how his wife was also blessed to visit the place separately.Finally I spoke briefly on Karaikkal Ammaiyar and significance of this place.

வீழிமிழலை வெண்காடு வேங்கூர்

வேதிகுடி விசயமங்கை விசலூர்

ஆழி அகத்தியான்பள்ளி அண்ணா

மலை ஆலங்காடும் அரதைப்பெரும்

பாழி பழனம் பனந்தாள் பாதாளம்

பராய்த்துறை பைஞ்ஞீலி பனங்காட்டூர் தன்

காழி கடல் நாகைக் காரோனத்தும்

கயிலாய நாதனையே காணலாமே.

__ அப்பர் தேவாரம்.