HINDU TRINITY

Tiruvanamalai (Arunachalam) , Tamil Nandu

Monday, January 26, 2009

Temple is an externalized aspect of faith, and it is a place to restore peace and harmony. What great seers have visualized has been made outwardly real in a temple. This temple is safely edifice consecrated to the Lord of Light and other deities, built centuries ago at the foot of the hill to form the seat of worship. The main entrance to the sanctum sanctorum is in the eastern tower, the tallest structure in proportion to the other dimensions of this largest temple forming part of it. The tower rising heavenward is marvelously massive and magnificently majestic one with its imposing structural elegance and inviting architectural excellence and awes people at a distance.

Temple is the world's only social hope and the sole promise of peace and harmony; It purifies the society, and looks at the world with the intention of serving it, and strengthening society spiritually uniting people. The temple stands for the eternal, and the great glory of god where people praise the name of god and sing his glory. The temple offers you something you simply cannot get else where.

An Endless Echo of an incantation.

An incantation of ecstatic import echoes endlessly through out the city. This verified phrase of wisdom which glorifies lord is a holy utterance having the stamp and dignity of divinity, it yields a nourishment to the mind; it is sweet to the soul, and wholesome to the body. This line is cluster of words is the temple in which the soul of those chant is enshrined;

It has an immense power to

* Refresh the mind and make truth flow the clearest into it
* Nurses the sprit
* Wakes the soul and

Wings it with sublime desire as fits it bespeak deity. When this Manthram of marvelous power is intoned with prayerful attitude it

* Revives one's being
* Touches the root of the matter
* Calls in one's spirit
* Composes his thought
* Delights his ear
* Recreates his mind.
* Exhilarates his soul

Lord Annamalai appears to visionary souls in the form of conflagration attended with light and heat, but to an ordinary observer there is rocky hill in this place. The grandeur of this sthala: The Earth is composed of five elements namely Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether. The physical body of the throbbing life is also composed of these five elements.

There are are sacred spots (Pancha Bootha Sthalas ) of these five elements.

Of these five holy sthalas Thiruvannamalai is the Theju sthala. To think about Thiruvannamalai alone bestows liberation and this sthala naturally stands first. One can obtain salvation (Mukthi) by remaining in one's place and thinking of Thiruvannamalai.

This Mukthi sthala spreads an expanse of 25 acres containing the temple of Lord Arunachala with tall towers piercing the sky. This shrine is famous not only in India but throughout the world.

Legends declare that those who pronounce the name of this sthala once, secure the bliss of repeating three crores of times the panchakshara (the Mantra of five words) and that not only those who visited and worshipped in this sthala, but also their descendents up to 21 generations will get liberation.

As one enters the city Thiruvannamalai, the Rajagopuram standing majestically, soaring a height of 217 feet comes to view first. It has 11 stories. This tower is a standing testimony to the artistic genius of the Vijayanagar Dynasty.

The Paathala (underground) Linga which is inside the temple in the south west corner of thousand pillared hall is one where Ramana Maharishi worshipped and secured liberation. Next comes Kambath Illayanar Sannadhi where Arunagiri Swami, the author of Thirupugazh was granted Mukthi.

The temple has Six enclosures which includes 9 gopurams(Towers).

* In the West - Pey Gopuram
* In the North - Ammani Ammal Gopuram
* In the South - Thirumanjana Gopuram.

Among the Gopurams Raja Gopuram is the big tower in the east and it was built by the King Vallala. And also the Entrance to the temple.
About Enclosures

The first and second enclosures are the oldest one which has been structured very long back. The second enclosure has the idols of 63 Nayanmars. Third enclosure was structured by the King Kulothunga. It includes 16 pillars mandabam.

The fourth and fifth enclosures were constructed in 16th Century. This includes big Nandhi, Sivaganga Thirtha(Tank) and the wall enclosing huge structures.

The Katchi Mandapam or hall of Darshan. During the famous festival Karthigai Deepam the five deities are brought to this Mandapam, to be worshipped by the devotees when the grand and gigantic lamp (Deepam) is lit on the top of the holy hill.

The third enclosure houses the temple of Unnamalai Amman the name of Parvathi, Shiva's consort in Thiruvannamalai.

The second enclosure houses the Isanya Lingam, Indra Lingam and several deities. The Utsava Murthis , made of Pancha Lohas or five metals, which are taken out for processions.

The first prakaram which has the sanctum sanctorum (Garba Graha) of lord Annamalai, the presiding deity of the temple and the holy place.

Thousand Pillar Hall

On entering the temple through the east tower the big structure one faces on the right is the thousand pillared hall. There are indications that it was built by Krishnadevaraya. The thousand pillared hall sports exactly 1000 pillars. the pillars are carved , with sculptures of Naik periods and some divine images. Sages, Vishnu's incarations too find a place with floral designs.

Siddhi Vinayagar

The prime God Lord Ganesha also resides near the Sivaganga Theertha (tank) in the name of "Siddhi Vinayaga" and also called "Sivagangai Vinayagar".

Annamalai sthala has a special place in the history of our Culture and Religious life. The hill Annamalai has been responsible for the blossoming of several Saints and Ghanis. Many saints have attained liberation here.

Arunachala is a sthala is as old as human civilization shines with its own glory, that burns the ego afflicting human beings.

Kailasanatha Temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

The Pallava kings of ancient Tamil Nadu in Kanchipuram built Kailasanatha temple. These Pallava kings ruled from their capital city Kanchi or Kanchipuram (75 km from Chennai). They were great patrons of art and architecture.

The Kailasanatha temple is one of the earliest structural temples of the Pallavas. This temple was built of blocks of sandstone. The temple was dedicated to Lord Siva. During the reign of Narasimhavarman II, better known as Rajasimha (691-728 A.D.), the Kailasanatha temple was constructed. This temple has its main sanctum facing the east side. The rear wall of the temple has a sculpture of Somaskanda (Lord Siva and Uma with son Muruga in the centre), which was always seen in Siva temples of the Pallava age. There is a large sixteen-sided `Siva linga` in the temple shrine here. This linga was polished of granite, about eight feet in height in front of this sculpture, which was placed here at a later date. There is a rare feature here, which is very narrow, winding circumbulatory (pradakslrina) passage around the sanctum. It is very difficult to enter and walk through as it has very low height.

Unique feature of the Kailasanatha temple is that it was built almost entirely of sandstone with only few parts like the foundation being in solid granite to bear the weight of the big structure. The shrine is situated just in front of the main entranceway to this temple and this is unique feature of it. No other Tamil shrines are situated like this. This shrine of the Kailasanatha temple blocks the view of the main sanctum. This small shrine was built by Mahendravarman III, a son of Rajasimha, and named after him as Mahendravarmeshvara griham.

There is a `Somaskanda` panel in the Kailasanatha temple, which is said to be the original image worshipped here. There is a linga on the rear wall, which belonged to a later age. The row of fifty-eight miniature shrines on all four sides of the courtyard of this temple-complex facing the main temple is very remarkable feature of the temple. All these shrines here are of square shaped and are of sandstone. There are very gorgeous sculptures found inside the inner wall and on some of them the `Somaskanda panel` can be found. There is small gopuram at the entrance of the temple.

The Kailasanatha temple has many attractive sculptures, which portrays the different manifestations of Lord Siva like Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavamurti, Gajasamharamurti and many others. These sculptures also depict Siva in various dance poses; speak of the skill and deftness of the Pallava sculptors and master craftsmen. There is a large stone image of Nandi can be seen at a short distance to the east of this temple on a square platform. This massive Nandi sculpture is about six or seven feet in length and faces the main temple. It is ornamented with carvings of bells and jewels and there are four pillars with the Vali motif, one on each corner of the platform. This indicates that probably there was once a roof over it.

The various inscriptions of the Kailasanatha temple provide a lot of information about the history of the Pallavas, especially of the reign of its patron, king Rajasimha. This temple gives a good idea of the history, archaeology, temple architecture and iconography of the South Indian history and culture.

Jambukeswarar Temple, Tiruvanaikka, Tamil Nadu

Jambukeswarar TempleSignificance: This ancient temple is dedicated to Shiva (Jambukeswara) and Parvati (Akhilandeswari) is the foremost Saivite shrines in Tamilnadu. This large temple celebrates Shiva as Jambukeswara, an embodiment of element water and is called Appustalam and is a Pancha Bhoota Stalams - the other being Tiruvannamalai (fire), Chidambaram (Space), Kanchipuram (Earth) and Kalahasti (Air) respectively.

Antiquity: This temple was built in the 1st century BC and was patronized by the Chola Pandya, Hoysala and the Madurai Naik kings. The Chola King Ko Chenkannan built the temple. This temple was in existence during the Sangam period, and it has undergone major changes over the last 2000 years. Inscriptions from the tenth century tell of the Chola patronage. The Pandyas and the Hoysalas contributed to the Eastern tower. Architecture: This temple has five prakarams with massive walls and lofty towers. The second and the third prakarams date back to the thirteenth century. The Akhilandeswari shrine is located in the fourth prakaram. The Eastern tower has seven levels with fine sculptures of musical scenes, while the Western tower has nine levels. The first prakaram was renovated in the 20th century.

Jambukeswarar TempleLegends: There was a forest of Jambu trees near the Chandrateertha tank and Shiva is appeared under one of the trees as a lingam. Two devotees of Shiva were born under a curse as a white elephant and a spider. The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and water brought in its trunk hence the name Tiru Aanaikka. The spider worshipped the lingam by spinning a web on top, to protect it from falling leaves. The elephants destroyed the spider`s web, and the spider`s web was considered a desecration in the eyes of the elephant. This led to a fight between them and their death. The spider was reborn in the royal Chola family. His parents Subhadeva and Kamalavati prayed to Nataraja of Chidambaram for a male successor. The royal astrologer predicted the time and birth of a successor who would be a great ruler.

Sri Kalahasti Temple , Andhra Pradesh

Deity: Shiva-Vayu- Kalahasteeswara.

The Kalahasti temple is dedicated to Kalahasteswara worshiped as Vayu Lingam. The Vayu Lingam, represents the element wind out of the five elements of Agni, Vaayu, Aakasam, Jalam and Prithvi. This temple is renowned for performing Sarpadosha (Rahu Ketu) Nivaarana Pooja.

This temple was constructed in the 12th century by the Chola king, Rajarajendra. Vayu incarnated as Lord Shiva and is worshipped as Kalahasteeswara. This is an important temple dedicated to Lord Siva. This temple`s main idol is the vayu (air) linga. There is a lamp burning inside the inner sanctum that constantly flickers despite the lack of air movement inside. The vayu-linga can be seen moving despite the doors being closed. The sanctum has no windows, the lamp flames keep moving despite no air movement. The linga is white and is considered Swayambhu - self-manifested.

Kalahasti is surrounded by two hills. The Durgamba temple on the north hill and the shrine of Kannabeswara on the south hill, in memory of the Sage Kannappa, who offered an eye to the Lord. There is also a temple dedicated to Subramanya on one of the hills. A river flowing in the north washes the foot of the temple. The main linga remains untouched by human hands, even the priests do not touch it. Abhishek (bathing) is done by pouring a mixture of water, milk, camphor and panchamrita. Sandal paste, flowers and the sacred thread are offered to the utsava-murti, and not the main linga. It has an enormous, ancient gopuram over the main gate, which is 36.5 metres (120 feet) high and the entire temple is carved out from the side of the hill. King Krishnadeva Raya built this temple in1516. The temple is very ornate with elaborately designed pillars, altars, etc.

The temple occupies the area between the riverbanks and the foot of the hills and is known as Dakshina Kailasam. The three gopurams are remarkable in their architecture. A hundred-pillared mantapam is another important feature of this shrine. The tower was established nearly a thousand years ago. The various stupas and temple testify to the antiquity of the place.

Legend: As the legend goes, the town got its name because of the temple named after Sri (spider) Kala (serpent) hasti (elephant) after the three ardent devotees of Lord Siva. These three animals attained divinity by worshipping Lord Siva. The spider was Vishwakarma`s (architect of the deva ganas) son Oornanabha. He was trying to replicate Brahma`s creation and thus annoyed Brahma who cursed him to become a spider. Siva himself cursed the snake. The elephant was god Pramadha cursed by Siva`s wife, Parvati, when he intruded on their privacy. The Siva linga here is an amalgamation of the three animals.

The spider as devotion wanted to spin webs in the shape of temples and mantapams. The morning dewdrops would make the cobwebs look like pearl houses and sunrays would make them shine like rubies. But these would break and crumble with the wind. The spider would connect the threads and weave the web all over again. One day Siva, to test the spider`s devotion, burned his webs with a lamp from his shrine. The enraged spider swallowed the flame and sacrificed its life. Pleased with his devotion, offered the spider a boon, Siva merged the spider unto Himself. And so one can still see the spider on the Linga.

The serpent worshipped the linga with precious gems. An elephant, would bathe in the nearby Swarnamukhi River, push the precious gems away and worship the linga with leaves and flowers from the forest. On the next day the snake, would find her precious offerings pushed away, would get enraged. The serpent pushed away the leaves and flowers and worshipped the linga with the precious gems it brought from underground. One day the snake got upset and kept a watch hiding under the leaves waiting to catch the mischief-maker. The elephant also lost its temper finding her offerings pushed away. One day it came early and was pleased to find the flowers undisturbed. It went and took bath and brought fresh flowers and leaves. While the elephant was clearing the previous day`s leaves and flowers, the snake got into the elephant`s head through its trunk, causing unbearable pain. The elephant ran helter-skelter with pain and banged its head on a mountain. He died; the snake was also crushed to death. Lord Siva took them into his fold.

The main linga is shaped like an elephant trunk, with tusks on each side and a figure of the spider at the bottom. If you look at the linga from above it looks like a snake with five hoods. The spider is call "Sri," the snake "Kala," and the elephant "Hasti." The three names are combined together in the name Srikalahasti. The spider is said to have a web above the linga to protect it from the sun and rain. The elephant would get water with its trunk and bath the linga (perform abhisheka) and the snake would perform worship.

There are ever so many stories about Srikalahasti. As the legend goes, the Siva Linga, which is in Srikalahasti, actually belongs to Vali (Sugreeva`s brother) of Ramayana. Once, on his way to some place (being an ardent devotee of Siva, he carried the linga wherever he went), Vali stopped near a lake for morning abulations. He placed the Linga on the ground and went to take bath in the lake, before worshipping the Linga. After the pooja, when Vali tried to lift the Linga to proceed with his journey, he could not budge it from its place, however hard he tried. He came to the conclusion that Lord Siva was enamoured by the beautiful big lake and hence did not wish to leave. He spotted a mountain nearby, uprooted it and dumped it in the lake, which flowed as the present Swarnamukhi River. Even then the Linga would not budge. So Vali had to give up his efforts and proceed, leaving the Linga there.

The main temple is dedicated to Lord Siva, the destroyer among the Trimurties. The linga here is one of the Panchabhuta lingas (made up of the five elements) - wind, water, fire, earth and ether. The linga at Srikalahasti is Vayulinga or one made of wind. Jala linga is made of water, at Jambukeswara; Jyothir linga is made of fire, at Arunachalam; Aksha linga is made up of ether, at Chidambaram; and Prithvi linga, is made of earth, at Sivakanchi - the four elements of the universe.

The skillful Yadava architecture of the temple is such that the flame flickers continuously in the sanctum sanctorum, indicating the presence of wind near the deity. The shaft of air in the sanctum sanctorum is considered as the Linga or the main deity - Vayulinga, there is another idol, Srikalahastiswara Linga - on to which are embedded the images of a spider, snake and elephant - which is offered puja and rituals. The Tondaman emperor and later the Pallava rulers contributed to the growth of the temple. After Pallavas, the Cholas remodeled the temple premises and built huge walls around it. The temple complex is a maze of structures. The temple has four major entrances each with a huge tower above.

There is an Alms Tower - Bichchala Gopuram. It is a small tower constructed by the Yadava kings by collecting alms and hence the name. The huge compound has a large flower garden, rooms for making garlands, eating places and a place for Vasanthotsavam (festival of colors) during Holi in the names of Chookkeswara and Meenakshi. In the compound, there is an underground temple for Ganesh and an entrance leading to the Kannappa Hill. Since entrance is dark, it takes a while to go to Kannappa Hill and come back. The Kannappa Gudi is a single cell temple, with the icon of Kannappa, on the eastern side of the main temple. Here Kannappa offered his eyes to Lord Siva. The Sivalinga is outside the temple under a tree, commemorating the whole episode.

Durgamba Hill - is 800 meters high on a hillock to the north of Sri Kalahastiswara temple, housing a small shrine of Durgamba. A flight of steep but broad steps, lead to the temple.

Chidambaram Natarajar Temple, Tamilnadu

Significance: Chidambaram has ancient and celebrated shrines in India. Chidambaram is associated with Nataraja or Shiva in Ananda Tandava pose (the Cosmic Dance of bliss) in the golden hall and the Chit Sabha. Shiva is also worshipped here as formless - Chidambara Rahasyam. Therefore the temple is known for its Akasa Lingam.

Antiquity: When the temple came about to be is unknown but literature mentions the tradition of Shiva (Nataraja) worship in existence as early as the Sangam period. The later Chola kings (Aditya I and Parantaka I) decorated the roof with gold, and the other Chola kings treated Nataraja as their guardian deity and made several endowments. The Pandya kings followed them, and the Vijayanagar rulers made endowments to the temple. There is a stone image of Krishnadevaraya in the North Gopura, which he erected. During the 18th century the Mysore rulers used this temple as a fort. During this period, the images of Nataraja and Sivakamasundari were housed in the Tiruvarur Tyagaraja temple for safety.

Each of the four most revered Saivite Saints (Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavacakar) has worshipped at Chidambaram, and their images are placed at the temple entrances corresponding to the points from whence they entered - (Sambandar - South, Appar - West, Sundarar - North and Manikkavacakar - East).

Legends: Aadi Sesha, heard about the splendor of Shiva`s cosmic dance. And had the desire to witness it. He descended to earth as Patanjali. Vyagrapaadar, another devotee of Shiva prayed to obtain the tiger`s claws so that he could obtain the sacred Vilva leaves meant for Shiva`s worship at Chidambaram. At the appointed hour, Shiva (with Sivakami) granted to Patanjali and Vyagrapaadar, a glimpse in to his cosmic dance with the other goods accompanied by playing the music. Vishnu witnessed this dance, and the Govindaraja shrine was built to commemorate this. Shiva performed the dance after his victory over the ascetics of Daruka Vanam.

Another legend, states the dance duel between Shiva and Kali. Shiva lifted his left foot towards the sky in the Urdhuva Tandava posture - a definite male gesture. Kali could not strike a similar pose and so Shiva emerged victorious. Thus Kali was shifted to another temple on the outskirts of Chidambaram. This legend is depicted on the walls of Nritta Sabha, within the Chidambaram temple.

Nataraja: The dance of bliss symbolizes the five divine acts (pancha krityas) of creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and bestowment of grace. The dance of Shiva is frozen in time here and is worshipped in Nataraja Sabhas. Five of the foremost Sabhas (Pancha Sabhai) are at Chidmbaram (Kanaka Sabhai the hall of gold), Madurai (Rajata Sabhai the hall of Silver), Tiruvalangadu near Chennai (Ratnasabhai the hall of rubies), Tirunelveli (Tamrasabhai the hall of copper) and Kutralam near Tirunelveli (Chitrasabhai the hall of pictures). Other dance halls of significance are Adri Sabhai (the Himalayas), Aadi Chitsabhai (Tiruvenkaadu near Chidambaram) and Perur Kanakasabhai (Patteeswarar temple at Perur near Coimbatore).

Architecture: The Chidambaram Nataraja temple is an incorporation of several architectural styles. The Chitsabha is a wooden structure supported by wooden pillars, and a hut shaped roof. This hall, has images of Nataraja and Sivakami housed behind a set of curtains, the inner (invisible) is red in color, the outer is black in color. To the right of Shiva, is the revered Chidambara rahasyam - garlanded with golden vilva leaves. The curtain in front of the Chidambara Rahasyam, represents Shiva (and Parvati) in the formless form (Aroopam) is lifted ceremoniously during worship services, and offered lamps. Also in the Chitsabha are the images of Ratnasabhapati (Nataraja of Ruby), the Spatika Lingam of Chandramauleeswara, Swarnakarshana Bhairavar, and Mukhalingam.

The Golden Hall, or Kanaka Sabha lies immediately in front of the Chit Sabha, both on an elevated platform have silver panelled doors. The Chit Sabha is a meter or so higher than the Kanaka Sabha and can be reached by a flight of five silver plated steps, marking the five aksharas (or syllables) of the Panchakshara Mantram (the five syllabled Namasivaya).

From across the Nataraja shrine in the second prakaram is the Nritta Sabha or the hall of dance with fine pillars, and houses an image of Shiva in the Urdhva tandava posture, and an image of Sarabheswara - another form of Shiva. The Nritta Sabha has fine pillars and is in the shape of a chariot drawn by horses. The Deva Sabha or the house of Gods is also in the second prakaram, housing festival images of the Pancha Murtis (Somaskandar, Parvati, Vinayaka, Subramanya and Chandikeswara) and other deities. Mulanathar, or the representation of Shiva as a lingam is housed in the second prakaram.

Perhaps the most magnificent structures in the temple are the four lofty gopurams or towers in the four cardinal directions, over the walls of the outermost prakaram. Each is a massive about 250 feet in height, with seven tiers. The Western tower is the oldest one. In the towers, on either side of the gateways there are the 108 poses of the classical Bharata Natyam Tradition. The towers are embellished with images from Hindu mythology. From the second tier onward, each gopuram has images of various manifestations of Shiva. There are no Natarajas` on the temple towers, this image is reserved for the innermost shrine alone.

Festivals: Two annual Bhrammotsavams at Chidambaram are of great significance, as they involve colorful processions of festival deities in the car streets. The grandest of these occurs in the month of Margazhi (Dec 15 - Jan 15. The second happens in the month of Aani, and it concludes with Aani Tirumanjanam on the tenth day, in a manner similar to Arudra Darisanam in Margazhi. These festivals precede the summer and winter solstices (ie. Gemini and Sagittarius).