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KBS SASTHA ALANKARAMS 2014-15

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KBS BHAJAN AT ANNUAL MANDALOLSAVAM AT MODEL ENGLISH SCHOOL

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Krishnadasan P  

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  I y e a r

  X  X  X  X

  I y e a r

Rajagopalan A Mohanan Guruswamy ManikantanSubrramanian K  

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Sreedharan V  

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Radhakrishnan P.

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Gopalakrishnan S 

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S K Menon 

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narendranath 

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 r 

Subramanian E 

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Ashokan K

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Sethumadhavan K U  

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Surendran Krishnan

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Jayaprakash 

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Haridasan 

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Swaminathan 

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Sundaram P.M.

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Vijayakumar C B 

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Hariharan K

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Surendran R 

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Chandrasekharan 

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Subramanian C K  

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Bhaskaran 

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Mohan Menon

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Sabarinath K  

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Prasad C K  

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  X  V  I  I  I

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Govind Koparde 

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Sundareswaran  Natarajan S 

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3

PROGRAMME

6.1.2015 : KAMAKSHI AMMAN TEMPLE, MANGADU  6.1.2015: SREE AYYAPPAN TEMPLE, MAHALINGAPURAM

5.1.201 5: MEL MARUVATH UR ADI PARASHAKTHI TEMPLE 5.1.2015: VELLUR MAHALAKSHMI (GOLDEN) TEMPLE

5.1.2015 : PADMAVATI TEMPLE4.1.2015 : BALAJI TEMPLE, TIRUMALA, TIRUPATI

3.1.2015 : KETTUNIRA AT KALYAN AYYAPPA TEMPLE17.11.2014 : TITWALA GANPATI TEMPLE —  VRUDHARAMBHAM

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6.1.2015: SRI ANANDA VINAYAKAR, 6.1.2015 : ASHTALAKSHMI TEMPLE 

6.1.2015: ADI KESAVA PERUMAL, TEMPLE6.1.2015: AYYAPPA TEMPLE, R.A. PURAM 

6.1.2015: PARTHASARATHI TEMPLE,THIRUVALLIKENI 

6.1.2015: KAPALEESWARAR TEMPLE, MYLAPORE 

6.1.2015: ANDAVAR TEMPLE, VADAPALANI 

6.1.2015: ANJANEYA TEMPLE, NANGANALLUR 

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Kamlesh Vishwakarma

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Ramdas C V

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Sreejith

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Raju C R

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Mohandas V K

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Krishnakumar

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 Vinay Pillai 

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Ramaswami

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Ramachandran A S

  I  X  y e a

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Mohana Krishnan

  I  X  y e a

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R.M. Baid 

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Bharathan K K

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Radhakrishnan K U

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Rathish Pillai 

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Sreenivasan C K

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Unnikumar

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Vivek

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Iyer B V  

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Santhosh Nair

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Ramesh Kurup

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Prasad Prabhu 

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Chandran Nair

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Prakash T.

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Surendran K M  

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Sasi Nair  

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Deepak C. Nair  

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Kalyanikutty

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Leela P  

  I  V  y e a

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Pimpalkar R D

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Ramesh Dinkar  

  I  V  y e a

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Sasi P Nair  

  I  V  y e a

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Mayuranathan D 

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Shankara Narayanan

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Vivekandan

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Pradeep Pillai 

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Prashant T 

  V  y e a r

 

Rajesh S. Nair  

  V  y e a r

 

Dheeraj Nair  

  V  I  y e a

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Ravi Shetty  

  V  I  y e a

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Ravindran E 

  V  I  y e a

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Chouhan S R 

  V  I  I  y e a

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Ganesh B Nikam  

  V  I  I  y e

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Prasad Krishnan 

  V  I  I  y e

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Unni S K  

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Rameshan Pillai 

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Velayudhan

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Unnikrishnan Nair  

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Geeta Subramanian

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Venugopal

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Jayadevi Ramesh

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7.1.2015: ERUMELI SASTHA

7.1.2015: ERUMELI VAVAR7.1.2015 : S RI DHARMASASTHA TEMPLE, KULATHURPUZHA  

7.1.2015: ERUMELI PETTA THULLAL

6.1.201 5: ARULMIG U MARUNDEESWAR AR TEMPLE  7.1.2015: TENKASI PERIYA KOVIL 

7.1.2015 : SRI DHARMASASTHA TEMPLE, ACHANKOVIL  7.1.2015 : SRI DHARMASASTHA TEMPLE, ARYANKAVU  

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7.1.2015: PAMPA RIVER 8.1.2015: PAMPA GANAPATI

8.1.2015: NEELIMALA 8.1.2015: SABARI PEETAM

8.1.2015: SARAMKUTHI  8.1.2015: PONNU PATHINETTAAM PADI

S

 

M

 

S

 

N

D

N

M

 

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Ambika Venugopal

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Ashok D Pandey

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Chandresh Yadav

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Chari Rajesh 

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Prabhu Upendra 

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Sunilkumar  

  I  y e a r 

Wargade Dnyandeo

  I  y e a r 

Radha Unnikrishnan

  I  I  y e a r

 

Raghavendra K. Gopal

  I  I  y e a r

 

Shailesh Sasi Nair

  I  I  y e a r

 

Pratyush Prasad

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Sanika Pimpalkar  

  I  y e a r 

Somnath Poojari

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Yoginder Singh

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Gukul Warrior

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Ravindra Patil

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Abhishek A

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Harikrishnan Iyer

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Akshay Subramanian

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 Akhil A Nair

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Padmanabha Kille

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Praveen Parola

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Rajesh Dalvi

  I  I  I  y e a

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Vasu Shetty  

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Vigneshawara 

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o t’s

 

Do not use mobile phones at the temple premises.Do not consume alcohol or drugs.Do not jump the queue.Do not rush while in the queue.Do not carry weapons or other explosives substances.Do not entertain unauthorized vendors.Do not urinate outside toilets and clear bowels outside latrines.Do not make extra payment for any service.Do not hesitate to approach police for any help.Do not throw waste anywhere other than the waste bins.Do not break coconuts on the Pathinetampadi.Do not break coconuts anywhere other than on designated places on both sides of Pathinettampadi.Do not kneel at Pathinetampadi while climbing the holy steps.

Do not use any path other than Nadapanthal flyover for return journey.Do not rest anywhere at Upper Thirumuttam or Thanthrinada.Do not use pathways for viris at Nadapanthal and lower Thirumuttam.DO NOT BRING PLASTIC CARRY BAGS BEYOND NILAKKALFire –  do not cause forest fire –  do not throw burned wood/camphor/incandescent sticks etc. carelesslyFire –  do not carry inflammable liquids, fire crackers.Cooking gas, stoves etc. are not be used in

Sannidhanam areaFire –  electrical appliances are potential source of fire –  do not overload by putting multiple connectionsFire –  burnt matches –  do not throw carelesslyFire –  do not cook food inside ‘viri’ sheds Fire –  do not light camphor in temporary shedsDo not carry knives and other sharp weaponsDo not operate electrical equipments with wet handsTrekking –  do not climb hurriedlyDo not smoke in Pampa, Sannidhanam and along the trekking routesMakara Jyothi Darshan –  do not climb trees and on unsafe buildingsBegging –   prohibited –  do not encourageDo not rest anywhere at Upper Thirumuttom.>>>>>>>>>>>

Dr. Govind Krishnath Koparde, Son of Late Mrs. Santhva and Late Shri Krishnath M Koparde born on 17.3.1947 at Banhatti District, Bagalkot, Karnataka that is old Mumbai Province. He belongs a jointfamily of six brother and 5 sisters. Dr. Suresh Koparde, Homeopathic and Dr. Dilip Koparde, MD (Ortho)are his young brothers practicing in Dombivli who are also the members of KBS.

He was staying with parents and family at Bhandup till Feb. 1981. Shifted to Dombivli to his own Bunglow‘Bhagirathi’. He has passed SSLC in 1964 from SRA High School, Banhatti, BSc from Mumbai Universityin 1969, MBBS from M R M Medical College, Gulbarga, Karnataka University in the year 1975. JoinedPublic Health Department of MCGB in 1976 as Medical Officer and after having glorious services in various

 branches, retired on 31.3.2005 as Deputy Executive Health Officder. Thereafter worked with World HealthOrganisation for 4 years.

He married to Mrs. Shobha who has also visited Sabarimala 4 times. He is blessed with daughter Dr. Harmawho has got married to Dr. Virendra MS (Ortho) and one Son Shri Raghavendra, B.E. MMS working asSoftware Consultant at USA.

He is associated with Bombay Municipal Doctors Association while in service. He is also associated withKarnataka Sangha, Dombivli. Since 1993 as members of the managing committee and held various im-

 portant responsibilities.

He first visited holy Sabarimala in the year 1996 with Shri Krishna Swamy of Thakurli & Shri Ramani Swa-my of Dombivli. Thereafter he is visiting Holi Sabarimala under the auspices of Shri Mohan Guruswamy of

KBS. This is his 18th year of visit to Holi Sabarimala.

  X  V  I  I  I 

  Y e a r 

7

P R E F A C E

Kalyan Bhakta Sangham (more popularly and prominently known as KBS) formed by a

small group of ardent devotees of Lord Ayyappa on 13.5.2000. The primary objective of

this group was singing and conducting Bhajans in and around Kalyan during Mandala

season and on the occasion of other religious events under the auspices of Shri Mohan

Guruswamy (more affectionately and respectfully called by all in Kalyan as Guruswa-

my).

With the passage of time, more and more devotees joined the Sangham. With the in-

creased strength, its name and popularity too spread equally to all other places.

Today, KBS is invited to conduct Ayyappa Poojas and Sastha Preethees not only in are-

as around Kalyan and Mumbai, but also to other distant suburbs including Pune.

Significantly, the members of KBS started undertaking pilgrimage to Balaji Temple at

Narayanpur, Shree Guruvayoor Temple at Nigidi and to Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple,

ever since it came into existence. Today, with the blessing of Lord Ayyappa the number

of devotees undertaking pilgrimage to Sabarimala with KBS have increased manifold.

KBS has published its own publication in malayalam in the name and style of AY-

YAPPA POOJAMALAR on 1.1.2008. Second edition was published on 1.11.2008, 3rd

edition on 1.11.2010 and 4th edition on 1.12.2012 consisting of Pooja Vidhees and Bha-

 jan Songs besides the Slokas and Archanas for Ayyappa Pooja. Due to the overwhelming

demand of the Ayyappa Devotees, KBS has now published the Ayyapa Pooja Malar in

Hindi on 1.12.2014. KBS also has commenced its own Mandala Pooja by its members

and well wishers from this year onwards. KBS also releases every year this publication

“DARSHANAMRUTAM” containing the information of the devotees with photographs

and places being visited during the year while visiting Lord Ayyappa

Blessings of Lord Ayyappa along with dedicated efforts by numerous individuals, with-

out naming them, is the unity and strength of KBS.

KBS is also extending every possible assistance to all religious institutions on the occa-

sion of important festivals. It is the endeavor of KBS to diversify its activities in other

areas as well in the near future.

Kalyan

3.1.2015 Kalyan Bhakta Sangham

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A GLANCE TO THE TEMPES

TITWALA GANAPATI TEMPLE

A pilgrim centre sacred twice over-for its Mahaganpati Temple and thetemple of Shri Vithoba.

By propitiating Ganesh Idol, consecrated by sage Kanva, Devi Shakuntala & kingDushyant came together after a long period of disagreement. Shakuntala & kingDushyant got married here. Idol from Mahabharat period vanished, while constructing

lake and Peshwa sardar Ramchandra Mehendale got the present idol. The MadhavraoPeshwe consecrated this idol. If Mahaganapati is worshipped regularly marriages ofdesired people can be fixed easily. If Mahaganpati is propitiated properly, conflicts be-tween husband & wife will end. Those who desires to have son, will get son. In Ma-haganpati’s temple, there is sanctum of Lord Shivshankar towards right. In the righthand corner of the sanctum, padukas of great Ganesh devotees late Shri VengaonkarJoshi are consecrated. Devotes should take darshan of these padukas. Since Mahaga-napatis idol was worshipped by sages in ancient times, today also the idol looks alive.There is a temple of Vithoba - Rukmini near Mahaganpati’s temple. One iron tube isprotruding out of sanctum of this temple. It is said that sound of Bhajans (holy songs inpraise of God) going on in the temple of Pandharpur can be heard from this tube. Youcan also visit nearby places like satis memorial, jaypal maharaj’s Samadhi, shiv templein vasundry village. Titwala is a third railway station from Kalyan on Mumbai-Nashikrailway line. Titwala, Asangaon, Kasara locals are available from Chhatrapati ShivajiTerminus of Mumbai.

KALYAN AYYAPPA TEMPLE

Kalyan Bhajan Samaj was formed over three decades ago primarilywith an objective to conducting Bhajans,Keerthans,Divyanama San-keerthanas etc. in and around Kalyan though out the year in generaland during important religious functions in particular.

In the formative years, there were only a handful of devoted, committed and dedicatedpeople to work and look after the activities and affairs of the Samaj, but after its regis-tration as Charitable institution under the Bombay Public Trust Act in the year 1971, it became more functional, efficient and organized. It was at this stage Samaj got motivat-ed to celebrate Mandala Pooja every year which in turn admittedly started enticing avery large number of devotees, particularly in Kalyan and neighbouring areas.

The Samaj as first step, bought a plot in Kalyan East some time in 1988. InitiallyPoojas and celebrations were conducted on a make-shift temple and in April 1990, emi-nent Temple Architect Kanippayoor Shri Krishnan Namboothiripad designed the tem-ple and vigrahas as per the Thachu Shastra and the Bhoomi Pooja was performed inSept. 1992.

All the four idols of Lord Ganesha, Lord Ayyappa, Lord Guruvayurappa and GoddessDevi were installed on 25th May,1994 according to the ancient Vedic rites . The PranaPratishtapan ceremonies were conducted by Brahmashri Padinjareddathu VishnuBhattathiripad and Brahmashri Kannamangalam Brahmadathan Namboothiripad.

33

acred Irumudi: lrumudi is the only travelling kit which a pilgrim carries on his head during thepilgrimage. Only those who observe fasting for 41 days are allowed to carry it. Without the Iru-mudi one is not allowed to step onto the holy 18 steps at the Sannidhanam.. This bag is in twocompartments - the Munmudi (the front part) and the Pinmudi (the back part) & the opening atcentre.. The front portion is reserved for keeping all the puja articles and offerings to the deity.The rear part is meant to hold the pilgrims' personal requirements for the journey.

Front portion contains: Mudra bags, consisting of 2 - 3 in numbers - one for the GheeCoconut andthe other two for the remaining offerings(Vazhipadu) at the Sannidhanam are as under:

Coconut filled with ghee for Abhishekam (bathing the idol of the Lord)+

Coconut (vidalai thengai) 2 to 4 nos.

Beetel leaves, Beetel Nut, coins for offering

Jaggery(achuvellam), Cashew, Raisins, Dry ginger, Poha(thin & thick variety), Cardamoms,Dates, Honey, Avil(beaten rice), Kadhi Chakkar

Dried turmeric tubers, Turmeric powder, Blouse piece, Kumkum, Vibhooti, Sandal paste,Sambarani, Camphor, Agarbathi (Incense stick), Rosewater, Lemon, Rice and Dal for offer-ing.

Back Portion contains : Items for use of the pilgrim from the day of commencement of the journeyafter Kettunira till his return and is kept in the back compartment(Pin Mudi).

Some snacks which one may require now and then during the trip and other raw materials for fooditems to be prepared during the journey. And pulses and rice needed for cooking can be included inPinmudi.

Travancore Devaswom Board » Instruction to pilgrims

Dos

Take rest for 5 minutes after a walk of 10 minutes during the climb.Use the traditional path –  Marakoottam, Saramkuthy, Nadapanthal –  to reach Sannidhanam.Follow the queue system to reach Pathinettampadi.Use the Nadapanthal fly over for return journey.Ascertain the prevailing crowd situation and then only proceed to Sannidhanam from Pampa.While using Dolly, make payment only at the Devaswom counter and keep the receipt.Subject yourself for security check at security check points.Approach police for any help.Inform police about any suspicious characters.Buy edible items from licensed outlets only.Keep Pampa, Sannidhanam and the trekking paths clean.Park vehicles only at the allotted parkig slots.Deposit waste in the waste boxes only.Avail the facilities of medical centers and oxygen parlours if needed.In case of isolation from groups /friends devotees may report at police aid posts.

Cleanliness-Throw waste only in collection bins. Keep the temple premises & paths clean;Fire – Keep matchbox & other inflammable materials away from children.Fire-if lighted should be put out immediately after use;Remove plugs from sockets after usePlace ‘viri’ only in the designated parking areas Follow queue system- Do not jump queue segment- do not rush in queue\Approach police for helpSecurity check- cooperate with staffUse only toilets for urination/bowel clearanceID cards with name/address/telephone number to be hung on the necks of children/aged andMalikappurams-report to police when lost in the crowdReturn journey-FROM MALLIKAPPURAM TEMPLE, USE ‘SARANA SETHU’,

THE NEW EXIT WAY LEADING TO CHANDRANANDAN ROAD

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THE PILGRIMAGE REGULATIONS

Austerities and regulations to be undertaken by the Sabarimala pilgrims 

The vritham can be undertaken only after getting permission from one's parents

and Guru. It should be undertaken in such a manner as to cause no inconvenienceto one's family.

he day before the vritham begins one has to offer prayers to ones' family deity and

present a yellow cloth with coins within to the family deity.

The devotee must shave, clip his nails, trim his hair and bathe before the vritham.

The holy garland should be cleaned and smeared with sandal paste and placed be-fore the portrait of Lord Ayyappa.

The devotee should also buy a new pair of coloured dhoti and towel or shawl.

On the day of the vritham the devotee rises early, bathes, prays to the family deityand performs a pooja to the holy mala. He will be accompanied to the temple by hisGuru and recieve his mala from him.

Wearing the mala denotes that the devotee becomes Lord Ayyappa and must thuslead a pious life.

The devotee must keep away from all social activities and spend his time praying

and singing bhajans and in worthy causes like visiting temples, cleaning temples,feeding the poor, helping the poor and sick and attending religious discourses.

He must eat only vegetarian food and abstain from meat, physical or verbal vio-

lence, alcohol and tobacco and intoxicants in any form.

The devotee must sleep on the floor, use a wooden block for a pillow and walk bare-feet.

The devotee is obligated to treat all co-devotees as Lord Ayyappan and serve them inevery way.

He must be humble despite the respect and privileges accorded to him as a

Sabarimala pilgrim.

The devotee must treat all women like his mother and strictly follow celibacy.

He must not oil his body or his hair and must always carry a tulsi leaf with him tokeep away evil thoughts.

Guru : The guru has a significant role to play in the Ayyappa cult. The Guruswamy isusually an elderly person who has undertaken pilgrimage to Sabarimala not less thanseven consecutive years in the traditional long route and had darshan of Makara Jothi.

The devotees treat the Guruswamy as Ayyappan himself. It is important that pilgrimsgain knowledge from the Guru on all the aspects of the Pilgrimage. One should serve theGuru physically, mentally and verbally.

The pilgrims should give the due respect and reverence that the Guru deserves. All in-structions of the Guru should be carried out without fail. The Guru will enlighten theShisyas about the austerities to be followed. He will teach them the slokas and way toperform pooja and bhajans. He shall prepare them for the pilgrimage mentally andphysically. He will lead the pilgrims safely and comfortably to Sabarimala 

9

TIRUPATI BALAJI TEMPLE

Temple History: Lord Balaji is also famous as Govinda. Lord Balajiis very kind and helps anyone who prays to Him for help. Lord Balajiat Tirupati has performed numerable miracles. The surroundings of

Tirumala awaken waves of bhakti of Lord Balaji and the name Govinda appears on thetongues of devotees. Millions of people visit Lord Balaji at Tirupati every year. The rea-son being that Lord Balaji is famous as the Lord helps during one’s misfortune. Thesame Lord Venkateshwara has descended in the city of Mumbai in kandivali charkoparea, and is attracting thousands of people to His temple which has completed the firstphase at sector 7, charkop, kandivali west through the efforts of His loving devotees and

patrons. In the following paragraphs we will see how the Lord so mercifully descendedin this world to live on the top of Seshachalam, the mountain that is located at Tiruma-la. Venkateshwara means the Lord, who frees us from all of our sins. Ven means sin,Katmeans one who delivers. We remain in this world, suffering, birth after birth, becauseof our sinful reactions, now in this age of kali, it is an age of sin. It is an ocean of faults.

Tirupati Tirumala Balaji : The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is locat-ed on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill, and lies onthe southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini.It is by the Lord's presidency over Venka-tachala, that He has received the appellation, Venkateswara (Lord of the VenkataHill). He is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills. Tirupati Tirumala Balaji TempleThe temple of Sri Venkateswara has acquired unique sanctity in Indian religious lore.The Sastras, Puranas, Sthala Mahatmyam and Alwar hymns unequivocally declarethat, in the Kali Yuga, one can attain mukti, only by worshipping Venkata Nayaka or

Sri Venkateswara. The benefits acquired by a pilgrimage to Venkatachala are men-tioned in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas. In these epics, Sri Venkateswara is de-scribed as the great bestowed of boons. There are several legends associated with themanifestation of the Lord at Tirumala.

Tirupati Balaji Story :There is ample literary and epigraphic testimony to the antiquityof the temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara. All the great dynasties of rulers of the southernpeninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine. The Pal-lavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), thePandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th - 15th centuryAD) were devotees of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing thetemple with rich offerings and contributions.

It was during the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty that the contributions to the templeincreased. Sri Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed at the

portals of the temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue ofVenkatapati Raya in the main temple.

Padi Kavali Maha Dwara: The Padi Kavali Maha Dwara or Outer Gopuram stands ona quadrangular base. Its architecture is that of the later Chola period. The inscriptionson the gopuram belong to 13th century. There are a number of stucco figures of Vaish-nava gods like Hanuman, Kevale Narasimha and Lakshmi Narasimha on the gopuram.

Sampangi Pradakshinam: The path for circumnavigating the temple is called a pra-dakshinam. The main temple has 3 prakarams. Between the outermost & middleprakarams is the second pathway for circumambulation known as the Sampangi Pra-dakshinam.

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Currently, this pathway is closed to pilgrims. The Sampangi Pradakshinam containsseveral interesting mandapams like the Pratima Mandapam, Ranga Mandapam,Tirumala Raya Mandapam, Saluva Narasimha Mandapam, Aina Mahal and Dhvaja-sthambha Mandapam.

Ranga Mandapam Sri Tirupati Balaji: Ranga Mandapam, also called the Ranganaya-kula Mandapam, is located in the south-eastern corner of the Sampangi Pradakshinam.The shrine within it is believed to be the place where the utsava murti of Lord Ranga-nadha of Srirangam was kept during the 14th century, when Srirangam was occupied byMuslim rulers. It is said to have been constructed between 1320 and 1360 AD by theYadava ruler Sri Ranganadha Yadava Raya. It is constructed according to the Vijaya-

nagara style of architecture.

Tirumala Raya Mandapam:Adjoining the Ranga Mandapam on the western side, andfacing the Dhvajasthambha Mandapam is a spacious complex of pavilions known as theTirumala Raya Mandapam or Anna Unjal Mandapam. It consists of two different lev-els, the front at a lower level and the rear at a higher. The southern or inner portion ofthis Mandapam was constructed by Saluva Narasimha in 1473 AD to celebrate a festivalfor Sri Venkateswara called Anna Unjal Tirunal. This structure was extended to itspresent size by Araviti Bukkaraya Ramaraja, Sriranga Raja and Tirumala Raja. It is inthis Mandapam, that the utsava murthi Malayappan, holds His annual darbar orAsthanam during the hoisting of the Garudadhwaja on Dhwajastambham to mark thecommencement of Brahmotsavam. Incidentally, the prasadam distributed on this occa-sion is still called Tirumalarayan Pongal.

The Mandapam has a typical complex of pillars in the Vijayanagara style, with a cen-

tral pillar surrounded by smaller pillars, some of which emit musical notes when struckwith a stone. The main pillars have rearing horses with warriors mounted on them.Some of the best sculptures of the temple are found in bold relief in the Mandapam. The bronze statues of Todermallu, his mother Matha Mohana Devi and wife Pitha Bibi, arekept in a corner of the Mandapam.

The Aina Mahal: The Aina Mahal is on the northern side of the Tirumala Raya Man-dapam. It consists of two parts - an open mandapam in the front consisting of six rowscomprising six pillars each, and a shrine behind it consisting of an Antarala andGarbhagriha. It has large mirrors which reflect images in an infinite series. There is anunjal in the middle of the room in which the Lord is seated and festivals conducted.

The Daily Routines :The daily program starts with 'Suprabhatam' (awakening theLord) at three in the morning and end with the 'Ekanta Seva' (putting the Lord tosleep) at one in the night. Daily, Weekly and Periodical 'Sevas' and 'Utsavams' are per-formed to the Lord. Interested pilgrims can choose from the list and pay to get the Sevasor Utsavams done on their name. Devotees offer their gifts and donations in the"Hundi", which is the main source of income. You can spend some time taking TirupatiBalaji photos of the destinations highlighted in Tirupati Balaji map. Also enquire usfor Tirupati Balaji Darshan.

Festivals of Tirupati Mandir: Everyday is a day of festivity at Shri Tirupati Balaji. Themost famous is the annual festival called 'Brahmotsavam', which is celebrated on grandscale for nine days in September, attracting pilgrims and tourists from all parts of thecountry. The fifth and ninth days of the festival are especially significant in as much asGarudostavam and Rathotavam takes place on those days.

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The King was very sad about the plight of his Queen. It was at this time that Manikan-dan came forward and consoled his father. He asked the King not to worry while he wasthere and promised to go and get the Tiger's milk needed to cure his ailing mother. TheKing objected saying that Manikandan was too young for such a venture but Manikan-dan convinced his father that he had to go in order to save his mother's life and theKing finally accepted though half-heartedly.

Manikandan bravely set out into the forest, guarded by the five elements of nature thatLord Shiva had commanded to go with him. Meanwhile, Mahishi, who was enraged bythe Devas deceiving the Asuras and claiming the Amrit, attacked the heavens andwreaked havoc. Manikandan who saw this, immediately went to the Devas' rescue and

threw her down to the earth. She fell on the banks of the river where a severe battle en-sued between them. Manikandan slayed Mahishi and completed the purpose of his in-carnation. His divine duty fulfilled, he continued on his hunt for Tiger's milk.

The Devas who were grateful to Manikandan for saving them paid him their obeissance.Lord Shiva appeared before Manikandan and greeted him on his brave feat. He furthersaid that Indra, the king of the Devas would take the form of a male tiger and the otherDevas of female tigers and would go with him to the palace. Manikandan perched gal-lantly on the male tiger rode back into the city like a hero. The people on seeing theferocious tigers ran helter skelter.

As soon as the King saw this amazing sight, he realised that Manikandan was no ordi-nary child. It also struck him that it was the day when Manikandan completed twelveyears of age and that the truth about his identity would be revealed to him that day. He

rushed out to submit in obeissance when Manikandan, on seeing his father respectfullyalighted from his perch and said that he had brought the tigers and that his fatherquickly arrange to milk them and send them back.  

The King bowed respectfully to Manikandan and fell at his feet in regret. He addressedManikandan as "Oh Lord" and begged his forgiveness for what had happened. He ex-plained that only after Manikandan had gone into the forest did he come to know of thewicked plot his Diwan had weaved, and requested the Lord to send the Tigers away.

Manikandan said that there was nothing to forgive and also said that everything hadgone according to his wish. He said that his duty on earth was over and that he had toreturn to heaven. On this, the King said that he wished to build a temple for the Lord inremembrance of his stay on earth and asked him to identify the spot where the templeshould be built. Manikandan shot an arrow from his bow and asked the King to buildthe temple at the spot where the arrow landed. He also said that the temple should have

18 steps leading to the main shrine which would face the East, and there would be aseparate shrine for Maligaipurathu Amman, the Godess Shakthi. He then departedfrom earth and went back to heaven.

Following the instructions of Manikandan and under the guidance of sage Agastya,King Rajasekara built the temple under his own supervision spending sleepless hours.That is the temple that today stands in Sabari Malai where millions of devotees, irre-spective of caste, creed and religion, throng to seek the blessings of Lord Iyyappa. Theygo through 41 days of severe austerities and tread the rugged path of the hills bearingthe sacred twin baggae (Irumudi Kattu) to reach this one destination: the lotus feet ofthe Lord. And guided by a single force:

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The Devas who had been subjected to Durvasa's curse had started ageing and were be-coming weak. They learnt that they could regain their natural strength only by tastingthe Amrit (sacred nectar) found in the depths of the Ocean of Milk. When they indeedsucceeded in obtaining the nectar, the Asuras immediately took posession of the nectar.The Devas prayed to Lord Vishnu who appeared in the form of Mohini, the enchantressand retreived the nectar from the Asuras.

Meanwhile, Lord Shiva who had come there to see Vishnu in the form of Mohini wasenchanted by her appearance. He begot a son from Mohini and decided to give it to hisdear devotee, King Rajasekara, and thus fulfil the king's wish. But before he took thechild down to earth, he tied a golden bell around the child's neck.

One day, when King Rajasekara was out hunting with his retinue on the banks of theriver Pampa, he heard the cries of a child nearby. He ran in the direction of the cry andquickly found the child. He was stunned at the child's beauty. Even as he sat there ad-miring it, he was not sure of what he should do with the child. At the same time, a sageappeared on the scene and advised him not to be confused. He told him that this childhad been born to fulfil his wish for a child and asked him to take it with him. He alsoasked him to name the child Manikandan (after the Bell on his neck), and said that thetruth about the child would be revealed when he would be twelve years old.

The king was thrilled to hear this. He happily took the child with him to his palace,gave it to his queen and told her about the incident. The queen's happiness knew no bounds and she eagerly took up the child in her arms. The people of Pandala who heardthat their king had been blessed with a heir were happy and there was rejoicing in thekingdom. The only person in the entire kingdom who was unhappy was the Diwan whosecretly believed that he would one day be king because the king had no heir.

Manikandan grew up soon and was sent to Gurukula to get trained in the various artsand sciences. Seeing his extraordinary talents, the Guru was quick to realise that he wasno ordinary child. When Manikandan completed his education and offered hisGurudakshina (fees) to the Guru, he refused to accept it but asked Manikandan for afavour. He requested him to cure his son who was both blind and dumb. All Manikan-dan had to do was to bless the child and he was cured of his ailments. They joined theirhands in gratefulness but Manikandan politely said that it was his Dakshina to hisGuru but requested him that this incident would remain a secret.

Meanwhile, Rajasekara's Queen was blessed with a baby boy. Though the King had achild of his own, he decided to crown Manikandan as heir apparent. The Diwan whowas jealous of this tried to poison Manikandan to death but failed. He then came up

with a wily plot. He secretly spoke to the Queen and induced in her the wicked thoughtthat while her own son was there, Manikandan should not be crowned. The Queen fellfor this smooth talk and decided that she would do anything to see her own son crowned.

As instructed by the Diwan, she feigned a severe stomach-ache. The physician who at-tended on the queen had been bribed by the Diwan and he lied that this illness could becured only by drinking Tiger's milk. King Rajasekara was greatly worried by this. Real-ising that it would be no human task to obtain Tiger's milk, he promised to give half hiskingdom to any one who could get it. Many valiant men in the kingdom went into theforest in search of Tiger's milk but all of them came back. All of them had only onething to say: " We saw a tiger but we couldn't get tiger's milk".

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Hundi (donation pot): It is believed that Srinivasa had to make arrangements for his

wedding. Lord Kubera credited money to the god Venkateswara for his marriage with

Padmavati. Srinivasa sought a loan of one crore and 11.4 million (11,400,000) coins of

gold from Kubera and had Viswakarma, the divine architect, create heavenly surround-

ings in the Seshadri hills. Together, Srinivasa and Padmavathy lived for all eternity

while Goddess Lakshmi, understanding the commitments of Lord Vishnu, chose to live

in his heart forever. In remembrance of this, devotees go to Tirupati to donate money in

Venkateswara's hundi (donation pot) so that he can pay it back to Kubera. The hundi

collections go as high as 22.5 million INR a day. Devotees offer gold as a token of their

love for God. Temple sources said that in April 2010 the temple deposited 3,000 kg of

gold with SBI as gold offerings in the temple hundi by devotees, which had accumulatedfor the last several years.

Thulabharam:One of the most important offering in this temple, is the 'thulabharam.'

In the Thulabaram ritual, a devotee sits on a pan of a weighing balance and the other

pan is filled with materials greater than the weight of the devotee. Devotees usually of-

fer sugar, jaggery, tulsi leaves, banana, gold, coins. This is mostly performed with new-

 born babies or children.

Arjitha seva (paid services): Pilgrims can view and participate (in a limited fashion) in

the various sevas performed to Dhruva bera (main idol), Bhoga Srinivasa, Sri Mala-

yappa swami and other idols in the temple.

SRI PADMAVATHI AMMAVARI TEMPLE, TIRUCHANOOR

Tiruchanoor, the abode of Goddess Sri Padmavathi Devi, is one of the

highly venerated places in the South, located five kms. from Tirupati,

the temple dedicated to Sri Padmavathi Devi, the consort of Lord Ven-

kateswara, attracts thousands of devout pilgrims every day. The God-

dess, also known as Alamelu Manga, i s the inexhaustible source of compassion and love.

According to tradition, the Mother Goddess manifested Herself in the holy Pushkarini

called Padmasarovaram in a golden lotus. The Venkatachala Mahatyam states that

Lord Suryanarayana was instrumental in blossoming of the lotus in full splendour. A

temple dedicated to Lord Suryanarayana is situated on the eastern side of the Push-

karini. The Padma Purana gives a vivid description of the advent of the Goddess and

subsequent wedding with Lord Srinivasa.The manifestation of Sri Padmavathi Devi

occurred in the month of Karthika on Sukla Paksha Panchami when the star Utta-rashada in the ascendent. The Brahmotsavam of the Goddess is celebrated with all pomp

and glory to commemorate the auspicious occasion of Her avatara. This resplendent

festival celebrated for ten days attracts devout pilgrims from far and wide. The Pan-

chami Tirtham marks the highlight of Tiruchanoor Brahmotsavam. Turmeric, Tulasi,

Silk Saree and other sacred presents are brought from Tirumala Temple in an impres-

sive procession on this occasion and offered to the Goddess. In an exquisitely decorated

mandapam built on the banks of Padma Sarovaram, Sacred bath is offered to Goddess

Padmavathi Devi and Sri Sudarsana Chakra amidst vedic chants. The ten-day

Brahmotsavam at Tiruchanoor is a spectacular event witnessed by her myriads of devo-

tees. It is also an occasion for all devotees to receive Her benign grace in abundance.

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VELLUR MAHALAKSHMI TEMPLE

Golden Temple - when uttered this word, immediately people thinks ofAmritsar and the Highest Body of the Sikh's pride Golden Temple.But now it has got a good competition! Yes, an estimated over 600

Crores spent, to construct a true Golden Temple for Goddess Mahalakshmi, the presidingdeity, in this Temple at Sripuram, which is situated 6 km away from the Vellore Dis-trict H.Q.

A Mahalakshmi temple called 'Sripuram' and made of more than a ton of pure gold willglitter and gleam under the sun on August 24 when it is unveiled for consecration by the

Sri Narayani Peetam headed by a 31-year-old god man who calls himself Narayani Am-ma. Devotees hail the temple as 'one of the wonders of the world' and say that it is theonly temple covered fully with gold. More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from theTirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs.600-crore golden temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretchin Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in north Tamil Nadu. According to officialsources, the gold bars were purchased through RBI in "a transparent manner "

First the coppersmiths set to work creating a copper base on the temple structure withengravings and etchings before the gold, beaten into nine layers of foils, was drapedaround it. The sanctum sanctorum will hold the deity of Mahalakshmi made of stonegranite, but covered with gold protection layers. (Kavacham - adornments). " The Sripu-ram or Spiritual Park is Amma's dedication to the world and mankind," said P Murali,a trustee of the Peetam, adding that the temple has more gold than the Golden Templeof Amritsar.

Messages by 'Amma' have been laid out along the path to the temple with messages fromthe Gita, Bible and Quran. "When one enters the Sripuram, their focus is just on themagnificent temple. But when they leave, they cannot do so without taking some mes-sages and gaining some wisdom," according to a booklet detailing the 'services' rendered by the Peetam. "In this quagmire of materialism, Sripuram rises as an inspiration toman to find the divinity within him," adds a Narayani Peedam brochure.

The arrangements were being made to hire personnel to throw a security cover aroundthe temple. "But the gold sheets have been laid out in such a manner that it would costmore to rip it off than purchase the gold," said a top Vellore district official.

SRI ARDHAMERU SRI CHAKRA: When Goddess Left the place without extinguish-ing the fire the whole area suffered from the unbearable heat for a long time. SriAdiSankara of Kaladi came here and installed SRI ARDHAMERU CHAKRAM and

extinguished the fire. SRI CHAKRAM in Mangadu is very rare in India.

The Ardhameru Sri Chakram is the chief divinity in this temple. Kumkum Archana isperformed and no abhishekam for Sri Chakram, since it is made up of herbals. Sri AdhiKamakshiamman (in Panchalogam) has been installed in the sanctum by Sri KanchiParamacharya Swamigal.

Maha Kumbabishegam: First Maha Kumbabhishegam was performed on 8th July of1987 with a newly built seven storied Rajagopuram and again on 3rd June of 2001. Bothwere performed in the presence of His Holiness Sri Jeyendra Saraswathi Swamigal andSri Vijayendra.

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Lord Vishnu, here, is worshipped as Poornathrayeesa “thra" means three; 'poorna'means complete and 'isa' means Iswara which means the Lord of Knowledge, or theLord of the Three Vedas –  Rik, Yajus and Sama. It also means the Lord who manifestshimself as the essence of the Vedas, who can be attained through inner saadhana. Vish-nu, here, is worshipped as 'Santanagopala Moorthy', or the protector of kids. The templeis believed to have come into existence in 'Dwapara Yuga', about 5000 years ago.

Unlike other Vishnu temples, where the Lord is seen as reclining on Anantha, here, theLord is seen in a unique pose. He is sitting on Anantha, who spreads his majestic hoodover the Lord. It is said that, when krishna and Arjuna reached Vaikuntam, the Lordgot up from his serpent bed to receive them.

Legend has it that, the son of Bhavathratha, a famous scholar and an authority in allthe four Vedas, Puranas and Ithihasas was living in Dwarakapuri. Though learned, hewas arrogant. The Brahmin was overjoyed at his wife's pregnancy and believed himselfto be doubly blessed,which added to his arrogance. But his wife gave birth to a still in-fant though all the religious rituals were performed by him duly. The pious Bhavath-ratha was deeply saddened by this, but his son's grief manifested itself in anger whichmade him abuse Lord Krishna in front of His palace.

After that incident, the Brahmin's wife gave birth to another 8 more infants and all ofthem died soon after birth. The Brahmin brought every child in front of the palace andabused Krishna for the death of his baby and took away the baby for the funeral. TheLord did not come out, even once, to face the Brahmin and console him. Arjuna, whowas at Dwaraka at that time, could not remain patient on hearing the abuse of Brahmintowards Sri Krishna. He went to the Brahmin and asked him to stop abusing Sri Krish-na. The Brahmin then turned to Arjuna and asked him to protect his next child. Arjunathen revealed his identity to the Brahmin and promised that he will protect the nextchild.

Arjuna was so overconfident about his prowess that he promised the Brahmin that if hecould not protect the Brahmin's next born child, he will commit himself to pyre. Duringthe tenth labour though Arjuna stood on guard, even the mortal remains of the childwas not found, though all certified that the birth had taken place. The Brahmin startedabusing Arjuna also and asked him to keep his word.

LORD AYYAPPA

—

THE STORY

King Rajasekara of the Pandya dynasty ruled the kingdom of Pandala, inKerala. A king well-versed in all facets, he was a just ruler, and peace andprosperity prevailed in his kingdom. But though he had a loving wife, well-wishing subjects and scores of riches, his only travail was that he had no sonto be his heir. Being staunch devotees of Lord Shiva, he and his wife prayed

to the Lord that they be blessed with a child.  

While all was well in the land, deep in the forest, Mahishi the sister of Mahishasura,was in severe penance to seek the favour of Lord Brahma, to avenge the slaying of her brother by Goddess Shakti. Brahma who was impressed by her penance, appeared beforeher and asked her what boon she sought from him. Mahishi sought that she would not be slain by any offspring of Shiva or Vishnu or anybody else in the world. Brahmagranted her this wish and vanished. Armed with this boon, Mahishi invaded the heav-ens and started tormenting the Devas.

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Coconut Aazhi (Homa kundam): There is a Homakundam (coconut aazhi) close to themain shrine in front of the pathinettampadi. A Homakundam is erected toward north-east of the holy 18 steps. After removing ghee for Neyyabhishakam the pilgrims throwthe remaining coconuts into this sacred fireplace.

Makarajyothi: The most glorious sight at Sabarimala is the 'Makarajyothi'. It is actual-ly the shining of a star in the evening of the day on which the Sun passes from theEquator to the South - the most auspicious moment in a year. On the Makaravilakkuday, the ''MAKARAJYOTHI'' is seen at Ponnambalameedu situated towards east fromSabarimala. Thousands of devotees reach Sannidhanam to have the sacred darshan ofMakarajyothi.

CHOTTANIKKARA BHAGAVATHI TEMPLE

Chottanikkara  enshrines Bhagawati - the mother Goddess, one of themost popular deities in Kerala. The town of Chotanikkara is located nearthe city of Ernakulam. Enroute is the Poornatrayesa temple at Tripu-nittura.

The Deity: Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity here. The image of Bhagawati(Rajarajeswari) is of laterite; untouched by the human sculptor, this image is of irregu-lar shape. and is covered with a golden kavacam. The image has four arms. The upperright holds the discus, the left a conch. This deity is worshipped in three different forms- as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crim-son, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue.

Adjacent to this image in the sanctum is an image of Vishnu in granite. Vishnu andBhagawati together are referred to as Lakshminarayana. The prayers here address the

deity as Amme Narayana, Devi Narayana and Lakshmi Narayana. Interestingly, theimage here is not fixed to the ground and is mounted on loose sand. Water offered dur-ing ablution ceremonies percolates underground.

There is also a shrine to Sastha depicting him with his consorts Purna and Pushkala.In front of the shrine are the flagstaff and the bali pitham. To the south is a platformknown as Pavazhamallithara where the deity is believed to have appeared first. To thesouth west is a shrine to Shiva. To the north east there is a flight of steps leading to theKeezhkaavu, a shrine to Bhadrakali. In the keezhkaavu shrine is a paala tree with hun-dreds of nails driven into its trunk, as a mark of devotees having been exorcised here.Worship here is believed to rid devotees of evil influences, psychological ailments, evilspirits etc.

Legend  has it that a ferocious dacoit by name Kannappan who dominated this area, brought home a cow with the intent of slaughtering it. The cow escaped his butchering

knife, and set him running in hot pursuit. His chase in vain, Kannappan returned hometo find his beloved daughter playing with the very same cow. Complying with her re-quest, he forsake the idea of killing the cow. His daughter passed away, and this greatlygrieved him. Goddess Bhagawati appeared in his dream, and revealed to him that it wasshe who had come to him in the form of a cow. To his surprise, he saw two images in thecowshed the following day; the images were those of Devi and Vishnu.

THRIPUNITHURA POORNATHRAYEESA TEMPLE

Situated in Tripunithura, a tranquil temple town, located about 6kms fromthe city of Kochi, Poornathrayeesa temple is presided over by Lord Vishnu,

known as Poornathrayeesa. The Lord is the family deity of the erstwhile Kochi dynasty.

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MELMARUVATHUR MANGADU TEMPLE

Arulmigu Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam is situated at Melmaruvathur,92 km from Chennai (Formerly known as Madras) in the southern state ofTamil Nadu, India. This is the place where 21 Siddhars (saints) men aswell as women from different religion, had their Jeeva-Samadhis(meaning, where the Siddhars left their human forms behind, while they

are still alive as holy spirits). Here in Melmaruvathur Adiparashakti Siddhar Peetam,the divine mother Adhi para sakthi transmigrates into Arulthiru Bangaru Adigalarthereby promoting spirituality and devotion.

History : Where the current temple's sanctum sanctorum stands today, there was only aneem tree in 1960's. Unlike every other neem tree, which bear bitter tasting fruit, thistree secreted and dripped a sweet nectar. Residents of that village found that they had anurge in their mind to taste this nectar whenever they passed by this tree. Since manypassers reported of curing their illness and diseases after tasting this nectar, the wordspread swiftly to entire village and its neighborhood. So it became a customary for thesevillagers to take a drop of this nectar to ailing friends and relatives. They treated this asa medicinal tree and protected it from grazing cattle and wood cutters. In 1966, a severestorm uprooted this neem tree, which exposed the Swayambu underneath to the villagersfor the first time. Swayambu means A self emerging, naturally formed oval shaped ob- ject (carved of rock). People built a small hut on top of this Swayambu and conductedpoojas (prayer rituals) to it.

This place is known as Siddhar Peetam (Siddhar in Tamil language means enlightenedor evolved souls. Peetam means throne. Thus Siddhar Peetam means The Throne of

Evolved Souls or Great Spiritual Masters/Gurus) where 21 Siddhars are laid in JeevaSamaadhi. Swayambu alone was worshipped for many years. The idol of Mother Adhipara sakthi was installed later in the sanctum sanctorum on November 25, 1977. Theidol of beautiful Mother is three feet tall, seated on thousand-petal lotus seat, with herright leg folded and the left leg resting on the lotus petals. The thousand petal lotus hassignificance in meditation. In this idol form, She holds the bud of a lotus in her righthand, the mudhra (sign) of knowledge in her left hand and with her hair plait andknotted upwards like a crown.

Principles of the Siddhar Peetam: The basic tenet of Melmaruvathur AdhiparasakthiSiddhar Peetam is One Mother, One Humanity, means the whole human race is one andall the human beings who inhibit this vast earth are children of Mother Goddess andtherefore there is no distinction amongst the human beings on any basis, be it religion,race, creed, community, caste or even gender at any Siddhar peetam. Amma has revolu-tionized the concept of spirituality by letting everybody irrespective of caste, creed, reli-gion, language, nationality, social status, gender, education, etc., to enter the sanctumsanctorum and perform the daily rituals and prayers to the Mother AdhiParaSakthi.Women can enter the temple even during their menstrual cycle (which is prohibited inHindu Temples) after taking bathe.

The main objective for which the Siddhar Peetam strives is the cult of Sakthi that is,the whole humanity is born of one omnipotent Mother and hence the whole humanity isone, should be upheld, and each an everyone's grievances should be removed. Here inMelmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam, during the transmigration Adigalar(AMMA) tells Arulvakku (oracle). Through the Arulvakku (oracle) Adhiparasakthi

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herself speaks to her devotees, this is the unique specialty of this Siddhar Peetam. Hear-ing the Goddess Adhiparasakthi's oracle is a great spiritual experience, this miracletakes place at Siddhar peetam.

Arul Thiru Bangaru Adigalar is called by his devotees as AMMA (means Mother), herein Siddhar Peetam whatever "AMMA" says is the law and it is administered under theguidance of 'AMMA' which is a divine administration. Only at Melmaruvathur, womenare permitted to perform poojas in the sanctum sanctorum.

KAMAKSHI AMMAN TEMPLE, MANGADU

Kamakshi Amman Temple of Mangadu is a Hindu temple in Manga-du, a suburb of Chennai, India. The term Mangadu means "MangoForests or Mango Grooves" and as the term implies this must have beena thickly wooded Mango groove in times of yore.

The Mythology: Mangadu is known for the temple of 'Tapas Kamakshi" or the Kamak-shi( The Goddess) performing penance. This is the place where the goddess performedher penance to marry and re-unite with Lord Shiva. All 32 types of Dharmic ritualswere performed here by the goddess.

The mythology is that when Lord Shiva and Parvati where in Mount Kailash the God-dess playfully closed the eyes of the Lord Shiva and as a result the whole universe fellinto eternal darkness. So the Lord ordained her to perform Tapasya.

The Goddess came down to this place and performed penance amidst "Panchagni" rest-ing her left leg on the sacred fire and folding her right leg. She holds a "Japamala" orrosary in her hand as she meditated on Lord Shiva who asked her to come to Kanchipu-ram for marriage.

After the goddess left the place, the heat of the fire that she had created caused greatdiscomfort and became unbearable for all living beings there. The Adi Shankaracharyais believed to have visited Mangadu and installed a Sri Ardhameru Chakram at thisplace. This was done to calm down the heat of the fire created by the Goddess and at thesame time make it into a place that is soothing for all living beings.

We can even today see the 'Chakra" in the sanctum sanctorium of the temple and poojasare performed regularly to this Chakra. This Chakra is considered to be a Tantric formof the Goddess herself and hence Mangadu also finds a unique place amongst worship-pers of the Tantric sect as well.

The Temple: The temple sports the Chola style of Architecture and construction. TheRaja Gopuram was a recent addition to the Temple. The Raja Gopuram or the Mainentrance faces South and is 7 tiered with great sculptures on it, But the east entrance isstill used by many devotees as there is a market along the road leading to the east gate.People buy the flowers, Lemons and other pooja items as they walk through the marketinto the Temple. As we enter the Temple, we find the Ganapati Shrine to the left of themain entrance. We pay our respects and as we walk further enter the Main Hall of theTemple. We straight proceed to the Sanctum where we can see the " Ardha Meru MahaYantra " and an idol of Goddess Kamakshi in the Main Shrine. The Ardhameru SriChakram is the chief divinity in this temple. Only Kumkuma archana is performed andno abhishekam is done for Sri Chakram, as it is made up of herbs.

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SABARIMALA SREE AYYAPPA TEMPLE

Sabarimala (0929 North 7706 East) is situated in the midst of 18 hills, ina bowl of land blessed with a small rivulet named `Urakuzhi Theertham'.The area is in the hilly regions east of Kerala bordering Tamilnadu. Ele-vation above mean sea level is approximately 1260 Metres/4135 Ft. Templesexisted in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional(and intact temples) exist at many places in surrounding areas like Ni-

lackal, Kalaketi, Inchiparakotta and Karimala, remnants of old temples are visible inthe remaining hills.

As advised by the Lord, the Raja of Pandalam constructed the Ayyappa temple atSabarimala. It is also believed that there already existed the DharmaSastha temple atSabarimala, one of the 64 temples established by Parasurama, and Lord Ayyappamerged into the deity there. The King (Raja) of Pandalam renovated/ reconstructed thetemple, supervising the work by staying at Perunadu. He constructed an Ayyappa templethere also for performing his daily pooja of the Lord. Deities of Malikappurathamma,Kadutha swami and Vaver swami were installed as also the pathinettampadi (holy 18steps) and bhasmakulam.

Sannidhanam is the area where the Ayyappa temple is situated. At Sannidhanam, devo-tees climb up the holy 18 steps to reach the Sanctum sanctorum. Arrangements are madefor the devotees to crack coconuts on the right side of the steps. Now cracking of coco-nuts on the 18 steps is prohibited for safety reasons. The Malikappuram temple complex,sub temple of Vavar, Neyyabhishekam counters, prasadam counters, information cen-tres, telephone and post office facility etc. are visible in and around Sannidhanam.

Malikappurthamma:  Malikappurathamma is also known as Manjamatha. In im-portance She is next to Ayyappaswamy. The Manjamatha kovil is situated on the north-western side of the main Sree Kovil. It is connected to Sannidhanam by an attractive flyover. The temple of Malikapuram faces east, while the Kochukadutha Swamy shrinefaces west. The Nagadevas are there in the premises of Malikappuram Temple, whereasthe abode of the Navagrahas on its north western side.

Bhasmakkulam (Place for sacred dip):  One sacred place for bath at Sabarimala isBhasmakulam. This is on the western side of the Sannidhanam. Pilgrims get purified by their dip in the holy water here. Legend says that Sabari entered the fire in the pres-ence of Sri Rama and as a result her mortal remains were consumed. This pond has itsname derived from this legend. The water in the pond is ever kept fresh and clean inspite of the constant use by pilgrims. Using oil and soap here are prohibited.

Neythoni: For those pilgrims who do not wish to take back the ghee they bring inside

the coconut, there is a container called Neythoni(Ghee Canoe) into which they can pourout the ghee. It is placed near the Sreekovil. No payment is required for depositing theghee in the Neythoni.

Urakkuzhi Theertham: The next place consecrated for holy bath is Kumbalam Thoduwith Urakuzhi Theertham in it. This holy canal is about one km North of Malikapu-ram. This place is believed to be the most sacred place where Dharmasastha revealedhimself in his Viswaroopa. Here there is a waterfall and a small creek in to which thewater drains. This creek is named Urakuzhi. It seems to be a small hole. But when onesits in its bosom, it appears to be spacious enough to give a cool dip. It is believed that a bath in the Urakuzhi theertham washes off all the sins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangaduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankaracharyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankaracharyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangadu

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There is also a medical center here especially for helping heart patients.Neelimalacomes after Pampa River, Pampa Ganapathi Kovil and Pandalam King Man-dapam.Once a devotee completes the climb of Neelimala, he reaches Appa-chimedu.Neelimala is also considered the second toughest climb on the trekto Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.

SABARI PEETAM: Sabari Peetam = sabari on the altar with penance forcenturies waiting for the advent of Rama to salvage her from the curseA memorable episode from the epic Ramayana, this story tells us how hos-pitality helps Sabari, daughter of Chitrakaranchan, salvage her identity.

Cursed by her husband, Sabari turned into a female hunter who started meditating in

the forest for salvation. Rama and Lakshmana happened to meet her in the wildernesswhile searching for Sita. Impressed by her hospitality they blessed her and salvaged herfrom the curse.

SHARAMKUTHI: Sharamkuthi is one of the holy spots on the way to the-Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. ‘Sharam’ means arrow. Legend has it thatLord Ayyappa and his followers after defeating the Marvapada (an army ofthugs) discarded their weapons at Sharam Kutti. Today, first time visitorsto the Sabarimala Shrine leave Sharakol, or arrows, they carry at Sha-ramkuthi. First time Ayyappa devotees to the temple who follow and partic-

ipate in the Petta Thulal from Erumeli to theSabarimala Ayyappa Temple also leavetheir Sharakol at Sharamkuthi.The Thrivabharanam Procession carrying the orna-ments to be worn on Lord Ayyappa is given ceremonial welcome at Sharamkuthi.

Holy 18 steps (Patinettampadi) to the sanctum sanctorium is divine inall aspects. The first three steps depict "Bhoomi, Agni, Vayoo & Akash",

6 to 9 steps for Karmendriya, 10 to 15 for Jhanandriya, 16th for mind17th Intelligence and 18th Jeevathma Bhava. Those who cross all thesesteps are believed to achieve "Punyadarshan".

The steep steps are so important and holy that no one can climb them without fastingfor 41 days and carrying the holy irrumudi on ones' head.There are many mythologicalstories associated with the holy Patinettampadi. Some believe the eighteen steps denotethe 18 puranas. Some say that 18 weapons with which Lord Ayyappa destroyed the evildenotes the 18 steps. Others are of the belief that the first five steps denotes the indriyas(eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin). The next eight steps signifies the ragas (tatwa, kama,krodha, moha, lobha, madha, matsraya, and ahamkara. The next three steps signifiesthe gunas (satwa, rajas and thamas). The seventeenth and the eighteenth denotes vidhyaand ignorance.

The Patinettampadi can be used only twice - once for ascending the temple and once for

descending below leaving the hill. Before ascending or descending the steps, pilgrims break coconut as an offering to the steps. One needs to have the sacre Irumudi on headwhile going up or down the 18 steps. While descending the steps the devotees climb down backwards facing the sanctum sanctorum.

One who climbs the Patinettampadi for 18 times shall plant a sapling of coconut inSabarimala. Built on a plateau about 40 feet high, the Ayyappan temple commands alofty view of the mountains and valleys all around. The ancient temple has been rebuiltafter a fire in 1950. Within the confines of the sanctum sanctorium with a copper-platedroof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams, the belikalpura which housesthe altar, the flag-staff replacing the earlier stone image of the deity, sits a beautifulidol of Ayyappa in panchaloha, an alloy of five metals, about one and a half feet tall.

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After this we proceed to walk back, we came across the Shrine of 'Tapas Kamakshi" -This was installed at the behest of Kanchi Paramacharya. We can also see the variousother deities like Lord Surya etc, in the outer courtyard. As we circumbulate the Tem-ple, we can see Sapta Matrikas installed right behind in the Main outer courtyard andwalk through to the Dwajastambha installed in the Eastern side. This completes thevisit to the Temple. People come here to pray for Marriage, child birth etc.

After completion of the visit to the Kamakshi Temple, people proceed to the VaikuntaPerumal Shrine or the Shrine of Lord Vishnu which is about 500 meters away. HereLord Vishnu can be seen in a seated posture along with his 2 consorts Sridevi andBhoodevi holding a ring in his palm that he has brought for the marriage of his sister

Kamakshi. This is a small temple with separate shrines for Goddess Lakshmi, Sri An-dal and Lord Hanuman.

Maha Kumbabishegam: First Maha Kumbabhishegam was performed on 8th July of1987 with a newly built seven storied Rajagopuram and again on 3rd June of 2001. Bothwere performed in the presence of His Holiness Sri Jeyendra Saraswathi Swamigal andSri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal.

Abhishegam: Abhishegam will be performed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdaysand Saturdays between 11 AM to 1 PM.

Navakalasa Homam and Pushpanjali: This Special Homam and Abhishegam will beperformed on all the Full moon day ( Powrnami).

Six Week Worship: Worshipper can choose any one day in a week for worship. Theyhave to repeat the worship on the same day next week for seven times (one Mandalam).Every time two fresh lemon fruits are to be offered and they have to get back one lemonand the same has to be kept in the pooja. When they come next week, they have to bringthe old, which was kept in pooja,with two other fresh lemons.

Annadhanam: Every Day Annadhanam is being provided to the worshippers at 12.15noon. Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays annadhanam provided for 150 worshippers and onother days 100 worshippers.

Golden Chariot is drawn every day between 6.30 - 7.30 PM.

MAHALINGAPURAM SREE AYYAPPA TEMPLE

About four decades ago, there existed in the Chennai Metropolis no tem-

ple dedicated exclusively to Lord Ayyappa. In the absence of any insti-tutionalized service, devotees proceeding to Sabarimala during the Man-dalam-Makaravilakku seasons had to fend for themselves. Indeed, Ay-yappan Vilakku used to be conducted in several areas of the city as an

annual feature, enlisting the support of local devotees. One such area was Nungambak-kam.

Here the annual Ayyappan Vilakku used to be conducted in the premises of a temple onMelpadi Muthu Naicken Street or in the precincts of Asalathamman Koil, later onNorth Mada Street in Nungambakkam. During the celebrations in 1967 the organizers,seized of the problems encountered by the devotees undertaking pilgrimage to the HolyHills, decided to launch an action plan to provide minimum facilities to them.

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The plan referred to above, took concrete shape with the registration of SREE AYYAP-PA BHAKTHA SABHA, Nungambakkam on April 3, 1968. The declared objects ofthe Sabha were: (a) to spred the cult of Ayyappa by doing selfless socio-religious ser-vices, (b) to endeavor to have a premises of its own to perform religious activities as pro-grammed from time to time; (c) to render all possible help to pilgrims who take vow togo to Sabarimala for Mandalam, Makaravilakku and for the Vishu Pooja; (d) to includein its socio-religious services, items like (i) performing periodical Poojas, Bhajans,Ayyappan Pattu and other religious and social programmes; (ii) organize and celebratewith the cooperation of all Ayyappa Bhakthas, the annual “Ayyappan Vilakku” inNungambakkam; (iii) and conduct religious discourses with a view to help Bhakthas topractice “Bhakthi Yoga”. 

Inspired by the response to the discourses and to the weekly Bhajans organized by theSabha, the members felt that it was time that they looked for a place of their own toconduct such programmes in more condusive environments. In order to raise funds forthis venture, a grand Ganamela was conducted in November 1969 at Rama Rao Kala-mandapam, T.Nagar in which several luminaries of the musical world like SarvasriK.J.Yesudas, Jayachandran, C.O.Anto and Smt.P.Leela, S. Janaki and Latha took part.Sri.V. Dhakshinamoorthy, the renowned music director, directed the programme andSri. Sekhar led the Orchestra.

A Panchaloha Vigraham of the Lord was made at Chengannur and brought to the sitein a procession led by Sri K.K.Nanu. Brahmasree Kantaru Sankararu Thantri who heldthe great distinction of having performed the Punaprathishta at Holy Sabarimala tem-ple, after the fire accident in the 1950s, conducted the Prathishta ceremony in our tem-ple on March 25, 1974. Kumbhabhishekam was performed on March 29, 1974. With

Lord Ayyappan as the main deity, Lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanian with Hisconsorts Valli and Devayani constituted the Parivarams.

Thus was born the first temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in the city of Chennai (thenMadras). This long-cherished dream of the devotees was fructified through munificentdonations received from well wishers, door-to-door collections organized by volunteers,revenue realized through publications of Souvenirs, etc.

GURUVAYURAPPAN TEMPLE: The plot adjacent to the temple premises measuringabout two and half grounds was purchased by the Sabha in 1986. Foundation for a tem-ple for Lord Guruvayurappan was laid at the site on June 4, 1989. The unique idol ofLord Guruvayurappan made in Krishna Sila, at Guruvayur was brought to site on May24, 1990 in a grand motorcade with the Vigraham in a tastefully decorated float. Prat-ishta Karmam was performed on June 4, 1990. That marked the fulfillment of yet an-

other great dream of the devotees. While Laksharchana was being performed everyyear, the first Koti Archana Mahayagnam to Lord Ayyappa was performed from No-vember 15, 1986 to December 14, 1986. Subsequent Koti Archanas were performed asfollows: 1992 to Lord Guruvayurappan; 1997 to Lord Ayyappan; 1998 to LordGuruvayurappan; 1999 to Lord Ayyappan and 2000 to Lord Guruvayurappan.

Idols of Nagaraja and Nagayekshi were installed in the temple premises on March 25,1998. Yet another major dream of devotees came to fruition with the installation ofSwarna Kodimarams at the Sannidhis of Lord Ayyappan and Lord Guruvayurappan onFebruary 25, 2004. Simultaneous installation of gold-plated Dhwajasthambhams at twoSannidhis in the same temple complex is a unique achievement, perhaps not accom-plished elsewhere hitherto.

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Every year, lakhs and lakhs of people throng to Sabarimala irrespective of caste or creedand adorn themselves with garlands and Irumudis, chant slogans on Lord Ayyappa, bath in holy river Pampa, climb up the holy Eighteen Stairs and get the grace of LordAyyappa, the Dharmasastha. Devotees will start their yatra either from Erumeli toSabarimala (48 miles) by climbing hills (dense forest) on foot. Some Devotees start theiryatra from Pampa to Sabarimala (7 kms) .

The unique feature of the Temple is that it is open to people of all faiths and manynone hindus conduct pilgrimages to this temple. The secular aspect of the temple is bestexemplified by the existence of the "Vavar Nada" in honor of a Muslim saint in closeproximity to the main temple (Ayyappa Swami Temple) at Sabarimala by the side ofHoly Pathinettampady. The pilgrims worship in this place also. The pilgrims on theirsojourn to Sabarimala worship at Erumeli Sree Dharma Sastha Temple and conduct"Petta Thullal". They also worship in the mosque at Erumeli as a part of their pilgrim-age. Ayyappa Cult gives a lot of importance to secularism and communal harmony andhas set out to be a model for the whole world. Another significant aspect of the pilgrim-age is that all the pilgrims whether rich or poor, learned or illiterate, holding positionor not, master or servant are all equal before LORD AYYAPPA and all address eachother as AYYAPPA.

PETTA THULLAL : According to traditional belief, Petta Thullal is the re-enactment of the annihilation of Mahishi by Lord Ayyappa. The Ambalappu-zha group, as per the ritual, will first proceed to Erumeli Valiyambalam while

the Alangattu group will commence from the Mosque Junction. Thousands of pilgrimswill join the procession. They will paint their faces with colors and dance to the tune ofdrumbeats chanting Swami thinthakathom...Ayyapppa thinthakathom'. After offeringprayers at Valiyambalam, both the groups will proceed to Sabarimala temple through

the traditional trekking paths.

PAMPA : Pampa is the most important and holy spot on the way to Sanni-dhanam. It is here Lord Ayyappa was found by King Rajasekara. The Pam-pa river is as holy as the Ganges. The Pampa water purifies one from curse &evil. This was the place where an infant, who later turned out to be Ayyappa

was found abandoned by the riverside. The King of Pandalam picked him up and brought him up. Ram And Lakshman are also stated to have visited Pampa and met thesage Sabari. Many important landmarks in and around Pampa are mentioned in`Ramayana'. It is said that the footprint of Rama can be seen imprinted on a rock at`Rama Padam' located near the KSRTC bus stand at Pampa. In the old days, for thepilgrims coming via Erumeli - Karimala route, Pampa was the last big stop. They built`Viri' made of forest leaves, twigs and bamboo and spent a few days resting in religiousfervour . The trek from Pampa to Sabarimala was undertaken after Pampa Vilakku.

PAMPA GANAPATHI: Thriveni of Pampa is one of the holy places men-tioned from “Thredayugam” Lord Sriram with his presence in this placehad blessed this area. Many places near Pampa thriveni has reference of SriRama.Sabarimala pilgrims from different route meets at Pampa and thenproceed to Sannidhanam. During early days of the pilgrimage, pilgrims

faced many difficulties at Pampa. On performing “Prasna chinda”, the presence of Ga-napathy was found and a temple was consecrated. Based on “Jyothisha prediction, thedeity of old ganapathy was consecrated as “Adi ganapathy” as lord of Sidhi and Budhi. 

NEELIMALA KAYATTAM: Nelimala is the first mountain (climb) onthe way fromPampa to Sannidanam (Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple). Thetrek here is tough as the mountain is steep. There are two steep climbs.There is thick forest cover on both the sides.The path here is concreted.

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The Achankovil Sastha Temple is famous for curing poisonous snake bites. The lefthand of the idol of Ayyappa at Achankovil Shastha Temple always holds‘Chandan’ (sandalwood paste) and Thirtha (holy water). The Chandan and Thirtha areconsidered to have medicinal properties to cure snake bites.The temple complex alsocontains other deities associated with the Ayyappa legend. The festivals and rituals heldhere have strong Tamil roots. During the Sabarimala pilgrimage, devotees also visit thistemple to offer their prayers. It is believed that the idol of this temple was consecrated by Sage Parasurama. On both sides of the idol, Poorna and Pushkala, the consorts ofLord Sastha are also installed.The most important festival here is celebrated from thefirst to tenth day of Malayalam month Dhanu (December  –  January).

ARYANKAVU SRI DHARMASASTHA TEMPLE

Sree Darma Sastha Temple is one of the important pilgrim centers of thedistrict. The main attraction of Aryankavu is the Ayyappa Temple aliasAryankavu Sastha Temple dedicated to Lord Sastha, one among the fiveancient Ayyappa temples. The unique feature of the temple is that it is builtabout 35 ft below the road level and has some fine structure and muralpaintings. The legend behind the the Ayyappa of Aryankavu is similar tothat of Sree Dharma Sastha of Sabarimala .The only difference between the

two are that Sastha was brought up by the Pandi Raja of Madhura and not the Raja ofPandalam.The two main festivals of this temple, Mandala pooja and Thrikalyanamfestival, celebrated in December draws thousands of pilgrims. It is believed that SwamiAyyappan married Shri Pushkaladevi of Sourashtra community in Aryankavu. Themarriage festival is held every year in Aryankavu and the marriage rituals are accord-ing to the Sourashtra community .Even now Sourashtrians reach here in groups during

the time of ‘Mandalapooja’. Situated about 73 km east of Kollam and 33 km fromPunalur and 21 km away from Thenkasi and 13 km away from shencottah .All trainstowards Shencottah have a stop at Aryankavu. The Palaruvi waterfall is only 4kmsaway from here.

KULATHUPUZHA SRI DHARMASASTHA TEMPLE

Kulathupuzha Situated on a forest range on the Thiruvananthapuram  –  Shenkottai road, Kulathupuzha is known for the Sastha temple. The VishuMahotsavam in April/May is the most important festival. There are frequent buses from Kollam to Kulathupuzha. The Thenmala railway station is just10 km from here. The Sastha Temple at Kulathupuzha is very ancient. Theidol at Kulathupuzha is called ‘Manikandan’. It is believed that the Templewas constructed by the Raja of Pandalam. But the idol was discovered by a

Brahmin from Kottarakkara after several years and he started pooja there. The King ofKottarakkara heard about this and constructed the present temple. Feeding to the fishesin the nearby river is an important ‘vazhipadu’ in the Temple.  

ERUMELI SASTHAS AND VAVAR:

Situated about 60 kms. away from Kottayam town, it isthe biggest pilgrim centre in the district. There is anancient temple where 'Sridharma Sastha' is the presid-ing deity. There is also an ancient mosque dedicated toVavar who is considered as friend of Lord Ayyappa.

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VADAPALANI ANDAVAR TEMPLE

Vadapalani Andavar Temple is located in Vadapalani, Chennai. Thetemple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. The temple was renovated in 1920sand a Rajakopuram was built during that time. The temple has grown inpopularity believed in part due to the patronage of cinema stars. Builtabout 125 years back, this much-hallowed and regularly frequented LordMuruga sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious

one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par withancient places of worship. Around 7,000 couples are married here each year.

According to the sthalapurana, one Muruga devotee by name Annaswami Nayakar withhis limited means built a small thatched hut and kept a Murugan painting for his per-sonal worship primarily. During his meditation and worship, he used to experiencesome divine power entering his body and inspiring him to utter some mysteriousthings.whatever he said in his trance was found true. His utterance went by the name of'arulvakku' ('God blessed statements') and relieved people in several ways, like curingdiseases and getting jobs, solemnising marriages, etc.

There are very many sannidhis in the vast courtyards of the temple, like VarasiddhiVinayaka, Chokkanathar, Meenakshi Amman, Kali, Bhairava, Shanmuga with Valliand Devasena.

The moolavar in standing posture resembles the Palani Muruga in every respect. In theinner prakara, there are many niches housing Dakshina Murti, Chandikeswar, Maha-lakshmi, et al. It has a spacious hall used for conducting marriages and religious dis-

courses. It is one of the most-frequented Murugan shrines in the city of Chennai.

The entrance to this temple is crowned with a rajagopuram adorned with several stuccoimages depicting legends from the Skanda puranam. In front of the temple is the templetank. The eastern tower rises to a height of 40.8 metres. The 108 bharata natyam dancegestures can be seen on the eastern tower as well.

ANJANEYA TEMPLE, NANGANALLU

The Anjaneya Temple at Nanganallur, Chennai is a Hindu temple dedi-cated to the god Hanuman. The principal idol of Hanuman is 32-feet talland sculpted from a single piece of granite. The idol was installed in 1989and consecrated in 1995.

Sri Maruti Bhakta samajan trust, consisting of people with high spiritual beliefs,

wished for this temple. with the blessings of Sri Ragavendra swami and Sri KanchiParamacharyar entrenched the 32 foot idol of Sri Anjaneyar in 1989 and consummatedthe Kumbabishekam in 1995. The distinguished factor of the 32 feet idol is that it wasmolded out of a single rock.

The main shrine houses Anjaneya inside a Temple Tower 90 feet tall. Anjaneya is fac-ing West and the main entrance is on the West. There is an auxiliary entrance on thesouthern side used during temple festivals. The main Temple building has path-ways allaround the sanctum sanctorum and also a large covered space (Mandapam) for devoteesto assemble in front of the Lord for offering worship. On the North-West corner, a full-fledged Sannidhi for Sri Rama has been built and here He has taken abode with Seethaand Lakshmana with Anjaneya in attendance. The Gods are facing East. Rama's role as

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the protector and ruler is signified here as Rama is seen carrying his bow, hence thename "Kothanda Rama" for the Lord here. On the South-West, a Sannidhi for LordKrishna with Rukmani and Satya Bhama, all facing East has been built. Even thougha Sannidhi for Lord Rama is normally built in Anjaneya temple, rarely a Sannidhi forLord Krishna is built. Here in our Temple, Krishna Sannidhi is built to remind thedevotees that among the Gods it was only Anjaneya who was present in both the Indianepics. In Ramayana, as a direct disciple of Rama and in Mahabaratha, in the flag ofArjuna's Chariot as ordained by Lord Krishna to save it from destruction by the oppo-nents. In the North-East part of the Temple, on a small platform, "Vinayaka" is housedfacing East and to his left on a yet another platform 'Naga' has been installed. SaintRaghavendra has taken His abode facing Lord Krishna.The temple is now under the

custody of HR & CE.

THIRUVALLIKENI PARTHASARATHY TEMPLE

The Parthasarathy Swamy Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams,is said to have been renovated by a King of Pallava dynasty."Brindaranya" is the traditional Puranic name of Thiru-Alli-Keni

now known as Thiruvallikeni or modern Triplicane. It is said that for at least five thou-sand years, it has been a resting place for pilgrims who had come down from Thirupathyto have a bath in the sea on the days of Solar and Lunar Eclipses and on other auspi-cious days it being in a direct line to Thirupathy, Thiruthani and Trivellore and theroute being free from swamps.

According to Brahmanda Puranam, the five Deities in the temple are said to have beenworshipped by the Saptah Rishis viz. Bhrigu, Manchi, Atri, Markandeya, Sumathi,

Saptharoma and Jabali and also have been praised by two of the earliest Alwars viz.Thirumazhisai Alwar, Peyalwar and later on by Thirumangai mannan or Kaliyan,who who is considered to be the last of the Alwars chronologically and his year of birthwould appear to be 476 A.D. according to the era of Salivahana Saka.

The presiding Deity of this temple Sri Venkatakrishna Swami also known as"GEETHACHARYA". According to Brahmanda purana, King Sumathy prayed LordThiruvengada of the Seven Hills to give him darshan in the form of the Charioteer(SARATHY) to PARTHA during the MAHABHARATHA WAR and renderingGEETHA. Lord Thiruvengada appeared in his dream and bade him to go to"BRINDARANYA" where he would give him Darshan in the form he wished. Mean-while, Athreya Maharishi requested his Acharya Vedavyasa to mention to him the placefit for doing Thapas and he was directed by his Acharya to go to Brindaranya on the banks of the Kairavani Theertham overgrown with Thulasi plants and where king Su-mathy was doing Thapas. Saying so, Vedavyasa gave Athreya a Divya-Mangala Vigrahawith a conch in his right hand and Gnana Mudra in the left hand pointing to HIS HO-LY FEET signifying the famous Charama Sloka of the Bhagavat Geetha:-

"Sarva Dharman Parithyajya Mamekam Saranam Vraja Ahamthwa Sarwa PapebhyoMokshayishyami Ma Suchaha" (18-66). This quintessence of the Geetha is rendered intoEnglish by Sir Edwin Amold thus:- "And let go those Rites and writ duties! Fly to Mealone! Make Me thy single refuge! I will free Thy soul from all its sins! Be of goodcheer!"

Accordingly, Athreya Maharishi reached the Ashramam of Sumathy and narrated tohim in detail, the circumstances that led him to go there. Sumathy was pleased with theDivya Mangala image of Sri Parthasarathy Swamy in accordance with the desire and

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Lord Marundeeswarar is known so because he taught sage Agastya about some magicalmedicine. Since then the Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of worship for peoplewith diseases and various problems with their health.It is said that even The SageValmiki, who wrote The Ramayana, came here to The Marundeeswarar temple to wor-ship The Lord.Sage Valmiki was said to be blessed here. After this incident, this placewas to be known as Thiruvalmikiyur, after a long period of time, the name graduallychanged to Thiruvanmiyur. There is a place present in Thiruvanmiyur called ValmikiNagar in his honour. There is also a te mple built for Sage Valmiki in the middle of theEast Coast Road, very close to the Marundeeswarar temple.

The lingam for which Lord Hanuman performed pooja, The lingam(meenakshi

sundareswarar) that cured the curse of Lord Indra, the Lingam for which Saint Bha-radwaja performed pooja are present here. Markandeyar performed a penance andprayed to lord Shiva here, Lord Brahma is believed to have conducted a festival here forlord Shiva.There is a story that Vishnu worshipped Shiva with his family here to get ason,but he forgot to worshipp parvati devi who cursed his son to die at once after birth .Vishnu apologised and she took away the curse.

TENKASI PERIYA KOVIL

Tenkasi (South Kasi) is famous for its Ulagamman Temple and its ShivaTemple. The Ulagamman temple was built by Parakrama Pandian, butwas shattered by lightning. In the 1990s, the temple was restored withmuch financial assistance of Sivanthi Adithan and others, and it was

given a fresh coat of paint again in 2006 by the same philanthropists. However, the firstfew feet from the ground has not been painted as that part appears to have survi