Category: Articles

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 30

It was my intention to carry on my pilgrimage and visit as many temples as I possibly could during the remainder of my stay in India.
However, on the full moon day of March 4th, 2007 , I decided to re visit Nemili to attend the monthly pournami puja. This time my friend accompanied me as well.
The little house was full of people when we arrived by 9 a.m. in the morning. Inside, the ablutions ( abhishekams) to this little deity had just started. I sat there in total peace drawing an inordinate amount of strength from just witnessing the whole sequence of events. Bhajans and songs on Baala were sung and the atmosphere was truly tranquil. I closed my eyes to savour the moment when a few messages seemed to flash through my mind in rapid succession. It was as though Bala was striking up a dialogue with me. “ You will tell Ezhilmani to build a huge hall oposite my house. I want you to bring all your paintings and give it to me. They will be exhibited in the new building which shall be constructed on two floors”.
My head reeled. Was I hearing things again? I leaned over to my friend and told her quickly what had just happened. How was it possible to go up to Ezhilmani and ask him to construct a building? That might be considered too presumptious. After all, these devout people had served Bala all their lives. I was barely a new comer.
All these thoughts made me hesitate. However, my friend suggested that I could ask Ezhilmani or his nephew, Murali, whether they owned any land close to the temple. That might be a possible starting point for this conversation.
In addition, there was another question I was longing to ask the priest. On my previous visit to Nemili, I had purchased a CD that had been just released. Usually, the songs composed at the Bala peetam were solely about her. However, in this CD, I found a song dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba.
In fact, when I was involved in painting Shirdi Baba the previous year, I had frequently questioned myself why I was being drawn almost like a magnet to worshipping this great saint. After all, vedanta teaches us that worship of all the different Gods represents mere Saguna ( external) form of worship and one has to transcend this mode of veneration of a God endowed with attributes, to an awareness of the Nirguna aspect , in order to progress spiritually and realise the divine nature of one’s real self.
Although, I had finished several paintings of various Shaivaite and Vaishnavaite deities, ever since I reconnected with Baala in 2006, I considered all the Gods to be just an aspect of this great Goddess. Somehow, I could not make the great mental leap to recognising that Supreme awareness or Conciousness that is beyond space and Time and possesess no limiting attributes. Devotion or bhakthi seemed to bring me closer to a familiar Goddess. It was here, that I was stuck in my spiritual path.
Hence, I needed to find out the connection between Sai Baba and Nemili Bala.
Rather hesitantly I approached Ezhilmani. First, I asked him why the song on Shirdi Baba had been included in the Cd.
His reply was swift and took me by surprise. He said “ There is no difference between Baala and Shirdi Sai Baba. “He and I are one”- She has said this in an Arul Vakku”. He smiled.
I realised then that this child goddess was indeed guiding me at every step on my spiritual path!
So, with a bit more confidence, now I asked Ezhilmani if he or his family owned any land directly in front of the peetam.
His answer, was of course, no great surprise “ Yes, my son owns a small plot immediately across from the temple”.
“Are you planning on building something like a hall here”, I found myself asking.
The reply, “Why only this past week our family has been discussing proposals to build a two- story structure on that plot. However, nothing has been decided. We are waiting for Baala to give her permission- uthiravu”
I thought I would faint!
Quickly I filled him on the details and the commands given to me.
Murali took me outside to view the plot of land and soon after I departed after promising Ezhilmani that I would keep in touch with them regarding the project. My intention was to help financially, if Bala allowed me to!
In the week following, I made plans to go on another pilgrimage. This time I wanted to start with a visit to Pazhani, the famous abode of Muruga, that I had yet to see among all his six sacred places of worship. However, during this time an elderly aunt died and I decided to postpone the trip until the funeral rites and ceremonies including the mandatory mourning period got over.
Also, one day I got a command from the warrior god. “Complete a painting of me before you visit me”.
That was the message. It did not come while I was sleeping. Instead, the command was a flash of thought during my daily prayers.
In fact, all my visions and dreams had stopped completely by now. They had slowly decreased in frequency over the past two years. The only change was that I was receiving silent messages during my prayer. I could hear Bala talk, Lord Murugan give me an instruction and when I visited temples, I could hear the Gods and Godesses commune to me. They were not just idols or statues. Instead, their power was extremely accessible!
I had not discussed this with anyone except Ezhilmani. He simply smiled and repeated that Bala had accepted me as family!
I visited Swami Paramartha, in Chennai, one day without calling him up first or fixing an appointment as is usually the norm. I was getting disturbed by these mental messages and needed help from a learned saint/ Guru.
The day I walked into his private apartment, Paramartha was all alone and readily agreed to chat with me.
In fact, he enquired if I had experienced any visions lately. I quickly filled him on my situation and asked him to just be there, mentally for me as a guide. I also wanted his help in removing all that remained of my “ego” or “ahamkara”.
I did not want to feel I was in any way “different” from anyone else.
Paramartha looked at me , smiled and said “You don’t have the ego problem. I’m with you- Always, Always, Always”.
He repeated this statement three times and then I left.
In the days that followed, I started a painting of Lord MURUGAN. I depicted him seated on a rock , smiling majestically, while his mount, a peacock, played near his feet.

During this period, the only hymns I listened to were those pertaining to this great Lord. He was there in my waking as well as sleeping state. That is to say, there seemed no difference between the painting and myself since it was a mere reflection of my inner self- which was Lord Muruga, at that time.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 29

My husband and I landed in Chennai on February 4th, 2007. The very first thing I did was to give my pictures for framing. Somehow, taking this new Baala painting and the smaller painting of the Sri Chakra to Nemili was the most important task ahead of me.
On the final Friday in the auspicious tamil month of Thai,( February 9th, 2007),my husband, myself and an aunt of mine went to Nemili to hand over the paintings.
My husband was a reluctant recruit on this trip. Until the previous day, it wasn’t really clear if he would accompany us. However, it was Baala’s desire and he was merely summoned to visit her.
I explained briefly to Ezhilmani the reason for this photo copy and the events that had come to pass while working on it. He merely smiled and positioned the painting on the side-wall . I continued with my narration and said that the original was meant for the Raja Rajeshwari Peetam. Ezhilmani’s reply surprised me “Why Amma, I have just returned from Vizag where a huge temple Kumbabishekam took place. This is Haran Aiya’s Guru’s temple. I met him and his Guru and have told him about you . Do go to Rochester, but call first as Haran is a very busy man”.
Ezhilmani lit the camphor on a plate and reverently showed it in front of little Baala in her Peetam first and then to the paintings I had given. The flame lingered near her eyes and then her right foot!
We went up to receive the kumkum prasadam. I received the prasadam in my cupped right hand. However, when my husband came up, Ezhilmani placed the prasadam at the feet of Baala and then applied it directly on his forehead. I felt this was a significant moment implying that Baala’s grace would definitely be with him.
I moved away to the book stall for a few minutes with the intention of buying a few newly released CD’S. I had just about finished my purchase when my aunt nudged me urgently. As I turned arount, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a green skirt, more like a whirl of colours disappearing in front of me.
I looked at my aunt questioningly.
She said “I wanted you to see this very, captivating, small child who just walked in. She moved purposefully to the center of the peetam, took the prasadam left on the tray there, and even as I was going to ask her who she was, she ran away without uttering a word with just a small smile on her lips. I wanted you to see this child because she looked so enchanting but you were busy buying the cassettes. You just missed her”!
Of course, it had been Baala and my Aunt had been honoured with her darshan!! I felt happy for my aunt because she is a pious lady and I had brought her with me just so she could receive Baala’s blessings! I remembered reading in Ezhilmani’s book that Baala often enters her own peetam in human form either as a child, an old woman or in the guise of a dog!
Back in Chennai, my husband suddenly seemed interested in visiting a few temples. I suggested a short two day trip to visit Madurai Meenakshi Amman ( since she was the family deity) as well as Rameshwaram. Both these temples are world reknowned for architectural splendour and appealed even to non- religious tourists.
On Friday, February 16th, we left for Madurai by the early morning flight and proceeded to the temple immediately. We were treated to an extended darshan of the Goddess and witnessed her glowing splendour as she was worshipped by myriad of lights- “Alankaara Deepam”.
After a short tour around the ancient temple precincts admiring the statues and sculptures in the 1,000 pillared hall and “listening” to the sounds produced by the musical pillars, we left Madurai on our journey to the holy city of Rameshwaram.
It seemed incredibly fortuitous that we would be reaching the most famous abode of Shiva on perhaps the only day in the whole year that is extremely auspicious—Shiva Rathri.
However, on the way to Rameshwaram, we stopped off to visit a few temples associated with the legend of Ramayana.
The first of these was Devipattinam. The story is that as Rama was on his way to Sri Lanka to fight with the demon Ravana and reclaim Sita, Devi appeared in his dream and asked him to worship the nine planets at Devipattinam. The goddess informed Lord Rama that his misfortunes had been caused by the adverse planetary conditions which could only be set right at this holy spot.
However, when Rama did arrive at Devi pattinam, he did not find any temple for the Navagrahas. Instead, he fashioned these Nava Bhashana or stone figures out of the sand and worshipped them. Later he went to Thirupullani where a bridge to Sri Lanka was built with help from the army of monkeys. Rama’s defeat of Ravana and his triumphant return home is a well known story. However the legend is that on his way back from Lanka, Rama stopped off at Rameshwaram to pray to Shiva in order to mitigate the sin incurred by killing a Shiva devotee!
Hence, Rameshwaram is a magnet for pilgrims, both Shaivaite as well as Vaishnavaites.
At Devipattinam, the sea is calm and serene. About a few hundred yards into the expanse of water lie nine roughly hewn blocks of stone which the priest said represented the nine planets. It is generally believed that devotees perform worship here for a number of reasons apart from removing the malefic influences of the planets. Indeed, they seek relief from sins incurred during their previous birth; offer prayers for the liberation of departed ancestors and perform the last rites for their fore- fathers at this holy spot.
Devi is supposed to have fought and killed the demon Mahishasura at this place, hence the name and the aura of auspiciousness that surrounds this place.
The priest who took our archana basket waded waist deep into the water as he performed puja for each block of stone.
We offered our heart-felt prayers and proceeded on our journey.
The next stop was the famous temple for Shiva at UthiraKoshaMangai.
This is an ancient and breathtakingly beautiful temple although it has not been well maintained due to paucity of funds. The sculptures in each of the pillars supporting the inner courtyard are replete with scintillating images of Kings, mythical beasts, dancing girls and stories from the Puranas. The main feature of this temple is the massive image of Shiva as the dancing Lord Nataraja, made entirely out of emerald. When we visited this temple, the huge 5 feet image was covered with a Kavacham ( cover) of sandal-paste. We were informed that this cover is taken off only once a year at the Arudra Darshan in the tamil month of Margazhi ( december).
The evening was closing in as we carried on to the next temple at Thirupullani. The story goes that Lord Rama rested on a bed of Grass here before moving on to defeat his foe, Ravana. Lord Vishnu reclines majestically on his serpent, in the main sanctum offering protection and blessings to all his sincere devotees.
We hurried on to our last stop for that night, the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameshwaram. Although, it was quite late in the evening, this famous temple was heaving with pilgrims, since our visit coincided with the holy night of Shiva Rathri.
The temple itself dates back thousands of years and has several remarkable features such as the thousand pillared corridor and the magnificent temple towers. The temple is also famous since it houses one of the twelve Jyotir lingas, sacred due to the fact that Lord Shiva’s radiance or light ( Jyothi) is believed to be locked up inside these lingas.
It was here in Rameshwaram that Lord Rama prayed to Shiva by the ocean ( Agni teertham), to absolve himself of the sin for killing Ravana ( an ardent Shiva devotee).
The story here is that Lord Rama wanted his faithful servant HANUMAN to obtain a Shiva linga for his worship from Kashi, in the north. However, Hanuman did not procure this linga on time. Hence, Sita fashioned a Shiva Linga from sand and it is believed Rama worshipped this image. On his return, Hanuman was sorely disappointed and to appease him Rama declared that the temple in Rameshwaram would house two lingas; the one brought by Hanuman would be worshipped first!
There are 22 wells within the temple precincts, fed by an underground spring. It is believed that a dip in each of these is bound to have marvellous purificatory and medicinal effects on people.
Early on the following morning, we caught a glimpse of the sunrise over the ocean at Rameshwaram. The shore was teeming with pilgrims who were preparing to bathe in the sacred waters. Some were already waist deep in the sea; yet others were setting off to the temple dripping wet with sea water. Other devotees were offering prayers and purificatory rites to their ancestors. Yes, This auspicious day meant brisk business for the innumerable priests plying their tools of trade.
My husband and I waded into the sea and then dutifully traced our path to have the obligatory dip in the numerous wells.
However, the floors of the temple were by now treacherous and slippery from the combination of sand and water and the jostling pilgrims. We opted for a light sprinkling of water from each well and then hastened to the main sanctum for a glimpse of the Lord as Shiva Linga.
There is no doubt that Rameshwaram is a beautiful temple steeped in mythology and legends.
We rounded off our trip with a quick visit to Dhanushkodi, the narrow penninsula jutting into the Bay Of Bengal, at a strikingly close distance from Sri Lanka.
Another brief halt at the famous Kodanda Ramar temple to view the foot prints of Lord Rama, finally brought to a close this amazing pilgrimage.
We started back to Madurai in the early afternoon to catch the evening flight back to Chennai.
However, there was sufficient time to view two more temples close to my heart.
Pazhamudhir Cholai is a famous temple for Lord Muruga, set among the lush hills on the outskirts of Madurai. A perennial waterfall, Noopura Ganga, tinkles down from the hils above, fed by an underground spring.
Lord Muruga stands serenely alongside both his consorts at this peaceful temple that has been glorified by several poets of the Sangam period, especially Nakkirar in his authoritative work, Thirumurugattruppadai. Among the six abodes of Lord Muruga, this tranquil spot is believed to enrich a devout seeker with spiritual wealth!
Following a darshan of Skanda, we proceeded to the famous fortified temple complex- Alagar Koil, which enshrines Lord Vishnu, and is regarded as one of the most important of his 108 abodes!
This two- day temple tour went by too quickly, yet we had the total satisfaction and peace of mind from just being able to visit and worship at these ancient and hallowed sites.
It seemed that Goddess Bala had started me off on a never- ending pilgrimage, because a few days later, again , at my husband’s request, we set off on another small tour. This time we visited the magnificent temple complex at Chidambaram ( second time for me), followed by the Brihadeeswara Temple in Tanjore.
After spending one night at Tanjore, I decided to visit Pudukkottai the following day as I wanted my husband to receive the blessings of Goddess Bhuvaneswari.
We reached the temple quite early in the morning and I sat in front of the Judge Swamigal samadhi and closed my eyes .
As always, when I visit Pudukkottai, a feeling of great sadness envelops me as I see this familiar temple and remember the innumerable times I have come here in my childhood days when Swamigal was alive. This occasion was no different. I sat with my eyes closed wishing Swamigal to give me guidance. I sincerely prayed that He should assist me further on my spiritual journey. No sooner had I finished my plea when a sudden instruction alighted in my mind. I use the word “alighted” because a second before, the thought did not appear and a second later it vanished. However, there was no mistake in the command. “Go to Sendamangalam”!.
I opened my eyes and saw an elderly priest beckoning me to his side. This old man was a close confidante of Swamigal when the latter was alive and is in charge of the administration of the Temple. My husband and I hurried to his side and went inside his little room. After paying our respects , I casually asked him if there was any importance attached to the temple at Sendamangalam.
I was informed that Sendamangalam housed the Samadhi of our Swamigal’s immediate preceptor or Guru- Sadasiva Brahmendrar ( the person in the photo at the samadhi of Bodhendrar).
I realised then that I had been given an answer to my silent plea.
Although Sendamangalam was not in our itinery, a decision was quickly made to visit this place following a short detour to Pillayarpatti.
I had wanted my husband to visit this famous abode of Lord Vinayaka. As luck would have it, the temple was quite empty and the colossal image of Pillayar seemed even more imposing as he sat there decked in his Golden Kavacham, waiting to bless us!
After a short stop in Trichy for refreshments, we set off again on that hot and dusty afternoon towards Sendamangalam. The priest at Pudukkottai had given me a packet of Vibhuti with instructions to smear it all over the stone idol of my Guru’s Guru. A priest at Sendamangalam would perform this rite and then hand over some of the sacred ash back to me as prasadam. Apparently, this vibhuti prasadam was unique and had curative powers.
When we arrived at Sendamangalam around 5 p.m., the temple seemed deserted and empty. I approached a small row of huts directly in front of the temple. These housed the temple priests. I entered inside the first house and awoke the elderly priest, who was taking his afternoon nap and requested him to open up the shrines inside. He was more than willing to do so, and soon we were walking up a steep flight of steps carved in the hillside to reach the shrine of Murugan and Sadasiva Brahmendrar.
The shrine containing the mortal remains of my Guru’s Guru was a very small, cave- like room with an extremely low ceiling. I crouched and went inside. Here, there was a stone image of the Guru right on top of his samadhi.
In the ante room were old, faded photographs of the Guru when he was young along with several other Sanyasis whom I didn’t recognise.
For a long time after the arathi was over,I sat inside this small room and sincerely prayed to this great soul to help me mature in my spiritual quest.
Later we visited the shrine to Lord Muruga and then took leave of the priest after he pressed some Vibhuthi prasadam into my hand.
We headed back to Trichy from Sendamangalam with one stop enroute to see a Huge statue of Hanuman as Anjaneya in a temple at Namakkal.
The striking feature of Namakkal is the giant outcrop of rock that seems to have thrust its way right in the midst of this small, bustling city. The ramparts of an ancient fortress surrounds the city. However, the most interesting feature are the two temples; one dedicated to a huge image of Anjaneya and another directly opposite, hewn out of rock, wherein resides Lord Narasimha ( Vishnu).
The story here is that Lord Anjaneya brought with him a Saligram stone ( fossil- worshipped as a symbol of Lord Vishnu) from the mountains in North India. At Namakkal, he decided to do his worship for Lord Rama and asked Mahalakshmi to hold it. However, the latter found the stone becoming significantly heavier and placed it down on the ground in order to rest her hands. The stone remained unmovable at the spot and soon assumed the gigantic proportions of a huge stony mountain devoid of any vegetation.
In the center of this spiral of rock is a cave where a shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his avatar of Narasimha.
The fierce and angry lord can be seen here, tearing the life and heart from the demon Hiranyakasipu, lying on his lap.
Lord Anjaneya stands directly facing his Lord’s feet. The image at Namakkal is probably the tallest Hanuman in TamilNadu. There is no roof to cover this colossal statue and Anjaneya bestows his blessings with a majesty and rare grandeur to all his devotees.
The following day, we returned to Chennai. My husband departed to London shortly thereafter and I remained behind for a month longer in Chennai.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 28

I left India a few days later and headed back to London and then on to Boston.
I arrived during early November just in time for Thanksgiving and relished the opportunity to be back with my daughters!
I carried on with my meditation and prayers as was my normal routine. However, one day in early December as I was listening to some songs on Nemili Baala, I received a very quick message from her. She wished for me to do a portrait of her as a nine- year old child seated on a lotus. I had done this previously, of course and had given it to the temple. However, this was the message I received along with the instruction that it should be finished on Pournami. This was just a few days away.
The very same day I started this divine task. I prayed that Baala would give me the strength to carry it out.
I immersed myself completely into the world of Baala. I listened to the CD’S and cassetes continuously as I set out to draw the portrait.
Slowly, the picture took shape and within a few days, I had finished the pencil drawing. On Pournami day in early December, I finished the entire painting and all that was left was the drawing of the eyes.
Just as I was about to draw the left eye of the Goddess, another message was flashed to me- “Call your daughter, Paavana immediately”.
Without hesitation, I put down the brush and picked up the phone.
Normally, my second daughter is never in her room on campus and this was a major source of friction between us. However, I was surprised when the phone was picked up immediately, almost at the first ring. There was a problem!
Over the next few weeks, I prayed to Baala to give me sufficient strength to withstand any downturn in my life!
Almost a whole month went by and the painting I had stopped working on was just covered and pushed away in a corner as there were more pressing family matters to attend to.
Christmas and New year came and went and then, in early January just before the full- moon day for the month, I had a direct request from Baala to do another, fresh painting of her. This time the instructions were unmistakable.
“Give the original painting to Haran Aiya of Raja Rajeswari Peetam in Rochester and give a large photo copy of it to VenkatGiridhar who writes all the songs, at Nemili”.
I was expected to finish this painting by Pournami .
I was intrigued by the mention of Raja Rajeshwari peetam, yet again. I visited their website and casually looked up what they offered in the online publications section. To my surprise ( actually, knowing Baala, I should have expected this), was a quarterly magazine that had been dedicated to this great goddess. On the front page was the smiling image of Baala as a nine- year old, a copy of the painting hanging in Kancheepuram.
Hardly believing my luck, I decided to base my image on the photo- copy which I hurriedly printed out.
Over the next few days, I was once again totally lost in the unfathomable world of Baala. Her songs and stories, the latter read by Venkatgiridhar, were the only sounds that fell on my ears. I shut myself up as if in a little cocoon with all my thoughts focused only on her in both my waking and dreaming state.
It’s no surprise that with the grace of Baala, the drawing was finished very quickly. There were two times when I received her precise and unmistakable orders. The first command was when I was trying to draw her folded right leg. I was copying this image from another artist’s impression and try as hard as I could, the position of the right foot was not quite acceptable. I put down my pencil and silently asked Baala “ Why am I stuck while drawing your beautiful feet”?
The response was not only immediate but hit me like a thunderbolt”Don’t draw My right foot using that artist’s picture. He didn’t get it right. I want you to draw it using your own skills”.
That was it! I picked up my pencil and looking at the position of my own right leg and foot in the mirror, proceeded to complete the picture.
The second order came as I was drawing Baala’s eyes.
‘Don’t copy my eyes from that artist’s painting. Draw it entirely out of your imagination”.
The portrait was finally finished and I painted Baala in glowing colours. On Pournami day, I painted in her eyes. My hands trembled as I drew in her left eye. “ What message are you giving me this, second time”? was my silent question.
Immediately, her response came “I love you and will be with you always”.
I finished her eyes in silence; rather it was Baala who finished Her painting for me!!
I took a photograph of the completed painting and put in onto a disc. I remembered the directive of giving the photo- copy to Nemili.
However, I was in Boston in January, 2007, with no particular plan of visiting Chennai at that time.
Within a few days of finishing Baala’s painting, my husband called from London and informed me that my presence was required in Chennai on certain work- related matters; documents had to be signed, etc. He had planned to come down to India with me as well!!
I left Boston immediately taking almost nothing with me except the precious disk that had Baala’s photo on it.

I stopped over for a couple of days in London and here, I made a large photo copy of my portrait. I also drew an image of the Sri Chakra , again under the directive from Baala, to give one original painting (i.e. the sri- chakra) and the photo-copy to Nemili.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 27

Back in Chennai, I immediately started work on the Balambigai painting I intended to give to the temple at Tiruvasi.
Slowly, over the course of the following week, the painting took shape and finally, I was able to get the Goddess’s left hand exactly as it was portrayed in the image at the temple.( i.e. as the slightly clenched palm of an old lady).
During this period, my thoughts were constantly on Nemili Bala and I was listening to the powerful chants of the Devi Mahatmyam almost non- stop.
A few days before Diwali, 2006, the portrait was fully finished including the sparkling embellishments for the head dress and jewellery of this great Goddess.
While, I was involved with the painting, I did visit a few more famous temples near Chennai.
It had been my desire for quite a long time to visit three temples in North Chennai, all of them famous for being Shakthi Peetams. Finally, one Pournami day that luckily coincided with a Friday, I headed off to worship the Great Goddess in her three manifestations as Iccha Shakthi, Gnana Shakthi and Kriya Shakthi!
At a place called Meloor in North Chennai, there is` a temple dedicated to Shakthi as Thiruvudai Amman. She resides here as Iccha shakthi fulfilling all the desires of her devotees.
This temple dates back thousands of years and the legend here is that a cow was seen pouring its milk on a sweet smelling shrub, which, upon inspection proved to be a Swayambu Lingam and this was the origin of the place of worship.
Lord Shiva is called Thirumanangeshwar at this temple and Thiruvudai Amman stands in solitary splendour in her separate Sannidhi radiating her love and blessings.
The second temple I visited was the Vadivudai Amman temple at Tiruvottriyur, a short distance from Meloor.
This temple is huge and perhaps one of the most ancient and powerful in Tamil Nadu. The temple itself dates back to the Chola period and all the famous Shaivaite Saints- Appar, Sundarar, Manikkavachagar and Tirunavukkuarasar have glorified this temple and the main deity in their hymns. The Swayambu Lingam of Shiva is called Adi Pureeswarar ( first lord) or Thiagaraja Swami.
The Shakthi at Tiruvottriyur is said to bestow wisdom ( Gnana) to her ardent devotees.
Finishing off the trio of Shakthi peetams, is yet another famous temple at Thirumullaivoil where the Goddess, Kodiyudai Amman assists all bhakthas in their work and activities through the power of KRIYAA Shakthi.
This temple , too is thousands of years` old. The story goes that when Thondaiman was the ruler of Thondaimandalam, his subjects were harassed by a couple of demons. Therefore, the king set out to defeat them. On the way, his elephant caught its leg on a creeper ( Mullai), and the king raised his sword to cut the thorny creeper. However, to his surprise, the king noticed a spurt of blood at the spot where his sword landed and when the creeper was removed, a swayambu lingam was unearthed.
The king was totally shocked by the fact he had committed a grave sin and just as he was about to immolate himself, Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him while reassuring the King that he would emerge victorious in the battle against his enemies. In fact, Shiva’s vehicle, Nandi proved to be instrumental in ensuring the battle’s success.
The overjoyed king is supposed to have constructed the present temple by way of showing his gratefulness to the Lord.
A curious feature of this temple is that the bull, Nandi, sits facing the front of the temple and not in the customary direction towards Lord Shiva, as if to keep a vigilant eye and ward off enemy attacks!
The significant feature of all these three temples is that the images of the Amman are exactly alike and I was informed that subteranean passageways were built in the ancient days linking all these three shakthi peets!
Following this memorable visit to all three powerful places of worship on a full- moon day, I had the opportunity to visit, within the next couple of days, another very famous temple to Lord Shiva, this time at Tiruvannamalai.
It is often said that one can attain liberation by worshipping Shiva at Chidambaram- i.e. by merely entering this hallowed place of worship; Similarly, it is believed that birth at Tiruvarur or death in Kasi leads to Moksha.
However, the mere thought of Lord Shiva at Tiruvannamalai is said to instantly relieve a person of all his bondage and attachments! Such, is the power of this ancient temple. Numerous saints like Bhagavan Ramana , Seshadri Swamigal and countless siddha purushas are still believed to exert their subtle powers on sincere devotees who visit the sacred temple and hill, the latter believed to be an embodiment of Lord Shiva!
The year 2006 was definitely memorable for me due to the innumerable temples I was fortunate to visit. I had spent many years in solitude in London, reading up all I could about all these famous temples and often yearned to visit them. Finally, with God’s grace, the pilgrimage had been made possible this particular year.
Around the time of Diwali, 2006, I had completely finished the portrait of Balambigai meant for the temple at Tiruvaasi. All that neded to be done was to go there in person and hand it over to the temple authorities.
However, things did not go smoothly. First of all, this was the monsoon season and continuous rain for over a week made the roads impassable. I waited patiently for about ten days, but there appeared to be no sign of the rain abating. Finally, I decided to make a quick trip to Nemili to secure the blessings of this powerful Goddess and seek her help in fulfilling my mission.
The morning of the day I decided to visit the Bala Peetam at Nemili, the rain dried up completely! We made the trip with no undue problems desite warnings from family members tht the roads leading out of Chennai were in a bad state!
I prayed to Bala sincerely asking her to help me send my painting actoss to Trichy.
From Baala came a lightening message “Don’t ever think that You are the Doer of any action. You cannot accomplish anything that I do not want you to do. You are merely carrying out my plan. You have to remember me first and seek my blessings before you undertake any activity. That is the reason you are here today. Don’t ever forget that I gave you the ability to draw”.
As I took leave of the head priest, Ezhilmani, I told him I would be heading back to London after my Trichy visit and requested his blessings for the whole family. I admitted to him that it had been my desire to visit the peetam along with my husband some day. However, my husband is a total non- believer and hated being dragged to temples. Ezhilmani’s response was characteristically simple and indicative of his deep devotion to Baala. He looked at me sincerely and said” Baala has accepted you as part of her family. So, anyone in your family whether he or she is an atheist, will come under the shade of your umbrella as well. Don’t worry, next time you visit this peetam Baala has ordered your husband to come with you”.
He laughed and walked away!
The very next day, I was able to find a courier who was willing to carry the massive painting to Tiruvaasi and the following day my friend and I set off by car to Trichy.
The journey was uneventful except for the incessant rain that made the trip slightly longer.
Enroute, we stopped off at a place called Siruvaachur on the outskirts of Trichy to visit a temple dedicated to a powerful Kali.
The unique feature of the temple at Siruvachur is that it is only open for worship twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
The temple itself dates back to the Chola times. The legend goes that the original, main deity of this temple was a Goddess called Chelliamman. A Sorcerer obtained sufficient powers to control this Goddess and made her carry out all his wicked deeds.
During this time the famous Karbukkarasi Kannagi, a.k.a. Madura Kali visited this temple hoping to obtain peace of mind and calm down her anger. Kannagi had just set the whole city of Madura on fire as a revenge for the Pandya King putting to death her innocent husband who had been falsely accused of stealing the Queen’s anklet.
A furious Kannagi destroyed the city of Madura in her grief and rage and wandered around the neighbouring country-side. She is supposed to have visited various holy sites in both Kerala and Tamilnadu all of whom were converted into powerful Shakthi Peetams.
The temple at Siruvachur is no exception. The story here is that when Kannagi entered the temple precincts at Siruvachur, the presiding deity, Chelliamman sought her help to defeat the evil sorcerer who had been harassing her. The sorcerer was vanquished by Kannagi and his powers were destroyed. Overjoyed by the turn of events, Chelliamman is alleged to have given up her position of the main deity and handed the seat of power to Madura Kaali ( Kannagi). Chelliamman , later retired to the top of a neighbouring hillock called Periaswamy Hill and took up abode there!
However, it is still tradition to show her (i.e. Chelliamman) the first respect when the pujas are offered in the shrine at Siruvachur. When the camphor is lit on the tray, the priest holds it aloft in the direction of the hill before swirling it respectfully in front of Madura Kali.
It is believed that Kali and Chelliamman both reside on the hill together except on Mondays and Fridays when pujas are performed in the temple at the foot of the hill.
In addition, the successors of the Sorceror’s family have continued as the main priests!
There was definitely a powerful atmosphere at Siruvachur. As we circumambulated the shrine, we could witness several women whirling like dervishes and priests trying to pacify them! Apparently it is common practice for the Kali to enter someone and “speak” through him or her!
Very soon we were headed in the direction of Trichy and Tiruvaasi.
By the time we reached the temple in Tiruvaasi, it was mid-day. However, the priest was waiting for us and took us straight away to the sanctum of Lord Shiva. We witnessed an Abhisekham to this great Lord accompanied by the melodious chanting of Rudram. Later,we entered into the shrine of Balambigai Amman.
The painting I had done at “Her” request was placed against the wall in the sanctum sanctorum. The priest busied himself with doing an Abhisekam to the Goddess and then purified the painting by sprinkling holy water on it.
At the commencement of the puja the head- priest had informed me that my painting would be hung in the outer prakaram ( courtyard) surrounding the shrine as it is generally never taken into the main sanctum. I nodded my head and said that he could do what he thought was best. However, after the abhisekham to Baala was finished and just as the priest was preparing to light the camphor in front of the Goddess, I felt a sudden vibration. I could “hear” the Goddess talking to me. This was a strange feeling, quite difficult to describe. I felt “She” was terribly accessible to me at that time. Mentally, I asked her “Where do you want the painting to be placed? It is my desire that something I created so lovingly should be closest to you and by your side”.
In a flash came the reply”Of course the painting will remain where it is standing right now. You do not have to say anything. After the Arathi is over, the priest will confirm what I am telling you now”.
And so it was! The arathi was over and as I cupped my palm over the flame reverentially, the priest said in a loud voice “ You know, I think we should leave the painting in the sanctum- sanctorum since it seems so perfect in that spot”!.
As we took leave of the priest, he seemed emotionally overwhelmed and repeated that events such as these could only re affirm faith in God among people in this Kali Yuga!
We visited two further temples in Trichy that evening; one dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Lakshmi Narasimhar and an Anjaneya temple housing a very small but powerful image of this Lord.
The following day marked our departure from Trichy . We altered the return route slightly in order to take in a few famous temples around the district of Cuddalore.
Our first stop was at the Jeeva Samadhi of Vallalar a.k.a. Arut Perum Jyothi Ramalinga Adligalar at Vadalur, a village on the road to Cuddalore.
Vallalar was one of the foremost Saints of the 19th Century. He was a great Siddha who had mastered the state of “deathlessness”. He could materialise and de-materialise his body at will and considered himself enveloped in the Great Shining Light ( Arut Perum Jyothi) that was the effulgence of the Divine Spirit. A curious fact was that his body was observed not to cast any shadow- He was apparently visible, yet not really there!
Ramalinga Adigalar was opposed to caste distinctions as well as excessive rituals and superstition. He exhorted his followers to show great compassion to all living beings, particularly animals. A great tamil poet and scholar ( who was largely self- taught), Vallalar has written several works exposing his philosophy on life.
His mantra was that the Divine spirit was manifest in the form of a great flame- Arut Perum Jyothi.
Adigalar was only 51 years of age when he seems to have “disappeared” from his physical form. He was seen walking into a room with no windows and then vanish completely. No trace of his body was found.
At Vadalur a huge shrine was built around the place where this great saint disappeared.
We entered a vast hall in a building that was built to resemble an eighteen petalled lotus.
Very few people were about and the atmosphere seemed charged with an intangible force. I sat down in meditation and was able to drift off into a quiet corner of my mind almost effortlessly!
After spending a short time at this beautiful samadhi, we headed in the direction of Tiruppadripuliyur, a temple town on the outskirts of Cuddalore famous for Lord Shiva as Paadaleeshwara!
The temple is an ancient Chola masterpiece with beautiful carvings and sculptures in every pillar and doorway.
The Shaivaite Saints, Tirunavukarasar and Sambandar have glorified this temple and it is no exaggeration to say that this temple is one of the most magnificently preserved ones I had visited thus far in my temple tour.
I had a special reason to visit this temple! A Swamiji I had chanced to meet a long time ago had mentioned Tiruppadripuliyur as a very powerful temple- The Swamiji is an ardent Sri Vidya Upasaka and informed me that the shrine of Arunthavanaayaki at this temple is terribly potent and that I should visit the place and do some meditation if I got the chance.
Well, it seemed fortuitous that we were here after all!
The history of the temple reveals colourful legends. Parvathi playfully closed the eyes of her consort Lord Shiva with disastrous consequences. The whole universe came to a grinding halt! So, as a punishment Parvathi was re- born on the earth and was instructed by Shiva to do severe penance at many temples and continue to search for him. Parvati was told that she would finally find her consort only in one temple upon entering which, her left shoulder and eye would twitch.
It was at Thirupadripuliyur that Parvathi’s left eye and shoulder twitched and after doing meditation and penance under a “padri” tree, she was finally united with her consort.
The spot where Parvati meditated is called “ Arunthavanayaki peetam”.
Lord Shiva is also revered as a Siddha in this temple since the story goes that he appeared in this form to bless his devotees.
I sat in a spot directly in front of the place where the Goddess was believed to have indulged in severe penance. There was a fair bit of crowd milling around me with the customary noise of children talking/ wailing/ priests reciting mantras, etc.
I closed my eyes and prayed that somehow that the all- compassionate Mother should bless me in my spiritual quest!
Gradually the noises around me faded away and I seemed to be floating away into space. There was no fear, just a feeling of exhilaration, followed by a very heavy sensation right on the crown of my head as if someone had placed a stone on top of it and was pressing down.
I opened my eyes and looked into darkness. All the lights in the temple had gone out and as a consequence , the crowd of pilgrims had dispersed.
In the gloom pierced by the glow of a small oil- lamp, it seemed to me that I was having a private audience with this most powerul Goddess!!
Tiruvahandeepuram is a Vaishnavaite center of pilgrimage near Cuddalore and we decided to visit here next.
The presiding deity at this ancient temple is Lord Devanayaka Perumal , considered to be the elder brother of Lord Venkateswara at Tirupathi.
Indeed, the great Lord gives darshan in his standing pose and is decorated in a manner similar to his famous sibling. The Moolavar is also called Moovaragiya Oruvan- literally meaning that the Lord is an amalgam of all three Gods, Shiva, Vishnu and BRAHMA.
In the outer enclosure, there are shrines to Lord Ganesha, Rama, Rajagopala, Andaal and Desikan.
This temple is associated very closely with one of the most revered Vaishnavaite Saints, Vedanta Desikar. It is said that Desikar meditated on the form of Garuda , while seated on the top of a nearby hill called Aushada Giri. He was rewarded by the darshan of Vishnu’s powerful mount and was given an image of Lord Hyagreevar by him.
Hyagreevar is a form of Vishnu albeit with the face of a horse and is considered to be an embodiment of Knowledge. This lord is propitiated by hordes of devotees wishing to acquire intellectual prowess and good memory!
The shrine for Hyagreevar is at the top of the hill.
The rain that had mercifully ceased for a while, as if to allow us to carry on our temple tour unhindered, started off again in real earnest.
We finished our pilgrimage and drove back to Chennai.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 26

October 1st, 2006 was Saraswathi Puja and provided an extremely auspicious start on the fifth day of our pilgrimage.
We started off with a visit to an ancient and little- known Navagraha temple in the village of Pallur, on the outskirts of Trichy . The unique and rare feature of this temple is that the nine planets, Navagrahas, appear on their mounts , with their respective consorts seated beside them and it is considered extremely auspicious to worship the navagrahas in this form or aspect.
The temple itself is a short detour from the main road leading out of Trichy in the direction of yet another famous shrine for Lord Vishnu at Gunaseelam.
Set amidst rice and sugarcane fields, Pallur Navagraha temple is an extremely old temple. When we visited it that morning, the temple was quiet and tranquil. An elderly priest had just come in to perform the morning rituals. We observed the abhishekam to all nine planets and prayed fervently that they should continue to bless us with good luck and spiritual strength.
Soon, we were off on our way to the Prasanna Venkatachalapathi temple at a place called Gunaseelam.
Sanctified by the Vaishnavaite saints called Nammazhwars in their hymns, the ancient temple at Gunaseelam is linked with a sage by the same name. Gunaseelar was an ardent bhaktha of Lord Venkatachalapathi and desired fervently to receive his darshan. It was here, at Gunaseelam that the Lord appeared in the form of a self-made or Swayambu Murthy called Prasanna Venkatachalapathi.
Gunaseelam is called the “Then” or South Tirupathi and those who cannot make a pilgrimage to the sacred seven hills of Tirumala, offer their prayers to this lord at Gunaseelam who is quick to grant boons.
The lord is seen in the inner sanctum in a standing pose similar to his famous counterpart at Tirupathi, decked with ornaments and with Sri Lakshmi residing in His chest. In his right hand, the Lord holds a sceptre which is supposed to drive away all kinds of mental afflictions and mental depression from people who pray devoutly to Him.
The influence of the Chola period is unmistakably present in this temple dating back over 5,000 years. The story goes that after the Sage Gunaseelar’s lifetime, the temple fell to ruin and was covered by termite mounds. King Gnana Verma, a Chola ruler was instructed by the Lord in a dream to reconstruct the temple at its present site.
We paid our respects to Lord Vishnu at this holy spot and carried on our journey.
The next stop was at Tiruvaasi, to re visit our family deity, Balambikkai.
It had been over four years since my first visit to this temple following the very powerful and vivid dream. As we walked into this ancient shrine on the penultimate day of Navaratri, I could not fail but to succumb to its mysterious charm. The resident priest of this Shiva Stala accompanied us to all the shrines within the temple complex starting with Lord Ganesha.
It was the first visit here for my friend and together both of us paid our respects to Lord Shiva in both his forms as a linga as well as the dancing Natarajar. Slowly we made our way to the powerful shrine of Balambigai.
The stone statue inside the inner sanctum seemed somehow a lot bigger than I remembered. I looked at Her for a long time and remembered the dream that had started me off in this spiritual quest in earnest in 2002.
I sat down for a while just in front of the inner sanctum, my eyes closed in meditation . As I got up to leave and neared the outer doorway of the Ambal sannidhi, I could not but help overhear the conversation between the priest and the man who had been our chaperone and tour guide for the trip so far. The priest was saying “ Oh, you do realise that this Goddess is very powerful. Why, so many of our patrons have requested us for a photograph of the main deity or at least a drawing or painting, but this lady is very stubborn. She has not given “uttiravu”- permission to any artist or photographer to take photos or make any portraits”.
The priest was just saying the last sentence when I happened to come near him. Instinctively, without thinking I said “ Oh, that’s a very curious feature. I like to paint religious deities. Do you think that this Amman would give me the permission to portray her in my art?”.
The priest seemed surprised and appeared a little reluctant. Perhaps he did not wish to offend me by giving a negative rresponse. So, instead I quickly filled him in on the details of my first visit and the events that had preceded it, i.e. my dream, and the fact that the left hand of the Goddeess had proven quite significant since it resembled that of an” old woman”.
The priest thought for a moment and then said “ Come inside. I will ask her permission if you can capture her in a painting”. So, once again I made my way to the inner sanctum directly in front of the goddess. The priest shuffled two scrunched up pieces of paper and threw them on the ground. He told me that one packet was filled with kumkum and the other- vibhuthi or holy ash. If I picked the one containing kumkum, then this was an indication that I was “given” permission.
I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru. An instinct told me “ Pick up the packet near the left hand”.
I leaned over and picked up the paper packet lying near MY left hand – this was a mistake as the packet contained vibhoothi. The priest said I should try again since this must be a mistake. He shuffled the packets really well and threw them down. I thought to myself- “ Surely, the goddess could not have given me the wrong command”. Suddenly, the answer flashed across my mind—Of course, She had said- Pick the packet near Her left hand ( the significant hand of my vision), and NOT- as I had misconstrued, near MY left hand.
I leaned over again and this time picked up the packet that had fallen down in front of the gnarled, old, left hand of the Goddes.
There was kumkum inside this packet. The priest agreed that the Goddess had given permission.
As we left the temple that morning, I was both a bit exhilarated at the prospect of drawing Baala again , as well as a bit cautious. After all, I tried to reason to myself, there was always a 50%- 50% chance when you pick one event out of a total of two chances—
My friend was not so convinced by my mathematical explanation of probability,.
“ If you really didn’t get Her permission, you will never be able to draw her”.
Taking leave of this ancient temple we carried on our pilgrimage that morning with a visit to Uttamar Koil.
The Thirukkadambanaur Bhikshandar temple a.k.a Uthamar koil is of enormous significance as it is perhaps the only temple in India which houses the Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
The story goes that Lord Brahma worshipped Vishnu at this place. Pleased by his devotion, Vishnu decided to test his faith further by appearing in the form of a Kadamba tree. Although Brahma knew the real nature of the tree through divine insight, he carried on worshipping the tree and watered it. Vishnu was greatly delighted and decided to stay on in the same location alongside Brahma and his consort, Saraswathi or Gnana Saraswathi as she is called here.
Our visit to the shrine of this Goddess of Wisdom could not have occurred on a more appropriate day.
As it was Saraswathi puja on the day we visited this temple, the shrines for Dakshinamurthy as well as Saraswathi were thronged with students. However, we did manage to get a good darshan.
Lord Vishnu is called Purushottaman at this temple and his consort, Poornavalli Thaayar.
There is also another interesting story that explains Shiva’s presence at this temple.
Legend has it that Lord Shiva became jealous of Brahma and plucked off one of his heads in a fit of rage. However, the sin of killing a brahmin immediately attached itself to him and Lord Brahma’s head or kabalam, became attached to Shiva’s hand .
Lord Vishnu despairing at the sight of Shiva, requested his consort, Mahaalakshmi to help him .
Lakshmi gave biksha or alms to Shiva at this holy spot and when the Kabalam was filled with the Biksha, the curse on Shiva was lifted.
Hence, Shiva is worshipped as Bhikshandar at this temple and his consort is the appropriately named, beautiful, Soundarya Parvathi.
It was mid morning by the time we were finished at this temple and we swiftly proceeded on to the famous Akhilaandeshwari Temple in Trichy .
We realised that given the fact it was a public holiday and an auspicious day, the temple would be very crowded. It was!. But we were able to observe some of the most unique rituals at this temple as well as relish the interesting legends peculiar to this ancient place.
This temple owes its origin to a famous Chola King- ThiruChengann. Built over 3,000 years ago, the fascinating architectural splendour, massive pillars, airy courtyard, sculptures and friezes, all denote the power and glory of a by gone era when art ruled supreme-
This temple is regarded as one of the important places for worship of Shiva representing the natural element of water- Appu Stalam. Indeed, in the main sanctum where the linga is housed a subterranean current of water keeps the holy spot perennially damp.
Being a shakthi peetam as well, the power of the goddess is extremely potent and Adi Shankara is generally attributed to establishing two Sri chakras in the form of earrings inorder to reduce the “ugra” or fierce power of the Goddess.
The story of the temple at Tiruannaikaa—is a curious one.
Apparently thousands of years ago an elephant worshipped Lord Shiva in the midst of a grove of “Jambu”- rose-apple trees. Everyday the devout animal would bring in water from the nearby stream in its trunk and perform abhishekam; flowers and fruits would be plucked from nearby plants and trees and offered to the Lord.
While this was going on, a spider also competed to win the favour of the Lord. It built a vast web over the Linga to prevent leaves and dust falling on top of it.
The elephant angered by the presence of the spider tore up the web , while the spider intending to teach the elephant a lesson clambered into the trunk and scuttled all the way inside the elephant’s brain and bit it. The elephant died instantly and so did the spider caught up inextricably inside the body of the elephant.
However, since they both died in the service of the lord, both were rewarded. The elephant attained liberation and the spider was reborn as a famous Chola King who built over 60 temples for Shiva during his lifetime, including the massive structure at Tiruannaika.
A note worthy feature of the temples built by TiruChengann as the Chola ruler was called is that many of the temples were built on a mound and the doors of the temple were deliberately narrow so that no elephant could gain access.
In fact, I came to understand that the ancient Shiva temple at Nalloor ( with the five-color LINGA) was also the work of the same ruler. The temple at Nalloor is also built at a height and there are internal staircases and narrow doors leading into the sanctum inorder to prevent elephants from gaining entry.
When we arrived at the temple it was noon and time for the “Ucchi” kaala puja. A priest dressed in a saree darted out to perform puja to the cow waiting patiently outside. After this ritual was over, the priest hastened inside the main sanctum to perform the midday worship for the Lord Jambukeshwarar. The legend goes that Parvathi herself performs puja or worship to Lord Shiva at this holy spot and this tradition is meticulously maintained to the present day.
The main shrine for Ambal/ Akhilandeshwari was extremely crowded. However, we were able to wade through the sea of people and caught a quick glimpse of this most beautiful and benign goddess.
There is no doubt that the Akhilandeshwari temple is an outstanding example of art and architecture and it is also for the spritual energy that it exudes.
It was well past midday by the time we finished our visit to the Tiruannaika temple and proceeded to make a quick stop at the nearby Vekkali Amman temple.
There is a peculiar feature at this temple that is not seen anywhere else. The main deity, Vekkali is seated in a central sanctum that has no roof covering. The story goes that the place where the temple is situated (Woraiyur) was once a prominent city during the reign of the cholas which nearly got ruined due to a downpour of sand and dust. It was Kali or Durga in the form of Vekkali that protected the townfolk who had lost their houses during the sandstorm. So, until today, in memory of those who had lost the shelter over their heads, Vekkali seems to prefer sitting in a spot that is left open at the top.
We stepped inside the temple just as it was closing for midday. However, I did manage to get a good look at this very powerful and potent goddess.
It is widely believed that letters written to the deity and placed on her spear or at her feet will beget an immediate response!
After some lunch and a short rest, we decided to round off our temple visit for that day by going to two Murugan temples within a short distance from Trichy.
The first was a visit to the temple at Vayalur. Vayal means a field in tamil. The temple sits in magnificent splendour amidst the coconut groves and fields that surround Vayalur.
Dating back to the 9th century A.D.. this temple is a grand illustration of Chola artistry at work. Lord Muruga resides in the inner sanctum seated astride his peacock with his two consorts, Valli and Devayanai beside him. Lord Shiva was worshipped by Agni at this sytalam, hence his name is Agneeshwara. Parvati is the Aadi Nayaki or the original force!
At Viralimalai, Muruga is seated on the top of a hill. He has six faces as Shanmuganatha , twelve hands, eager to protect the world from Demons and his two consorts are standing near Him.
There was a bit of a stiff climb up the hill to reach this abode of Skanda, but it was well worth the effort.
The image of Skandan in the inner sanctum simply takes your breath away. Here lives and breathes the most handsome, youthful warrior God who awaits to bless His devotees.
We arrived in the gathering dusk just as the evening arathi was taking place. The three glorious faces of Skanda lit up with a jubilant smile as the flames from the camphor were shown in front of him; and yet again, they glowed, as the priest moved behind the image and showed the flame, lighting up the three faces at the back of this magnificent stone image! We could see the three faces at the back reflected in a huge mirror positioned directly behind the Moolavar.
A curious feature at this temple is the offering of cigars as Naivedyam to the Lord.
Apparently, Skanda appeared in the dream of one of the local rulers- Ramachandra Thondaiman of Pudukkottai and requested cigars as an offering. The king was believed to have been cured of his afflictions after this was carried out.
Yet another story details that an ardent Murugan devotee – Karuppu Muthu Piilai, used to visit Viralimalai every Friday. On one occasion, he was unable to complete this pilgrimage due to severe rain. Now, it so happened that this bhaktha was a chain- smoker as well. As Pillai was about to return, dejected from not being able to have a sight of his Lord, Skanda appeared before him and personally escorted the devotee to the temple where he received an unique darshan and also gave him the prasadam of a cigar!
We left this temple after savouring the vision of this beautiful Lord and basking in the glow of his bountiful blessings!
The following day was Vijayadasami- auspicious for all new ventures and beginnings.
We were to begin our pilgrimage with a visit to the Bhuvaneswari Temple at Pudukkottai established by my Guru- Santhananda Swamigal.
As we were driving up in the car, I was listening to the melodious chants of Durga SapthaSathi parayanam and hoping in my heart to be blessed with the grace of a Guru.
My Guru had passed on four years ago and I felt rather sad that He was no longer a living guide who could help me along my spiritual path!
We entered the temple and had a quick darshan of all the shrines. I sat down to meditate in front of the samadhi of Judge Swamigal ( my Guru’s parameshti Guru) and silently requested His blessings.
When I opened my eyes a short while later, a temple priest came up to me and said “ Would you like to meet the Peetadipathi Shri Omkarananda Swamigal?”
I was quite taken aback, since I had no idea that the current head of this Peetam was in residence at the temple that day!
It was as if my prayers had been answered. A Guru had been provided for me so I could obtain his blessings on this auspicious day.
I went inside the small room where Swamigal was seated and prostrated myself.
Swami Omkaranada remembered vividly his visit to my London home and we had a brief conversation. As I was about to leave, I requested him to bless me in my latest venture- the new painting of Balambigai I was given “ permission” to undertake.
Before leaving the temple, I sat down in front of the Sannidhi of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, took out a small sheet of notepaper and did a very simple, sketch of her. I wanted to start off the day with the blessings of my Guru at His favorite temple and it seemed appropriate that the very first drawing my hand should execute was the mother herself!
Soon we were off again, this time heading in the direction of the famous Pillayarpatti Temple for Lord Ganesha! Enroute, however we had an opportunity to marvel at another temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu at a place called TiruMaiyam.
Nestling under the folds of huge rocky outcrop on which an impressive fortress sits, are two cave temples – one dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Satya Girinathar and another one dedicated to Lord Shiva as SatyaGireeshwarar.
We had time just to visit the Vishnu Temple. Built by the Pallava Kings, Mahendravarnan and Narasimha varman , this magnificent cave- temple features some of the most outstanding works of art.
In the main sanctum, Lord Vishnu is seen in a reclining posture. Cut directly from the rocky hillside, this stone image of the reclining Lord is immense in size- probably the largest in Tamil Nadu.
Lord Vishnu is flanked by a host of clestial deities like Garuda, ChitraGupta, the sage Markandeya, Brahma, Devas and rishis.
The legend goes that Asuras or demons tried to steal the image of Vishnu from this temple. Therefore, we see in the rock- cut scene in front of us, the mighty serpent, Adi Seshan chasing away the demons by spewing out fire and poison from his fangs!
The Thaayar here is Uyyavanda Naachiyar and there are also separate shrines for Andal. Krishna and Lakshmi Nrisimha.
After a hurried visit to this temple we proceeded directly to Pillayarpatti reaching there just before midday.
The huge image of Lord Ganesha was decked out in his Gold Kavacham on this holy day. It seemed to me He was waiting for us to come and receive His blessings!
We returned to the hotel in Trichy for a late lunch and after a short rest headed out to the huge temple complex at SriRangam.
Boasting the tallest temple tower in the whole of India, the Ranganathar Temple in Sri Rangam is the foremost of the 108 sacred shrines for Lord Vishnu glorified by the Vaishnavaite Saints.
The origins of the main deity in the Sanctum remain shrouded in myth. The legend goes that the actual shrine- Sri Ranga Vimana sprung from the depths of the ocean- parkadal- as a result of Brahma’s penance. The Sri Ranga Vimana arose from the ocean borne aloft by Garuda with Adi Sesha spreading his hood over the idol and was taken to Ayodhya where it was worshipped by the dynasty of Surya Vamsa ( Ikshvaakus). As the story unravels, after the coronation of Lord Rama following his victory over the demon Ravana, Vibhisana was given this magnificent image of Lord Vishnu by Rama.
Vibhishana intended to take the idol back to Sri Lanka. However, on his way, he stopped at Sri Rangam and placed the idol on the ground where it remained stuck!
The disconsolate Vibhisana is supposed to travel every day and offer his prayers to the Lord in Sri Rangam, at mid-night!
It is said that Lord Vishnu assured Vibishana that he would assume the yoga- nidra posture at Sri Rangam and lie facing south—towards, Sri Lanka.
The temple clearly dates back thousands of years and parts of the temple complex were constructed during the early Chola period . Following the Muslim rule in India when the temple was sacked, the Vijayanagaram rulers ( 10th– 12th century) were responsible for a lot of restoration work while the Nayaka rulers of the 16th– 17th century made the temple certainly more prosperous.
We marveled at this huge temple complex that is enormous in size. There are 7 prakaras / enclosures or Thiruveedhis as they are called encompasing 156 acres. The enclosures are formed by thick and massive stone walls pierced in 4 cardinal directions by towering gate ways or Gopurams.
Sri Rangam is architecturally unique and the sculptures found here are the finest examples of artistry and workmanship of the period.
The thousand pillared hall, the Horse Court, Garuda Mantapa with the enormous image of the sacred mount, the Seshadri Mandapa housing scupltures of the Dasavataras, etc are all singularly unique and memorable for the vast array of the most exquisite stone sculptures and frescoes they contain.
In the main sanctum, Lord Ranganatha is lying down on his serpent bed facing South. The sculpture itself is extremely beautiful and radiates a powerful energy!
There are many interesting shrines dotted around the temple complex for other deities like Andal, Krishna, Rama,Chakrathalwar, etc, . However, I found the Sannidhi of the Saint Ramanuja to be the most soul- stirring.
Saint Ramanuja is the founder of Vaishnavaite philosophy of Visishta Dvaita and was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. It is believed he lived before the 10th century and his remains have been interred in a separate shrine within the temple complex itself.
Entering this shrine, one is confronted with an almost life- like image of this famous saint positioned just above the Samadhi.
The explanation given by the priest was that nearly a thousand years ago, the body of the Saint who had been buried in the tomb, rose of its own volition above the Samadhi and this image has been preserved ever since that time by applications of Camphor, etc.
In fact, as the arathi was being done and the flame was shown in front of the Saint’s eyes, an inexplicable tremour went down my spine. Those eyes were almost alive!
In fact one can see body hairs on the skin as well as nails on the fingers of this miraculous image!
Sri Rangam temple’s outer three enclosures almost contain an entire town replete with streets, houses and shops while the 4 inner enclosures are religious zones and house the various shrines.
Given the time constraints, we had to satisfy ourselves with just a quick tour of the main points of interest since we had another temple to visit that evening.
The Samayapuram temple of Mariamman is a very famous temple on the outskirts of Trichy and this is where we headed next.
Dedicated to Shakthi in her very potent form, this temple is indeed a magnet of attraction for hordes of pilgrims throughout the year who come to beseech the Great Mother to grant them a prosperous and healthy life!
Worship of Mariamman / Karumarriamman is very popular among those seeking to alleviate ailments and the Goddess here is considered to be extremely powerful!
There was a huge swarm of devotees near the main sanctum. However, we were able to catch a quick glimpse of the deity. The priest informed us that the Moolavar or main deity was fashioned out of clay; hence all abhisekhams were performed only to the idol placed directly in front of it.
The evening puja was nearly over and we were fortunate to get a good darshan as the camphor was lit and gently swirled in front of the Goddess. She seemed to smile benevolently and just as I finished my fervent prayer that Her presence should always continue within me, a small flower garland dropped from her left hand!

The following day, we departed from Trichy and finally headed back to Chennai. The pilgrimage was over and I said a small prayer of thanks to Nemili Bala for having provided me with such uplifting experiences in every temple we had visited and sought her blessings for the next painting I had been “ commissioned” to do!

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 25

On the fourth day of our pilgrimage, we started off by taking a quick car drive around the famous Mahaa Maham Tank near the Adhi Kumbeshwara Temple in Kumbakonam. Taking a dip in the holy waters of this tank is supposed to be very auspicious especially during the Kumbh Mela which occurs once every 11- 12 years during the full moon in the monthof Thai( January/ Februray).

Sadly, we did not visit any of the famous temples in the city of Kumbakonam itself due to paucity of time and instead proceeded directly to a famous Vishnu temple nearby called Naachiyaar Koil.
Lord Srinivasa and his consort Vanjulavalli ( Mahalakshmi) bless pilgrims in their Thirumana Kolam ( married divine state) at a temple called Nachiar Koil, located in a hamlet called Thirunaraiyur on the outskirts of Kumbakonam.
This ancient and elegant temple is said to be one of the 108 Divya Desams of the Lord Vishnu and it is also a Mukthi Stala ( where one can attain liberation).
The legend goes that there was a sacred spot here on the banks of the river Mani Mutharu, where a sage by the name Medhavi and his wife lived in an ashram.
Sage Medhavi prayed earnestly that he might be blessed with a daughter no less than the great Goddess Mahalakshmi herself. His prayers were soon answered when he found a little child one day under the boughs of a Vanjula tree. Overjoyed, Medhavi named the little girl Vanjulavalli and brought her up with great love and care.
The years sped by and one day Lord Vishnu came seeking for his consort Mahalakshmi. Garudan, his divine mount is said to have spotted the location of Thaayar and brought Vishnu to sage Medhavi’s Ashram.
Lord Vishnu/ Srinivasa married Vanjulavalli and at the request of his father-in-law, stayed on in the sacred place where a temple later came into existence.
The temple itself is massive with sprawling corridors and beautifully decorated towers. In the main sanctum a huge stone statue of Lord Srinivasa resplendent with his wedding ornaments greeted us. Next to him is the smaller statue of his shy bride. The Divine couple serem to positively fill the atmosphere with their blessings surrounded by a host of accompanying deities , Devas and Lord Brahma.
Directly next to the sanctum is the shrine of the Kal Garudan.
The Garudan is made of Saligrama stone and it is an unique feature of this temple that the mount of Vishnu does not face him directly as at most other Vaishnavaite shrines. Instead, here at Nachiyar Koil, the Kal Garudan sits right next to his Lord.
There are nine snakes carved in stone on the body of Kal Garudan; on his arms, around his shoulder, etc and it is widely believed that worshipping Garudan here is equivalent to worshippng all the Navahgrahas and will get rid of the harmful effects of these planets.
Another interesting feature of this temple, we were informed, occurs during Garuda Seva when Lord Srinivasa and his consort are taken out in procession around the temple.
When the Kal Garudan is lifted out of the main sanctum only 4 people are required to carry him out. However as the procession descends the steps of the temple, Kal Garudan becomes increasingly heavier to carry and almost in geometric progression, it takes 8 people, followed by 16, 32, etc to carry out the Garuda Seva. Finally, when the procession reaches the temple entrance, 64 people are required to bear the weight of KalGarudan with Lord Srinivasa and Vanjulavalli perched on top!
There is also a shrine for Chakrathalwar here with the special feature that it is found entwined with the image of Yoga Narasimhar. The story goes that Sage Medhavi found this idol while bathing in the river and was asked to install and worship it in the temple. The worship of the Chakra ( discus) of Lord Vishnu is a special feature at all Vishnu temples and usually this image of the Chakra has a sculpture of Lord Narasimha at the back of it. At Nachiyar temple, Chakrathalwar is singularly different and powerful.
We left Nachiyar Koil and proceeded on to another Perumal Koil at a place called Tirucherai.
Lord Saranathan as Vishnu is named here, stands regally in the main sanctum at Tirucherai surrounded by Pancha Lakshmis- Sri Devi, Bhoo Devi, Neela Devi, Maha Lakshmi and Saranayagi Thaayar.
The story goes that Lord Vishnu was worshipped here by both Sage Markandeya as well as Kaveri Amman ( River Kaveri).
Kaveri prayed to Lord Vishnu that she should be given a status similar to Goddess Ganga. Lord Vishnu pleased by her penance blessed Kaveri with a divine darshan along with his five consorts.
There is also another story that during the great pralaya or deluge, a pot of clay was fashioned to preserve the Vedas. However, none of the pots made by Brahma would last and he was directed by Lord Vishnu to come to Tirucherai and make a pot out of the clay in the banks of the river Kaveri. Thus, the Lord made sure that the river Kaveri was made to feel important!
In the inner samnctum, River Kaveri has been personified as a mother holding a child on her lap.! The importance given to forces of nature – i.e. the sun, moon, planets, stars, and every aspect of the universe like , rivers, trees, etc in our religion is indeed remarkable. Every temple honours the stala vruksham- a tree, a mount— e.g. Garudan or Nandi ( i.e. an animal); and at Tirucherai we can see the river Kaveri in her maternal status as a life- giver.
The temple at Tirucherai is ancient and the huge, imposing statue of Lord Saranathar is truly memorable.
We rounded off our visit to Tirucherai by going to a Shiva temple also located in the same village.
The legend goes that Lord Shiva as Saranathan/ senneriappan/ Gnana Parameswaran was worshipped by both river Kaveri as well as by the saint Markandeya.
There is a shrine to Amritaghateshwatrar said to have been worshipped by Markandeya . The Ambal sannidhi faces east and the deity is Gnanavalli.
We were informed by the temple priest that the worship of Lord Shiva at this temple would be sure to rid a person of all debts incurred during his or her life time whether the payment overdue was financial/ material or indeed spiritual, like the immense debt a disciple has towards the Guru for putting him on the path of self- realisation!
The next leg of our pilgrimage on the fourth day was to visit three temples honouring Lord Muruga.- Sikkal, Ettukudi and Ennkann.
These three temples form a trio as the image of Lord Subramanya in each was created by the same sculptor. The story goes that an ardent devotee of the Lord, received instructions in a dream to fashion the first image of Muruga at Sikkal.
The finished idol was so exquisite that the ruling Chola king did not wish the sculptor to make another one similar to it. So, he ordered that the sculptor’s right thumb to be cut off.
However, through theLord’s divine grace and command, the sculptor went on to create another beautiful statue of Karthikeya with six faces , astride his peacock for the temple at Ettukudi. The king was furious and ordered the scuptor’s eyes to be blinded.
Despite this handicap, the sculptor did create one last image of Muruga – this time for the temple at Ennkann, by giving precise instructions to a girl who helped him carry out the task. However, just as he finished the marvellous image of Skanda with six faces seated on his peacock, the artist’s chisel fell on the toes of the peacock and blood spurted out. The droplets of blood fell on the sculptor’s eyes and cured him instantly. Hence the first words of the sculptor were “ Ennkann”- My Eyes! Oh Lord You gave me back my eyes!
All the three images of Karthikeya are similar in style and represent Shanmugha seated on the peacock with his two consorts by his side. However, the last sculpture at Ennkann is breathtakingly beautiful and the young warrior god seems almost jubilant astride his mount. The sculpture is also a masterpiece of workmanship as the entire image seems to rest on the two slender legs of the peacock!
There is a shrine to Lord Shiva at each of these three temples. At Ennkann , Shiva resides as Brahmapureeswarar ( as Lord Brahma is said to have worshipped him here); at Sikkal, Shiva blesses his devotees as Vennaiperuman/ Navaneetheswaran( Sage Vasishta is supposed to have prayed to Shiva to recover the celestial cow, Kamadhenu whose flow of milk had frozen into butter. He fashioned a lingam out of butter- “Vennai” but found he could not move it as it had stuck – “sikkal” Hence , the Lord’s name at Sikkal is Vennaiperuman! At Ettukudi Shiva is worshipped as Sundareswarar.
There are some additional interesting facts associated with each temple. For example, the samadhi of the sculptor ( actually a Siddha) is found in Ennkann.
At Sikkal, Lord Muruga as Singaravelar is supposed to have been blessed with a spear by Parvathi and during the period that is currently celebrated as Skanda Sashti, it is observed that the stone idol of Singaravelar “ breaks out in sweat”!
By the time we had finshed visiting these three temples the afternoon was already well advanced. After a short break for lunch and some rest, we decided to move on to the famous temple town of Tiruvarur.
The famous Thiagaraja Temple at Tiruvar is perhaps one of the most ancient temples in the South and its antiquity predates the Pallava Period. This is a massive temple complex with over 7 prakarams or concentric circles containing innumerable shrines.
The architecture, sculpture and inscriptions found in the temple record the contribution and role of the Pallavas, Cholas, rulers of the Vijayanagar dynasty, Nayakas and Maratta rulers of Tanjore.
We arrived at the temple by 4.30 p.m. It was our intention to spend just over an hour here before proceeding onto visit another temple at Tiruvaiyyar enroute to our final destination , Trichy.
However, the Lord had decided otherwise!
The inner sanctum, we were informed , would not be open until 6 o clock. There is a daily “Nitya” pradosham at this temple- i.e. a special twilight puja for Lord Shiva, and this, the temple priest told us quite brusqely, would begin only around 6.30 p.m.
Well, we decided to make best use of our time and wandered leisurely around the vast fortress like temple precincts soaking up the atmosphere and learning more about some of the colorful legends associated with this powerful temple.
Tiruvarur Thiagaraja is one of the foremost among the 7 Vitanka Stalams ( already mentioned earlier associated with the legend of Muchukunda Cholan).
The story goes that Lord Vishnu was desperate for a son and worshipped Shiva, who, pleased by his ardent devotion granted Vishnu his request. However, Parvathi was slighted as Lord Vishnu had ignored her. So, she cursed the child with instant death. The heart- broken Lord Narayana had Vishwakarma, the craftsman of the Gods to fashion an image of the Divine family- i.e. Lord Shiva and his consort seated with their son, Skanda betwixt them. Lord Vishnu prayed to this idol and repented for his mistake in overlooking the importance of Shakthi / Parvathi in association with Shiva.
This image of Somaskanda as it came to be called was bestowed with enormous powers and it came to be used as a source of valuable support in defending the Heavens against the onslaught from Asuras/ demons.
On one such occasion, Lord Indra requested the assistance of Muchukunda Cholan in vanquishing an Asura warrior. In return for his help, the Chola king requested the Soma Skanda image.
With permission from Vishnu, Muchukunda received the original image plus 6 other similar icons which have been installed at various temples constituting the Sapta Vitanka Stalams.
However, since the original Soma Skanda image worshipped by Lord Vishnu resides at Tiruvarur, this temple is enormously significant . In fact, the rise and fall of Vishnu’s chest as he meditated on the image is evoked in the Ajapanatanam- a special dance that is performed when the main deity is taken out in procession.
The 63 Shaivaite Saints have sung the glory of Tiruvarur and numerous famous poets and musicians, especially the Trinity of famous composers, Tiagaraja, Syama Sastry and Muthuswami Deekshitar have sung praises to the presiding deities Thiagaraja and Kamalambikkai.
We learned that the shrine of Kamalambal, in the outermost precinct , is considered to be a tantric focus of Spritual power. In fact, Muthuswami Deekshitar, a Sri Vidya upasaka composed his famous Navavarana Kirtanas extolling some of the most occult powers of the Shri Chakra, while living at Tiruvarur.
We made a circumambulation of all the precincts and got back to the main sanctum. It was still closed.
I sat in front of a shrine to Lord Muruga just adjacent to the main sanctum and decided to meditate.
There was an inexplicable and yet tangible force or aura surrounding this temple. I closed my eyes and very quickly lost track of time. While thoughts and endless questions flashed in my mind, yet one part of it seemed unperturbed, almost as if held in a mystical trance.
A shaivaite devotee singing hymns loudly made me come back to reality and Tiruvarur. The evening puja was about to begin. There was already a small crowd of people at the temple door and I hastened to join the queue.
As I stepped inside this vast, ancient inner hall of the main sanctum, the elderly priest who had been singing those beautiful hymns stopped suddenly and beckoned to me. As I stepped up closer to him and looked at him questioningly, he said “ Welcome, welcome to this temple. The Lord is waiting to give you his blessings. You have erased all your sins by just coming here today”
Then, the evening pradosha puja began! This was a mesmerising sight. The priest performing the puja swayed from side to side making graceful movements with his arms as he placed roses and sweet smelling jasmine on the main idol. In fact, most of this icon is hidden behind masses of flowers, deliberately, so that the powerful and potent vibrations are contained within a small space. With this icon also resides the Sri Chakra- representing the unity between the micro and macrocosim in this universe- the union of Shiva and his Shakthi.
Also, nestled inside a silver casket near the Soma Skanda image and rarely visible to the public, is a Swayambu Lingam made of emerald which possesses unique powers. This swayambu linga is called “Vitanka”.
Following the conclusion of the twilight puja , we hastened to pay our respects at the shrine of Goddess Kamalamba.
The Goddess at Tiruvarur is seated regally on her throne in a yogic pose with her left leg draped over the right leg. Decorated with sweet smelling flowers and surrounded by myriads of oil-lit lamps, her face glowed brightly and exuded an aura of utter calm and tranquility on that warm evening.
The entire time we had spent at Tiruvarur seemed almost surreal and magical and we departed reluctantly as night was swiftly approaching and we had a long way to go before reaching our destination for that night at Trichy.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 24

Certain work- related matters brought me back to Chennai quite suddenly, during the third week of September, 2006. However, the work related issues were quickly resolved and I suddenly found a lot of time on my hands. As luck would have it , almost immediately upon arrival I connected with an old friend I hadn’t met for a long while. She was on vacation as well and since I was there just in time for Navarathri, we decided to embark on a pilgrimage.
The itinery we planned was to include some famous as well as some of the less well known temples in the districts of Tanjore, Kumbakonam and Trichy.
We were to spend a week touring over 40 to 50 temples !
The natural starting point was of course Bala Peetam at Nemili.
We set off in the early hours of a damp and drizzly morning on September 27th, 2006. By the time we reached Nemili, the rain had cleared up. We walked inside just as the auspicious Rudram was being chanted . The abhishekam or routine bathing of this tiny idol was taking place. The atnosphere seemed charged with a mysterious force. During the break, when the mandap and idol were being re decorated, the small crowd that had gathered in the front hall started to sing bhajans and songs .
I sat with my eyes closed and ardently prayed to Baala that my temple tour should proceed smoothly. After the final arathi, I took leave of the head priest and we started our temple tour in earnest.
Next on the itinery were the famous temples at Kancheepuram. Known as the city of Gold, Kancheepuram is supposed to house over a 100 temples. It was the most important city during the Pallava and Chola periods and the temples reflect the art and architecture of an era where artisans and scultptors reigned supreme.
The oldest temple is the Kailasanathar temple deicated to Lord Shiva, Built over 1000 years ago, this temple reflects the Dravidian style at work in the frescoes and statues.
An interesting and not often mentioned secret at this temple is that it is possible to carry out a pradakshina of the inner sanctum which is said to be the equivalent of doing a circumambulation of the holy Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva!
The priest at the Kailasanathar temple showed us what appeared to be a small opening or gap in the rock just to the left hand side of the inner sanctum. This is called the Garbha ( womb) entrance.
In order to enter this little cave- like space I had to make the body extremely compact and literally double it up , almost similar to the position a child inside the womb might adopt. On the other side of the opening, one had to exit by manipulating with the feet first , followed by the body and hands and then jump down on to the ground. The whole process of entering and passing through this small opening symbolically indicates the difficulty of child birth as well as descent of the human into the vast ocean of samsara.
After walking around the inner sanctum, the way out is through another small creviche in the rocky wall called the Moksha Vayil or gate of liberation. This is located to the right hand side of the main shrine. Here, the rocky path slopes upward and it is only possible to exit by lying flat on the stomach and slowly squirming and moving the body , inching it up the incline towards the exit hole.
The symbolism here is that it is very difficult to obtain final salvation!
The Ekambareshwarar temple that we visited next is also dedicated to Shiva and is famous for having the tallest temple tower in South India. Built during the Pallava period this temple is one of the five major abodes of Shiva, each representing a natural element. Here, the element represented is Earth. ( Others include Chidambaram- Space; Sri Kala Hasti- Air; Tiruvanaikaval- Water and Tiruvannamalai- fire). The hall of a thousand pillars is a stunning feature at this temple as are the array of 1,008 lingams decorating the inner walls. The Sthala Vriksham or tree is a 3,500 old mango tree whose branches are said to yield four different types of mangoes ( these represent the four Vedas).
While we did not visit the famous Kamakshi Amman temple on this particular trip, it must be mentioned that this temple represents the very centre of the whole universe. In fact, the seat of the powerful Goddess Kamakshi represents the Bindhu or epicentre of the powerful Sri Chakra, which in turn is a depiction of the unity between the microcosm and macrocosm in the universe.
Since I had visited this temple fairly recently and due to time constraints, we did not venture inside.
The Varadaraja Perumal Koil that we visited next is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Built by the Cholas in 1053 A.D., this temple is breathtakingly beautiful with myriads of beautiful sculptures, a hundred pillar hall , as well as frescoes. There is also a marriage hall where the celestial wedding of Lord Vishnu and his consort took place. Hence worshipping the Lord here is supposed to bring good luck, wealth and fortune!
A special note worthy feature at this temple are frescoes of lizards; particularly those carved on the very top of the temple tower and plated in gold and silver. Touching these lizards is believed to cure people of the evil effects that might ensue if one accidentally falls on them!
After a quick lunch in Kancheepuram, we headed off in the direction of Pondicherry.
Enroute we visited a famous Kali Temple called Vakkara Kali Temple.
Situated in a village called Thiruvakkarai, this is actually a Shiva temple built in the 12th Century and the stunning frescoes reflect the art of both the Chola as well as Pallava period. There are also some sculptures inside this temple that indicate more antiquity and perhaps Indo- Greek influences.
The main deity is Sri Chandrasekarar and his consort is the beautifully formed mother- Vadivambigai.
However, the centre of attraction in this temple is the shrine of a very powerful potent Kali. This is a marvelous sculpture of an angry goddess with 8 arms, standing in a curiously tilted posture. The legend goes that Kali or Parvathi vanquished a demon by the name Vakkrasura and hence the title Vakkara Kali.
The staue of KALI is adorned with a crown with a skull mounted on the top of it, surrounded by an arc of flames. In her right ear, she sports a Pretha Kundalam or ear ornmament of a dead body and in her 4 right arms carries weapons like a rope, knife, sword and wheel. In the 4 left hands are a shield, a drum, and a human skull. One of the hands is stretched downwards with the index finger pointing to the ground.
Worn like a sacredd thread on her left shoulder is a garland of vanquished human skulls.
The awe inspiring image of Vakkara Kali is one I shall remember for a long time.
It is common belief that people who worship her here get significant relief from mental worries and stress!
We were soon on our way to Pondicherry . This elegant city has a unique charm , a remnant of the 300 year old French rule over this Union Territory. While the Aurobindo Ashram is the most important tourist stop in this city, we headed first to a temple housing Lord Ganesh called Manakula Vinayaka Temple.
Built over 300 years ago, this temple is small and attractive with lots of interesting sculptures and paintings on the inner temple walls depicting the various forms of Lord Ganesha as well as stories and legends associated with him. The stone sculpture of Lord Vinayaka in the main sanctum was adorned with fragrant flowers and garlands and just as we walked in there was a truly memorable spectacle of the evening arathi taking place.
Having prayed whole heartedly to the elephant- headed God, we headed to a nearby hotel to take a well deserved rest.
Early on the morning of the following day, we set off for the famous Shiva temple at Chidambaram.
This temple is perhaps one of the largest and grandest temple complexes I have ever seen. Sprawling over 40 acres and boasting four immense gopurams or intricately carved towers located in the respective cardinal directions, Chidambaram is the most celebrated and ancient temple in South India.
The temple itself dates back to the early 500 A.D. However, the development and growth of various portions of the temple have been attributed to the rulers of the Chola. Pandya and Vijayanagaram dynasty, all of whom contributed benevolently. The result is seen and enjoyed in the outpouring of sheer poetry/ art/ skill as exhibited in the frescoes and sculptures adorning the many terraces , soaring towers, pillars and inner chambers.
Here, in Chidambaram Lord Shiva reminds us of his existence in three different forms. In the inner sanctum He performs his great cosmic dance of bliss ( Ananda Tandavam), with his consort Sivakami at his side. He is clearly personified and with an enchanting Form.
He is also worshipped in the adjacent hall in the form of a Spatika ( crystal) Linga, i.e. in a phallic form; as well as Ratna Sababathy- a ruby Linga. These lingas are extremely old and it is generally accepted that they have been gifted to the temple by Aadi Shankara.
Finally, directly to the right of the dancing Lord in the inner sanctum is an empty space in front of which is suspended a curtain of golden bilva leaves. This depicts the famous Chidambara Rashasyam, i.e. God exists in empty Space or in nothingness. Therefore, here HE resides in his Formless- Form.
The hall where the main sanctum is housed is called the Chit Sabha; the adjoining hall where pujas are conducted is named the Kanaka Sabha. The whole structure housing these two sabhas is slightly raised and is made entirely of wood. The roof is made up of 17, 500 small, interlocking gold tiles and representing the number of breaths an average human being takes each day!
The other halls ( sabhas) in Chidambaram are: the Nritta Sabha- richly sculptured and in the form of a chariot; the Deva Sabha- which houses the festival images of the main Murthis; and the famous the Raja Sabha- featuring the 1,000 pillared hall.
We walked around the temple for several hours soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the fabulous architecture. In the Nritta Sabha images seemed to compete with each other to gain space on the many intricately carved pillars. Here Shiva can be seen in his Urdhva Tandava pose- i.e. where he raises his leg straight up into the air , above his head. Apparently, there was a dance competition between Lord Shiva and Parvathi ( Kali) in this dancing hall and the latter had to ultimately accept defeat after Shiva performed his Urdhva Tandava. A Kali temple, located on the outskirts of Chidambaram marks the spot where she retreated after the defeat in the dance competition.
Our tour around the temple was made more interesting by a temple priest who seemed to be a fount of knowledge. Entertained by his insightful rendering of temple lore, we paid our respects to the massive statue of Lord Ganesh and Subramania. In the outermost prakara ( precinct) of the temple is the shrine dedicated to AMMAN. Here, dancers and musicians frozen in stone seemed to welcome us inside. I marveled at the friezes on the ceiling, dating back to the Nayaka period, depicting the legends and stories associated with the temple .
Definitely, Chidambaram weaves a magic spell on the visitors. Not only is there so much that is visually fascinating, but there is an intangible , mystical element that fulfils the innermost needs of the senses!
After all, it was in Chidambaram that all the four Shaivite Saints- Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavachagar have sung their famous hymns ; here, a great saint, Nanadanar attained salvation; also, it was in Chidambaram that Lord Adi Sesha ( serpent lord), came down to earth in the form of the saint- Patanjali to witness the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. Another great saint Vyagrapadha , the one who was granted tiger –like feet by Lord Shiva so he could climb trees and pluck rare and beautiful flowers for His worship, also accompanied Patanjali to glimpse this wonderful dance spectacle! Lord Vishnu was also present to witness this Cosmic dance and continues to bless devotees, reclining on his serpent bed even today.
The Vishnu sanctum faces east and Lord Nataraja in the main shrine is south- facing.
Consequently, there is a certain spot in the temple where one can stand and simultaneously get a darshan of both Lord Nataraja in his sanctum as well as Lord Vishnu .
As we reluctantly left Chidamnbaram, and bade farewell to the priest who had helped us, he turned around to me and said something that immediately struck me as very strange. The priest said “ I am assuming you are on your way to see Abirami Amman at Tirukkadaiyur?”.
Now, until that moment neither my friend nor I had discussed our specific itinery for the day or where we were headed to next. Since our car driver seemed incredibly efficient we had actually allowed him to take charge of taking us to some of the important temples in the area. In fact, since I had already made a journey to the Abirami temple earlier in the year with my daughter, I was not really planning on making a repeat visit on this trip. Instead, I figured there were many other ancient temples in the area that were worthy of a visit.
So, the priest’s words to me that morning, standing inside the sanctum of Lord Shiva, seemed strangely like a command invitation.
We said our farewell and as we walked towards the car my friend, also remarked about the sudden and abrupt nature with which that order had been made.
I was still not sure whether we would have time to visit Tirukkadaiyur, so we left the topic and moved on.
We departed from Chidambaram following a visit to the Thillai Kali temple situated nearby.
As it was the festival season of Navarathri, the temple was very crowded, but we were able see the powerful Kali. Dressed all in white and with blood- red kumkum splashed all over her, this deity looked fierce with her spear in hand! For a moment, I recalled the verses in Devi Mahatmyam which propitiate her as the vanquisher of the demon Mahishasura!
Located in the same temple, but facing the direction opposite to that of Kali is another Durga, but she is in her peaceful disposition here.
We proceeded swiftly onwards to our next temple- stop, Sirgazhi.
By the time we reached the temple, it was already coming on to midday and this meant that the temple would be closing soon. My friend and I walked fast on the hot stone pavement surrounding the temple courtyard so we could get inside the main sanctum on time. That was when we encountered a very strange man!
As we rushed past the temple tank, I was hailed by a very loud voice . An old man dressed in the fashion of a Siva Thondar ( devotee of Siva), wearing colossal rudraksha beads around his neck, called out loudly “ Why are you running? The temple hasn’t closed as yet. You look like the Goddess Parvathi herself; please come here I have to tell you something”.
My friend and I looked at each other. Apart from the obvious flattery, we did think this man might be a bit mad; but then to ignore him might be considered rude. So we went up towards him.
The old man put up his hands to shield his eyes from the midday sun. Then , looking directly at me, said “ Did you think I was mad? No, indeed—There, do you see that little dent on the wall of the temple? That was where the saint Thirugnana Sambandar’s father flung the cup containing the milk of wisdom in anger, without realising that it was indeed Goddess Parvati who came down to feed the wailing, young child- saint. “
I glanced at the spot he indicated. There in the wall was an indentation, the size of a large cup.
The man continued “ You have finished doing all the pariharams that have caused you suffering in this life thus far. Your life will definitely take a turn for the better from now on—you will see. You had the problem of anger- control in your last birth. This will get over in this birth. Carry on with your journey with good fortune. “
I was stunned hearing these words from a perfect stranger.
He had illustrated his point with the perfect example as well!
The father of the child- saint Sambandar had flung the cup in anger! The story goes that the father , a devout worshipper of Lord Shiva had been doing his morning rituals when his little son who was seated nearby started crying out in hunger. Since the father was busy, GODDESS Parvathi herself came down to offer the Milk of Wisdom to the child who later became the most famous of Shaivaite saints- Thiru Gnana Sambandar.
As I still reeled in amazement, the old man turned towards my friend and told her certain past events which happened to be true. He also suggested certain remedies ( pariharams), to rectify these obstacles which were causing her a great deal of current problems.
As we were departing, the old man said as an after thought directly to me “ Don’t forget to go to Abirami Amman Koil at thirukkadaiyur”.
That command again! I thought to myself as we hurried inside.
Lord Shiva is worshipped at Sirgazhi in three different forms and under three different names.
The legend goes that during the great deluge or pralaya when the whole world was submerged under water, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi assumed human form and sailed on a raft ( Thoni), carrying with them all the important vedas and knowledge pertaining to the 64 arts and sciences. Here, at Sirgazhi, the waters abated their anger and the raft floated peacefully into this serene abode.
The temple itself is built on three levels. At the lower level, Lord Shiva is his form as a linga worshipped by lord Brahma. He is called Brahmapureeshwarar.
On the second level reached by climbing a short flight of stairs inside the temple, there is the second form of Shiva in a human form as the Lord Thoniappar or Lord Periyanayakar along with his consort Periyanayaki. The idols of Shiva and Parvathi are immense and amazingly life- like.
After paying our respects to this second image of Shiva, we climbed yet another steeper flight of stairs to reach the third and highest level of the temple. Here, Lord Shiva is resplendent in his Sangamam Moortham or form as Sattainathar or Bhairavar.
The story goes that Lord Shiva assumed this form to quell the arrogance of Vishnu after the latter’s incarnation as Trivikrama or ruler of the three worlds. Lord Shiva defeats the “ego” of Vishnu and wears his flesh as a “ Sattai” or shirt!
Much as I was fascinated by the history and legend surrounding this temple, we had to move on swiftly to see another great Shiva temple nearby- Vaitheeswaran Koil. We were hoping that the temple would not be closed for lunch time.
As it turned out, the temple had extended its afternoon hours that day and we were indeed lucky to get a good darshan here as well.
LORD Shiva is worshipped as the Divine Physician at Vaitheeswaran Koil. It is said that Lord Angaraka ( one of the Navagrahas- Mars) got cured of his ailment after praying to Shiva at this temple. The consort of Lord Shiva at this temple is Baala or Thaiyalnayaki.
We first proceeded to the temple tank whose water’s are said to have curative powers. After dutifully sipping a few drops of this water, we proceeded to visit the main sanctum followed by the shrines of Lord Muruga known here as Selva Muthukumaraswamy. The sculpture of Lord Muruga is indeed a beautiful work of art and awe inspiring. The sandal paste smeared on his feet are also said to treat and cure diseases.
It was at Vaitheeswaram that Lord Muruga received his Vel from his mother.
We visited various other shrines in the temple complex, especially that of the navagrahas, particularly Lord Angarakan.
The importance of this temple stems from not only the legends and stories associated with it but also the fact that it is a heritage site and represents one of the masterpieces of temple architecture.
By the time we had finished our rather hasty tour of this temple it was time for a late lunch stop at Mayavaram.
We decided that after a short rest, we could perhaps see a few more ancient temples en route to our night destination of a hotel near Swamimalai.
We requested our extremely knowledgeable chauffeur to plot the journey while we took a short break for lunch.
Having refreshed ourselves a bit, we started off around 4 p.m. The driver informed us that he would take us first to Tirukkadaiyur.
I looked at him perplexed. “ I had not really intended visiting this temple”, I said. “I have already been there before. Perhaps we can see some other temple on the way, instead?”. However, the driver insisted that Tirukkadaiyur was directly on the way to our final destination. The choice was mine. I thought about the directives I had received at two different temples that morning by total strangers asking me to see Goddess Abirami. And here again, for no apparent reason, the driver is insisting on us visiting the same temple .
“All right”, I said “Let’s go to Thirukkadaiyur”.
Within a short time we were speeding off towards the temple. In the car, I explained to my friend the events that had happened on my last trip and the bad news we received while travelling there. Immediately she looked at me and said that she now understood why I had to go there again.
I looked at her questioningly. Apparently, since I had entered the temple after having received news of a death, the palan ( or fruit) of the visit would not accrue to me. So, I was being summoned here again!
It was late afternoon when we reached Tirukkadaiyur. We went into the main sanctum to pay our respects to Lord Shiva as Amritagateeshwarar as well as Kala Samharamurthy.
Just as the arathi was being shown to the awesome figure Lord Shiva crushing the Lord of Death under his left foot, there was a distinct and ominous roar of thunder!
Promptly, we moved on to the shrine of Abirami that is located just to the right hand side of the main sanctum.
The moment my friend and I stepped inside Goddess Abirami’s shrine, there was a power failure and all the electric lights in the temple went out.
I stood there in the gloom. There was utter silence inside the sanctum. Contrary to my earlier visit that year when I was jostled by teeming crowds, there was absolutely no one except us and the Goddess.
She glowed inside the inner sanctum lit by just the old oil lamps. I felt immediately transported to another time and age!
Slowly we walked up to the sanctum and made our way as close as possible. Today, it seemed to me that the Goddess was giving me a special darshan. There was an ethereal and indescribable look of beauty in her face and a smile on her lips. For a long time I stood there, eyes closed, thinking of nothing—just savouring the moment.
Finally, and reluctantly weleft the sanctum, still under the spell of this most powerful and potent Goddess.
We emerged into the late afternoon daylight. However, just as we stepped into the car and were about to set off, the heavens opened and it started to pour with rain. It was almost as if the Goddess had decided to rain down her blessings to us on cue!
Following this amazing experience we drove through the sheeting rain towards a town called Ananthamangalam to visit a famous Anjaneyar Temple there.
An ancient temple dating back thousands of years, Lord Anjaneya is depicted here as “ Thri Nethra Dasa Bhuja Veera Anjaneyar”.
The legend goes that Lord Rama and his wife Sita were returning to Ayodhya after the victory over Ravana. While they were passing this particular spot, Naradha Muni informs Rama of impending danger in the form of two demons who were from Ravana’s family and had not been killed in the great battle. These two asuras had undergone severe penance and were seeking revenge for the killing of their family by Rama.
Immediately, Lord Anjaneya offers to fight these asuras in order to allow Lord Rama carry on his journey un interrupted. Considering the fact that his brother Bharathan would commit suicide if Rama did not make himself present at the given time in Ayodhya, Lord Rama reluctantly agrees to allow Anjaneya to fight the battle with the demons and gives Anjaneya his bow, arrows and a weapon (Navaneetham) to help him in his fight.
Similarly, other Gods give various weapons/ powers to enable Anjaneya to vanquish the two demons.
Lord Shiva gives his third eye and Trishul; Lord Vishnu gives his conch and chakra as well as a weapon called Mattaksham; Brahma donates his Ankusha; Parvathi, her whip; Lakshmi her lotus and Garudan, his wings.
Armed with all his weapons in his ten hands and the third eye resplendent on his forehead, Anjaneya leaps forward with a quiverful of arrows strapped on his back.
This is the powerful image we could perceive in this ancient temple. The power and presence of Lord Anjaneya is unmistakable.
We carried on our journey despite the heavy downpour towards a famous Navagraha temple nearby. The temple at Tirunallar dates back to the Chola period, about 12th Century A.D . Here, both Lord Shiva as well as Saturn, Lord Sani are worshipped. It is generally brelieved that those who are experiencing difficulties and obstacles in life due to the malefic glance of Lord Sani will obtain relief by propitiating Saturn at this temple and by taking a dip in the temple tank called Nala Tirtham.
According to the legend, King Nala, who was undergoing trials and ordeals in life due to the unfavourable aspect of Sani, found relief by worshipping the Lord here.
At Tirunallar, Lord Shiva is called Darbaranyeshwarar/ Adi Pureeswarar/ Naleeswarar.
Darba refers to a special variety of grass used for most hindu rituals. The Shiva Lingam was found as a self- made or Swayambu Lingam in the middle of a dense forest of darba grass; hence the Lord’s name here is Darbaranyeshwarar.
This ancient temple is also famous as one of the Sapta Vitanka Stalams generally associated with the king Mutchukunda Chola who propitiated Lord Shiva in the form of an unique idol called Thiagarajar.
The story goes that Lord Vishnu worshipped Shiva and then gave this distinctive idol to Indra. This was called a Somaskanda Image and has images of the divine couple, Lord shiva,his consort Parvathi, with little Skanda or Murugan, their son, seated betwixt them. Indra had 6 other images made exactly like the original. The image at Tiruvarur temple is the foremost of the SomaSkanda icons. However, it was here , at Tiruvarur, that Lord Indra wished to test the King Mucukunda Cholan by asking him to pick the original from the duplicate copies. When the King did indeed pick out the correct image, Indra was pleased and gave him all the seven as a gift.
The temples where these Somaskanda images called Thiagarajar , are installed came to be called the Sapta Vitanka Stalams.
At Thirunallar, there are two separate sanctums for Lord Shiva both in his form as the lingam, and also as Lord Thiagarajar along with his consort Pranambigai.
Of course, it is Lord Saneeswara who is the main attraction for hordes of pilgrims coming in to Tirunallar.
Lord Sani influences a person’s financial status and is therefore considered extremely important. Here, at Tirunallar, Lord Saturn is in a very mellow and benevolent mood and raises his hand in a gesture of protection to his devotees.
Surrounded by thousands of ghee or oil lit lamps, Lord Saneeswara seemed to send his silent blessings to us on that rain- swept day!
The last temple we visited that evening was the Lalithambigai Temple at Tirumeeyachur.
The evening was well advanced by the time we reached this ancient temple dating back to the Chola period. It was still raining, incesantly and the thunder clouds appeared dense and thick in the sky.
We hurried inside the main sanctum to worship Lord Shiva appropriately named, as Meghanathar. The stor goes that Surya worshipped Shiva as Gajaruda i.e. seated on an elephant , among dense clouds, hence the name.
The Shrine of Lord Shiva’s consort Lalithambikai is a separate one to the right of the main temple. Beautiful sculptures and frescoes from the Chola period provide a feast to the eyes.
However, when we entered the inner sanctum of the Goddess, there was almost no one there except for a solitary singer. We were greeted by some of the most soul- stirring verses of the Abirami Andhadi. It was as if the goddess was welcoming me back again and again!
Lalthambigai gives darshan to her devotees at this temple seated regally on her throne, right leg folded over and the left leg dangling down gently. An immense Sri Chakra is at her feet.
The priest at the temple told us an interesting story about the manifestation of the Goddess’s power in recent times.
Apparently, Lalithambikkai appeared in the dream of one of her ardent devotees, a young lady in Bangalore and requested a pair of anklets to be placed on her staue in this temple.
However, the priests at the temple said this would not be possible as there was no provision in the sculpture to accommodate a pair of anklets.
However, the lady from Bangalore persisted and upon close inspection a tiny hole was found in the left leg near the ankle that would permit this ornament to be fastened on.
Standing there in the gathering night, eyes closed and listening to the melliflous rendering of the Goddess’s hymns , I was quickly transported into a totally different world where huge circles of light seemed to glow brightly in rapid succession and disappear into a vortex of blinding flames.

It was with great difficulty that I came back to reality. We left this most beautiful temple and made our way to the hotel where we were to take rest that night.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 22

There is also another shrine for Lord Yama directly opposite the Kala Samharamurthy Sannidhi where he is shown as having been brought back to life by lord Shiva at the request of Mother earth because she could not withstand the burden of accomodating too many human beings who continued to remain alive. The lord of Death is re appointed to maintain the correct balance between life and death in the universe.
We hurried on to the sanctum of the Goddess Abirami. When I stepped inside this shrine, I did not feel anything. This was a strange feeling. The Goddess appeared uninspiring. It was hot and crowded inside and perhaps at the back of my mind there was a nagging worry that we had to return to Chennai quickly.
After all the expectations and the build up before reaching this famous temple, I felt a bit let down and disappointed. In any case, I prayed to Abirami fervently and we left the temple shortly thereafter.
Directly after this temple tour, my daughter returned to Boston and I elected to stay on in India for a few more months. It was my hope that I could visit a few more temples in the deep South during this period. Sadly, that did not happen. However, I was able to make two trips to Tirupathi as well as two repeat visits to Nemili.
The first repeat visit to Nemili took place on February 14th, 2006. I took my niece with me this time and another old college friend as well. This was the first visit for my friend. We were courteously greeted at the Peetam and the priest Ezhilmani gave his usual introductory speech that he reserves for first time vistors to Baala Peetam.
We sat for a while with our eyes closed listening to Lalitha Sahasranamam. It was truly a divine experience listening to this familiar hymn in Baala’s presence. We got up to leave and I wandered over to the little bookshop in the corner, to buy a few photos and cassettes for my niece. We requested Ezhilmani to place these purchases at Baala’s feet in order to sanctify them before we took them back. As he was doing this , my eyes wandered over to the photos that were kept on either side of Bala in the little mandapam.
There was this particularly enchanting photo of Baala seated on a lotus with a mishievous smile on her lips. I stared, somewhat mesmerised. This was the same image that would float into my mind when I sat down for meditation. Without thinking, almost impulsively , I said loudly “ I would like to do two paintings of Baala. One, seated, just like she is there in that photo; and another one standing with the book and japa mala in her hands. I would like to give this to the Peetam .”
After having said this, I felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, any offering or contribution to this peetam is at Baala’s request. Who was I to volunteer any thing, either a gift or painting?
Later, in a subdued manner, I told Ezhilmani and his nephew, Murali, ( who runs the book shop), that if Baala so wished it and I had the ability to portray her, it would be done.
Ezhilmani simply looked at me and said “ I’m sure you can do it.”. He also gave me a tiny post card sized picture of Baala seated on the lotus so I could use that for guidance.
I thanked him for that as well as his words of encouragement
On the way back, in the car, I continued to ponder over my hasty suggestion. I prayed that Baala should help me in my attempt to do her painting. I remembered my unfinished pencil portrait of Baala in a standing posture . I requested my husband in London to mail it to me and in the mean while, I started work on the painting of Baala seated on a blue lotus.
I worked steadily for one week on this painting . While drawing this image , I kept getting repeated mental suggestions that said “ Do not copy my face from any other photo or image. Draw it using your own imagination “.
Thus, within one week, the pencil portrait was finished. However, the face of Baala in this picture , as in the earlier work done in London, did not resemble that of a nine year old. Instead, the young lady seated majestically on the lotus seemed a lot older, perhaps a young woman about to get married.
As is my normal custom, I did not worry too much about the visual impact of the image. I concentrated on Baala at all times and willed her to present herself on paper. The finished image was her wish and command!
By early March, I completed this huge painting and took great care to embellish Bala with colored stones and sparkling rhinestones.
We had it framed locally and in my mind, the finished work was beautiful!
Shortly after this first work was over , I received by courier the pencil drawing of Bala I had done in London.
This second painting seemed to take no time at all to finish. With the chants from Devi Mahatmyam and Lalitha Sahasranama, Trisathi and Bala Tripurasundari Sahasranamam echoing in the air, I finally ceased work on the painting. Baala glowed with a mysterious inner light and seemed to exude peace and happiness standing on her shining lotus pedestal!
This painting too, was duly framed and one day in the third week of March, 2006, I re- visited Nemili to give the paintings to the temple. A few family members accompanied me on this trip.
Since the paintings were massive in size, a truck was hired to transport them and we set off by car.
While I was happy that I had been able to carry out the task of painting Baala, a deep sadness lingered. This had indeed been a labour of love. I had sat day and night executing the two paintings and the thought I had to part with them forever made me feel intensely dejected.
However, I consoled myself that the paintings would be capable of giving so much more happiness to a lot of other people visiting the Peetam and would indeed remain in perpetuity at the temple long after my life on this earth was over.
We reached Nemili on a Friday morning at 9 a.m. The priest and his nephew, Murali were awaiting the arrival of the paintings and helped to carry them inside. They decked the Mandap and paintings with the flowers we had brought with us and did a small puja and arathi.
It was over. Soon, it was time to leave. I was a little surprised that Ezhilmani had not overtly praised the paintings or even mentioned that they were good.
Chastising myself for even entertaining these thoughts, I departed.
However, a small portion of me remained a bit unhappy. For example, I wanted the painting to be placed right next to Baala, near the mandap. Instead, it was placed against a wall on the far side as if to denote its lack of esteem or value. All these thoughts were coursing through my mind preventing me from remaining calm and peaceful.
I earnestly prayed to Baala that she keep my work as close to her as possible.
I hoped she would pay heed to my request.
We returned via the temple town of Kancheepuram and had an opportunity to visit the famous Kamakshi Amman temple.
Just as we stepped inside the main entrance of the temple, my attention was caught by a huge portrait of Baala!
Upon enquiry, I was told this had been done by a local artist. Here Baala is depicted as a young child of perhaps 8 or 9 years. She is seated on a white lotus, her face aglow with a sweet smile.
My first thought on seeing this lovely work was that my painting was so inadequate by comparison. But then, I am not a trained artist, I reasoned to myself. However,the feeling of low esteem and inadequacy continued to plague me that day. Why did I think my painting had been so perfect when it seems to pale into insignificance compared to a master work like this one in Kanchipuram?
Sighing, I walked inside the temple to get a darshan of Raja Rajeshwari, or Kamakshi as the Great Goddess is called here.
My family members and I were in for a pleasant surprise for we walked in just as the milk abhishekam was going on.
Hardly believing our luck, we stayed on to witness the whole ceremony and prayed to the great mother for guidance and protection. It seemed to me that she was saying “ You have given my child Baala a gift today. She is so happy with it and so am I !”.
These two visits to Nemili in the early part of 2006 were indeed of great significance as revealed by later turn of events.
During the period that I was doing the Baala paintings, I also got the opportunity to visit Tirupathi twice, as well!
The first occasion was in late February 2006 . I visited Tirupathi along with my second brother and his family. I remember the sactum being extremely crowded during the early morning Suprabatham. There followed a chaotic scene of people shoving and pushing each other to have a darshan of the great Lord of Tirumala. I was swept along with other members of my family in the massive human tide and barely got a meaningful glimpse of the Lord. Sorely disappointed, and leaning against the walls of the sanctum I implored the Lord to call me back for a good Darshan.
We returned to Chennai soon after and I carried on with my painting of Baala. To my enormous surprise, hardly one week later, I had another opportunity to visit Tirupathi. This time I accompanied my elder brother who was a trustee of the Tirumala Temple.
In sharp contrast to my earlier visit our family was treated with a royal welcome and I was able to stand right near Lord Venkatachalapathi for a few whole minutes in utter silence!
The Lord had heard my request and called me back!
Soon after the Tirupathi episode and just before I left Chennai for London, I experienced a lot of mental suggestions asking me to understand more about Shirdi SAI Baba. Along with these mental impressions or thoughts, as I have no other way of describing them, I seemed to be meeting people in every day life who reinforced these messages. As a result I decided to read the Sai Sat Charitra. I purchased this huge volume at a book shop one day and spent a lot of time trying to understand the significance and gospel of Shirdi Sai Baba.
Somehow, despite my best efforts, I was not pulled strongly towards the teachings of this great Saint. Also, as Vedanta preaches, the Lord is not outside you; He is inside you, guiding you and filling you with love. It is this cognitive change that is important in shaping how we deal with people around us. Going to temples and worshipping gods is important; however more important is to practise the good values and show patience, tolerance and love to people around us. No doubt the lord of Shirdi was a truly mysterious and remarkable man. However, there have been loads of great self- realised souls in our country- Ramana Maharishi, Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, etc .
I decided to focus instead on my daily prayers to Baala and on improving my concentration through meditation.

I set off to London in mid- April and then onwards to Boston to stay with my daughter who is a student there.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 20

I had spent most of the time during the long flight, praying to the Goddess Baala. Somehow, visiting Nemili was the foremost in my thoughts. I decided to make a trip to Shri Baala Peetam on the following Sunday. However, as it turned out, I was summoned to see her much earlier.
In fact, on the very evening of the day I arrived, I called up the Baala Peetam and asked them if the temple would be open for visitors the next day, i.e. Friday. Since the answer was positive, my daughter and I set off the following morning.
From the moment I entered the peetam a feeling of complete and utter peace came over me. It was as if all my problems and worries slipped off quite effortlessly. I prostrated this very tiny yet most powerful goddess and lapsed into a few minutes of meditation, while awaiting for the priest to come into the room.
I was seeking answers to many questions at this point in my life.
“ Could you please enlighten me about my role in life”, I beseeched Baala. “ Can you tell me why you appear in my dreams and tell me to go to various places and meet people?” “ Why are you playing games with me?”.
As hard as I tried, no answers were forthcoming. I slowly opened my eyes just as Nemili Ezhilmani came into the room. He remembered me instantly and as if answering my unspoken question said “ Oh, don’t search for that black and white drawing of our Baala that you gave us 3 years ago. I had initially placed it right beside her mandapam in this puja room, but my son who performs the daily puja and abhishekams wanted the painting to hang in his room. Do you know your drawing of Baala on a swing is the first image he sees in the morning before he comes down to perform the puja?”.
I was stunned. It was true, I had been quickly seeking out where this man had positioned my painting. Since I didn’t see it anywhere, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of inadequacy. Perhaps, my drawing wasn’t good enough to be displayed!
The priest’s answer filled me with joy. I should never have doubted myself ; this was merely Baala’s mischief at play.
As if to emphasise this last point further, the priest carried on “ If you had come just one hour later today, you would have found the peetam closed. We are all leaving the house for a few days and will not be here over the week end”.
I suddenly remembered my original plan of visiting the temple on Sunday. It was only a fleeting thought that had made me come earlier! That lightening suggestion in my mind was Baala. This was the first time she had spoken to me. Over the course of the coming year, many more similar episodes were to unfold!
After the ritual arathi and prayers were over, just as I was about to take leave, I approached Ezhilmani and told him about Baala’s command for me to meet up with “ Aiya” of Rochester, a person whom I had never met . “ I don’t understand why she has asked me to go there”, I looked at him questioningly.
The priest could hardly conceal his smile. “ Why, Amma, this Haran Aiya and Baala have a very strong connection.He comes here very often whenever he visits India and has in fact created a BAALA Peetam in Rochester”. However, I don’t know why she has asked you to meet him. All I can assure you is that Baala loves to play games. If she likes a person, she will take over their life completely and be in control”.

It was with mixed emotions that my daughter and I left Nemili. She too, had felt the overwhelmimg peace and calmness of the place and loved the fact that this house of worship was so completely different from the huge temples she had often visited with me. I think the simplicity and purity of the place combined with the love and humility of its occupants came as a pleasant surprise to her.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 21

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 21

Within the next few days, my daughter and I had the opportunity to visit a few temples in Tamil Nadu along with my sister in law. We first went to Pudukkotai ( near Trichy) to pay a visit to the Bhuvaneswari temple established by my guru, Santhananda Swamigal. After paying respects to the samadhi of his guru, Judge Swamigal, at that temple, we proceeded to the famous rock temple of Pillayarpatti.

Here, Lord Ganesha was awaiting to give us his blessings dressed in his golden armour. It was truly an awe inspiring sight to witness this gigantic seven foot sculpture hewn out of a massive piece of rock on a cliff side. Dating back to the early 12th Century, the image of Pillayar is considered as Swyambu or self- made!

We proceeded on our journey towards the beautiful temple town of Tanjore. Here, we visited and marveled at the glory of the Brihadeeshwara temple. Built by the great Raja Raja Chola, it took nearly 12 years until its completion in 1011 A.D. The Chola kingdom ruled this part of the world during 10th to the 14th century and many of the temples in the state bear the unmistakable stamp of the artists and sculptors of this period. For the pallavas, the gigantic temple complexes functioned not only as a place of worship but also a seat of government and provided an important venue for most of the social and economic events .

We walked around the precincts of this vast temple/ fortress complex in awe. The central stone of the towering Vimana is supposed to weigh 235 lbs and it must have been a true feat of engineering ingenuity to have hoisted it into place at the very top.

We marveled at the intricate carvings of Gods, dancers, dance poses , and mythical beasts on the several terraces of the temple tower.

However, one particular shrine tucked away in the corner of this vast temple complex caught my attention. Upon enquiry it proved to be the shrine of one of the Siddhars ( yogis or holy men who have mastered all the Siddhas or yogic powers). Indeed, Karuvar Siddhar is regarded as one of those immortal beings who has lived for centuries and continues to exude his presence in this shrine. He had apparently helped the king ( Raja Raja Chola) through his yogic powers to both construct as well as consecrate the temple.

This was my first visit to a Siddhar’s shrine, but I felt a strong magnetic attraction to the site.

As will be explained later, this visit too set off in train a long sequence of events that has allowed me to immerse myself more fully into the lives of the 18 great siddhars and study huge masterpieces like Tirumoolar’s Tirumandiram.

Our short temple tour concluded with a visit to the famous Murugan shrine at Swamimalai and the nearby temple at Tirukkadaiyur dedicated to the Goddess Abhirami.

I reflected on the time I had spent learning the 100 verses composed by Abirami Bhattar in his famous Andhadi , all in praise of this great and powerful Goddess.

I was looking forward to the darshan with great anticipation on this fnal leg of the tour . However, during the car drive from Swamimalai to Tirukkadaiyur, my sister- in law who was accompanying us, got a phone call. It was bad news . Her uncle in Bangalore had been admitted in the hospital and was fighting for his life. We had an hour to go before reaching this famous temple and I prayed that he might live.

It was an irony that we should receive this news while travelling to a temple famous through antiquity for being able to save people’s lives. The legend goes that the young Markandeya prayed to Lord Shiva to prevent the King of Death, Lord Yama from taking his soul away. In fact, Lord Shiva is propitiated here as Kaala Samhara Murthy, or as one who has conquered the passage of time— and therefore Death itself.

Just as we drove into the precincts of the temple another quick telephone call confirmed the worst. The uncle never recovered conciousness. I suggested we return immediately. However, my sister in law insisted we finish our tour of the temple.

We walked inside to witness the awesome sculpture of Shiva killing Yama, while Markandeya is shown as clinging on to the shiva lingam near the base of this statue, expressing total sharanaagathi.