Temple Hopping on NH 44! Part 2

I am not a very religious person.

And I cannot claim myself to be a devout Iyengar Brahmin, because I do not observe and perform all the daily, monthly and yearly rituals that are prescribed in our Vaishnavite religious practices.

My parents were not religious either, and my grandparents were also not ardent devotees and performed religious rites assiduously.

So whatever religion I have learnt this far is only after marriage. From my wife, who incidentally comes from a very devout, staunch and orthodox Vadagalai Iyengar family- I kow-tow you Madam Superior.

I recently learnt an interesting term from my US settled nephew’s American wife. She said she was a Non-practicing Christian!

So maybe I can call myself a semi-practicing Iyengar Brahmin??

I like going to temples.

And my prayers are limited to thanking HIM for all he has done for me and my family. And my only

prayer is that he maintains this status-qou! No more no less.

And I pray for the good health and happiness for all my relatives, friends and everyone I know. Ahstey !!

I like the temple ambience. 

And I enjoy strolling in and around those big temple complex in small temple towns. The long walks thru the narrow-crowded streets leading up to the temple complex; jostling & sharing space with pious maamis and mamas, the fat healthy cows, cycles and rickshaws, and navigating thru the scores of pavement fruit and flowers sellers.

Inside those temple complexes is another wonderful world altogether. To start off, I take off my shirt

& shoes and walk in bare-bodied & barefoot. With my poonal advertising my brahmin caste and a white veshti secured tightly to my waist by my 15-year-old ever dependable Wildcraft pouch cum belt.

And while I soak in the ambient godliness around the place, I inspect with ever fascination all the small shops that line the pathway right up to the main inner gate. Each shop flooded with a variety article. The shiny brass ware shops with glittering idols of gods, goddess, dancing Natrajas, elephant heads, agarbatti holders and etched brass plates. The photo and books shops selling framed pictures and rolled up posters of brightly painted Gods; stacks of bhajan and shlokas and kirtan CDs. And you cannot miss the loud Vishnu Sahasranamam or Kanda Shashti Kavacham blaring out of those tiny speakers here.

I have also heard a few Anup Jalota and Gulshan kumar’s Sherawali bhajans.

And the pooja samagri shop selling vibhuti and kumkum packets; red, orange and black strings (kashi kayaru) to tie around your wrist (talisman), poonals and red cloth with gold tassels. Small dollar chains with gods engraved on then that one can hang around your neck. And these shops also sell chappatti rolling pins, mortar & pestle, supari and turmeric sticks. And in many places, I was delighted to see daya-kattam boards (dice game) and shoyees and pallan kuzhi game (available in Amazon for Rs 444/-).

And the mandatory Chinese plastic toys, gaudy plastic flower, beads, orange plastic Hanuman mace, masks, flutes, damroos, drums, green parrots and bunches of orange flying hanumans carrying the Sanjeevani parbat. I have these hanging from my car rear view mirrors.

And not to mention of the killi josiyams (fortune telling parrots) and palm reading gypsies (‘vallis’) with a small baton and a small pouch containing remedies for the various doshams (sins) that you may have accumulated.  

And she detected that I had killed a lizard inadvertently and thus acquired ‘palli-dosham’.  And for 100 more rupees she got that stigma neutralised. And I felt relieved & much better!

And the never-ending stream of flower shops with huge Tulsi malas, strands of jasmine and rose. And pooja patra with a coconut, a few flowers, a pair of bananas and a slim pack of agarbatti – all for 50 rupees. Sometimes this set is topped up with a big pink lotus bud (to please the devi)

And the ubiquitous mobile corner for convenient prepaid recharges, of course!!

I smell the wonderful aroma of burning camphor, vibhuti and incense sticks. And the smell of fresh jasmine, rose and marigold and thulasi and sometimes coconut water that get splashed on the stones!

And these good things come along with the usual stuffiness, smoke, musty smell of bat dropping from those century old gopurams. And inside some of those the dark dingy labyrinth through which the Q flows - an overpowering damp and claustrophobic atmosphere.

But by and large, almost all the temples we saw were very well maintained. Clean well wiped floors

many reinforced pillars and freshly painted roofs. Some had very intricate geometric designs.  And thankfully lots of giant fans too!!

And I feel sad seeing the mass of beggars outside every temple. Old shrivelled bodies with glazed eyes, young mothers with infants tied to their chest, the crippled ones and the sadhu types in saffron robes with flowing beards and matted hair.

Most times I empty my wallet of all the change and give them off.

I can easily dole out 10 rupees to each and every beggar, even at the most crowded of places and not get any poorer – but I guess I am stingy and do not have a large heart.  At times I have converted a hundred rupee note into smaller denominations and distributed to these beggars. And those remaining, I have thoughtlessly shooed them away.  I must find a better solution next time.

Maybe a 10-rupee surcharge on every special entrance/darshan tickets for feeding the beggars might help? Or maybe set up a beggar welfare trust @ each temple with a bank account and a QR code so that devotees can donate some money thru RuPay or PayTM??

23 temples: 23 Qs. Some as long as 90+ min and others granting  you instant access and darshans.

Gods and Goddess in various forms & shapes, with and without Consorts, standing & reclining postures and all with their faithful Garudan or Nandi or Peacock or Dormouse close by. And the black crow statue in front of Shaneeshwara too!

And the elephants that bless you by placing his trunk on your head for 10 rupees and a banana! And cows to which you feed 10 rupees of aathi  keerai (spinach family) in order to bring peace to your dead ancestor’s souls. And the temple office which are so difficult to locate, where you can donate to the temple trust / offer money specifically to feed the poor – Anna Danam.

And here are the various temples we visited …

The famous 18 ft tall Anjaneya (Hanuman) at Namakkal.

A vast open-air temple with a huge hall and a huge scaffolding at the sides from where priests perform milk, honey, curd, coconut water abhishekam. And that looks like a mini waterfall!  It’s just fascinating to watch the whole elaborate process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namakkal_Anjaneyar_Temple

And opposite to this is the not so well-known Yoga Narasimha (Narasimha Swamy) shrine that is carved out of a huge rock face. Anjaneya is facing this deity with his hands respectfully folded. The deity is also carved out of the rock face and the atmosphere inside is so divine!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimhaswamy_Temple,_Namakkal

Next the Meenakshi Amman Kovil in Madurai. Goddess Parvati is the main deity.

A huge temple complex, massive structures made from carved stones. Intricately carved stone pillars that would weigh 20 tons and more!

The temple complex has 4 nine-storey gopurams (Raja Gopuram is 170 ft tall), 1 seven-storey

gopuram (Chittirai), 5 five-storey gopurams, 2 three-storey, and 2 one-storey gold-gilded sanctum towers – total 14 Gopurams!! 
And the famous Pro Thamarai Kulam. A large water tank inside this complex. During rainfall all the water from the Gopurams are channeled into this water tank !
And you can see many groups of tourists (and foreigners) led by a guide explaining the temple’s heritage & its history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi_Temple

Ramanathaswamy Temple,  Rameshwaram

A massively huge temple of Lord Shiva! It is one of the Char Dhams . the other three being Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath. Lord Rama worshipped Shiva  (lingam) here  to absolve him of the sin he had committed by killing Ravana who was the son of a Brahmin.

There are 2 lingams here. One made in sand by Rama himself while he was waiting for Hanuman to bring a lingam from Mt. Kailasa. And he ordained that the Lingam brought by Hanuman must be worshipped first!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanathaswamy_Temple

 And in Ramesswaram we visited Ramar Padam.

A small hillock where Rama stood to see Sri Lanka before marching towards it. Apparently, Sri Rama’s feet imprint is still preserved and worshipped at this site.

http://www.myrameswaram.com/ramar-paatham-in-rameswaram

Panchamukha Anjaneya Temple, Rameshwaram.

Hanuman flanked on both sides by faces of Lord Narasimha, Lord Adivaraha, Lord Garuda and Lord Hayagriva.

And here you can also see the floating stones (a large stone in a water tank) with which Lord Rama built the Ramasethu Bridge (a floating bridge) to cross over to Lanka.

https://rameshwaramtourism.co.in/panchamukhi-hanuman-temple-rameshwaram

Plus Kothanda Ramar Temple @ Ramar Theertham.

Kodandam = Bow + Arrow.

An ancient Shivalingam @ Lakshmana Theertham

And a small beautiful Radhakrisha temple recently built by the Jain community.

Then on our way to Tirunelveli.

Adi Jagannatha temple, Tiruppullani.

Here Lord Vishnu, is worshipped as Adi Jagannatha and his consort Lakshmi as Padmasini.

Rama is believed to have done penance here to worship the God of ocean to seek way to Lanka.
Also legend has it that King Dasaratha prayed to Adi Jagannatha who blessed him with the four Vedas to be born to him as his four sons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Jagannatha_Perumal_Temple

Vanamalai Perumal Temple, Nanguneri

As per Hindu legend, Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu is believed to have born at this place as Srivaramangai (meaning lady).

This temple is another huge masterpiece of 6^th century Dravidian architecture!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanamamalai_Perumal_temple

Nava (9) Tirupatis on either side of Tamirabarani river, in and around Tirunelvelli.

The nava tirupathis are all dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

However, each temple is identified with one of the nava grahas (nine celestial bodies that rule & impact our lives). And they are named as Sthalams. Praying at these temples will nullify the adverse effect of those associated planet)

So, we have Surya (sun) Sthalam, Chandra (moon) Sthalam, Budan/Ketu/Rahu/Shani/Shukran/Chevvai/and Vyazhan Sthalams.

The Towering structure of Vaigunda Nathar Temple @ Sri Viakundam, 30 Kms from Tirunelveli. The lord here is known as Kallapan. For Suryan, Sun

Thiruvaraguna Mangai Temple is 2 kms from Sri Vaikundam. The Lord here is worshipped as Vijayaasanar.  For Chandran, Moon

Thirupuliangudi Temple. Goddess Sridevi & Bhoodevi are seen here along with Lord Kasina Vendhar. For Budan, Mercury

Irattai Tirupathi @ Tholaivillimangalam. Twin temples of Lord Devapiran in standing posture and Lord Aravinda Lochanar. For Rahu

Thirukuzhandai temple @ Perumkulam.Lord Matakoothan is the deity. For Shani, Saturn.

Nigaril Mugil Vannan Temple @ Then Thiru Perai. The lord is called Makaran Nedunkuzhai Kallan. For Chevvai, Sukran, Venus

Vaitha Maa Nidhu Temple @ Thirukkolur. This is the birthplace of Madura Kavi Azhwar who was an ardent devote of Nammazhvar. For Vyazhan, Guru, Jupitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nava_Tirupathi

Kallazhagar Temple near Madurai.  Dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

 A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram. The temple is surrounded by a large fort.

 Checkout its legend and the wonderful pictures here..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallazhagar_temple

Pazhamudir Cholai.  A few minutes’ drive up a small hillock near Kallazhagar kovil is this famous Murugan Kovil, one of the 6 main abodes of Lord Muruga.

And do you remember the famous story “chutta pazham or shudaatha pazham??”

That incident happened here!!

And my Patti narrated like this..

Avvaiyaar, an ardent devotee of Lord Muruga and a famous poet was resting under the shade of a Jamun tree. Lord Murugan wanted to play a prank on her. So became a small boy and sat on top of this tree and asked Avvaiyar, “Patti, naaga pazham veenuma?” (granny, do you want some Jamun fruit ??).

And when she gladly accepted this offer the young boy asked, “chutta Pazham venumaa illa shoodatha pazham??” (do you want hot fried fruit or raw fruit)

To which she retorted by saying - Stupid boy! How can hot fried fruit grow on trees??

Then the boy on the tree plucked a few big & ripe jamuns and threw them on the sandy ground. Avvaiyar picked these fruits and started forcefully blowing away the sand grains that had stuck to the fruits. Immediately the young boy playfully said, Patti, the fruits must be really hot and fried!! Otherwise why would you be blowing on them so forcefully!   And with that the young boy vanished!

And Avvaiyar realised that it was indeed Lord Murugan who had come to tease her and bless her with his appearance.
And she composed and sang out a song in praise of Bsla Murugan (young Murugan)

I looked all around but did not spot that  Jamun tree.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazhamudircholai

ThiruparamKundam Murugan Temple:  Another one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan !

This is a huge temple built in the 6 century CE. Rock cut architecture with a huge 159 feet gopuram! And this is where Lord Murugan married Indira’s daughter Deivayanai !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruparankundram_Murugan_temple

And with a sense of great achievement we returned back to Bangalore.

And with excitement we narrated our road trip to a few folks in Sobha Palladian.

And I published my blog as well.

And then one maami enquired, ‘In Madurai did you visit Koodal Azhagar Kovil?’

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koodal_Azhagar_temple)

No, we missed that one.

And Srini responded on mail, ‘Did you visit Tanjai Periya Koyil? A great masterpiece by Raja Raja Cholan. Huge 80 ton single piece rock on the very top of the gopuram.’

Again No. Maybe next time?

And after a few more such conversation we were humbled.

23 temples is just a fraction of the hundred plus such big temples scattered all around South India.

And each with its majestic towering gopuram, a thousand-year-old lineage, a beautiful history and a captivating story waiting to be told!!

And the Gods, their avataars, their ardent devotees have been at these sites, creating a legend and sanctifying each shrine with their presence.

WoW!!!

And I have decided that in my next rebirth, I will give a pass to IT and take up Indian history!!

And maybe create my own detailed Wikipedia of all the major temples in South India??

Krish..