Mariamman - Bangaru Kamakshi - Nisumbasudini

5-3-2008 : (cont'd)
Punnai Nallur : The Maratta rulers used to worship Mariamman. Once a Maratta ruler went to pilgrimage to Samayapuram Mariamman near Thiruchirappalli. After he returned to Thanjavur, Mariamman appeared on his dream and mentioned that She is residing at the Punnai forest 5 km East of Thanjavur. The King went and saw a white-ant hill (Putru) and started building a temple around it. The Maratta rulers Thulaja, Serfoji also worshipped and constructed the temple. The Great saint Sadhasiva Brammendra swamy shaped the ant hill into the form of Mariamman and also installed a powerful Chakra. For more details log on to : http://www.kumbakonam.info/punnai/punnai6.htm
Bangaru Kamakshi : Bangaru Kamakshi Temple is one of the popular religious sites in Thanjavur. The temple enshrines Goddess Kamakshi Amman as the presiding deity.
The idol of Bangaru Kamakshi is made of pure gold- covered with a 'Gold Kavacham' except the face. The ‘Kavacham’, made with Panchaloha, is removed for eleven days in a year for ‘Abishekam’ which is the main festival in the temple. Panchaloha is an alloy of five metals - gold, silver, copper, brass and iron. It is widely used for making idols and statues The face of the goddess is covered with 'punugu', which is black in color and so the idol looks as though made of stone. It is believed that Bangaru Kamakshi came from Kanchi Kamakshi's third eye.
Vadabhatrakali Temple : This one of the several Devasthanams belonging to the Thanjavur Palace. Located at East Gate, Thanjavur. The Goddess is Nisumbasudani. Saivite Bronze of Nisumbasudani is displayed at Chennai Museum. Height 75cm. 10th Centuary AD. The Goddess is destroying the demon Nisumbha. She is represented in an eight-armed figure. The "Image is portraying considerable vigour"- Raudra-cum-Saumya expression. The Devi's left hand is in Kataka mudra, holding the trident. The other hands hold-cobra, sword, shield, bow, bell, dagger and skull cup. The right ear-ring is a human form, while the left ear carries an owl.

Big Temple, Thanjavur

5 March'2008 : We left Coimbatore early morning, crossed Air Force Base Sulur & Palladam & reached Karur around 9.00 am & stopped at Anandha Bhavan for breakfast. Our next halt was Mukkombu, a tourist get away spot around 18 Kms before Trichy. Here the Cauvery is the widest and is known as "Akhanda Cauvery". We then cross Trichy, and the magnificent Rock Fort temple came into glorious view in clear weather & I could not resist the temptation to stop and shoot. We then get onto the Thanjavur road,cross the sprawling BHEL campus on one side & their huge residential Colony - Kailasam Colony, drive past the National Institute of Technology (previously known as REC, Trichy), cross Tiruverumbur temple ( a thevara sthalam where Lord Erumbeswarar is situated atop a hill & visible from the road) & travel North 5 Kms, reach Thuvakkudi & turn left and travel around 4 Kms on a kuccha road to reach Tirunedungalam, a Thevara Sthalam.
The deity here - Nityasundareswarar or Nedungalanathar is East facing & Ambal Oppilanayaki is south facing. The two holy tirthams are - Agastya Tirtham & Sundara Tirtham. Vilvam is the Sthala Vriksham. Sambandhar has sung here. The"Panaka Neivedyam" ( Jaggery dissolved in water flavoured with cardamom & dry ginger plus a dash of lime) offerred to Karuppannaswamy at the Sundara Tirtham is believed to have curative powers. A unique feature is a bronze horse near the sanctum. An Oral (stone mortar) from Chozha times - is used for pounding turmeric paste for applying to Varahi. Another distinctive feature is that Surya has two wives here & all Navagrahas are facing Suryan & his consorts. Dakshina murthy is also in unique Yogic pose.
We reach Thanjavur around 1.30 pm & drive to the Circuit House where we check in to the cool comfort of an A/c suite. We hungrily wolf down molakapady laced idlies & thair satham with mor molagai & pickles.
Big Temple : Around 3.30 pm we visit the most important objective of our trip - the Brihadeeswara Temple also known as Peria Koil or Big Temple. The temple is surrounded by a strong fort wall with a moat on the outside. The majestic Vimanam is distinctly visible from a distance. Entry to the temple is through an imposing gateway on the east, on either side of which stand two small shrines dedicated to Ganapathi and Mururgan.We pass through another Gopuram 90 feet high which leads to the outer prakaram . Here we see the temple elephant Perianayaki feeding & the mahout besides her. A second and more magnificent Gopuram leads into the inner prakaram.You have suddenly entered into an amazing, awe inspiring & surreal world of immense indescribable beauty. You are transported back a thousand years into a bygone era when Raja Raja Chozhan ruled South India. The main sanctum where Iswara is installed is a tall & imposing edifice carrying a grand Vimanam which is perhaps one of the most magnificent works of art & architecture that man has ever created. To me it is a wonder of the world . The inner prakaram is a sprawling campus and there is a paved walkway around the temple measuring 250 ft wide & 500 ft long. As you enter through the gopuram you first see the great Big Nandi installed in a huge mandapam on a raised platform & a tall copper covered majestic dwaja sthamban in front of the temple. A flight of steps takes you into the sanctum of Brihadeeswara - a tall Shivalingam or Peruvudaiyar - set in a two storeyed sanctum. This is the greatest, biggest, tallest Shivalingam I have ever seen & perhaps the biggest in existence. You exit the sanctum from the South & immediately climb up a flight of stairs to pray at the shrine of Dakshinamurthy. As you circumambulate you see shrines of Vinayaka, Karuravar, Subrahmanya, Chandikeswarar and finally that of goddess Peria Nayaki or Brihannayaki. The skill & beauty of the architecture & sculptures at each shrine keeps you spellbound & wondrous. You pinch yourself to make sure you are on earth - you could well be in Indralogam. The perimeter of the inner prakaram houses long pillared corridors, which abound in murals, Shiva Lingams and Nandis. To the South of the Nandi Mandapam is a raised stone platform which is used for dance & music performances. In fact we have landed on a Sivaratri day - and abhishekam was being performed on the Grand Nandi. A good crowd had gathered to witness the same on the occasion of Pradosam. People sat and watched in a disciplined manner. There was no pushing or jostling for space. It was a grand & captivating spectacle & we were very fortunate to be present for this festive occasion.
We then left to tour some other local temples but returned again after dinner - to a well lit Vimanam & Nandi. Weather was cool,pleasant & breezy. A Natya Vizha was in progress - to last week long beginning Sivaratri. We located a bench & sat opposite the softly illuminated Vimanam - it looked magical & mystical. We gazed silently - completely hypnotised & mesmerised. The experience was simply awesome. Wow ! For picture gallery go to web album :http://picasaweb.google.com/ramakrishnan49/BigTemple
For more technical information, legends, historical facts & descriptions log onto :
http://www.thanjavur.com/bragathe.htm

Thanjavur Temple Tour

We undertook the our first temple tour to Trichy during January'2008 which has been documented with photographs in my Blog.(See archives Jan'08). We decided to take a second trip this month - 5-9 March'08. This time we travelled to Thanjavur, Tiruvarur,Nagapattinam & Pondicherry Districts which abounds in Tevara Sthalams & Divya Desams. In 5 days of hectic road travel we covered 31 temples & one Church (Velankanni). This included six out of seven Vidanga Sthalams. We halted two nights each at Thanjavur & Tiruvarur. At both places we stayed at the Circuit House where we had made prior reservations through the respective Collectorates.
The primary objective of this trip was to see the Big Temple (Siva) at Thanjavur, Tiruvaiyar Panch Nadeeswarar, Tiruvarur Thiagarajar & then try and see as many temples as possible in the Thanjavur/Tiruvarur belt. The Big temple is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating monuments I have seen & an architectural marvel. Big Temple was holding a dance & music festival for one week starting sivaratri day - reputed dancers like Padma Subramaniam were amongst the performers. Tirunallar Saneeswar was not in our original plan but we made it on the penultimate day. At Tiruvaiyar we went to the Thiagarajar Samadhi and received an unexpected treat - a group of reputed Carnatic musicians (singers, mridangists, flutists) had gathered to sing 'pancharatam' on occasion of Sivaratri.
The travel was overall comfortable - Mornings & evenings were cool but afternoons had become considerably warmer as compared to our January trip.
The most unique feature of this trip was the abundance of large water tanks (tirthams) in all the temples & the innumerable lotus & lily ponds we sighted throughout our journey in Thanjavur & Tiruvarur belt. Incredibly there was a pond at intervals of every 100 meters (no I am not exaggerating). This can probably be entered into the Guinness Book of Records ! And added to that miles & miles of irrigated rice fields - after all Thanjavur was once considered the Rice Bowl of India. Virtually all temples were carrying large quanties of grains received from temple lands - for want of storage space these grains were temporarily stocked in the swami & ambal sannithis
We also stopped by briefly at Mukkombu on the Karur Trichy Route (18 kms before Trichy) - where the mighty Cauvery branches in two - Cauvery & Kollidam (or Coleroon). The Upper Anicut,which facilitates this,was built by Karikala Cholan around 2000 years ago. These two rivers encompass Srirangam turning it into an island before they meet again at Kallanai or Grand Anicut. This is an immensely beautiful place & serves as a sanctuary for a weekend getaway.
We were keen to visit Vedaranyam Wild Life Sanctuary but could not make it due to time constraints. Temple by Temple details will follow in subsequent blogs. Meanwhile readers can view some of the select & fascinating photographs taken during the trip at : http://picasaweb.google.com/ramakrishnan49/ThanjavurTemplesTour

North Kerala Tour

Fishing Boats at Mahe Harbour

Thalayi beach - Fishing nets under repair

Thalayi Beach - Boat with fishnets ready to take off

Thalayi Beach - Tellicherry

Muzhappilangad Beach

Muzhappilangad Beach

Avinashi Tours - Avinashilingeswarar - Tirumruganathar

Sunday,3 Feb’08 :Visit to Avinashi & Tirumuruganpoondi
Left Coimbatore around 6.40 am & reached Avinashi by 7.30 after covering a distance of close to 60 Kms – The Avinashilingeswarar temple is just off the highway. This is a Tevara Sthalam - one amongst seven in Kongunadu - sung by Tamil saint Sundarar. The tirthams associated with this temple are Airavata Theertham & Kasi Gangai Theertham. The stone Dwajasthambam outside was partially covered & the majestic Rajagopuram fully covered for tirupani (renovation). The base of the Dwajasthambam carries sculptures of the legend associated with this temple – the crocodile regurgitating a fully grown boy & Sundarar praying to Siva. Entry into the temple is through the huge doors of the Rajagopuram. Just before entry is a Pillayar on your left & an Uchi pillayar etched in the Rajagopuram just above the doors. You walk through the Rajagopuram into the Navaranga mandapam which carries exquisite sculptures on pillars – Urdhvatandavar, Alangattu Kali, Veerabhadrar. There is a second Dwajasthambam inside the prakaram. Then you enter the inner sanctum & pray to Moolavar – Avinashilingeswarar who is east facing ( Avinashi means non destructible).To the North on a raised manadapam is the Kanakasabhai with Natarajar in dancing pose with his feet firmly crushing Muyalavan.
The Ambal Karunambikai sannithi also east facing, is situated on the southern side – to the right of Avinashi Appar. There is a separate gopuram for Ambal sannithi. The multi-pillared mandapam outside Ambal sannithi also has many fine sculptures. Behind the Ambal Sannithi (near koshtam) you can see a sulpture of a scorpion – said to effectively cure you of poisonous bites. This is a unique feature.
There is a theppakulam (completely dry when we visited) outside (opposite Ambal sannithi) with a Nandi mounted at the entrance. A little distance away is a separate shrine for Sundarar.
Log on to for more details:http://www.dinamalar.com/koil_english/28_avinashiappartemple_avinashi.asp or
http://avinashilingeswarartemple.org/layout.html
Our next destination was Tirumuruganpoondi around 5 Kms frm Avinashi on the Tiruppur Road.(Enroute we saw the Koopidu Pillayar shrine pointing out the direction of the temple to Sundarar - visible from the road, situated on a small hillock to your right.)
Moolavar is Tirumuruganathaswamy (Skanda Natheswarar) & Ambal is Avudayanayagi (Lingabhooshana Stananbika). This is another of seven Tevara Sthalams in Kongunadu & sung by tamil saint Sundarar. There are many legends associated with this temple. According to one legend, Lord Murugan got Brahmahathi dosham after killing the demon king Soorapadman. To get rid of this dosham, Murugan erected a Shivalingam at this place and worshipped Lord Shiva. Durvasar is said to have brought the Madhavi tree sthala vriksham from Karpaka Lokam. Sundarar & Cheraman Perumal upon arriving here lost their wealth to a group of hunters; upon singing his patikam recovered the lost wealth. There are 2 images of Sundarar here depicting his state of mind prior to and after the incident with an image of Lord Shiva watching.
This temple is west facing and there is no gopuram in front as in other temples. Before you enter the moolavar sanctum you see Vinayagar to your left & statues of Sundarar to your right. To the right side of the sanctum there is a statue for Shunmugha with consorts Valli & Devayani. There is a mirror behind the idol for viewing the 6th face of Shunmugha.To the left side of the moolavar lies the shrine for Ambal Aavudainayagi.
As you circumambulate the outer prakaram on the North East corner you find sanctums for Saniswarar & Navagrahas west facing, Bhairavar (facing South) & vetupari in front ( the stolen wealth was hidden here by the Lord), Suryan west facing, separate shrine of Dakshinamurthy south facing (this is a unique feature), Bhavaniswarar east facing, & finally 63’ars on the West side.
The Dwajasthambam, as you enter the temple,has sculptures depicting Siva as the hunter (vettuvan) with bow & Sundarar.To the South of the temple lies the Gnana Tirtham in picturesque settings. Natarajar is in Brahma Tandavar pose - the Kanaka Sabhai was closed hence could not view Natarajar. There is a second dwaja sthambam inside.
This temple is under the administration & maintenance of Archaelogical Society of India. There are several inscriptions on the sanctum walls which is a unique feature.
Close to this temple, a few yards away, lies the Maadeswarar - Mangalambika temple - considered to be the original Tirumuruganpoondy temple; Sundadarar is said to have sung praises of this temple. A large Nandi - visible from a distance substitutes the traditional gopuram atop a mandapam situated in front of the shrine. The moolavar is east facing & Ambal is on the north side also east facing. On either side of moolavar sanctum are Vinayakar & Balamurugan. Behind the Shivalingam on the granite wall is a stone sculpture of an elephant offering prayers to the Lord. The archakar took special pains to explain this to us. As you circumambulate the prakaram you see Vinayakar Sannithi east facing on south west corner & a Ketu Sannithi also east facing on the north west corner & Navagrahas shrine in north east corner.
The Vimanan of moolavar has many colourful sculptures displaying several legends.
a) Sundarar with blissful expression having received his lost belongings b) Durvasa Muni offering prayers c) Ketu offering prayers to Siva.

Trichy Tours - Tiruparaithurai-Pasupatiswarar-Vennaimalai

Mukkombu : This was the final day of our temple tour. After yet another round of Murali coffee,we left Trichy around 6.30 am back on the Karur Road. We reached Mukkombu a picnic spot 18 kilometers from Tiruchirappalli. It is the place where the River Kollidam branches off from the river Cauvery. The place is also known as Upper Anaicut. The dam is about 685 meters long. It was constructed in the 19th Century across the Kollidam. The place attracts tourist because of the park, greenish garden science park, toy train, merry go round, fishing facility, and boating facility.
Tirupparaitturai : Located around 7 Kms from Mukkombu, we reached the abode of Paraitturai Nathar or Dharukavananathar, a tevara sthalam of Chozhanadu South of Kaveri. Praises sung by Sambandar & Appar.The Ambal is Pasum Pon Nayaki or Hemavarnambika. This shrine is located on the banks of the Akhanda Kaveri -the widest point in the course of the river. Kubera, Saptha Rishis & Indra have worshipped Shiva here. The Lord is said to have crushed the ego of the rishis in Dharukavanam here. The Shivalingam is said to have been dug out of an ant hill by a devout Chola King, upon his seeing a golden bird frequently flying by it.
you enter the temple through the raja gopuram at the entrance, There is a stone mandapam & the tell dwaja sthambam is right in front. The mandapam carries scultures of Appar,Sambandar, Manickavasar & the Chettiar who renovated the temple. There are shrines for Vinayakar & Dhandapani in the outer prakaram. You enter the prakaram through a second gopuram & reach the east facing moolavar. Innner prakaram contains shrines/idols - Valamburi Vinayakar, Sapta kanyas, 63'ars, Somaskandar, Mahaganapathy,Panchalingam,Arumughar,Bhikshadanar, Brahma, Durgai,Gajalakshmi, Shanmughar seated on a peacock, Navagrahas, Bhairavar. In the Koshtam you have sculptures of - Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy(South), Ardhanariswarar(West), Brahma,Durgai (North) & a sannithi for Sandikeswarar. Ambal is south facing. The pillars opposite ambal contains sculptures of Urdhvathandavar & Kali in dancing pose.
Karur Pasupatiswarar : This temple is regarded as the 7th of the seven Tevara Stalams in the Kongunadu. Saint Tirugnana Sambandar, the great Siddha, Karuvurar and Saint Arunagirinathar have sung in praise of the deities at this Temple.The moolavar is a Swayambhu lingam - Pasupateeswarar or Anilaiappar. The Lord has two consorts, Goddess Kripanayaki (Alankaravalli) – the Adinayaki with a Srichakra Pitham at Her feet and Goddess Soundaranayaki (Vadivudaiyal), a great devotee who is believed to have merged with the Lord on the 7th day of the Panguni Uthiram festival.

The Sthala vriksham is vanji & tirtham is Amaravati.
Kamadenu (divine cow) worshippped the Lord here. During the worship, the feet of Kamadenu touched the Lord’s head, the symbol of which is still on the Linga. The Lord was also worshipped by Brahma who did penance here in atonement for his haughtiness as the primordial Creator.
It is believed that Siddha Karuvurar dissolved himself with the Lord. He has a shrine in the Southwest corner of this temple.

This Sthalam is associated with the two great Nayanmars Eripatthar and Pukhazcholar. They worshipped here and their history is very well detailed in Periyapuranam. Arunagirinaathar sang about 9 'Thirupugal's’ in praise of beautiful Lord Muruga here.
Emperor Musukunda, belonging to the Skanda Mahapurana period is believed to have undertaken renovation of the temple.
Vennaimalai :The Balasubramanyaswami temple at Vennaimalai is an ancient one, revered by the Tiruppugazh hymns of Arunagirinathar, although its current structure is a recent one.
Vennaimalai is located near Karur near Tiruchirappalli. The temple is built on a small hill and it enshrines Balasubramanyar, Kasi Viswanathar and Visalakshi. The festivals of significance here are Skanda Sashti in the tamil month of Aippasi, Thai Poosam and Aadi Krittikai.

Trichy Tour - Kallanai-Tiruverumbur

Kallanai : After Koviladi we returned & reached the Kallanai, an ancient dam built by Karikala Cholan in the 1st Century AD, on the Cauvery in the state of Tamilnadu. The dam on the border between Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur constructed by him is a superb work of engineering. Built with earth and stone it has stood the vagaries of nature for hundreds of years. In 19th century, it was renovated and the name of the historical dam has since been changed to “Grand Anicut”. It stands as the head of great irrigation system in the Thanjavur district. After Grand Anicut, the Cauvery divides into numerous branches and cover the whole of the delta with a vast network of irrigation channels and gets lost in the wide expanse of paddy fields. The mighty Cauvery river here is reduced to an insignificant channel and falls into the Bay of Bengal at the historical place of Poompuhar. For detailed informstion log onto : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaveri_River
The Kallanai serves as an excellent picnic spot & offers a very scenic view of the reservoir, the dam & the branching off of the rivers & canals downstream.
Tiruverumbur : after relaxing at Kallanai we headed for Tiruverumbur - another of the Tevara sthalas in chozhanadu -the temple, is located about 15 km east of Trichy. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple enshrines Erumbeeswarar or Madhuvaneswararas the presiding deity along with his consort Saurabhya Kudalaambal or Madhuvaneswari. Appar has sung praises of this temple. This Shivastalam is a hill temple with a flight of granite steps. This temple has 2 prakarams, and the entire temple, and the mandapam at the foot of the hill are replete with inscriptions from the Chola and the Pandya period. As per legend, Devas in the form of ants are said to have worshipped here. To facilitate the ants to climb the lingam & offer worship the lord has manifested himself in the form of an anthiill & also tilted to one side. The teppa kulam is at the foot hills - a fascinating tirtham full to the brim with water.
For legends & other information log on to : http://www.shivatemples.com/sofc/sc007.html
Noon : After Tiruverumbur we returned to Trichy for lunch, relaxed for a couple of hours in the room & went back to Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple for a second time for a more detailed & relaxed visit. The Garudan Sannithi was awesome - it is said to be the biggest Garudan ever existing in any temple. Other sannithis visited - Andal, Venugopalr, Chakrathalwar, Ramar, Pattabhiramar,Ramanujar,Dhanwantari,Vasudevar,Mettu Azhagiya Singar. We also saw the paramapada vasal or swarga vasal, 1000 kal mandapam, Chandra Pushkarni, Vella Gopuram. There sculptured pillars everywhere & one spend days on end study the skill & beauty of these.
We were fortunate to witness Namperumal,the processional image, being carried on the shoulders of volunteers (to circumambulate the Chitra Veedhi) with the temple elephant Andal leading the procession & followed by a huge crowd of devotees singing praises of perumal.
Next we proceeded to Tiruvanaikaval temple & here too we reached just in time to see the panchamurthies - Jambukeswarar, Akhilandeswari, Muruga,Vinayaga & Sandikeswarar leaving for a procession around the veedhi outside the Vibhuti prakaram. We really felt blessed at such good fortune. After that we had nice long & peaceful darshan of the moolavar (appu lingam) & Ambal. This temple really gives you tremendous vibrations.

Trichy Tours - Thaayumaanavar-Tiruparturai-Koviladi

16-1-08 :
We left early morning to the Rockfort after a quick gulp of invigorating Murali's coffee. The Rock Fort Temple complex in Tiruchirappalli is a collection of three temples - the Manikka Vinayakar temple at the foot of the hill, the Uchhi Pillayar Koyil at the top of the hill and the Taayumaanavarswamy Tevara sthalam on the hill. The rock is reported to be more than 3500 billion years old. Shiva is revered here as Taayumaanavar (Swayambu) or Matrubhuteswarar & Ambal is Mattuvaarkuzhali, Sugandha Kundalambika.
All the famous saints Sambandhar, Appar & Sundarar have sung here besides Iyadigal Kaadavarkon, Arunagirinathar, Thaayumaana Swamy. The Brahma Theertham is where Theppa Utsavam (float festival) takes place. It was dug by Karikal Cholan, it measures 611 feet width and 330 ft length. The Sthala Guru is Sri Mouna Guru Swamy & Shiva Lingam is the 4th biggest Lingam in T.Nadu. Lord appeared as Mother and helped a woman in child-birth hence the name Taayumaanavar. Tiruchirappalli is hailed as Dakshina Kailasam, as the hill is said to be one of the three pieces that flew off the Himalayas in a fierce tussle between Adi Seshan the mythical snake and the Wind God Vayu. The other two are Triconamalee & Sree Kalahasti.
After offerring prayers to Manikka Vinayakar we climb up to the shivasthalam. After climbing 200 steps you turn West for shiva temple & right to go Uchi Pillayar. We turn left through a small passage which carries pictures depicting the legend of Taayumaanavar. We reach a big hall with a tall Dwaja sthambam, arupathi moovars on the left, Meenakshi & Sundareswarar on the other side. Then we climb up to the Ambal Sannithi which is one level below Siva sannithi.
We climb up another flight of stairs to reach the main prakaram - entry is from East side & Siva is facing West.
Along the Eastern wall you see idols of Chandran,Naalwars, & along the South wall are 63'ars (utsavars). South West corner - Tripurasundari. West side - Mahisasa Mardini,Sevvanthi Vinayakar, Somaskandar. To the North prakaram - Subramaniar,Valli & Devayani, Chandrasekhar & Anandavalli. North East corner - Jorahareswarar . Kosthtam - Dakshinamurthy, Bhikshadanar.
In the same level is the Chitra Mandapam adjacent to the prakaram- beautiful hall which contains exquisite paintings of gods & goddesses & tells many legends. The top of the Ambal Sannithi Vimanam projects into the chitra Mandapam. The Vimanan carries superb sculptures & is multicoloured.
For legends and other details log on to : http://www.pradosham.com/thayumanavar.php
Tirupaalthurai : 10 Kms from Tiruvanaikaval on the Kallanai Road - into Panayapuram village This is a Tevara sthalam (sung by Sambandhar) located in a remote village. The road is kuccha & one can easily get lost. Shiva: Aadi Mudalvar, Moolanathar & Ambal: Moga Nayaki, Mekalambikai.Tirtham is Kollidam,sthala Vriksham is vilvam. Markandeyan & Suryan have worshipped there. Shiva pleased with Markandeyan's worship showered him with milk - hence the name Tiru paal thurai. The sun's rays illuminate the sanctum on both the summer and winter solstices. The Vimanams were looking bright & it appears some renovation work (tiruppani) was in progress as was evident from a crude but ingenously assembled ladder that was found there. Maintenance was poor - the temple appears to be sufferring from a paucity of funds. Many of the lesser sannithis were closed - probably pujas are not done on daily basis. Even the temple priest was not available at the time & we had to go to his house and fetch him for doing the karpooram. He appeared to be nonagenarian who was totally deaf. Not withstanding all this we enjoyed the drive through the rural setting to this much neglected thevara sthalam.

Koviladi :Located about 25kms East of Trichy on the Kallanai -Thiruvayaru road, Koviladi AppaKudanthan temple in ThiruPer Nagar is situated right on the banks of Cauvery. This is a temple that dates to a period before the Srirangam Ranganatha temple. In centuries gone by, people used to visit Koviladi and walk 2 kms across the Coloroon to reach Anbil Divya Desam.It is said that Appaala Ranganatha measured the steps for Srirangam Ranganatha and hence the name ‘Kovil - Adi’ (Srirangam is called the ‘Kovil’ among the Divya Desams, Adi is ‘steps’)

The Lord can be seen blessing Markandeya with his right hand & the silver appakudam is behind the rishi. The left hand is held upright with fist closed to represent garva bhangam of Indira. Bhoomi Devi is near his feet. This is only Divya Desam where Appam is offered daily to the Lord. Thirumangaialwar, Nammalwar & Thirumazhisaialwar have sung praises of Appallaa Ranganathar. It is believed that Namazhwar attained Moksha at this place. Perumal is Bhujanga sayanam west facing & Thayar is Idira Devi or Kamalavalli. This is one of Pancharanga Kshetrams. The tirtham is Indira tirtham,Kollidam. For legends & trivia log onto : Sri Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple (Thirupper Nagar) - Wikipedia ...

Trichy Tours - Lalgudi

15-1-2008 : Tiruttavatturai at Lalgudi situated 20 kms east of Tiruchirappalli is an ancient shrine dating back to the period of the Nayanmars - this shrine is regarded as one of the Tevara vaippu talangal. The red towers adorning this town caused the newly arrived muslim rulers to refer to this place as Lalgudi. This west facing temple covers an area of about 2 acres and is adorned with a five tiered Raja Gopuram at its entrance. The presiding deities here are Shiva, worshipped as Saptarishiswarar and his consort Srimathi. There are also shrines to Ganesha, Murugan and the seven sapta rishis. Other forms of Shiva such as Bhikshaadanar, Ardhanaareeswarar, Veena Dakshinamurthy are also enshrined here.
Legend has it that the sapta rishis (atri, brihu, pulsithar, vasistar, gauthamar, angeerasar and marichi) were relieved of a curse upon worshipping Shiva at this shrine and hence the name Sapta Rishiswara. There are also legends associated with the worship of Shiva by Lakshmi, Vishnu and Murugan here. The stala vriksham is arasamaram (banyan tree). The sacred water sources are Sivaganga and Chakra Theertham.
Deities : saptarishiswarar sannathi is west facing with idols of dwarpals & garudan at the entrance, north side of west wall - adhirai vinayakar, venugopal, tirumal & south side of west wall - sapta rishis,viswaksenar. West Prakaram-shrines for Saraswathy & Durgai ,North Prakaram - Natarajar, Gajalakshmi,Subramaniar with Valli & Devayani, North East corner Navagrahas, East prakaram - Bhairavar,Suryan,Saptha Ganapathy,South East corner-Sandikeswarar, South prakaram - Naalwars, 63'ars, Soth West corner- Vinayagar. Koshtams - North-Bhikshatanar, East-Ardhanariswarar,South-Veena Dakshinamurthy. Separate shrine for Dakshinamurhty in South prakaram.
Amman Sannithi ( Ambal Shrimathi) is East facing situated on on the West prakaram.
Ambal sannithi koshtam - Narthana Ganapathy, Gowri, Vaishnavi, Brahmi, Kaumari.
Being Sankranti a festival day we were fortunate to be present in the temple when the processional idols were brought out by devotees on palanquins carried on their shoulders. First it was Ganesha seated on his mooshika vahanam - followed by Muruga on his mayil vahanam(the peacock carrying a snake in its mouth) , then Shiva & Parvati(somaskandar) on rishabha vahanam & Ambal also on rishaba vahanam finally followed by Sandikeswarar. It was an awesome site and first ever pancha moorthy procession I have witnessed. We prayed ardently to the Utsavars before returning to Srirangam. The picture of the panchamurthy's is still etched vividly in my mind.

Trichy Tours - Uttamarkoil - Tirumandurai - Anbil

15-1-2008 : Post noon
1.Uttamarkoil :(Near Trichy) Also known as Bhikshadanar koil, kadamba kshetram or trimurthi kshetram,this is one of the Divya Desams where Tirumangai Azhwar has sung. There are shrines here to all three trinity of deities - Shiva and his consort Vadivudaiamman, Brahma and his consort Saraswati, Vishnu (Purushottaman) and his consort Poornavalli. Shiva is worshipped in the form of Bhikshatanar. Legend has it that the fifth head of Brahma, which was pulled out by Shiva, stuck to his palms; and it was only after his receiving alms from Mahalakshmi, that it came unstuck. As per another legend Vishnu took the form of a Kadamba tree to which Bhrahma offered worship, offering water from his kamandalam. Another story connected to with this kshetram deals with the dharshan given by Perumal to Janaka Maharaja.
The sanctum of Purushottamar is East facing & Perumal is in sayana thirukolam & Utsavar with Sridevi & Bhudevi. Thayar is Poornavalli. Shiva or Bhikshatanar is West facing & Ambal Soundarya Parvathi is South facing. As you circumambulate you can see shrines for Sandikeswarar,Navagrahas,Dasaratha Lingam,Varadaraja Perumal,Azhwars, Ramanujar, Manavala Mamuni, Natarajar,Vinayakar,Subramaniar,Brahma & Jaya Anjaneya.
For legends & other details log onto : http://www.srivaishnava.org/ddesam/uttamar/sthala.htm
2.Tirumandurai:(Lalgudi road) Located just a few yards from the main road around 5 Kms before Lalgudi. Shiva is called Maanturaiappar or Amravaneswarar and Ambal is Azhagammai or Balambal. It is considered to be the 58th in the series of Tevara Stalams in the Chola kingdom located north of the river Kaveri. Sambandhar & Arunagirinathar have sung praises.
Legends: Surya, Chandra, Kanvar and Vishnu are said to have worshipped Shiva here. Mrikandu Munivar (father of Markandeya) and a deer worshipped Shiva under a mango tree, and this legend is illustrated in stucco in the temple.
Brahma is said to have brought the Gayatri Nadi at the completion of his worship here.
Indra worshipped Shiva to absolve himself of the sin of having deceived Akalya, the wife of Gowtama Rishi.
The moolavar is East facing while Ambal is south facing. Vinayaka & Baladandapani can be seen standing on either side of Siva shrine. Separate Nandi for Ambal. As you go around prakaram you find Dakshinamurthy on south koshtam, Vishnu on West koshtam, Brahma & Durgai on north koshtam. you also find shrines for Ganapathy, Subramaniar, Gajalakshmi, Sandikeswarar & Navagrahas.
3.Anbil : Tiru Anbil is one of 108 divya desams or celestial abodes of Lord Vishnu and is located 8 Kms from Lalgudi. It is also considered one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams along the course of the Cauvery. Praises were sung by Tirumazhisai Azhwar. Moolavar is Vadivazhagiya Nambi in a reclining posture facing East while the Utsavar is Sundararaja Perumal & Taayaar is Azhagiyavalli.
This divya desam is also known as Premapuri and Triveni. It is known as Triveni as the three rivers Kaveri, Savitri and Phalguni rivers are said to have merged into one and flowing near this divya desam. Savitri and Phalguni are said to be flowing underground. This place is also known as Dakshina gaya. Those who cannot go to Gaya, can perform the sradha for their forefathers here with an equal holy effect.
Legend has it that Brahma and Valmiki worshipped Vishnu here. Legend also has it that Mandookamuni in his state of intense underwater penance failed to pay his respects to the arriving Durvasa muni who cursed him to take up the form of a toad. Upon worshipping Vishnu at this shrine, the sage was relieved of his curse, and hence the name Mandooka pushkarini. Shiva is said to have visited this place on his way to Kandiyur from Uthamar Koil in his search for liberation from Brahma’s curse
History: It is learned from temple inscriptions that Sundara Cholan - the Imperial Chola. monarch offered worship at this shrine, by placing his sword in front of the sanctum, prior to his venturing out on battles. Inscriptions here reveal information on the grants made by this emperor to the temple.
4. Anbil Brahmapureeswarar : or Satyavadiswarar. A Tevara Sthalam. Ambal Soundaranayaki east facing. Sthala Vriksham Banyan. Chandra Tirtham. East facing swayambu lingam & square avudayar. Sthala Vinayakar is also known as chevi saichha vinayakar who slants his head to listen to Sambandhar singing across the Kollidam. Brahma & Vagisha Muni are said to have worshipped here. Parambaka Chola rebuilt this temple. Appar & Sambandhar have sung praises of the Lord.
Koshtams - Dakshinamurthy in south, Vishnu in West. Prakaram - Suryan,Chandran, Saniswarar, Navagrahas, Nalwars on East side. On the West side - Sevi Saitha Vinayakar, Annamalaiyar, Bhikshandanar, Viswanathan & Visalakshi, shanmugha with Valli & Devayani,and Bhairavar South facing in north East corner.

Trichy tours - Tiruvanaikaval - Samayapuram

15-1-2008 :
It was Pongal day - a day of festivities. We had a leisurely morning session & a late morning brunch at a friends house in Srirangam. After this we proceeded to the Tiruvanaikaval Temple, one of the significant Tevara Sthalams, for the special 12.00 noon Puja .Thiruvanaikoil is around 3 Kms away from the heart of Trichy city and adjacent to Srirangam, another small but historic town and one of the holy places in India. Thiruvanaikoil and Srirangam together form an island, surrounded by rivers Cauvery and Coleroon.Thiruvanaikoil temple is one of the panchabhoota sthalams (signifying the 5 natural elements). As this temple represents element water this is also called as 'Appu sthalam' and the Shivalingam is called as 'Appu Lingam'. Even today you can see water oozing out near the Shivalingam in the temple. The ambal of this temple is 'Akilandeswari' - meaning Akilam – Universe, Aanda – Ruler, Eswari – Goddess. The power of the goddess is extremely potent and Adi Shankara is attributed to establishing two Sri chakras in the form of earrings in order to reduce the “ugra” or fierce power of the Goddess.
Many saints have visited this temple and sung songs in praise of Lord Jambukeshwara and Akilandeswari - the four famous Nayannmars or Nalwars Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnansambandar and the Muruga devotee Arunagirinathar and the legendary Carnatic composer Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar.
The sacred tree is jambu. There are nine tirthams and all are considered sacred.
Ucha Puja : As Akilandeswari worshipped Lord Shiva in this temple, even today at noon the 'Archakar' dresses like a female and does Pooja to Lord Shiva and 'Ko Maatha' (Cow). This noon pooja is very famous and pilgrims throng the temple to witness this. For the purpose of this pooja the temple is maintaining a 'Karam Pasu' (completely black cow). Annabhishekam with cooked rice to Lingam is a daily ritual at Thiruvanaikoil.There are many legends associated with this temple like the origin of Appu Lingam, how the deity came to be known as jambukeswara, how the temple got the name Thiruanaikovil etc. For more details & pictures log onto :
http://thiruvanaikoil.com/History.aspx
Tit-Bits: Chola King “Ko Chengot Cholan” constructed this temple in 1st Century B.C. Thiruvanaikoil temple was built in an area around 18 acres and measures 2500 feet by 1500 feet. The temple has five “Praharams.The “Swami” is installed facing West and “Ambaal” facing East. There are many mandapams in this temple including 1000 pillar mandapam.
Vibhooti Praharam : When the king “Thirruneetru Sundara Pandiyan” was constructing the 5th Praharam wall on the East Side, he was running out of money to pay to the laborers.That night the Lord appeared in the Kings dream & asked him to continue the work. As per the Lords wish the King continued the construction and at the end of that day a Sanyasi (saint) came there and he gave the laborers pinches of sacred ash. That sacred ash turned into gold equivalent to the work done by them. Then only the King realised that the Sanyasi was none other than the Lord himself. Because of this instance the East Side praharam is known as “Vibhoothi” praharam.
Samayapuram : We then drove to Samayapuram, 15 kms from Trichy, for a darshan of the famous mariamman. Mariamman is a form of Shakti worshipped in Tamilnadu, and is associated with prosperity and health. One darshan of the deity & she leaves a strong, powerful & ever lasting impression in your mind. Local beliefs associate this deity with cures for diseases such as small pox and chicken pox. The main offering of the temple is the Mavilakku Mavu made of jaggery, rice flour, dhal and ghee.Thaipoosam is the major festival celebrated here amid much religious fervor. Every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, hundreds of devotees throng the temple and perform Poojas. This temple has separate shrines for the processional image of Mariamman and the moolavar in the sanctum. There is also a shrine to Karuppannasaami a local deity. The moolavar is made of sand & clay hence there is no abhishekam. Abhishekam is done only on the Utsavar. In terms of income this is the second richest temple in Tamilnadu next to Palani.
Legend has it that Shiva created Kali, out of the poison that he had swallowed, and decreed that she kill Daarukaasuran. Having originated from the Kaalakoota poison, she assumed the name Kaali. Mariamman is believed to be a form of Kaali, and is also known as Mahamaayi or Seethala Gowri. For more legends about the Mariamman & photographs log onto :
http://pattini.org/mariamman.htm, http://www.sripremananda.org/english/e7_more/e7a_hinduism/e7a_amman_006.htm