TEMPLES IN KARIKUDI

Satyagirinatha Perumal Temple(vishnu temple) & Satyagirisvara Temple(shiva temple)

There are two famous rock cut temples in the Fort Complex, a Siva Temple and a Vishnu temple. Satyagirisvara Temple is dedicate to Lord shiva and Satyamurti Perumal Temple is dedicated to Lord vishnu.. These temples are adjacent to each other. Its very big temples, with lot of carvings in pillars and walls....

Tirupathur :- Thiruthalinathar Swamy Temple.
We next went to Lord vairavar temple, which is located on main road on way to Tirupathur.. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vairavar, another incarnation of Lord Shiva.There are separate shrines for Siva known here as Varalori Nathar and and his consort known as Vadivudai Amman. Again this temple is very big, with big praharam with manysubdieties, there are three lizard sculptures behind Mother Ambica shrine. Those affected by some doshas can pray here.

Thirukoshtiyur:- Sri Sowmya Narayana perumal temple
We next went to Thirukoshtiyur.In this temple the lord appears in five postures. On the ground floor He appears as the Dancing Krishnan.On the first floor in the sleeping posture. On the second floor, in standing posture as Ubendira Narayanaperumal, and on the third floor, in the sitting posture as Paramapathanathar and finally on the 4th floor he appears in the walking posture. The uniqueness of this temple is that Perumal appears holding his hands to receive Dhanam. Once emperor pururavachakravarthi decided to give dhanam to 1008 Brahmins. This yagam was conducted in a grand manner. At the time of dhanam the King found out that there were only 1007 Brahmins. It was a great shock to the King.Immediately He Prayed to Perumal to fulfill his wish. The Perumal himself appeared as Brahmin and received the dhanam. So Perumal in this temple appears holding his hand as dhana hastham

Kandrakudi :- Arul Thiru Shanmuganathan temple

It was already 6pm by time we reached Kandrakudi murgan temple.. This is a hill lock temple, situated at a height of 200 feet from ground level. Arulthiru Shanmuganathan Holy Temple is 1000yrs old..Lord Shanmuganathan is the presiding deity . Marudhu Pandiyars Kings of Sivaganga renovated the Temple during there period..

Demon Sura and his men, intending to take revenge on Devas, told peacock that Garuda of Lord Vishnu and the Airavat,were boasting that they could fly faster than the peacock. Believing this true, the peacock grew angry and swallowed them.Lord Vishnu and Indira cursed the peacock to become a hill. Realizing its mistake, the peacock came to this hill Kundrakudi-Arasavanam and performed penance for relief. Lord Muruga pardoned the peacock and redeemed the curse. The hill is in the shape of a peacock.As Muruga’s peacock vahan was relieved of its curse here, the hill is called Mayil Malai (peacock hill)


 Pillayar patti

Our last destination of the day was Pillayar patti. This is very famous temple..This is an ancient rock cut temple.As Vinayagar satisfies the wishes of his devotees like Karpagam tree, he is also known "Karpaga Vinayagar".Here Lord Vinayaga appears with 2 hands unlike in other places where he is seen with 4 hands. Also he is seen seated without Angusapasam, with his legs folded and stomach not touching the Asanam in the form of "Artha Padma" Asanam.Devotees worshipping Valamburi Vinayagar seated facing towards north, will be blessed with all wealth.

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TEMPLES IN MADURAI

DAY 1  MADURAI:

1.Nuburagangai & Palamudhirsolai:

Steps leading to  Nuburagangai

Nuburagangai:
Nuburagangai is a natural spring where pilgrims take bath..The legend has it that 'Suthapas' Maharishi had a very peculiar gift. He could stay under water forever, without coming up, for air.  Daily, he would go into the Silambar, immerse himself in the cold flowing waters and so that he could offer prayers to the Lord without disturbance. This became a daily ritual,on one such occasion, when Suthapas was deep under the waters, Durvasa came along. Knowing through his Gnana Drishti, Durvasa waited for Suthapas to come out. Suthapas, on the other hand was so immersed in his prayers that he hardly acknowledged the presence of Durvasa, and did not come out. Durvasa cursed “Oh Suthapas, when you remain under the water for so long, you are no longer fit to be a human. May you turn into a frog .” prepared to leave. Suthapas Maharishi realising the gravity of the situation, jumped out of the river and fell at his feet, begging for forgiveness. Durvasa, then said, Pray to Lord vishnu to reedeem the curse and you will regain your human form.Suthapas Maharishi, with his new amphibian body, swam through the Silambar to the holy city of Madurai. There by the banks of the sacred Vaigai, he engaged himself in constant prayer to Narayana..Finally the Lord Kallazhagar(Vishnu) comes from his abode from Alagar Hill to redeem Mandooga Maharishi of his curse..

Holy spring, where devotees are allowed to sprinkle water..

                            

From the very peak of Azhagar Malai flows out the Noopura Ganga. The source of the spring is yet undetected, and it wells out from the sanctum of Rakkayi Amman and rushes down with all its purifying power. Rakkayi Amman is the protector of all the Theerthas in the place and is supposed to be the daughter of Angirasa munivar. Thousands believe that a dip in this Noopura Ganga is as holy as the one taken at the Triveni Sangamam in Prayaga.

Lord Azhagar

All the abhishekas and bathing ceremonies performed to Azhagar are done with the holy waters from the river. Temple sources report that if any other water is used, the Bronze statue will blacken instantly.  We  climbed the steps, had darshan of Azhagar, here water from spring was continously flowing on the idol, backside of this sanctum devotees are allowed to get a dip from the spring, we also sprinkled holy water from this spring, and  climbed down the steps..

Water continously flowing on Azhagar

2. Palamudhirsolai:(One of Arupadaiveedu)

We then went to Palamudhirsolai,one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya which is on the same hill, down the Nuburagangai. There is a famous legend associated with the temple. It is said that Awaiyar, a famous Tamil poet and a Muruga devotee, came here, she became tired while travelling, and sat  under the shadow of a fruit tree and was very hungry and thirsty. At that time, a small
boy who was sitting on the tree asked her whether she wants fruits to eat from the tree. She replied yes. Then, the boy asked Avvaiyar whether she wanted roasted fruits or unroasted fruits.Avvaiyar thought, "Is there any roasted fruit in the world?" then she asked him to give roasted fruits. The boy shook the tree and fruits fell under the tree. The fruits are stuck with the mud as soon as they fell down. To remove the mud, Avvaiyar took the fruits and blew on the fruit. It looked like as though  fruits were roasted and had become warm, and Avvaiyar had blown the fruits to cool them. The small boy asked Avvaiyar whether the fruits are warm that your blowing it to cool down.. Avvaiyar was amazed by the whole thing and thought "How did a small village cow boy played such an intelligent drama?A beautiful comparison between blowing the air on the fruit to remove the mud is like blowing air to reduce the heat as the fruit is roasted. Such a beautiful comparison would not have risen in her mind even though she had gained rich knowledge in Tamil." She asked the small boy, "Who are you?"Then the small boy disappeared and  Lord Muruga appeared. This incident is believed to have taken place in Palamudhirsolai..

Palamudhirsolai temple

Palamudhirsolai temple is middle of beautiful hills, surronded by green lush. It was drizzling, when we got down. We immediately entered the temple which inhouses a beautiful idol of Lord Subramanya...We had darshan and headed to next place...

Palamudhirsolai temple  amidst beautiful hills

Meenakshi Sundareswarar:

We then headed to Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple...According to Hindu legend, in order to answer the prayers of the second Pandya king Malayadwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamalai, Goddess Parvati appeared out of the Holy Fire of the Putra Kameshti Yagna(sacrifice for childhood) performed by the king. This girl, who came out of the holy fire had three breasts. A voice from the heavens told the king not to worry and added that the third breast would vanish soon the girl meets her future husband. The happy king named the girl as Tadaatagai and being the heir to the throne, Tadaatagai was trained carefully in all the 64 sastras(fields of science). As the time came when Tadaatagai was to be coronated, she had to wage war on the three worlds across eight directions. After conquering Sathyaloka(Brahma's Abode), Vaikunta( Vishnu's Abode) and Amaravati(the abode of the Devas), she advanced to Kailasha(Shiva's Abode).She very easily defeated the bhoota ganas(Shiva's army) and Nandi(the celestial bull of Shiva) and headed to attack and conquer Shiva. The moment she looked at Shiva, she was unable to fight and bowed her head down due to shyness; the third breast vanished immediately. Tadaatagai realized that Shiva was her destined husband. She also realized that she was the incarnation of Goddess Parvati. Both Shiva and Tadaathagai returned to Madurai and the king arranged the coronation ceremony of his daughter, followed by her marriage with Shiva.The marriage was supposed to be the biggest event on earth, with the whole earth gathering near Madurai. Vishnu, the brother of Meenakshi, prepared to travel from his holy abode at Vaikuntam to preside over the marriage . Due to a divine play, he was tricked by Indra  and delayed on the way. The marriage was presided over by a local god from Thirupparankundram Pavalaakanivaai Perumal, (incarnation of Vishnu). After the marriage, the pair ruled over Madurai for a long time and then assumed divine forms as Sundareswarar and Meenakshi who are presiding deities of the temple.

Meenakshi temple was originally built by Kulasekarer Pandya. But the credit for the present look of the temple goes to the Nayakas, who ruled Madurai from 16th to 18th century.Meenakshi sundareshwara temple is said to inhouse 33,000 statues on the towers and inside the temple, and is famous for architectural and sculptural magnificence.

 No wonder it was listed in, 30 nominees of the "New Seven Wonders of the World".The complex houses 14 gopurams ranging from 45-50m in height, the tallest being the southern tower, 51.9 metres (170 ft) high and two golden sculptured vimana (shrine) over sanctum of the main deities.Prominent things in Meenakshi temple are  Meenakshi , Sundareshwaa and Mukkurini Pillaiyar (Ganesha).

                            


.The base of the Kadamba tree under which Indra worshipped Shiva linga (in the corridor outside the main shrine. And the idol of Nataraja who is covered with silver leaves. Hence the hall is named as Velli Ambalam (Silver Hall) can also be noted.

                                 



5  Thiruparankundram temple:
One of Arupadaiveedu

We reached  Thiruparankundram temple  around 5:30pm. This is a very big temple. As soon as we enter temple we saw colourful carvings of Horse and Mythical animals on each pillars at the entrance of the temple.

We  walked further and noticed Durga Idol. People were throwing Venne undai(Butter balls) on the Durga idol. When i asked person there they told its for good, however i did not get correct reason of why this is done.

.We walked further reaching a big mantapam, with various carvings and idol..Crossing that mantapam, we reached a huge door. Once you pass through the door you will find actual temple Mantapam. Lord Murgan is the main deity here..

Legend of this temple is, Lord Muruga at the end of Soorasamharam stayed here, along with his soldiers. As a gift for victory, Lord Indira married his daughter Deivanai to Muruga. To commemorate this event, Lord Muruga is worshipped as the presiding deity of this temple.Poet Nakkirar has composed a  poem about this Temple and  is called Thirumurugatrupadai. Thiruparankundram is a rock-cut hill temple dedicated to the Lord Subramanya Swamy. It is referred as the "Southern Himalaya" in various classical Tamil texts, where the gods assemble. Some Legends mentioned Thiruparankundram as the place where the sun and moon abide.


 Mariamman Teppakulam:

 The mandapam in the centre has an idol of Vigneshwara (Vinayaka). I was wondering as i expected Amman Temple, as it is called Mariamman Teppakulam, and when i asked  purohit he told, vinayaka idol was found when the earth was being dug out from here to build the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. So, the place attained sanctity and was converted into a teppakulam (tank).This is where the annual float festival (Theppotsavam in Tamil) takes place.

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TEMPLES IN MYSORE

Ambegaalu Krishna - DODDAMALLUR 

Our first stop was Krishna's temple, which is called as Sri Navaneeta Krishna OR  Sri Ramapreya Swamy OR Ambegal krishna, Doddamallur Krishna.Idol of Ambegalu Navaneetha Krishna  (crawling Krishna with butter in hand), is believed to be the only statue of Lord Sri Krishna in this pose. This temple is famous for couple who wants to beget child.. Ambegal krishna is really cute.. We had darshan and had breakfast in darshini of temple campus..



                           
 

                          

 Ranganatha swamy - SRIRANGAPATNA

Ranganathaswamy temple is one among Pancharanga Kshetram, and is Adi Ranga.. Ranganathaswamy is a avatar of Vishnu who reclines on the coils of the snake Adisesha, under a canopy formed by the snake's seven hoods, with his consort Lakshmi at his feet. It is a very big temple. We had darshan of Lord Ranganatha and headed to next destination.

                    

NIMISHAMBA TEMPLE 
 
Nimishamba is incarnation of Goddess Parvathi. Nimisha(Minute) Amba(mother) is said to remove all the problems and troubles of her devotees within a minute. This is a beautiful temple located on the banks of river cauvery. This temple was installed at the time of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar about 300 to 400 years ago. We spent some time in river cauveri, and headed to our next destination.

                                        

CHAMUNDI HILLS  
                  

From Internet

Chamundi hills inhouses Chamundeshwari, incarnation of Devi Parvati, who is family deity of the royal family. This temple is located in on elevation of 1,000 metres.. And has 1008 steps.. One can climb the step or take vehicle to top of the hill...Chamundi hill inhouses Nandi of 4.9 metres(high) and Mahishasura Statue. 



                                  

    

Srikanteshwara - Nanjangud

Nanjangud is also known as "Dakshina Kashi" or "Varanasi/Prayag of South". Main deity of this temple is  Srikanteshwara.. Nanju in kannada means poison; the name Nanjundeshwara means the "God who Drank the Poison". Its quite a big temple..  Temple is located near River Kapila.. Lot of devotees, take bath in this river and have darshan of this lord..  We had darshan and left to next place..

Nanjangud temple

A big Idol of shiva at entrance of temple

Venugopala swamy -  Himavad Gopalaswamy temple

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka, at a height of 1454 m. It is said the hills  covers fog  round the year and thus named Himavad(Hima is snow/ice in Kannada) and the temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) thus called  Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta. It is a very small temple with small Idol of Lord Venu gopala.. 

Either side of the hill is a dense forest, and purohit said wild life, especially elephants come upto temple also.. We saw  elephant dung on stairs and realised it was a fact. We had darshan of lord and came out.. It was excellent scenic view from the top of hill/temple... We  saw some elephants far away in the wild.. We came down and waited for a while, and we could see wild elephants and baby elephants close by.. Took some pics and head to next destination..

Stairs to temple

Scenic view from hill/temple

Lakshmi venkataramana -  Vontikoppal  temple

Main deity of Vontikoppal temple is Sri Lakshmi Venkatramana Swamy temple.. The temple is located in place called Vontikoppal in mysore, thats why its also called Vontikoppal Sri Lakshmi Venkatramana Swamy temple.

Vontikoppal  temple

Vontikoppal  temple

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PARENTS FAMILY DEITY (KULADEVATA )

Its a practice to  visit and worship the Kula Devata on all special auspicious occasions like marriage, childbirth, when buying a house or when starting a new venture.. Some people visit family diety every year..

But after marriage  we could not visit my Family deity for couple of years.. My parents were planning to go to Family deity, so we decided to tag along.. My brother Mahesh also joined us...

My parents Family diety is Shankara Lingaeshwara and Swaramma - In small town called Pavgada, Madhgiri Taluk.

Swaramma Devi

Shankaralingeshwara

Its around 5hours drive from our house.. So we started early morning... Its basically a village.. So we had our breakfast on the way and packed few snacks and Lunch for afternoon..

It was noon by the time we reached..  Though temple was closed,  since we come from far away place the purohit opened the temple and did pooja..Its a small temple in an open place..

Swaramma temple

 

There are two temples one is Devi swaramma, and one is Lord shankaralingeshwara which is top of small hill.. 

climbing hill with my mom n dad

Small hill leading to Shankaralingeshwara temple

Had good time with family...

 After pooja, we finished lunch and started back.. 

Overall it was 10hours journey to and fro..  But since its village and not much places to see around we always make it in a one day trip..