In the last two months I went to few temples, some of which I had visited for the first time. A blog on this..
Denkanikottai:Denkanikottai is a small town close to Bangalore (around 60 km) and Hosur (30 km). I came to know from Anand that there were some temples with historical (and mythological !!) significance in and around this town. So off we went in 5 bikes from Bangalore.
"Kamba" Ganesha temple in Anekal was our first halt. This temple had a Mallikarjuna (Shiva) sannidhi which was a miniature of the one in SriSailam. It was told that the temple was resurrected by Sri Sri Abhinava Vidhya Theertha of Sringeri and Poojas were started regularly. Lord Ganesha appears in a pole or "kamba" and hence the name.
Narasimha swamy temple - This was in Denkanikottai. The significance of this temple was that the Narasimha sculpture here was carved by Arjuna (of the Pandavas) and the rock above the sculpture was moved by Bhima. The sculpture was inside a cave and there were carvings of all Gandharvas and other Devas and also that of dinosaurs!! The temple also has the outline of Lord Vishnu's feet ("Vishnu Padham") on the top of the rock. It is believed that Lord Vishnu killed a rakshasha standing on this rock. This is definitely a place to visit.
Pettaraya Swamy temple - This temple was close to the Narasimha Swamy temple. Pettaraya swamy (aka Vettaiyaadiya perumal - The lord who hunted) is believed to have killed a rakshasha using a mace ("gadha") called "Denkani" and hence the name for the town. The perumal looked really beautiful. Another speciality of this temple was that it had a separate sannidhi for Athri rishi (I belong to Athreya gothra and hence I have worshipped the root of my family tree :)).
Madurai:Two weeks back, I went to Madurai and nearby temples with my parents.
Azhagar koil - About 17 km from Madurai, Azhagagar koil can be reached with a detour from Melur when going from Trichy. Sundararaja perumal or Kallazhagar or simply Azhagar was looking true to His name. Simply beautiful and majestic. He is the brother of Goddess Meenakshi who was ruling Madurai. This was one of the Divya Desams and a must visit temple.
Pazhamudhir cholai - The 6th adobe (of the 6) of Lord Muruga is in a hill just adjacent to Azhagar koil. We were lucky to have visited the temple right at the time of the morning puja. Small but beautiful temple with a scenic backdrop. The hill was cool and there was a distinct temperature difference between the hill and the foothills. Also, a lot of monkeys en route and
people should be careful if they have things that would attract monkeys (hope you understand :)).
Thiruparankundram - Another adobe of Lord Muruga is the place where He resides in a "Kalyana kolam" - the place where His wedding with "Deivana" took place. He resides in a sitting posture flanked by Shiva (father), Durga (mother), Vishnu (uncle), Ganapathi (brother), Naradha (rishi), Surya (The Sun) and Chandra (moon) - a real marriage atmosphere :).
With this I had visited 4 out of the 6 adobes of Lord Muruga. Thiruthani and Thiruchendur are the two left. Planning to visit those soon (with His help of course :)) For those who do not know Palani and Swamimalai are the other two.
Meenakshi Amman temple - No explanation required. Meenakshi and Sundareswara swamy were as Majestic as ever. I was born in Madurai and I always have an affinity to Goddess Meenakshi :).
Viralimalai - While going back to Trichy we also got to visit Viralimalai - another Lord Muruga temple around 30 km from Trichy. Roughly 200 steps, the temple had 11 sannidhis, the main deity being Lord Shanmuganatha (Muruga with 6 faces). Lots of peacocks and monkeys
Denkanikottai:Denkanikottai is a small town close to Bangalore (around 60 km) and Hosur (30 km). I came to know from Anand that there were some temples with historical (and mythological !!) significance in and around this town. So off we went in 5 bikes from Bangalore.
"Kamba" Ganesha temple in Anekal was our first halt. This temple had a Mallikarjuna (Shiva) sannidhi which was a miniature of the one in SriSailam. It was told that the temple was resurrected by Sri Sri Abhinava Vidhya Theertha of Sringeri and Poojas were started regularly. Lord Ganesha appears in a pole or "kamba" and hence the name.
Narasimha swamy temple - This was in Denkanikottai. The significance of this temple was that the Narasimha sculpture here was carved by Arjuna (of the Pandavas) and the rock above the sculpture was moved by Bhima. The sculpture was inside a cave and there were carvings of all Gandharvas and other Devas and also that of dinosaurs!! The temple also has the outline of Lord Vishnu's feet ("Vishnu Padham") on the top of the rock. It is believed that Lord Vishnu killed a rakshasha standing on this rock. This is definitely a place to visit.
Pettaraya Swamy temple - This temple was close to the Narasimha Swamy temple. Pettaraya swamy (aka Vettaiyaadiya perumal - The lord who hunted) is believed to have killed a rakshasha using a mace ("gadha") called "Denkani" and hence the name for the town. The perumal looked really beautiful. Another speciality of this temple was that it had a separate sannidhi for Athri rishi (I belong to Athreya gothra and hence I have worshipped the root of my family tree :)).
Madurai:Two weeks back, I went to Madurai and nearby temples with my parents.
Azhagar koil - About 17 km from Madurai, Azhagagar koil can be reached with a detour from Melur when going from Trichy. Sundararaja perumal or Kallazhagar or simply Azhagar was looking true to His name. Simply beautiful and majestic. He is the brother of Goddess Meenakshi who was ruling Madurai. This was one of the Divya Desams and a must visit temple.
Pazhamudhir cholai - The 6th adobe (of the 6) of Lord Muruga is in a hill just adjacent to Azhagar koil. We were lucky to have visited the temple right at the time of the morning puja. Small but beautiful temple with a scenic backdrop. The hill was cool and there was a distinct temperature difference between the hill and the foothills. Also, a lot of monkeys en route and
people should be careful if they have things that would attract monkeys (hope you understand :)).
Thiruparankundram - Another adobe of Lord Muruga is the place where He resides in a "Kalyana kolam" - the place where His wedding with "Deivana" took place. He resides in a sitting posture flanked by Shiva (father), Durga (mother), Vishnu (uncle), Ganapathi (brother), Naradha (rishi), Surya (The Sun) and Chandra (moon) - a real marriage atmosphere :).
With this I had visited 4 out of the 6 adobes of Lord Muruga. Thiruthani and Thiruchendur are the two left. Planning to visit those soon (with His help of course :)) For those who do not know Palani and Swamimalai are the other two.
Meenakshi Amman temple - No explanation required. Meenakshi and Sundareswara swamy were as Majestic as ever. I was born in Madurai and I always have an affinity to Goddess Meenakshi :).
Viralimalai - While going back to Trichy we also got to visit Viralimalai - another Lord Muruga temple around 30 km from Trichy. Roughly 200 steps, the temple had 11 sannidhis, the main deity being Lord Shanmuganatha (Muruga with 6 faces). Lots of peacocks and monkeys
too !!
Planning to visit more temples and will be back with those blogs soon.
Cheers !!
Cheers !!
