Travel To Temple

Indian Temples: Kanchipuram Kamatchi

noreply@blogger.com (Anitha) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:07:00 -0700

Indian Temples: Kanchipuram Kamatchi

While Lord Siva was meditating, Parvati playfully covered his eyes for a moment. This resulted in the earth being covered with darkness for years. This angered Siva who cursed Parvati to go to earth and do severe penance. She came to earth and created the earth linga and worshiped it under a single (eka) mango tree in Kanchipuram. Siva sent different obstacles to test Parvati’s sincerity. When he sent a flood, she clasped to the linga so tightly that imprints were made on it.

Read more on Kancheepuram

Travel To Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple

noreply@blogger.com (Anitha) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:06:00 -0700

Travel to Madurai Meenakshi Aman Temple:

Raja Kopuram,the Main Temple Tower

Temple Towers

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (Sundareswarar) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (Meenakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai.

Temple Towers and Porthamarai Kulam

This temple has a stunning architecture and a significant testimony for dravidians for their master architecture in sculpting this temple. The Temple has two complexes one for Sundareswarar and another for Meenakshi. The complex houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. Rajakopuram , the temle tower is the 51.9 metres (170 ft) tall.

Porthamarai Kulam (Golden Lotus Tank)

According to Hindu legend, Shiva came down to earth in the form of Sundareswarar to marry Meenakshi, an incarnation of [Parvati]. Parvati had earlier descended to earth in the form of a small child in response to the great penance of Malayadwaja Pandya, the ruler of Madurai. After growing up to adulthood, she began ruling the city. The Lord appeared on earth and proposed to her. The marriage was supposed to be the biggest event on earth, with the whole earth gathering near Madurai.

Divine marriage

The divine marriage where brother Vishnu hands his sister Parvati to Shiva (from left, Vishnu, Meenakshi, Shiva)

The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature. Madurai Meenkahi and Sundareswarer are living deities of Tamil people and will be for ever. A visit to this temple recharges you with power to work more efficiently and enthusiastically. Meenakshi hears all your inner demands and fulfills it through Sundareswarer.

Godess Menakshi

Om Shri Meenakshi Sundareswarya Namaha !

Closer view of Gopuram

Travel Information:

Madurai is well connected with Air, Road and Train roots. There are good star hotels here in this city. In a hour or two travel you may reach Cettinad where there are well maintained several heritage hotels.

Kunnakudi Temple

noreply@blogger.com (Anitha) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:19:00 -0700

Travel to Kunnakudi Temple

Kunnakudi Temple is situated at a small village called Kunnakudi. It is 10 Kms from Karaikudi, near Madurai in the Sivaganga District of Tamil Nadu State (India).

Lord Shanmuganathan is the presiding deity here. Lord Shanmuganatha is also called ‘Muruga’,’Shanmuga’’ and ‘Skandha’. Temple is built on a hill top around 1000 AD. It is a cave temple. Marudhu Pandiyars Kings of Sivaganga renovated the Temple.

On the western side of the hill are three excavated cave shrines at the ground level. These are in a line and are adjacent to one another. Later structures have been added to these shrines in the front. All these cave shrines are dedicated to Shiva. The first two shrines are embellished with very fine sculptural details, with beautifully carved 'Dwarapalas', but the third one is very plain. There are a number of old inscriptions in this region which are found to be useful to the research minded historians.

Here Lord Shanmuganathan is mounted on his peacock flanked by Valli and Deivayanai. Prayers in this temple bring relief from diseases and mental worries. The Devotees are blessed with good Children. Devotees bring their child after a year of birth and give its hair as offering to Shanmuganatha.

Legend has it that Vishnu and Bhrama once paid a visit to Skanda - at which time, the peacock mount of Skanda behaved with arrogance towards the guests. Skanda cursed the peacock to turn into stone. This peacock manifested itself as a hill and carried out penances towards Skanda, after which it was restored to its original form. Part of the rock is said to remain as Mayuragiri or Kunnakkudi, enshrining Skanda.

There are also shrines to Vinayakar, Kuzhandai Vadivelar, Meenakshi Sundareswarar, Dakshinamurthy, Natarajar, Chandeswarar and the Navagrahams. Images of Veerabahu and Idumban are also in this temple.

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, a famous master of the Violin hails from this temple village. He was a great devotee of lord Muruga. Here is an Album from him , Ustad Zakir Hussain and Rehman. It is perfect blend of two instruments tabla and violin.

Travel Information:

Travel to this temple from Chettinad Heritage Hotels will make the trip more enjoyable. There are good number of well maintained hotels in Chettinad near Karaikudi.

Nearest Airport : Madurai and Thiruchirapalli.

Train Root: Chennai Rameshwaram Express and Kamban Express

Travel To A Temple | Pillaiyarpatti

noreply@blogger.com (Anitha) — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 01:20:00 -0800

A Travel to Lord Ganesh Temple in Pillaiyarpatti:

Pillaiyarpatti is a small town in India. It is twelve kilometers from Karaikudi, near Madurai, in the Sivagangi District of Tamil Nadu. The town is named after the Ganesh Temple that adorns it. Here, Lord Ganesh is known as Pillaiyar, and 'Karpaga Vinayakar', Lord who offers his blessings like the celestial tree Kalpaka whose specialty is ' you ask and it will be given'.

Karpaga Vinayakar is one of the oldest Vinayakar images in the world for it has only two arms. The significance of the two arms is that the first god evolved by ancient man was in the shape of man. This male god created out of stone was called Yaksha and the female god was called Yakshi. Later on to show the superiority of god to man the head of the man was removed and in its place a head in the shape of OM was fixed. OM is the Pranav Manthra, the sound form of the Almighty, the creator of this Universe. The symbolic representation of Om was similar to that of an elephant.

There are only two images of Vinayakars with two arms in the world. One is at Pillaiyarpatti the other is in Afghanistan. The one at Afghanistan must have been made later, for it is in a standing posture and has a number of ornaments adorning it. The one at Pillaiyarpatti is in a sitting posture mediating. He does not have Modakam (the most favourite sweet of Pillaiyar) but a Siva Linga in his palm. He mediates for the well being of the people and so their prayers are answered immediately.

Travel Information:

Travel to this temple from Chettinad Heritage Hotels will make the trip more enjoyable. There are good number of well maintained hotels in Chettinad near Karaikudi.

Nearest Airport : Madurai and Thiruchirapalli.

Train Root: Chennai Rameshwaram Express and Kamban Express