The Road Less Travelled

Sometimes we are on a pilgrimage spree.. So little time and so many temples to be covered!

Every visit, every darshan, every thought, every feeling adds to the joy of pilgrimage. The spirit of bhakthi is the invisible dimension that inspires and moves us to action! It is the power which connects human beings like us to themselves and to others and is like a thread connected to higher purposes..

Here are detailed updates of some amazing temples I visited last month, in and around Trichy.

Thiruvanaikaval - Jambukeswarar- Akilandeshwari Temple
Sri Rangam, Shri Ranganatha Swamy Temple
Gunaseelam – Prasanna Venkatachalpathy Temple


Thiruvanaikaval is also called as 'Jambukeswaram' and is one of the Pancha Bhootha Sthalas of Lord Shiva. Pancha Bhootha kshetras are the five abodes in which Lord Shiva stands glorified in the five elements of nature.

Thejo sthalam (Fire) - Tiruvannamalai
Prithvi sthalam (Earth) - Kanchipuram
Appu sthalam (Water) - Tiruvanaikaval
Vayu sthalam (Air) - Kalahasti
Akasa sthalam (Space) - Chidambaram

What an amazing temple!

The presiding deity is Sri Jambukeswara, also known as Appu (Water) Lingam. The sanctum, in a low level, is always damp with water. The deity is said to have been installed by Parvati, who made a lingam out of water and offered prayers to the Lord. To signify that the Devi is worshipping the Lord, even today the priest wears a red silk sari and performs puja during Uchhi Kaala puja at noon. This is a Upadesa Sthala, since she took Upadesa from the Lord.

The Devi of the temple, Sri Akilandeswari is a powerful deity and said to have worshipped Lord Shiva who is residing under the white “Naaval” tree. She was a “Ughara Deivam” earlier and people who went to have her darshan could not stand the fierceness of the Goddess. Adi sankarar created two sets of earrings in the form of Sri Chakram which are called "Tatankam" and presented these to the Goddess. The fierceness of the deity reduced. This tatankam, the earrings, has been maintained over time by the Acharyas of the Kanchi Mutt. He also created the sannathy of Lord Ganesha bang opposite her sannathy, so that when the Devi looks at her child, she just showers love.. And you can feel it!

Listen to my fave song, Akhilandeshwari, sung by MSS.



Sri Rangam – Shri Ranganatha Swamy temple

Srirangam is said to be the biggest functioning Hindu temple in Asia, (Angorwat is the biggest but non-functioning Hindu temple, by the way..). Lord Ranganathar, King of kings, is in reclining posture on Adisesha with his feet on lotus flower.. Ranganathar resides inside the Aranga Vimanam with His right hand kept under his head as a pillow and the left hand on his lap pointing to his feet. What a divine sight !

Lord Rama in his avatharam is said to have worshipped Sri Ranganathan, so He is also named as "Periya Perumal". No wonder it is called the Bhooloka Vaikuntham!



It is also a Sukra Sthalam (Venus) and to visit this temple on Fridays and offer white lotus to the Lord is supposed to be auspicious. Sukran is the planet which denotes all decorative or alangaram items used in our life. He is the brightest star next to the Sun and Moon and was the guru of the asuras. This Shethram is also called as Velliangudi – Velli meaning Sukra in tamil.

Sri Rangam is a huge temple, with 7 outer walls, referring to the 7 worlds. The Raja gopuram is the biggest temple tower in Asia and it is said that if we stand at the top of Srirangam Temple Gopuram, we can find that the eyes of Arangan as still seeing the south direction of Sri Lanka.

The Thaayar’s name is Sri Ranga Nayaki and this temple has the biggest and tallest Garudan, the bird which represents Sukran. There are separate sannidhis for Chakkarathazhwar and the Lord of medicine, Dhanvanthri.

Guna Seelam – Prasanna Venkatachalpathy Temple

The Moolavar is said to be the miniature version of Lord Balaji of Tirupathi. The Lord here is known as "Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal" and it is believed that those who are not able to visit Tirumala can obtain the grace of Venkatachalapathy here.



An ancient rishi, Guna Seelar, went on a pilgrimage to Tirupathi to have a darshan of Lord Venkateshwara. He was so moved and pleaded the Lord to go with him to his Ashram on the banks of river Cauvery at Guna Seelam. The Lord told him that as he was in a state of debt, he cannot leave Tirupathi and told that he would appear as Shri Narayana at Gunaseelam. Guna Seelar performed penance and many years later in Krutha Yuga, Lord Prasanna Venkatachalapathy appeared as Swayambu on a Saturday in the month of Purattasi on the day of Sravana, the star of Venkatachalapathy.

The most important feature in this temple is the special grace that the lord bestows on the mentally unsound. The temple priests splash holy water to cure their problems. The etymology of the name derives from "Gunam" (Cure) and "Seelam" (Place), meaning the place in which all illnesses are cured.

Parthasarathy Swamy

My Sunday evening outing is complete only with a Darshan of this magnificent Lord – Parthasarathy Swamy @ Triplicane… Today being Sranavam and Ekadesi, I had to visit him. I had the opportunity to have a glimpse of the "Ekadesi Purapaadu" today and wanted to share the joy with you all.. Here are some photos and a video, at the end, which were shot on my mobile..(Click to enlarge the pics)


The Supreme deity “Venkata Krishnan” is worshipped as Parthasarathy, that is as a Charioteer of Arjuna. The primary sanctum enshrines the majestic Lord of Lords of all incarnations along with his entire family (three generations!) – his consort Rukmini, his brother Balaraman, Satyaki, His son Prathyumnan and His grand son Aniruddhan.

As I enter the sanctum, like every time, I become speechless. The Lord stands at 9 feet tall towering majestically, giving a Vishwaroopa darshnam. He has a moustache and his Eyes glow, his Universal form just radiates compassion. (His Eyes, moustache and Namam are drawn in white). He is the all powerful Supreme Spiritual master.. Mere words of mine cannot describe Him, His attractive presence takes away all our worries, and reassures that he is the Bhaktha Valsalan, who would take care of us.

Facing east, Lord Krishna is adorned in stunning silk dhoti-sari and jewellery. His wardrobe is awesome and He is so dear, I am awe struck! He has only his conch (Sangu) and does not have a Chakra, as he promised that he would not take any weapons for the war. He has only two hands, and holds his conch in his right hand and his left hand shows Varadha Mudhra – sometimes adorned with a diamond glove – with the wordings – “Mam Ekam Saranam Vraja” – He has a small knife tucked in his hip and also a big sword behind his Varadha Hastam.

One Darshan of the Utsava Murthy will evoke a strong feeling and would move you to tears.. There are war scars all over the face caused by Bheeshma’s bow during the Mahabharatha war. He shielded the greatest of his devotees – Arjuna!

Within this temple, there are separate shrines for Rama, Ranganathar, Vedavalli Thayar, Gajendra Varadhar who is in a seated posture mounted on Garuda, Narasimhar and Andal.

Since He is recuperating from war, groundnut oil and chillies are not used in the preparations offered to the Lord for Neivedhyam. (Got to know that they use pepper for the Puliyodharai and Vadai, that’s the reason for its awesome taste!)

Signing off with my favourite slokams from The Bhagavad Gita,Simply Surrender to Krishna! :

Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear"

Yatra Yogesvarah Krushno, Yatra partho Dhanur Dharah Tatra Srir Vijayo bhuthir dhruva nitir matir mama
"Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, power and morality"

Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium".

Ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam
(Let there be one scripture only for the whole wold, Bhagavat Gita)
Eko devo devaki-putra eva (Let there be one God for the whole world – Sri Krishna)
Eko mantras tasya namani yani –karmapy ekam tasya devasya sevaan (Let there be one mantra and one prayer – the Chanting of His name)

Nandanar Songs

It all started when we were on our way to Chidambaram…I had just bought a CD of Nandhanar songs of Sriram Gangadharan and was playing it over and over again in the car while on our annual whirlwind pilgrimage.

The simple lyrics of Nandanar songs are penned by the great contemporary composer, Gopalakrishna Bharathi and are set in soulful ragas which makes it a listener’s delight. His songs have immortalized Nandanar’s story. I shared the story of Nandanar with my siblings and kuttis in the car and they were hooked to these songs all the way. Every time I listen to one of these songs, my heart goes out for Nandanar!

The story of Nandanar is a folk myth. Nandan was a simple farmer who was a bond slave of a landlord, but an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and pined for a darshan of the God at Chidambaram. Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s epic musical “NandanAr Charithram” was written in the early 19th century. This was made in to a hugely successful Tamil movie in 1942 starring the great actor, M.M. Dandapani Desikar, who had also sung all the popular numbers. Till today, it is a classic vintage movie.

Since Nandanar was a harijan, he could not enter any temple though he longed to do so and was all the time praying to the Lord to give him a darshan. The Lord performed a miracle for him at Tiruppungur ( 8 kms from Vaideeshwaran Kovil) where the “Nandi” was obstructing Nandanar's view from outside and the Lord asked “Nandi” to move aside to give a glimpse of his Darshan! ( We made sure that we visited the temple and were amazed to see the nandi away from its central position.!)


(Click to enlarge the pictures)

Coming back to the story, Nandanar was determined to go to Chidambaram some day to be with the Lord, and would constantly say “Nalaip Poven, Nalip Poven” which eventually earned him the name “Thiru Nalaip Povar”. His landlord imposed impossible conditions for him to fulfill before he would be allowed to make the trip to Chidambaram. By the Lord's grace, he overcame all the conditions miraculously. When Nandanar finally arrived in Chidambaram, the Dikshidars of the temple did not allow him to enter the temple. The Lord himself appeared in their dreams and commanded them to allow him. Next day, Nandanar had the bath in the holy tank and was taken in a procession to the sanctorum. But once he entered it, he disappeared into space and attained Moksha. Nandanar has been included as one of the 63 Nayanmars who are worshipped in all Shiva temples as the most blessed devotees of the Lord.

And now for his famous songs,

1.“Sivaloga Nadhanaik Kandu Sevithidivom Vareer”– where Nandanar gathers his people to worship Lord Shiva.
2.“Vazhi maRaiththirukkudhE malaipOlE oru mADu paDuththirukkudhE” - This bull, the size of a mountain, is lying there and blocking my view of the Lord, sung when Nandanar visits Tiruppungoor while standing outside the temple premises. This song is moving while Nandanar sings “thEraDiyil ninRu dharisiththAlum pOdhum kOvil varamAttEn ayyE” (It is enough if I see the Lord from the place where the temple chariot is parked; I need not enter the temple)..
3.Unable to stand this, the Cosmic Lord orders Nandi, the bull to move (“Satre vilagi irum piLLAy—just move a bit, my son!), lest Nandanar, an ardent devotee, should get angry..
4.Nandanar’s incessant pining to visit Chidambaram --“Chidambaram pOgAmal iruppEnO?” – Shall I spend my lifetime here without visiting Chidambaram?) and his daily ranting that he will visit Chidambaram “tomorrow”.
5.“VaruvArO varam tharuvArO endhan manadhu sanchalikkudhaiyyE” where he is patiently waiting everyday for the Lord’s order — (Will He appear and give me the boon?)
6.“Uththaran thaarum aiye – Enakkoruvarumillai Paragadhiadaya” – Where Nandanar seeks permission from his landlord to go to Chidambaram..
7.”VarugalAmO Ayya, Nan Undhan Arugil Nindru Kondadavum Padavum – Ange”- At Chidambaram, Nandhanar asks Lord Natraja whether he could enter the temple.
8.“Kanda Mani Aduthu – Adhaik Kandu Pinivaduthu” – when Nandanar arrives at the border of Chidambaram..
9.“Enneneramum Undhan Sannidhiyile Nan Irruka Vendum Ayya , Ponayya” – Upon reaching Chidambaram, Nandanar longs to be with the Lord..
10.“Iyye Metha Kadinam” – where Nandhanar responds to his Landlord’s requests him to be his preacher..

My mother’s favorite song is “Enneramum” sung by K.V.Narayanswamy and it is like a ever green melody ringing in my ears!.. Nithyashree’s album of Gopala Krishna Bharathiar’s songs is awesome with classics like “ Eppo varuvaaro, Pirava Varam Tharum and Idhuthaano thillaisthalam. Aruna sairam’s rendition of “Sababathiku Veru Deivam” is too good.

And that’s about it! I've put in what I know, this list is not complete with your comments and favorites. With Pranams to the musical genius, Gopala Krishna Bharathiar.. I am signing off..