Ramanisblog

Tag: Tiruchirappalli

  • Temple Where ‘Children are Given Away’ Viralimalai

    The practice of Yoga bestows on one some special powers as an offshoot of the spiritual Discipline..

    Those who want to advance in the Spiritual quest ignores them for they are an impediment to Spiritual Progress.

    Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa  admonished a a man who boasted to Ramakrishna that he had spent 12 years of sadhana,Spiritual Practice and acquired the ability to walk on Water by demonstrating it,

    -You have wasted 12 years of your Life for a thing which can be achieved by paying Half anna (roughly 3paise)-in Dollar Terms, it is near Zero”

    Those who discard them become great.

    Arunagirinathar was a saint of recent Prigin and he was a Devotee of Lord Muruga.

    He excelled in Bhakti Yoga(I shall write on him later).

    Lord Subrahmanya bestowed on him The Eight Special Powers At Viralimalai,near Tiruchirapalli.

    Predictably, though Arunagirinathar accepted these Siddhis with all humility he was not enamoured of them.

    Viralimalai is located near Tiruchi, about an hour and a Half drive.

    The temple is closed between 12 and 4 pm.

    Lord Shiva, Parvati and Lord Subramanya are Deities here. with Lord Subramanya being the presiding Deity.

    The temple can be reached easily from Tiruchi and lies on the Perambalur Road and Transport is no problem.

    Here Lord Subramanya has three faces , facing us and another three behind.

    The Lord’s name is Shanmuganathan.

    Viralimalai Murugan Temple.
    Viralimalai Murugan Temple.

    ‘Temple:

    We find the statue of Kashyapa Muni and Narada Muni in the hill temple along with sculptures of Arundhati and Vashishta. We also find the sculpture of Arumugan and Arunagirinathar on the pillars found on the way to the temple. The temple is located on top of the hill and can be seen from a great distance. A beautiful flight of steps along with mandapams for devotees to rest, take us to the top of the hill. At the foot of the hills the water tank called Saravana Poigai is located on southern side. On the eastern side there is a Srine for the goddess Maikannudaiyal. It is customary to worship this goddess before climbing up the hill.

    On the way to the hill top we find the Idumban Sannidhi a small cave Srine for Meenakshi Sundareshwar and a mandapam called Sandana Kottam at the end of the flight of steps. Adjacent to the Sandana Kottam Mandapam we find the Navaratri and Shanmuga Moorty Mandapam.

    Next to the Navaratri Mandapam we find the south-facing Raja Gopuram. In the Shanmuga Moorthy Mandapam of this temple with a single prahara the utsavamoorthy gives darshan together with devas. In the western part of the prahara we find the Srines of Vinayagar, Dakshina Moorthy, Agasthiyar and Arunagirinathar and in the northern side we find the Srine of Chandikeshwarar and Bhairavar.

    The Srine for Navagraha is located on the way to the Maha Mandapam in front of the sanctum sanctorum. In the Maha Mandapam Natarajar, Sivakami, Manika Vinayagar and Srinivasa Perumal with consort await to bless the devotees. On the outer walls of the garbhagraha we find inscriptions. Inside the sanctum sanctorum Lord Muruga showers blessings upon the devotees.

    Theertham

    On the southern part of the foothill Saravana Poigai, the Sthala Theertham is located. It is also called Naga Theertham. The Sthala Vriksham in this temple is Kasi Vilvam.

    Moolavar

    The vision of the Lord inside the Garbhagraha is soul-stirring. The Lord is in the form of Arumugan, six-faced and with twelve hands seated elegantly on the peacock facing east. The divine consorts Valli and Deivannai stand on either side. As the Sivachariyar offers camphor the devotees can see the three faces at the back in the mirror which the other three can be viewed directly.’

    Temple address:

    Sri Shanmuganathan Devasthanam
    Viralimalai
    Tiruchirapalli – 621 316 India

    Ack: http://murugan.org/temples/viralima.htm

    There is a practice of Giving away one’s Son or Daughter to the Lord as a vow when one faces acute problems and the child is being taken back  by Foster parents, normally Grandparents or Uncles.

    The child is required to worship the Lord. apart from the Family Deity.

    I will be  posting on Family Deities.

    (Daththu Koduthal)

    It is a Belief problems are resolved..

    Peacocks Abound around Viralimalai the Temple.
    Peacocks Abound around Viralimalai the Temple.

    Related:

    There is the concept of the Ashta Siddhi (eight siddhis) in Hinduism. These are:

    • Aṇimā: reducing one’s body even to the size of an atom
    • Mahima: expanding one’s body to an infinitely large size
    • Garima: becoming infinitely heavy
    • Laghima: becoming almost weightless
    • Prāpti: having unrestricted access to all places
    • Prākāmya: realizing whatever one desires
    • Iṣṭva: possessing absolute lordship
    • Vaśtva: the power to subjugate all[5]

    The eight siddhis hinted at by Kapila in his Sutra – अष्टधा सिद्धिः ||१५|| –[6] are as explained in Verse 51 of Samkhyakarika:[7]–

    • Uuha: based on the samskaras of previous births the attainment of knowledge about the twenty-four Tatwas gained by examining the determinable and the indeterminable conscious and the non-conscious constituents of creation,
    • Shabad: knowledge gained by associating with an enlightened person (Guru – upadesh),
    • Addhyyan: knowledge gained through study of the Vedas and other standard ancillary texts,
    • Suhritprapti: knowledge gained from a kind-hearted person, while engaged in the spread of knowledge
    • Daan: knowledge gained regardless of one’s own needs while attending to the requirements of those engaged in the search of the highest truth,
    • Aadhyaatmik dukkh-haan: freedom from pain, disappointment, etc; arising due to lack of spiritual, metaphysical, mystic knowledge and experience,
    • Aadhibhautik dukkh-haan: freedom from pain etc; arising by possessing and being attached to various materialistic gains,
    • Aadhidaivik dukkh-haan: freedom from pain etc; caused by fate or due to reliance on fate,

    the attainment of which eight siddhis makes one become rid of pain-causing ignorance through gain of knowledge, and experience bliss. The aim of Samkhya is to eliminate all kinds of physical and mental pains and to receive liberation.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhi

    Viralimalai – Part 1

     

    Virali Malai * Arulmigu Subramania Swamy ~

    Related articles

  • Faith Is What Faith Does Traveler’s Memoirs

    I had been on a trip to Temples of South India for the past five days and that’s the reason I Have not been able  post as much as I would have liked.

     

    Once in about three or four months I get the itch to travel and I prefer temples of India.

     

    While embarking on visit to temples,I wold not call them  Pilgrimage for Pilgrimage is a conscious decision to visit places and com plete the vows.

     

    I do not ask for or pray for anything, for I am convinced long back God knows what I deserve and what ever I get is for my Good,

     

    I visit the Temples for the sheer joy it gives me.

     

    I have learnt  couple of lessons in visiting temples.

     

    The first is never set  a time frame for Darshan.

    Temple Of India
    Temple Of India

    About 23 years back, i went to Tirupati with my nephew with my seven-year Daughter.

     

    My nephew, who is three years younger to me, declared that we would be back in 10 hours at Chennai,six hours for Car travel, two hours for Darshan of Lord Balaji and two hours Margin!

     

    I told him not to set time frame for God for He sets the Time for us.

     

    We went ahead and had a special pass at Rs 150 which entitled on to have Darshan in a Special queue.

     

    Once we entered the inner queue with iron railings from where you can not come out,, we had to wait for 17 hours to have the Darshan!

     

    During this period I had to feed my daughter who refused to come down from my Hip and organise for natural ablutions!

     

    Well, that was that.

     

    From that day I never fix a tome frame to have a Darshan.

     

    I have been visiting temples since then.

     

    When I visit this way, I never had to wait for Darshan and there would be practically be no crowd at all.

     

    Then I  refined this approach, by not  even listing the temples i want to visit, excepting a couple of Temples.

     

    For the rest I go as my mind tells me.

     

    I got better results.

    Later I decided not to use private transport of any special entrance facilities offered at the temple for a quick darshan.

     

    The experience was still better.

     

    This time I had thought of visiting Tirukkadayur(Thirukkakkdavur is the correct pronunciation) and  a vow I had to complete for the natural delivery for my  Daughter in law(she delivered a baby girl seven months back) at Thayumanavar temple at Tiruchi.

     

    Excepting these two I had absolutely no plans.

     

    I ended up with visiting 20 temples in five days with no Private transport, traveling by only by Public transport.

     

    And the Temples were chosen for me by the others!

     

    At Mayiladuthurai, This job was handled by my friend’s(friend since college days since 1967) wife and at Tiruchirapalli by my friend’s daughter who is Computer Professional aged 25!

     

    Believe me not only the visits were better, smoother and the Darshan, the best in my life.

     

    For these people who had done this without any anticipation, six letters of the word Thanks is not enough.

     

    Thank you Ms. Abhayamba Sekaran and Sindhu.

     

    May Goddess Abhirami Bless you.

     

    This trip also reinforced my belief, which I have expressed often , that the present generation of youngsters, obsessed with worldly things and Gadgets are more informed , more helpful and more Religious without pretenses.

     

    To conclude I can only say that Faith is what Faith does.

     

    Note. I will be posting some articles on the Temples I visited with some unique information and Photos.

     

     

     

     

     

    Related articles

  • 20 Crores Seized- in Three Days- For Election.Video.

    Election officials seized Rs 5.11 crore of unaccounted money in a pre-dawn raid in Trichy on Tuesday.

    Is this Democracy?

    People should ponder.

    Dravidian parties have sullied the image of Tamils throughout the world.

    I am unable to face the barbs of Non-Tamils

    Story:

    It’s raining “dirty cash” inTamil Nadu as the assembly elections inch nearer. Election officialsseized Rs 5.11 crore of unaccounted money in a pre-dawn raid in Trichy on Tuesday. This is thus far the biggest such recovery in the state, where the total amount of unaccounted cash seized by poll officials has touched Rs 25 crore since elections were announced last month.

    The consignment – bundled into five leather travel bags – was stashed atop the roof of a private bus stationed at Pon Nagar, an upper middle class locality in Trichy.

    Directly in the line of fire was senior DMK leader and state transport minister K. N. Nehru, who is seeking re-election from the Trichy (West) constituency – Pon Nagar falls under this area.

    Interestingly, the owner of the bus, Udayakumar, is a close relative of the minister.

    http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134446/india/tamil-nadu-assembly-polls-election-commission-cash-haul-puts-dmk-in-cash-for-votes-shadow.html

    Unaccounted money seized in Tirupur

    Staff Reporter

    Tirupur: The flying squads, consisting of revenue and police officials, seized unaccounted money to the tune of Rs. 22.78 lakh from four places in the district during day-long checks conducted on Saturday. Official sources said that the cars carrying money were intercepted at Tirupur South, Palladam, Dharapuram and Kangeyam Assembly constituencies.

    Of the amount, Rs. 8.11 lakh was seized from Palladam, Rs. 2 lakh from Kangeyam, Rs. 7 lakh from Dharapuram and Rs. 5.66 lakh from Nallur in Tirupur South constituency.

    Treasuries

    Police sources said that the seized money were remitted to the respective sub-treasuries since the carriers of the cash were unable to produce valid documents.

    The matter would be investigated by the Income Tax department and the amount would be given back to its owners if they could prove the source of income, sources added.

    http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/14/stories/2011031461170600.htm

    M R Venkatesh, Chennai, March 12, DHNS:
    In just 11 days after the election model code of conduct came into effect, unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 15 crore, for possible use to bribe voters, has been seized in Tamil Nadu.
    The cash was impounded at various places, including Madurai, Erode, Thirukkovilur and Ramanathapuram during intense vehicle surveillance at check-posts  by flying squads appointed for each of the 234 Assembly constituencies in the state. 

    Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Kumar said at a press conference here on Saturday that in Madurai alone, about Rs 3.50 crore was seized after intercepting four cars. The occupants claimed that the money  was being taken for inter-bank transfers, but could not properly account for it, he said. Acting on another tip-off, Rs 11.5 crore was stumbled upon during a search at the residence of a woman Congress councillor in Tiruppur, the CEO said.

    “Since her husband is a realtor, probe is on to ascertain whether the cash was meant for election purpose or part of the latter’s normal business activity,” he added.

    Reiterating that the EC in conjunction with the Income-Tax department would  keep a close watch on cash flow in the state, Praveen kumar said about three lakh “beedies” were seized at Thirukkovliur in Villupuram district.

    http://www.deccanherald.com/content/145379/ec-seizes-rs-15-crore.html