Temple and Sport

108 Divya Desam- Thiru Meiyam

2007-05-21T08:50:00.001+05:30

Sathiya Moorthy Kshetram

Located on the Pudukottai-Karaikudi/Tirupattur highway, Thirumeiyam is also called Sathiya Giri and Sathiya Kshetram and is surrounded by a huge fort like structure. This temple dates back to the 7th Century AD. The Lord here is bigger than Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam. On the wall just above the deity one finds images of Brahmma and several Devas.

Adiseshan is believed to be protecting this place. The story goes that when the Asuras tried to kidnap the Lord, Adiseshan let open poisonous air to kill the asuras. As a reference to this incident, one can see Adiseshan being depicted in the same form here at this temple- letting out poisonous air- a unique feature at this Divya Desam.

It is said that Lord Vishnu’s guard (at this fort) incurred the wrath of Sage Durvasa, who cursed him to turn into a snake and was finally relieved of his curse here at ThiruMeiyam.

There are separate sannidhis for Chakkarathazhvaar, Krishna, Lakshmi Narayanan, Raama, Hanuman, Varaaha, Ujeevana Thaayar and the 12 Azhvaars.

On the Chitra Pournami day, Sathiya Moorthy Perumal is taken out on a 40 mile procession to Kadaya Kudi.

Pallava rulers are said to have contributed to the temple.

Quick Facts:

Deity : Meiyappan Standing Posture, East Facing
Goddess : Ujjevana Thaayaar
Mangalasaasanam : Thirumangai Azhvaar

Paasurams : 9(1090,1206,1524,1660,1760,1852,2016,2050 and 2674
Temple timing : 8am –12.20pm and 330pm-8pm

Priest : Ranganatha Bhattar /Karthik/Narasimha Bhattar

Contact : 94437 17130

Location : 18kms South of Pudukottai, 25 kms North of Karaikudi

Bus : One can Pudukottai-Karikudi or Pudukottai-Tirupattur bus to reach here

Place to Stay : Best to stay in Pudukottai or Karaikudi

Road Route : Trichy-Pudukottai-Karaikudi and Thanjavur-Pudukottai-Karaikudi roads are excellent to drive
(Pudukottai is about 55kms from Trichy and about 60kms from Thanjavur)

Also check: www.prtraveller.blogspot.com

108 Divya Desam-Thiru Pullani

2007-05-18T13:16:00.000+05:30

A Sacred Place for absolute Surrender to the Lord
Lord Raama planned his onward march to Lanka from here

8kms South East of Ramanathapuram on the Keelakarai Road is Thirupullani, located on the banks of river Sethu (SethuKarai). This temple dates back to a time before Raama Avataaram. Raama came here in his search for Sita. Raama himself is said to have prayed to Adhi Jagannathan at this temple before he departed for Lanka.

Childless Couple

Raama’s father King Dasharatha is believed to have performed a Yagna here and is believed to have had his four children after this yagna. Hence it is the belief that childless couple who bathe at the Sethu river and pray to the Lord here will be blessed with a child.

Sacred Place for Surrender to the Lord

It was here that Vibheeshana, the brother of Ravana, came for refuge and surrendered to Lord Raama asking him for help. While the entire Vaanara army looked at Vibheeshana with suspicion- one who has come with a plot to attack the Lord, it was Hanuman, who with folded hands, expressed his opinion that the Lord should accept Vibheeshana. Hanuman can be seen here, at this temple, in a posture indicating Vibheeshana’s surrender to Raama and to protect him from his brother(Raavana).

It is here that Raama preached the doctrine of ‘Surrender’ that is applicable even today, several thousands of years after this incident.

In Valmeeki’s account of this ‘Surrender to Lord episode’, Raama says, ‘I cannot reject anyone who comes to me for protection. This is my dharma. If Raavana himself came to me I would not reject him. How then can I reject his brother who has done me no wrong.’

In the Vaishnava Sampradaya, this episode of ‘Surrender to the Lord’ is held just as important as the Bhagavad Gita(Mahabharata). It is a doctrine that Lord accepts all who, in absolute surrender, seek shelter at his feet. Their sins are burnt out by the mere act of surrender.

This is a message of hope to erring humanity. There is hope for the worst of us if only we surrender ourselves to the Lord. This divine assurance is the life and light that a world filled with sin and darkness, needs.

Out of all the Divya Desams, this is said to be the most sacred for those devotees who want ‘absolute surrender to Lord’.

Darbha Sayana Raamar

Having accepted Vibheeshana, it was here that Lord Raama along with the Vaanara (monkey ) army deliberated ways to cross the sea and orchestrated the way forward plan to Lanka to defeat Ravana.

Spreading Darbha grass (sacred grass used for religious rites) on the banks of River Sethu, Raama undertook a fast addressing Varuna(Sea Lord) and looked to him for a solution to cross the sea. Varuna asked him to build a bridge across the sea with boulders and trees and also promised him to show the best route to build the bridge.

Being the one who undertook a fast, lying on the Darbha grass, Raama here is called Darbha Sayana Raama.

Thirumazhisai Azhvaar in his praise of the Lord says, The Sethu bridge was built by the vaanara army as a help to the Lord for having killed Vaali( the Vaanara King and the brother of Sugreeva). The Sethu, he says, was built in Raama’s quest to move forward to defeat Raavana.

Andaal too has sung praise of this Lord.

Raama’s marks on Squirrel

Not to be left behind, Kulasekhara Azhvaar too praises – he of the Squirrel, which on seeing the monkeys helping Lord Raama, too wanted to help out the Lord. Being small in nature, they could not carry the trees and boulders. Hence, they did something innovative. The squirrels rolled on the sand and then ran back to the Sethu Bridge and dropped off the sand that had stuck to their body.

So impressed was Lord Raama that he rubbed the squirrels with warmth, a mark that remains to this day on the body of every squirrel. Squirrels have 3(vertical) lines on their body said to be Raama’s finger prints.

PattabhiRaamar

Having defeated the Lankan king, Lord Raama is said to have come back here and performed Pattabhishekham(crowning ceremony). Hence, he is here called ‘PattabhiRaamar’.

Sethu Bridge

The Sethu bridge has submerged under the sea but if you do request the fisherman on the banks of the Sethu sea shore, they may take you across the sea to show you the place that once was the Sethu Bridge.

Quick Facts:

Deity : Adhi Jagannathan – East Facing, Standing Posture

Goddess : Kalyanavalli, Padmasini

Mangalasaasanam : Thirumangai Azhvaar

Paasurams : 21

Temple timing : 8am –12.20pm and 330pm-8pm

Priest : T. Seshadri(Peshkar) on 98429 48390,
Ranganathar Bhattar on 99428 89763

Also contact : Anantha Krishnan (Accountant) on 04567 254 527

Location : 8Kms South East of Ramanathapuram, 60kms SouthWest of Rameswaram and about 120kms East of Madurai

Sethu SeaShore : About 4 kms South of Thirupullani Temple

Bus : Bus Numbers 1A,1B, 5,5A,5B, 10 and 17 from Ramnad

Auto : Auto will charge anything between Rs. 100 and Rs.150 for a one way drop from Ramanathapuram to Thirupullani

Place to Stay : Best to stay in Madurai (about 120kms away) or Rameswaram (70kms)

Road Route : Rameswaram- Ramanathapuram- Madurai is a National Highway, wide roads all the way through ( Paramakudi-Manamadurai route) that allows consistent travel at 80kms per hour

Rail Route : Currently on broad gauge conversion between Manamadurai and Rameswaram. Hence, all trains stop at Manamadurai

Places to visit nearby : Dhanushkodi, Pamban Bridge, Rameswaram

108 Divya Desam- Thiru Koshtiyur

2007-05-17T15:15:00.000+05:30

Ramanuja learnt the ThiruMandiram here on his 18th visit from Srirangam

This week we take you to three Divya Desams, Thirumayyam near Pudukottai, ThiruKoshtiyur near Thirupattur and Thirupullani near Ramanathapuram.

We start with ThiruKoshtiyur
Located about 8 kms southwest of Tirupattur on the SivaGangai highway, this is the place where Ramanuja was initiated the ThiruMandiram by his Acharya ThiruKoshtiyur Nambi.

The Temple- 3 Tier Structure
At the ground level, there’s a Sannidhi here for Lord Shiva. Above that is a 3 Tier tower with an Ashtanga Vimanam that is seen only at Koodal(Madurai) among the Divya Desams. On level 1 is the Lord in Sleeping posture(Uraga Mellanaiyaan-Sowmya Narayana), Tier 2 is the Lord in Standing Posture(Upendra Narayana). And on Tier 3 is the Lord in Sitting Posture-Paramapada Nathar.

On Tier 3, one is taken around by Shri Krishnamurthy, a young guide at this temple, through a small gap to the place from where Ramanuja pronounced the ThiruMandhiram to the world at large.

He explains the ThiruMandhiram story with so much passion, that even in the scorching 40 degree + May heat, the devotees are spell bound listening to his narration.

ThiruMandhiram-Ramanuja and Nambi

Ramanuja comes to ThiruKoshtiyur to meet Nambi and learn the ThiruMandhiram. On reaching here, he says “ I have come to meet you…………..” But he is turned back on 17 occasions.

On the 18th occasion, Ramanuja starts with “ Adiyen Daasan(your disciple) Ramanuja has come..” This time Nambi welcomes him saying ‘Your arrogance is gone. Now we can talk’.

Ramanuja requests his Acharya Nambi to teach him the Thiru(Narayana) Mandhiram. He is initiated the Thiru Mandhiram, subject to one condition that Ramanuja would not share it with anyone else and that if he fails, he would go to hell. Having learnt the ThiruMandhiram, Ramanuja goes to the 3rd tier, calls for the people and recites the Thiru Mandhiram to the world at large.

Shocked at this ‘break of promise’, Nambi questions Ramanuja on his failure to keep up the promise and the consequence of this ‘public’ utterance( i.e Ramanuja will go to hell for having failed to keep up his promise). In a stunning reply, Ramanuja says ‘By sharing the Thiru Mandhiram, I alone(one person only) will go to hell but by having shared it with the world at large, several people will get Moksham. And hence, he is ready to go to hell.’

Ramanuja known as Emberumaanar

Impressed with Ramanuja’s reply, Nambi tells him ‘ Nee Emperumaal Aanar’(you have become my Lord). Hence Ramanuja here is called ‘Emberumaanar’. Ramanuja and Nambi have separate Sannidhis at this temple. Outside the Nambi Sannidhi is a board that contains the list of 18 ThiruMandhiram.

On the third tier, on the southern side, one can see a beautifully sculpted statue of Ramanuja in a sitting posture to mark the ‘ThiruMandhiram’ pronunciation to the world.

Story of HiranyaKashipu and ThiruKoshtiyur
Asuran Hiranyakashipu prayed to Brahmma for a boon that he would not be killed by Devas, human race, animals or by weapons. Once he got the boon, he went around harassing everyone. Such was his force that he made everyone utter ‘ Namo Hiranyaya Namaha’.

Worried at his increasing power and anxious at what his next action would be, Devas went to Shiva asking for a solution. Lord Shiva directed them to Brahmma, who then directed them to Vishnu as the only one who could pin down Hiranya.

The Devas went to ThiruPaarkadal only to be told by Lord Narayana that Hiranya’s powers had spread around the world and there was no place where his name was not being uttered. They managed to find Kadamba Rishi’s Ashram as the one place where Lord Narayana’s name was still being uttered.

The Devas and Tri Murthies went to Kadamba Rishi’s ashram to discuss the plan to kill Hiranya. While everyone remained there, Lord Narayana went back to Thirupaarkadal. There he asked Sanghu Karnan to be born as Hiranyan’s son. From the time of birth, Prahalada, Hiranya’s son, utters Namo Narayana all the time, much to his father’s shock.

When asked where this Narayana was, Prahalada tells him that he can be found anywhere/everywhere. Angered at this and wanting to test, Hiranyakashipu smashes one of the pillars and finds Lord Narayana in his Narasimha form( Half human-Half animal) coming out. The killing of Hiranya by Lord Narayana marks the end of Narasimha Avataaram.

Kadamba Rishi requests Brahmma to give him a model of Lord Narayana killing Hiranyan. Brahmma instructs a 3 tier structure - one with Om, another with Namo and the 3rd with Narayana. He asks Vishvakarma to construct the Southern side of the tower depicting ‘Lord Narasimha catching Hiranyan’ ‘and Maayan to construct the Northern side of the tower depicting Narasimha killing Hiranyan’.

In the famous Thirupallandu(12 verses), Periyazhvaar refers to ThiruKoshtiyur in the following Paasuram.

“ Al Vazhakkonrumilla Ani Kottiyurkon Abhimanathungan
Selvanai pola Thirumale Naanum Unakku Pazhavadiyen
Nalvagayaal Namo Narayana Venru Naamam Palaparavi
Palvagai yaalum Pavithirane Unnai Pallandu Kooruvane”- Thiru Pallandu 11

(O Lord, Like the faultless Kottiyur Nambi, I am a servant of yours singing Om Namo Narayana and spreading several other names of yours in several different way, I sing praise of you life long”)

As the Devas came here in Groups(Ghosti) requesting Lord Narayana to kill Asura Hiranyakashipu, this place is called Koshtiyur. The belief is that a visit to this place will remove one’s sins as can be seen from the name – Thiruku( Sin)- Otiyur(removed).

It is said that a Vaishnavite who does not visit ThiruKoshtiyur will become a monkey in the next birth.

Quick Facts

Deity : Sowmya Narayanan East Facing
Goddess : Thirumaamagal

Mangalasaasanam : 5 Azhvaars - Thirumangai Azhvaar, Peyazhvaar, Thirumazhisai Azhvaar, Bhoothathazhvaar and Periyazhvaar

Paasurams : 40
Birth Place : Thirukoshtiyur Nambi

Temple timing : 730am –1230pm and 5pm-8pm

Priest : G.S. Madhavan
Temple Address : Soumya Narayana Perumal Koil, Thirukoshtiyur 630 210
Tel No. : 98654 85886 / 04577 261248

Also contact : Krishnamurthy( Guide/Assistant) on 99423 79393
Or 04577 261197

Location : 8Kms South West of Tirupattur, 25kms North of Sivagangai and about 25kms West of Karaikudi
Bus : Buses every 5-10 minutes between Thiruppatur and SivaGangai
Auto : Auto will charge anything between Rs. 50 and RS75 for a one way drop from Tirupattur to Thirukoshtiyur
Place to Stay : Best to stay in Madurai(about 60kms away)

Cricket Tales- Memorable cricket matches

2007-04-28T18:28:00.000+05:30

Here’s another set of (my) memorable cricket matches:

1. Jan 1983 World Series Cup - England v New Zealand- The Best run Chase of the time

It was still early days of flood light cricket and coloured clothing. The 1982-83 WSC – Aus, Eng and NZ- featured some big names and big matches. The one I liked best was the England New Zealand clash at the Adelaide Oval.

It was David Gower’s best one day tournament and he seemed to be in magical touch through the tournament. England had other big names as well - Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Derek Randall (batting beautifully) and a young Allan Lamb.

NZ had biggies in Hadlee, big hitting Cairns, Coney, economical Chatfield and solid openers in Wright and Edgar. Aus had Chappell, Hughes, Border and Hookes in batting and Rodney Hogg and Lawson leading the attack joined by Lillee in the later half of the series.

While the WSC of 1983 had several highlights, it had its low moments too…The one I still remember was Dennis Lillee’s open on field rift with Kim Hughes (who had displaced Greg Chappell as captain) on a field placing issue. Lillee was booed by the Aussie crowd as he came into bowl…quite a sight in Australian cricket.
(While we in India know the Bombay vs South politics in cricket, this one involving Lillee was particularly interesting...Lillee had formed a nice combination with Marsh and his first slipper and captain Greg Chappell and with Kim Hughes replacing Chappell as the captain, Lillee did not take it well.)

David Gower once again scored a century to take England close to 300 after Ian Botham, opening the innings, had made a better than run a ball half century. While these days chasing 300+ is a normal happening, this chase at the Adelaide Oval was one of the best big chases of that time and still remains one of my favourite one day matches.

The short square boundaries suited Richard Hadlee as he took NZ to victory(297/6) with a sparkling 79 (one of Hadlee’s best one day innings), after Lance Cairns (known for his big hitting) had taken apart the English attack with a rapid 49 off 20 odd balls.

Later that series, in fact in the 2nd final, Lance Cairns once again displayed his big hitting with a half century that included six sixers.

2. 1984 Port of Spain, Trinidad - Border’s brilliant double – 98 NO and 100NO

It was Australia’s first overseas trip after the retirement of GS, DK Lillee and Rodney Marsh ( all at one time). And what a difficult one at that. After drawing the first test, the Aussies went to POS with some hope and confidence.

Deano (Dean Jones) in his debut innings made 48 but it was AB’s(Allan Border) unbeaten 98 that took Australia past the 250 mark, after being 5 down for less than 100 at one stage. Windies took a 200 run lead with Jeffery Dujon once again dazzling against Australia with an elegant century (Remember Dujon had struck successive 40s in his debut series 3 years ago in Australia, playing as a batsman (not keeper))

Behind by over 200 runs, Aussie top order failed once again and it looked, on day 5, like WI would take 1-0 lead in the series . Australia had collapsed to 160/7 in the afternoon session. And when Terry Alderman( a close contender for permanent No. 11 with Walsh) joined AB at 9/240, it seemed like it would be a matter of time.

Just 15months ago, AB had been in some sort of a similar situation and lost. Border, in the company of Jeff Thomson, had battled against the English attack for over 2 hours, on 4th evening and 5th day morning, in a 10th wicket stand that almost won the Boxing Day Ashes Test Match of 1982 (till Miller via Tavera pulled off a spectacular catch at 2nd slip to secure England the win that day). But this time Border pulled off a draw….an unbeaten 100 with the last pair fighting it out for 2 hours on the last evening.

It was a memorable test match for Border and one that I particularly enjoyed. It was possibly Allan Border’s two best test innings.

While Australia went on to lose that series, the gutsy and ‘fight to death’ approach of Border was already visible and later that decade, it was this fighting approach of Border led Australia that brought them on top of the world stage.

3. 1980 Aus v Pak Lahore Test on Radio Pak- Border's Two Unbeaten 150s in one test

Exactly 4 years before the above match, in March of 1980, Allan Border had played another brilliant double to save the 1980 Lahore test for Australia.

In an Australian team that had more prominent names, Chappell, Hughes, Marsh, Lillee and against a Pakistan attack that had Imran and Sarfraz at their best, it was Allan Border, just in his 2nd year of International cricket, who helped save face from another loss to Pakistan. Border helped Australia recover in each innings after Australia had collapsed to 150/4 in both.

This was particularly significant for Border as only a year back, at the MCG in 1979, Sarfraz Nawaz had triggered the most bizarre collapse in Test history by bowling Border just after he had reached his century (with Australia requiring just 75 runs for victory). And within the next half hour, Sarfraz had orchestrated a collapse that saw Australia lose 7 wkts for 5 runs to secure an unlikely win for Pakistan.

This time around, Border made sure that he would not lose his wicket and took Australia to safety. It was also Lillee’s only series in the Sub-Continent.

Border’s 150NO in each innings of the Lahore Test of 1979 was the first ever two innings unbeaten 150 in the same test by a batsman in Test History.

4. WSC 1991- Ind v WI WACA, Perth- A low scoring tie

On the bouncy WACA pitch, India was bowled out by Ambrose and co for 126. That afternoon, few gave India a chance. With the match turning interesting, evening India time, I was up there in my class at Vivekananda College listening to Radio Australia.

Indians had WI on the ropes at 75/8 but Ambrose and Cummins brought WI back into the match with a good 9th wicket stand. In a clever use of bowlers, Indians had bowled out the four main bowlers ( 10 overs each) in the first 40 overs.

With 10 overs to go, Sachin was brought on as the 5th bowler and in his first over, he had Anderson Cummins edging low to Azhar at 2nd slip. And the match was tied. A tremendous comeback by India, taking one’s memories back 7 years to the match in Sharjah when India came back strong after being bowled out for 125 by Imran led Pakistan.

By the time this match ended, I even had my Income Tax lecturer interested in the match and listening to the broadcast.

108 Divya Desam-Temple Contribution

2007-04-26T11:41:00.000+05:30

Devotees can now directly help needy Divya Desams through TTD
New initiative from TTD and SMILE to direct devotee contributions to the needy temples

For those devotees who are not able to personally visit the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desams but who are interested in helping the needy temples, Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams(TTD) has launched a new non-cash help initiative.

Over 80 of the Divya Desams are in Tamil Nadu, many of which have a rich history and significance attached to it. Several of these temples are finding it difficult to even perform day to day poojas and are in a dilapidated state. Specific non-cash contributions from devotees towards helping these Divya Desam temples will be directed immediately to the needy temples that are facing difficulties in day to day functioning.

TTD will work with SMILE (Selfless Movement Improving Life Everywhere), a voluntary service organization founded by Mr. C.N. Paramasivan (son of renowned Director late Shri. A. P. Nagarajan) to collect and distribute the articles to the temples.

SMILE has been associated with TTD for over 6 years by sending volunteers for SriVari Seva in Tirumala. SMILE is already involved in temple service and its volunteers have cleaned over 350 places of worship in Tamil Nadu. SMILE has also been involved for the last 6 years in organizing old clothes and articles for the poor and needy. SMILE does not collect, accept or donate money

Key Highlights of TTD’s Divya Desam initiative

Ø NO CASH DONATIONS ACCEPTED UNDER THIS INITIATIVE
Ø To identify Divya Desams that are in immediate need of help in conducting day to day poojas
Ø To collect the contributions from devotees and to immediately distribute these contributions to the needy Divya Desams
Ø Contributions could include Vastrams for the Deity, articles for daily pooja, rice and other provisions for daily prasadham
Ø Devotees could also make monthly or annual contribution of articles and Vastrams
Ø Shri Venkatachalam, Vice Chancellor of Ramachandran Medical College,Chennai and a committee member at TTD has offered to provide transportation to take the articles from the TTD office in Madras to various temples in Tamil Nadu on an ongoing basis

Says C.N. Paramasivan, Committee Member of TTD and Founder of SMILE, “We have already identified about 15-20 Divya Desam temples in Tamil Nadu that require immediate support in running day to day poojas. TTD will collect articles from the devotees and direct these contributions to such Divya Desam temples that are finding it difficult to run their daily poojas and festivities.”

Contribution to Needy Divya Desams

Those who would like to make such contributions can contact 91- 94440 40748 for more information on this or email prabhuopr@gmail.com

NRIs who wish to contribute to these needy temples and would like someone to buy vastrams, pooja articles, rice for prasadhams and other daily requirements on behalf of you in Madras can contact me on this number or email id and I will help you buy the vastrams/articles on your behalf and hand it over to TTD/SMILE, who will then distribute the articles to the temples.

108 Divya Desam Anbil- Vadivazhagiya Nambi

2007-04-23T01:01:00.000+05:30

Located about 20kms South East of Srirangam, one can reach Anbil via Toll Gate, Lalgudi from Trichy Chatiram bus stand. In centuries gone by, devotees used to walk across the Coloroon from Koviladi Divya Desam, a distance of 2 kms.

Shiva is said to have visited this place on his way to Kandiyur from Uthamar Koil in his search for liberation from Brahmma’s curse.

Legend has it that Sage Durvasa once came to meet Mandaka Rishi but had to wait long as the latter was in deep meditation. Durvasa, who is known for his instant anger,cursed Mandaka Rishi for making him wait- a curse that turned Mandaka Rishi into a frog.

Wanting to get back his human form, Mandaka Rishi underwent penance and his prayers were finally answered with Vishnu who liberated him from Durvasa’s curse. Hence this place is called Mandaka Puri.

Quick Facts

Deity : Vadivazhagiya Nambi in reclining posture facing East
Utsavar : Sundara Rajan
Goddess : Azhagiya Valli Thaayar

Mangalasaasanam :

Thirumazhisai Azhvaar has praised the Lord here in one verse (Paasuram)- 2417

While referring to Lord Vishnu in his reclining posture, Thirumazhisai Azhvaar talks about Anbil(Vadivazhagiya Nambi) along side Srirangam Ranganathar, Appakudathaan Ranganathar(Koviladi) Thiru Kudanthai Aravamuthan(Kumbakonam), Thiru Vallur, Thiruvekka and Thiru Paarkadal.

Where to Stay

Best to stay in Trichy or Srirangam and to combine a visit to this Divya Desam along with Uthamar Koil and Thiruvellarai.

Priest/Office staff stay in Srirangam and come here every day.

108 Divya Desam -Srirangam Serthi Festival- April 2007

2007-04-08T00:34:00.000+05:30

The Only Day in the year Lord Ranganatha is seen together with Ranganaayaki Thaayar

On Sunday 1st April 2007, on the occasion of Panguni Festival, Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam started very early in the morning on a very interesting journey, one that lasted 3 ½ hours, around the four Uthirai and Chithirai streets.

The story goes thus:

The word was out that Lord Ranganatha had lost his ring. The reality was he had presented it to his beloved- Kamalvalli Nachiyar at Uraiyur when he had been there earlier in the week.

(On Thursday 29th March 2007, Lord Ranganatha, in all his splendour, took the 6 km trip across the Cauvery in a golden palanquin to meet his beloved Kamalavalli Naachiyar for the ‘Kalyana Utsavam’, where the entire marriage formalities between Lord Ranganatha and Kamalavalli Nachiyar was enacted at the Uraiyur Temple)

Lord Ranganatha goes around the streets to collect money to buy a ring

In order to buy a ring back, and not to be caught out by his consort Ranganayaki Thaayar at the Srirangam temple, the Lord comes out of the temple at 6am and goes around the Chithirai and Uthirai streets in a procession to collect money that will help him buy a ring.

Leading the way is the temple elephant, followed by the white horse.

Behind them, are 100s of priests (led by ThenKalai Priests in the front and VadaKalai priests behind the Palanquin) from the Srirangam temple singing Divya Prabhandham in a loud high pitched voice as they go from house to house asking for money to buy a ring for the Lord.

(While the Legend is that the Lord was to use the money collected to buy a ring.... now this money collected from households across the four Chithirai and Uthirai streets on 'Serthi Day' is shared by all the priests at the Srirangam temple)

Lord Ranganatha closely follows them in a palanquin. This event is enacted every year as part of the Panguni Utsavam festival in Srirangam on the morning of the ‘Serthi day’.

After over 3 hours on the street in the hot sun, the Lord is keen to meet Thaayar and makes a rushed entry into the temple via the Therku Vaasal (South Entrance). He runs a sprint through the Nandavanam (Garden adjacent the Thaayar Sannidhi to the right of Chakrathaazhvar Sannidhi) to make a hurried entry onto the Thaayar Sannidhi.

An Angry Goddess Ranganaayaki shuts the door on Lord Ranganatha !!!

Much to his dismay Lord Ranganatha, carried by the Seemaanthaangis(with those brightly coloured distinctive turbans on their head) on his palanquin, finds Ranganaayaki Thaayar shutting the door on him. He tries again with a quicker run but he fails to gain entry as the big doors of the Thaayar Sannidhi are shut even faster. This is enacted a few times, but sadly for the Perumal the door is shut each time with greater intensity.

Not just that, the Lord was even pelted with butter by the Thaayaar side. One found smudged faces all around the Lord’s side - butter on forehead, cheeks, shoulders of those who carried the Lord.

Ranganaayaki Thaayar was angry and upset with the Lord for been to Uraiyur (3 days ago) to meet his beloved Kamalavalli Nachiyar and having presented her with his ring.

A Heated Debate -War of Words between Perumal and Thaayar

For the next couple of hours, there is a war of words between Lord Ranganatha (represented by his priests/ Araiyar) and Ranganaayaki Thaayar( represented by her priests). The Lord tries hard to justify his commitment to the Goddess and explains that he went around meeting his devotees and blessing them and that was the reason for his delay.

Thaayar is not convinced. She questions him (and with a lot of suspicion) if that was the real reason or was it because he went out to meet his beloved at Uraiyur. The Lord (through Araiyar) asks Thaayar not to insult him in this manner especially after he has had a tiring trip in the sun that morning.

There is a rendition of Paasurams from the Divya Prabhandham to try and explain the situation and his commitment to the Goddess. The Lord makes a ‘one step at a time’ forward move towards the Thaayar Sannidhi. After an intense debate, with each side trying to go one up on the other, Ranganaayaki Thaayar finally relents saying ‘Nambal Nammalzhvaar Sonnapadiyaale Ungalai Ettrukondom……..’.

Together at the Serthi Mandapam

And the Lord enters the Thaayar Sannidhi and goes to the ‘Serthi Mandapam’ on the Sunday afternoon - the only time in the year when Lord Ranganatha and Thaayar Ranganaayaki are seen together.

Several 1000 devotees queued up through the evening and night to witness this once in a year spectacle. The queue, this year, was so long that it ran outside the Thaayar Sannidhi into almost the Paramapadha Vaasal.

At 10.30pm that evening Chinna Perumal (Selvar) goes on a procession through to the Coloroon where a Ghosti was performed and prasadhams handed out. He returned through the Vadakku Vaasal (Northern Entrance) at 11.30pm.

Devotees continued to have a darshan of the Lord through the night. And late into the night and till the very early hours of Monday morning, Thirumanjanam(Abhishekam) was performed.

Monday 2nd April 2007 - Lord Ranganatha bids adieu (to Thaayar) for another year

At around 7am the next morning, Thaayar goes back into her Sannidhi. And Lord Ranganatha bids good bye to her and leaves the Serthi Mandapam (in the Thaayar Sannidhi). It had been 24 hours of exciting devotional drama.

Lord is then taken on his palanquin to the junction of North- East Chitrai Street. He goes on a Chariot procession around the temple streets before finally getting back into the Sanctum Sanctorum through the Arya Bhattaal Vaasal later that day.

Panguni Kona Vaiyaali- Srirangam photographs

2007-04-07T20:56:00.000+05:30

On the evening of 31st March 2007

730pm- Priests reciting the Naalyira Divya Prabhandham

745pm -North-East Chitrai Street
Just before Kona Vaiyaali Event

8.15pm- Kona Vaiyaali on East Chitrai Street

9pm- At Therku Vaasal (South Entrance)
Just before entering the temple

Lord Ranganatha entering the Temple through the South Entrance after Kona Vaiyaali

915pm- Into Arya Bhattal Vaasal

108 Divya Desams -12 temples around Tirunelveli

2007-04-04T19:16:00.000+05:30

Saint poets, Azhvaars (there were 12 of them including Andaal) were ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu. These saint poets composed verses in Tamil and revitalized the religious spirit sparking off a renewal of devotional worship, referred to as the Bhakti movement. The Azhvaars visited temples and sung praises in the name of Vishnu. Such temples have come to be known as Divya Desams. The compilation of the verses (known as Paasurams) is the revered Naalayira Divya Prabandham(4000 verses). There are 108 Divya Desams in all, around 20 are in the Pandya region(Madurai-Tirunelveli belt). In each of these temples, Vishnu can be seen in one of the following forms- Reclining, Seated or Standing posture.

In this Divya Desam series, we take you on a trip to cover 12 temples around Tirunelveli, including Nava Tirupathi (9 temples on either side of the river Tamaraibarani)

How to reach Tirunelveli
From Chennai, one can take Kanniyakumari Exp (430am arrival), Ananthapuri Exp(730am arrival) or Nellai Exp(835am arrival).

Where to Stay
The Railway Retiring room is a good and safe place to stay. Also, there are several budget and deluxe hotels near the railway station.

Not to Miss when in Tirunelveli
Ø “Iruttu Kadai Halwa”(Dark Shop Halwa) opposite Nellaiappar temple is the best Halwa you can taste in Tamil Nadu
Ø The famous Courtallam waterfalls is just over an hour’s drive from Tirunelveli
Ø Sea Shore Temple at Tiruchendur- 60 kms East of Tirunelveli

Nava Tirupathi Temples
These are 9 Vishnu temples on either side of Tamaraibarani river. These temples hold a special place in the 108 Divya Desams. While Irattai Tirupathi features as two temples in the Nava Tirupathi list, it is counted as one divya desam only. Nammazhvar, the only Azhvaar to have sung at the Nava Tirupathi temples, refers to certain temples in great detail, while some get only a passing mention. With extensive renovation work being funded by the TVS Group, these temples now have a mark of freshness about them. At each of these nine temples, one can find a display board with temple timings and route map.

One can start the Nava Tirupathi trip from SriVaikuntam and end with Azhvaar Tirunagari. From SriVaikuntam, one can take an auto/taxi to go around the other 8 temples. This will cost around Rs. 250-300 and will take about 5 hours.One can also begin the Nava Tirupathi journey at Azhvaar Tirunagari and end with SriVaikuntam.

1. Sri Vaikuntam

SriVaikuntam is about 30 kms from Tirunelveli on the Tiruchendur road. Buses ply every 10 minutes on this route from Tirunelveli’s new bus stand. Also, there are daily local trains on the Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur route, though less frequent. One can see the towering structure of Vaikuntanathan temple as one enters the Tamaraibarani bridge, off Tiruchendur highway. The story goes that the Lord, disguised as the thief, presented himself before the King to save the thief. Hence, the Lord here is also known as ‘KallarPiran’. In Vishnu temples, Adisesh, the Serpent God unfurls his hood over Vishnu in a reclining posture. A unique feature of the Lord here is that Adisesh has his hood above the Lord in standing posture, one of its kind in the 108 Divya Desams.
Another feature of the temple is that the Sun’s rays falls directly on Lord Vaikuntanathan on two days(April-May and October-November period) every year. It is believed that this temple was used as a fort in the fight between the legendary freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman and the British in the 1800s. Surprisingly though, Nammazhvar only makes a passing mention of this temple in his Paasurams.

Temple timing: 7am-12noon and 5pm-8pm
Contact: A.K. Vaikunta Natha Bhattar @ 98656 28681

2. ThiruvaragunaMangai
This temple is about 2 kms East of SriVaikuntam and is known to many as the Vishnu temple at Natham. True to his name, Lord Vijayaasanar is seen to be sitting majestically like a victorious king on the throne. It is believed that a visit to this temple will help one attain moksha. This place is said to be a ‘Chandran’ Kshetram.
Temple timing: 8am-12noon and 1pm-6pm
Contact: Narasimha Bhattar @ 04630 256476

3. Thirupulinkudi
1 km from Natham is the Lord KaasinaVenthar temple at Thirupulingkudi. The East facing Lord is seen in a reclining posture with a lotus stalk from his navel terminating in a flower on Brahma’s image on the wall of the sanctum. The story goes that Vishnu, along with Goddess Sridevi, came down to visit this place. Angered at being ignored for the trip, Goddess Bhoodevi hid herself in the netherworld. After Vishnu pacified her, it is believed that the two Goddesses came back together and gave darshan here with the Lord. An interesting feature of the temple is that Vishnu’s feet can be viewed through a small window in the passage.
Temple timing: 8am-12noon and 1pm-6pm
Contact: Gopalan Bhattar@ 04630 256476

4 &5. Irettai Tirupathi

These are two temples within a 100 yards of each other in the middle of a jungle and are counted as one for the purpose of the 108 Divya Desams. One has to cross a small canal to reach this temple. The road leading up to this temple is very narrow. The first of the two temples has Lord Devapiran in a standing posture facing East.

Sage Suprabhar who performed a yagna at this place relieved a man and a woman from Kubera’s curse, which had turned them into a measuring scale (Tulai) and a bow (Villi). Hence this place is called Tulai Villi Mangalam. At the second temple one finds Lord Aravindalochanar in a seated posture facing East.

Legend has it that Lord Vishnu was impressed with Sage Suprabhar’s daily Lotus pooja and gave darshan to the sage on the Northern banks of Tamaraibarani. Hence, it is believed that one who does special ‘Lotus Flower’ pooja at this temple will be relieved of all sins.

Temple timing: 8.30am-1pm and 230pm-530pm
Contact: Seshamani Bhattar@04630 256372

6. ThiruKuzhandhai
The Maayakoothan temple at Thirukuzhandhai is about 10 kms East of SriVaikuntam and near Eral. This place is now known as Perungulam. Legend has it that Vishnu went on his Garuda Vaahan to rescue Goddess Lakshmi from an Asura. Hence, one finds Garuda as the Utsav deity here. In the battle that ensued, Vishnu is said to have performed his victory dance standing on Asura’s body and hence the name MaayaKoothan.
Temple timing: 730am-1230pm and 430pm-730pm
Contact: MaayaKoothar Bhattar @ 04630 256372

7. ThenThiruperai

Back across the bridge and on to the South bank of Tamaraibarani, one finds the big Nigaril Mugilvannan temple at ThenThiruperai where the Lord is seen in a seated posture facing East.

Legend has it that Goddess Bhoodevi found two fish shaped ear rings while performing a penance, on the banks of Tamaraibarani, to relieve herself of Sage Durvasa’s curse and offered it to the Lord. The Lord who wore this came to be known as ‘Makara Nedun Kuzhaikathan’.

Another story is that Varuna (the Rain God) performed a penance here to be relieved of his curse. As a mark of this, it is believed that Varuna, visits this temple, every year, on the full moon day in the month of Panguni and worships Vishnu.

Temple timing: 730am-12noon and 5pm-830pm
Contact:Anantha Padmanabha Bhattar @ 04639 273902

8. ThiruKolur – The birth place of MaduraKaviAzhvaar

3 kms South West of Thiruperai is the Vaitha Maa Nidhi temple at Thiru Kolur, where the Lord is in a reclining posture facing East.

This is the birth place of MaduraKaviAzhvaar, the ardent devotee of Nammazhvaar. Legend has it that Kubera attained salvation from Goddess Parvati’s curse at this place and it was here that his Nava Nidhis were restored.

It is said that a visit to this temple will help one recover lost wealth. The Lord here is said to help his devotees in distress.

Temple timing: 730am-12noon and 1pm-8pm
Contact: Srinivasa Bhattar @ 04630 291634

9. Azhvaar Tirunagari-The birth place of Nammazhvaar

Our last halt at the Nava Tirupathi temples is the AadiNaathan temple at Azhvaar Tirunagari (Kurugur). It is said that AadiNathan emerged on his own from the earth, though this does not figure among the only 8 temples where the Lord is believed to have emerged on his own.

Granting the prayers of a childless couple, Lord Nambi of Thirukkurungkudi is believed to have been born here as Nammazhvaar. When born, Nammazhvaar is said to have not opened his eyes or cried and he was taken to the tamarind tree within the temple.

Here, Nammazhvaar resided for 16 years till ThiruKolur’s Madurakavi (who was to later become his disciple) came and posed some interesting questions about life and that is when Nammazhvaar is said to have spoken for the first time.

So impressed was MaduraKavi (Azhvaar) with Nammazhvaar’s answers, that he said ‘ I do not need God, Nammazhvaar is enough’. Though Nammazhvaar died young, while in his 30s, his contribution to the Bhakti Movement is immense as can be seen from the fact that he sung praises of the Lord in one-third of the 108 Divya Desams. When Vaishnavites say Azhvaar, it means they are referring to Nammazhvaar, such is the reverence for him. There is a separate sannidhi for Nammazhvaar at this temple. He is the only one to have sung praise of Vishnu at the Nava Tirupathi temples. The centuries old tamarind tree at the temple neither bears fruit nor closes its leaves at dusk.

An important festival at this temple is the Vaikasi Utsav, when the deities from all the Nava Tirupathi temples congregate here at Azhvaar Tirunagari to listen to the Paasurams with Nammazhvaar seated on the Hamsa Vaahan. During Margazhi, one is a witness to ‘Thiru Mudi’ Sevai, the only one of its kind in Divya Desams. This is one of the three Divya Desams in TN where Araiyar Sevai, the visual song and dance enactment of the ‘Paasurams is still being performed. There is a stone nadaswaram at this temple, which is played out on special occasions. Most of the inscriptions here date back almost a 1000 years.

Temple timing: 7am-12noon and 5pm-8pm
Contact: Appu Sadagopachari 04639 273984

10. Vaanamaamalai(Nanguneri)

Situated about 30kms from Tirunelveli off the Nagercoil NH7 is the Lord Vaanamaalai Thothadri Nathar temple at Nanguneri. Out of the 108 Divya Desams, there are only 8 that have Lord’s Idol emerging on its own from the earth and this is one of the eight.

A speciality of this Divya Desam is that an oil pooja is performed daily for the main deity and this oil is deposited in the 25 feet open well within the temple. The oil is said to have medicinal values and is believed to cure both internal and external illness including ulcer and skin diseases.

The 600 years old Vaanamaamalai mutt(Jeers) are the hereditary trustees of the temple. Most of the main festivals at this temple are celebrated in a unique way, not found in any other Divya Desams. The main deity (Lord Deivanayakan) and Goddess are brought to the Mutt and the entire pooja festivities of the divine couple is performed at the Mutt.

Temple timing: 8am-12noon and 5pm-9pm
Contact: Nambi Srinivasa Bhattar 04365 250119
To reach Nanguneri : 45 minute bus trip from Tirunelveli New Bus stand. Buses every 5 minutes. Kanniyakumari Exp and Ananthapuri Express from Chennai stop at Nanguneri station.

11. Thirukkurungkudi Nambi

Known as the ‘South Badri’, Azhagiya Nambi temple at Thirukkurungkudi is about 15 kms from Nanguneri. While the Lord lectures Ramanuja at (North) Badri, it is said that, here at Thirukkurungkudi, the Lord took the role of a disciple and obtained Vaishnava Initiation from Ramanuja and hence the Lord here is also called Vaishnava Nambi.

Chola, Pandya and Naayak Kings are said to have played a significant role in the construction of this temple. Culverts show that this temple is at least 700 years old.

Under half a km from the main temple is the Thirupaarkadal Nambi temple and about 8 kms from here on the Western Ghats is the Thirumalai Nambi temple, where it is believed that Lord Hanuman took the leap to Lanka from here. Also, it is said that Lord Rama made his plans for the construction of the bridge to Lanka from here and then went over to Thirupallani. The Lord here has 39 different names including Kurungkudi Nambi, Vaishnava Nambi, Tirupparkadal Nambi and Malai Mel Nambi. Lord Nambi himself is believed to have been born as Nammazhvaar at Azhvaar Thirunagari.

The famed Araiyar Sevai originated from Thirukkurungkudi. Legend has it that the Lord used to listen to Araiyar’s Abhinayam hiding behind a wall in Bashyam Street(South Mada St). In recognition of this significant event, even today, one can see the name of this street in Tirunelveli’s Gazette. It is believed that ‘Vaikuntam’(the ultimate destination for Vaishnavites) is in ‘calling distance’ from this place. Thirumangai Azhvaar composed the last of his Paasurams here at this temple and is believed to have attained moksham from here.

Thirukkurungkudi is said to be the home to the Vaishnava tradition of ‘Kaisika Ekadesi’. On this day, the employees of the temple perform a Kaisika Natakam(drama)-worship of the Lord through dance, music and drama. This special event at the Thirukkurungudi temple dates back several hundred years. This year the Kaisika Natakam will take place at 10pm on 1st December.

Timings: 8am-12noon and 5pm-9pm
Contact: Murali Bhattar@ 94432 05739
How to reach Kurungkudi: Frequent buses from Valliyoor. One can also take a bus from Nanguneri.

12. Srivilliputhur

Srivilliputhur, the birthplace of Andal, is considered to be among the holiest of the 108 Divya Desams because it is the birthplace of not one but two Azhvaars and a father-daughter one at that- Periazhvaar and Andal.. Legend has it that this town was built by two hunters Villi and Puttan and hence the name Villiputhur. The temple dates back to 1st Century AD.

The 196 ft high temple tower is 2nd only to Srirangam’s Rajagopuram. The temple tower is the one that is featured on the TN Government logo. The 9 tier temple chariot is said to be the biggest in Tamil Nadu. One finds Lord Garuda, the charioteer of Lord Vishnu, along side the main deities.

In all other temples, you would find Garuda standing opposite the main deity. It is believed that Garuda, brought Lord Ranganathan of Srirangam, to Srivilliputhur, faster than expected and hence he was accorded the special status here. A unique tradition followed to this day at this temple, not seen in any other Divya Desam, is that Lord Vadapatrasayi adorns the garland worn the previous evening by Andal (the Goddess).

Andal’s Thiruppavai (30 verses in praise of Lord) is one of the most beautifully composed songs among the 4000 Paasurams. It is believed that singing these 30 verses will bring peace and prosperity as well as God’s grace. Periazhvaar composed a total of 473 Paasurams, the first 12 is the famous Thirupallandu. It is said that Periazhvaar sang this first, in a debate on how best to serve the Lord, in front of the Pandya King in Madurai using Elephant’s bells as the beats for the song. A big attraction at the temple is the Araiyar Sevai, the song and dance enactment of the Paasurams. Vaikunta Ekadesi festival(Dec-Jan) attracts devotees from all over.

Temple timing: 630am-12noon and 4pm-9pm
Contact: Bala Mukunda Araiyar @ 94438 67345
Frequent buses from Tirunelveli via Sankaran Koil-Rajapalayam (2 hours). There is a direct train thrice a week (Podhigai Express) from Chennai

108 Divya Desam- Thiruvellarai

2007-04-04T18:28:00.000+05:30

Visit Thiruvellarai for Moksham

On first looks, one could easily mistake this Divya Desam for an old fort. The front gopuram (temple tower) reflects a Hoysala style architecture that is so untypical of a Vaishnavite temple. The structure looks half finished and this is attributed to a war which is believed to have stopped half way during the construction.

Located about 20 kms North of Trichy, on the way to Thuraiyur, Thiruvellari temple is housed on a 14 acre property. Inscriptions and the architecture at this temple point to the fact that Pallava, Hoysala and Vijayanagara kings have contributed significantly to this temple.

The story goes thus
Scene 1: Markandeya was destined to die at 16. When Yama came to take him, he clutched on to the Shiva Lingam at ThiruKadaiyur. Pleased with this, Lord Shiva blessed him that he will remain there forever as 16. After enjoying life to the full, Markandeya once again prayed to Lord Shiva asking for Moksham. He is guided by Shiva to go to ThiruVellarai to invoke the blessing of Vishnu.

Scene 2: King Sibhi (Rama’s forefather) came here with a big army with the intention of killing the Lankan King Ravana. While here, he encountered a white pig which gave the army a fight. Angered at this, Sibhi chased the white pig. After stopping at 5 places, the pig disappeared into a pit. Markandeya Rishi who was performing penance here asked Sibhi to pray to Lord Vishnu.

Scene 3: It was Goddess Lakshmi’s wish that she be granted the leading rights at some temple, as she felt that the Lord gets priority over her in all the temples.

Answering Sibhi’s prayers was an invisible voice (Lord Vishnu) which asked him not to pursue his quest to defeat Ravana and that he go back to his kingdom as time had not come for Ravana to be defeated yet and that he himself will be born later to defeat Ravana. A disappointed King Sibhi pleads with the Lord that he could not possibly go back empty handed, without fulfilling the purpose for which he had come.

The Lord asks Sibhi to fulfill the wishes of Goddess Lakshmi by building a temple here that would give her the first rights at all festivities. It is also here that Lord Vishnu gives Darshan (and Moksham) to Markandeya.

Only in three Divya Desams does the Goddess get the first rights over the Lord - Nachiyar temple in Thiru Naraiyur, Andal in Srivilliputhur and here at Thiruvellarai.

This temple dates back to a time much before Srirangam (temple) as can be seen from the fact that Sibhi, the forefather of Rama, built this temple.

The belief is that Sibhi brought 3700 Vaishnavites to this temple. Later, about 50 of them left from here for Melkote (Karnataka), several went to Kongu Nadu and many others went to other temples to perform daily poojas there. Legend has it that all the Vaishnavas who perform daily poojas in temples were originally from Thiruvellarai.

Also, the belief is that Buddhists were in equal strength here at Thiruvellarai along with Vaishnavites.

Another belief is that no Vaishnavite can get Moksham without visiting Thiruvellarai. Hence, there is this tradition at the temple to call ‘Thiruvellarai Kandeero- Thiruvellarai Kanden Aiyya’ (the devotees informing the Lord that they have seen Thiruvellarai and that they are now ready/eligible for Moksham), a voice that is said to echo to the Lord up there.

The big festival takes place on the third day of Panguni (March-April) every year when the Lord and Goddess are taken on a procession to the Coloroon river.

One can see the Srirangam temple from here, though it is 15 kms away.

Periyalwar and Thirumangai Alwar have each composed 10 paasurams in praise of the Lord here.

Birth Place: This is the birth place of Uyakondan and Engal Alwan.

Quick Facts

Main Deity : Pundarikaashan
Goddess : Shenbagavalli
East Facing standing posture

Temple Timing: 9am-1pm and 3.45pm- 745pm
Temple Priest can be contacted on 0431 2670314 or 0431 3092496

How to reach Thiruvellari:
A number of moffusil buses ply between Trichy and Thuraiyur.
This place can also be reached from Samayapuram.

Where to Stay

It is best to stay at Trichy/Srirangam and reach this place by bus or car

108 Divya Desam - Uraiyur Kamalavalli Nachiyar

2007-03-27T00:57:00.000+05:30

On 29th March 2007, Lord Ranganatha will be taken across the Cauvery to meet Goddess Kamalavalli in Uraiyur

This week the divya desam story takes you to the first capital of the Chozhas – Uraiyur (in Trichy) – for the Love Story of Kamalavalli Nachiyar (Goddess Kamalavalli) and her wedlock with the handsome young lad Srirangam Lord Ranganatha.

The Chozha king Nanda Chozhan had been childless. Pleased with his prayers, Lord Ranganatha asked Goddess Lakshmi to be born as the King’s daughter at Uraiyur. Being born out of the Lotus, the Goddess here is called Kamalavalli Nachiyar [Kamala means Lotus].

As years went by, Kamalavalli grew into a beautiful young girl. One day while she was out with her friends, her eyes fell on a handsome young man and instantly she fell in love with him. The man was none other than Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam.

King Nanda Chozhan was in a fix as his daughter had fallen in love with the man, who had blessed the king with the child. Once again, the Lord accepted the king’s prayers and accepted her as his bride. Delighted at this, Nanda Chozhan built a temple at Uraiyur to celebrate the (home) coming of Lord Ranganatha to Uraiyur to take the hand of his daughter.

Every year in the month of Panguni, a significant event takes place at the Uraiyur temple.

This Thursday 29th March(2007), Lord Ranganatha, in all his splendour, will leave the Srirangam temple at 4am to take the 6 km journey across the Cauvery in a golden palanquin to meet his beloved Kamalavalli Naachiyar for the ‘Kalyana Utsavam’(marriage festivities). On this auspicious day in the month of Panguni, the entire marriage formalities between Lord Ranganatha and Kamalavalli Nachiyar is enacted at the Uraiyur Temple.

Lord Ranganatha takes the trip back to Srirangam across the Cauvery that same night.

At the Uraiyur temple, one can see Kamalavalli Nachiyar in a grand sitting posture, all set to get married. Being the handsome man in wedding attire, Lord Ranganatha here is called ‘Azhagiya Mana Vaalan’.

A speciality of this temple is that this is the only Divya Desam (out of the 108) where the Goddess is facing the Northern direction, in this case in the direction of the Srirangam Ranganatha temple.

In centuries gone by, devotees used to first visit the Uraiyur Divya Desam, walk across the Cauvery to the Srirangam Ranganatha temple and then across the Coloroon to Uttamar Koil and Tiruvellarai, thus covering four divya desams in one go.

Uraiyur is also the birth place of Thiruppaanazhvaar, one of the 12 Azhvaar Saints. There is a separate sannadhi for Tiruppaanazhvaar at the Uraiyur temple. The Tiruppanaazhvaar festival is held in the month of Karthigai(Nov-Dec).

There’s a belief that an Elephant of a Chozha king, which entered this place, was beaten back by a valiant Hen and had to retreat. Hence, this place is also called Kozhiyoor (Kozhi means Hen in Tamil).

Thirumangai Azhvaar has composed one paasuram (song/verse in praise of the Lord).

Koziyum Kadalum Koil Konde, Kovalare Yoppar Kundramanna
Paazhiyum Tozhumore Naankudayaar, Pandivar Thammayaum Kandariyom
Vaazhiyro vivar vanna Mennil, Makadal Ponrular Kaiyil Veiya
Azhiyon Renthiyor Sangu Patri, Acho Oruvar Azhagiyavaa

Highlights of Uraiyur Temple

Ø Only Divya Desam facing Northern direction
Ø Birth Place of Tirupaanazhvaar
Ø Uraiyur was the first capital of Chozhas
Ø Entire marriage formalities between Lord Ranganatha and Kamalavalli Nachiyar enacted
during Panguni(March-April) every year

How to reach the temple

A number of town buses ply between Trichy (Trichirappalli) Junction/ Srirangam and Uraiyur. The temple is about 4 kms from Trichy Junction.

Temple Timings

The temple is open between 630am and 12noon & 4pm and 8pm.

Temple Contact

The temple priest S. K Rangaraja Bhattar can be reached on 94433 07605 or 0431 2437605

TN Travel- Top Spin

2007-01-02T17:10:00.000+05:30

This was another game i grew up with. It was played with such fervour in the 1970s
- on weekends, school vacations. It looks like this has almost disappeared now ,
except in a few tier 2 towns.

This photograph(1) taken on board the Madurai-Podanur passenger shows the
kid in the red shirt tying the thread around top and the photograph 2
shows the 'Top Spin"
( not to be confused with cricket leg spinners' top spin)

One of my favourites is spinning the top right into the palm of the hand
without allowing it to hit the ground...

A lesser challenge is to spin the Top on the ground and then try and take it
on to your palm

Travel in TN-Meter Gauge trains

2007-01-02T17:00:00.000+05:30

With gauge conversion(meter gauge to broad gauge) taking place at a rapid pace, there are only a few sections in TN which have still not come under the microscope....One such is the Madurai-Coimbatore(now Podanur) section

attached is a photograph of a meter gauge train moving towards Madurai from Dindigul- those who have not travelled meter gauge could find this completely uncomfortable-smaller compartments, smaller sized seats/berths, slower speed ( the one on the right is the broad gauge line)

Travel in TN-Rickshaw stays

2007-01-02T16:50:00.000+05:30

A pix that brings old memories - CycleRickshaws/Entyce
The Rickshaw man fighting it out for survival

Cycle Rickshaws used to be a oft used mode of transport in the 1970s in Madras

One that stays distinct in my memory is a late night cycle rickshaw trip after watching
Nizhal Nijamaagiradhu from a city theatre to the Egmore Station

And the school uniform in most of my early school years were from entyce,
which forms the background to this pix

In the last two decades customers have not taken a liking to either of these
with few exceptions like this one on West Chitrai Street Madurai

Memorable cricket matches/moments on the Radio

2006-11-28T00:17:00.000+05:30

Memorable matches on the Radio- 1985 and after

1.India v England – WCC 1985- cut school to listen to LS bowling

I remember this day as I came in early from school ( half a day cut, one may call it) in Bangalore to listen to LS’ bowling on Radio Australia.(The Aussie commentators had a high opinion of LS- remember he had bowled well in India’s first match in the WCC against Pak. When I reached home, England were rather doing well in their reply with Gower in form. LS caused a collapse removing 3 top batsmen one after another. A match that afternoon which looked like going the full distance was suddenly cut short by LS who got David Gower and Lamb. In the earlier match he had got Zaheer Abbas. India won the match comfortably. The spin duo of Shastri and LS made it a potent attack for India that season.

However the MOM was the other star of that tournament- Krishnamachari Srikkanth who that morning had scored a run a ball half century in his typical style.

2. Hadlee’s 15 wkts at the Gabba to help NZ to an innings win against Aus- 1985-86

21 years ago this month, I woke up early morning to listen to Richard Hadlee ripping through the Australian batting line- a very inexperienced one at that…. Hilditch ( Indian fans will remember him well- he had come here in 1978-79 with a 2nd rung Australian team under the captaincy of Kim Hughes) was making a comeback. AB and Wessels were the only 2 experienced players and this Aussie team was trying to recover from the retirement of the 3 greats a couple of seasons ago (Lillee, Marsh and Chappell) and the rebels (Hughes and co).

I was always an Aussie supporter, right from my childhood but had a soft corner for NZ. While for several years, we questioned the NZ umpiring, I always believed that NZ played the game fair. And Hadlee was ‘fairness personified’. He would quietly turn back and walk briskly to the bowling mark if a batsman hit him for four. And so was his famous bowling partner of the 1980s- Ewen Chatfield. I had listened to the entire series 5 years ago in 1980 when New Zealand lost to Australia under Geoff Howarth, a team that had two stars fielders in John Parker and Mark Burgess.

And was hoping NZ would turn the fortunes this time around , especially against a weakened Aussie team. Hadlee was at his peak in 1985 and NZ that season boasted of some experienced blokes – strong opening pair of Edgar and Wright and with Jeremy Coney( all three had been part of the losing team in 1980) in the middle order.Martin Crowe was establishing himself then.

Hadlee took 9 for 50, he scored a quick fire half century when NZ batted and then came back to take 6 wickets in the second innings to set up an innings win for NZ. They did manage to win the series with Hadlee taking 11 wkts in the third test after Australia had come back well in the 2nd test at Sydney. It was Hadlee’s best series against Australia.

3. Last ball six on Radio Pakistan-1986

Unusually heavy rains in Bangalore that April evening in 1986 resulted in a power cut in our Syndicate Bank colony in Magadi Road. Here was I with my little National Panasonic transistor and all of the colony friends eagerly awaiting the result of the match (though for most it was a foregone conclusion that India would win and comfortably at that). I listened to the last 10 overs of that match on Radio Pakistan including the dramatic last over and the last ball six by Javed Miandad, described by Chisti Mujahid, that most excitable of Radio Pak commentators. For several years, after that, Radio Pakistan played that over during lunch and tea breaks.

4. England’s triple crown in 1986-87- Lamb strikes 18 in the last over to beat Aus

This was quite a surprise series for England as they peaked under Mike Gatting. Phil Defrietes and Jack Richards emerged as young stars. It is another matter that both of them did not quite fulfil their potential. They won all the three trophies that season- The 4 team Perth Challenge, the WSC involving Aus, WI and Eng and the Ashes.

Allan Lamb, who had had a poor series and was struggling, turned his fortunes with a brilliant last over finish at the SCG in January 1987, when he struck Bruce Reid for 18 runs to win the WSC match from no where, this after Dirk Wellham had earlier that day struck 97 to help Aus post a fighting total. This match has remained etched in my memory ever since.

4.Through the night on Radio Pakistan- 1988 in the Windies

This was a series I enjoyed a lot. Three terrific test matches- Imran, Javed and Abdul (Qadir) at their best vs Richards, Marshall and co…And a couple of really interesting test matches.

At Port of Spain and the 2nd test, Jeffery Dujon once again helped a late order recovery with an unbeaten century in the 2nd innings after Pak and WI were both bowled out for low scores in the first innings (Imran and Qadir bundling out the WI and Marshall running through the Pak 1st innings). Incidentally Vivian Richards had WI’s early recovery after a Imran Khan blast had seen a top order collapse.

Set over 370 to win, Pak collapsed against Marshall and Benjamin before Javed Miandad played yet another gutsy match saving innings. I stayed awake through the night listening to Miandad’s innings, well into early morning 3amish.

His dismissal with about another 80 required revived West Indian hopes. Saleem Yousuf
( Indian cricket followers will remember him well, though he only played a few matches for Pak) played out the last hour and a half before falling in the last over of the match.

West Indies still had hope – 5 balls left and Qadir coming in. The Radio Pak commentators were tense. Earlier that night, they were in high voice when Miandad was batting. Qadir was not known for his defence but he managed to see out the over (Pak were 30 runs short of a win) and Pak narrowly avoided defeat. Thus Pak still led 1-0 going into the 3rd and final test.

The third test was another thriller. After an even 1st innings, Imran Khan and Saleem Yousuf helped Pak recover on the 4th morning, setting WI at 250+ target to square the series.

Day 5 turned out to be a thriller. WI went into it with over a 100 required and 5 wkts in hand with Richards still there. But he went early on day 5 to a Wasim Akram spell in which he took two other wickets.

With over 50 required and only Dujon left of the recognized batsmen, it looked like Akram and Qadir will Pak through to fulfil Imran’s wish of beating WI in WI (i.e winning a series in WI). But it was not to be. In a brilliant counterattacking knock, Winston Benjamin blasted a quick unbeaten 40 while Dujon played an uncharacteristic second fiddle as the two took WI to a series equaling 2 wicket victory.

5. Steve Waugh’s two centuries in two tests-The English Summer of 1989

From the time I heard Steve in the 1985-86 series in India and later in the WSC vs England and WI (1986-87), I had backed him. But it was not until this series that Steve really managed to capture the attention on the Test Arena. I listened ball by ball to both his unbeaten knocks in the first two tests of the 1989 Ashes- this time bunking my evening college- 177 N O and 152 N O , quite a bit of it made in the company of Merwyn Hughes and Geoffery Lawson - and enjoyed every moment of that one. It was the comeback series for Australia on the Ashes front and Steve was instrumental in the wins.

6. Kapil Dev’s four sixers in four balls- English Summer of 1990

India were fighting to save the follow on. Kapil was at the crease and he had Hirwani at the other end…He decided to go after Eddie Hemmings. It was Chris Martin Jenkins who was on air at that time. The English commentators were well used to Kapil’s exploits in the UK- his 175 in the 1983 world cup, his catch of Viv Richards in the final that turned the finals in India’s favour, him captaining India to its first series win in England in 1986.England had been a favourite hunting ground for Kapil. But this one surprised even the BBC TMS commentators. Martin Jenkins kept saying ‘ here’s another one, another one….’. And he couldn’t quite believe that Kapil had hit 4 of 4( four sixers of four balls).

Indian supporters possibly remember this 1990 series for Gooch’s 333 but this splendid Kapil Gem was a personal favourite of mine.

Divya Desam- Margazhi Special

2006-11-26T17:31:00.000+05:30

Margazhi Special

Dawn of devotion
Margazhi- Month of undistracted Devotion to the Lord
Sing Thiruppavai before Sunrise and find eternal bliss

Sunday, November 26 ,2006
S Prabhu

Time: 4am, Month: Margazhi (Mid December),
Location: The narrow streets of Mylapore and Thiruvellikeni

This old and traditional heartland of Madras is already buzzing with action. Quite unmindful of the cold wintry mornings that mark this period, women folks (Madisaarai Maamis) are out there in big numbers and can be seen decorating their front yard as well the streets with big sized beautifully laid out kolams. It is believed that the Kolams in Margazhi drawn before sunrise is a way of inviting Goddess Lakshmi into the homes.

‘Kolam Drawing’ is also the favourite event at the annual four day Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival, which has now become synonymous with ‘Mylapore and Margazhi’. The Kolam contest that takes place in the Mada Streets as part of this festival attracts participants, including very young kids, from as far off as Kanchipuram and Chengalpet. Do not be surprised if you have a few foreigners too drawing out their own versions of the kolam, such is its popularity.

While the women folks are drawing out the kolams at 4am, the men, especially the Vishnu devotees, are out in the streets in groups with an early morning recital of Thiruppavai, the 30 beautifully composed songs of saint poet Aandal (Shiva devotees recite Maanickavaachagar’s Thiruvembavai). 30 days of sincere, undistracted devotion to the Lord during Margazhi will lead one to happiness and eternal bliss.

So what is this period

The six months from Aadi to Margazhi make up the night of the Gods and the other six months make up the day of the Gods. Thus, it is said, the month of Margazhi corresponds with the dawn of the Gods. The right time to pray for God's grace is the dawn of God's day - the month of Margazhi (mid December to mid January). It is an age old belief that the mind and soul should be completely devoted to the Lord during Margazhi and that explains why there are no other Vaishnavite festivals or weddings during Margazhi (to avoid distractions). It is said that one should give alms and charity in full measure and pray for the elevation of spirit. Hence, the month of Margazhi is considered unique, highly spiritual, sacred and divine. That, in short, is the significance of Margazhi. Even Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagavath Gita ‘Masaanaam Margaseershohum’ meaning ‘I am Margazhi’, which clearly explains the greatness of Margazhi.

About Thiruppavai

Aandal, the only woman saint poet among the twelve Azhvaars is considered to be the human manifestation of the Goddess of Earth. Right from her childhood, Aandal considered herself God's bride and at the age of 5, she composed, in the month of Margazhi, 30 beautiful songs called the Thiruppavai.

A close read of the Thiruppavai gives out an interesting story. While it appears in the early stanzas that Aandal’s intention is to pursue the Lord to marry her, as one reads through the later verses, one finds that she is actually praying to be allowed to serve the lord. It is said that those who sing the Thiruppavai during each day of Margazhi will find eternal bliss every where.

Legend has it that Periyazhvaar gave his foster daughter in marriage to Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam. It is that believed that, on the day of the marriage, Aandal walked into the sanctum sanctorum and merged with Lord Ranganatha.

In the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham (4000 verses of the Azhvaars), no other Azhvaar, except perhaps Nammazhvaar, has brought out the intimacy between the Divine and the devotee as Aandal has done. Thiruppavai celebrates, in thirty songs, a certain simple ritualistic observance on the part of the devotees. The first ten songs celebrate the fruits of the devotional observance, the second ten songs seem to wake up Krishna, to pray for their grace and the last ten songs inspire devotees to take the path of devoted service.

One song of the 30 Thiruppavai verses is dedicated for each of the thirty days of Margazhi. A unique feature in centuries gone by was that letters written during Margazhi used to start with one Thiruppavai Paasuram (relevant to the day) that would serve as an indication of the date of the letter. The date itself was not written in the letter.

Vaishnavism and Saivism acknowledging each other

An interesting facet of Thiruppavai and Thiruvembavai is that the first verse in Thiruppaavai begins with the Maa (Maargazhi Thingal) - the syllable, with which Maanikkavaachakar's name begins - while the first verse in Thiruvembavai begins with the syllable Aa, with which Aandal's name begins. It is said that the stalwarts of Vaishnavism and Saivism had thus acknowledged each other.

Recital of 4000 verses (Prabandham) during Margazhi

It is believed that the 4000 songs of Azhvaars were once lost and that at the Sarangapani temple in Kumbakonam, only ten verses of Nammazhvaar were recited. It is said that Nammazhvaar initiated Naathamuni into the "Divya Prabhandam". Thus Nathamuni put together the 4000 verses sung by the Azhvaars. Credit goes to him for bringing back not just the 1000 verses of Nammazhvaar but also the other three thousand verses during Margazhi.

Recognising this contribution of Nammazhvaar, it is believed that Ramanuja made his idol, installed it at the Srirangam temple, along with those of other Azhvaars and organized, during the Margazhi festival, the recital of 4000 verses in front of the Azhvaar idols seated in the hall on the 21 days(10+10+1).The first 2000 is recited 10 days prior to Viakunta Ekadasi, the 1000 verses of Nammazhvaar 10 days beginning from Vaikunta Ekadasi and the rest 1000 Paasurams on the 21st day.

Vaikunda Ekadesi

The high point of the Margazhi month is the Vaikunda Ekadesi festival. Legend has it, that to protect the Devas, Vishnu once fought a long battle with an Asura. While Vishnu was taking a break, the asura wanted to hit out at him. Shakti, Vishnu's female energy, emerged out of his body and defeated the Asura. A pleased Vishnu named this maiden as Ekadesi and granted her the power to relieve people from the greatest sins, if they observed a fast on this day and also to help them reach Vaikundam. Vaikunda Ekadesi is a very holy day and is to be spent in fasting, prayer and meditation. Devotees look upon this austerity as a means to succeed in their spiritual endeavour.

It is believed that there is no fasting that is even comparable to the Vaikunda Ekadasi fasting, such is its significance. Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, in all his glory and resplendence, enters the Parama Padha Vaasal (the gateway to salvation) on this day(30th December this year) and devotees pass through this symbolic gate of Heaven or Vaikundam, the abode of Lord Vishnu. This is the only day when the Swarga Vaasal is opened in the year.

At Srirangam, some of the highlights include Lord being adorned as Mohini, the Lord going on a procession in the Horse Vaahanam, Araiyar Sevai and Nammazhvaar Moksham.

At Srivilliputhur, the highlights are Araiyar Sevai, 8 day Neeraatu Utsavam and Aandal Thirukalyanam, marking the culmination of the month long festivities. It is believed that Aandal performed ‘Piriyaa Vidai’, a fast asking the Lord permission to attain him and be inseparable from him. To celebrate this, a wholesome ritual has been created and built around the character of Aandal. Another highlight is the Paavai Nombu celebrations. The Paavai Nombu is a penance that has been practiced, during Margazhi, for several centuries. If devotees observe Paavai Nombu by having bath in the river and singing the praise of the Lord before sunrise, it is believed that they will be free from any harm and that there will be good rains and happiness all around.

Lakhs of devotees throng the Thiruvellikeni temple to witness Lord Parthasarathy, in all his glory and resplendence, enter the Parama Padha Vaasal (the Gateway to Salvation) at around 4am on the Vaikunda Ekadesi day, the only one on which the Swarga Vaasal is opened in the year. Devotees pass through this symbolic Gate of Heaven or Vaikundam, the abode of Lord Vishnu, to obtain his blessings and grace.

The twin Vishnu temples in the heart of Mylapore - Vedantha Desikar and the 1000 years old Aadhi Kesavaperumal temple- attract several thousands of devotees during this month. Festivities at the Vedantha Desikar temple include Nammazhvaar Moksham, Desika Prabhandham and Aandal ThiruKalyanam. At the Aadhi Kesavaperumal temple, the birth place of Peyazhvaar, the highlights are Lord Kesava being adorned as Mohini, Gita Upadesam, 9-day Aandal Neeraatu Utsavam and the street procession of Aandal.

40 kms from Chennai, off the Bangalore Highway, in Sriperambudur, the birth place of Ramanuja, festivities take place in grand style at the 3000 year old Ramanuja Temple from 4am every morning in Margazhi. Thiru Adyaana Utsavam, honouring of all the Azhvaars, Nammazhvaar Moksham and Vaikunda Ekadesi celebrations are some of the highlights.

Similar festivities take place at the Neer Vannan temple in Tiruneermalai on the outskirts, South of Chennai and at the Veera Raaghava Temple in Thiruvallar, about 50 kms from Chennai.

Ø 30 days of unfailing, sincere devotion to the Lord during Margazhi, will lead one to happiness for the rest of the year
Ø Early morning recital of Thiruppavai before sunrise, specially by unmarried women, will help find a suitable groom
Ø One invites Goddess Lakshmi into the house with their Margazhi kolams

108 Divya Desam-Temple 4-Kandiyur

2006-09-13T22:01:00.000+05:30

Kandiyur- The Place where Shiva got rid of ‘Brahmma’s Curse’
Pancha Kamala Kshetram

Located about 11kms from Thanjavur on the road to Thiruvayaru, this place is called Kandiyur in memory of Lord Shiva, also known as Kandeeswarar, who got salvation from the Brahmma’s curse. The main deity here is Hara Sabha Vimosana Perumal/ Kamalanathan- Goddess: Kamalavalli Naachiyar(Facing East-Standing Posture)

The story :

Once upon a time, both Shiva and Brahmma had 5 heads. One day Parvati (Shiva’s wife) coming out of her pooja mistook Brahmma (because of his 5 heads) for her husband and began serving him by washing his legs. A furious Shiva announced Brahmma and his 5 heads was the reason for this confusion and that Brahmma had become arrogant (because he too had 5 heads). In a fit of anger, Shiva took the middle head of Brahmma with his hand. Unfortunately though, the 5th head of Brahmma stuck to his(Shiva’s) hand.

Shiva went around the world on a pilgrimage to find salvation from the curse by begging for food, with Brahmma’s skull as the begging vessel. Every time someone filled the vessel with food, it vanished immediately, to Shiva’s horror.

Finally on reaching Uttamar Koil, Goddess Lakshmi filled the vessel with food ending Shiva’s hunger. However, to Shiva’s dismay, Brahmma’s skull still lay fixed on his hand.

Vishnu answered Shiva’s prayer for salvation, and asked him to bathe at Kandiyur. It is believed that Shiva prayed to Goddess Kamalavalli and Vishnu at Kandiyur and attained salvation from Lord Kamalanathan here.

Legend has it that because Shiva got cleansed of his curse, the deity here is called ‘Hara Saabha Vimosana Perumal’(Hara is another name of Shiva).

Thirumangai Azhvaar’s only Paasuram at Kandiyur goes thus “ Pindiaar Mandai Endhi, Pirar Manai…………….” meaning - Vishnu rid the curse on Shiva, who went begging everywhere with Brahmma’s skull as a begging bowl. Other than worshipping the Lord, is there a way to salvation” sings Thirumangai Azhvaar(Paasuram-2050).

Being the place where Shiva himself got salvation from his curse, it is believed that all our curses will go away if one visits this temple.

This is also known as the Pancha Kamala Kshetram(Lord Kamalanathan, Goddess Kamalavalli, Kamala Pushkarani, Kamala Vimaanam and Kamala Kshetram)

Quick Facts:
Buses every 5-10 minutes between Thanjavur and Thiruvayaru
Temple Timing : 8am-12noon and 430pm-8pm
Priest : Sriram Bhattachar, Kalyanapuram Otha Theru Thiruvayaru via Thanjavur Dist
Tel No. : 98653 02750
Place to stay: A number of economical hotels at Thanjavur

Cricket Tales- Domestic Cricket Matches

2006-09-02T00:32:00.000+05:30

1. TN vs Karnataka in Bangalore-1979 November

It was a match I distinctly remember to this day for 2 reasons.

a.It was the first commentary match I heard in Kannada and that famous Kannada commentary term “ Solpa mattige thirugichendunna…”

It was quite an oft repeated word with so many class spinners…Venkat and Vasu Vs Chandra, Vijayakrishna and Raghuram Bhat.

b. On the 3rd day which was a Sunday, TN, which had given away a 100 run lead to Karnataka on the first innings, had to fight out to save the match after a top/middle order collapse against Chandra and Vijayakrishna. I had a tense afternoon sitting thru the 2nd and 3rd sessions in the garden of my Coimbatore house, listening to the frustrated Kannada commentators as S. Venkataraghavan and S. Vasudevan battled it out against these two classy Karnataka spinners. It was the first of several interesting encounters I was to listen to over the next decade between these two competitive teams.

Just for the record, Karnataka middle order comprised of Brijesh Patel (the most prolific batsman then in Ranji cricket), GR Vishwanath, AV Jayaprakash(now Umpire) and Sudhakar Rao.

2. Tamil Nadu v Hyderabad in Coimbatore- 1982 January- My first Ranji match at the ground

It was the first Ranji match I watched. It was at the forest college ground in Coimbatore. I ran to the ground at 4pmish on Friday evening after attending school ( the forest college ground was under 1 km from my school). It was the first big match under the newly laid turf wicket. Hyderabad was all out on day one. I remember watching V. Shiv and TE batting out the last few overs that day. I think V. Sivaramakrishnan got out to the last ball on day one to Arshad Ayub.

I also remember a very very boring 3rd day, when Hyderabad batted through the day…There were boos from the huge Sunday crowd….Time and again, that day, our famous commentator Ramamoorthy would say ‘lunges forward in defence’. I was to watch Azhar too that day as well as Arshad Ayub. Tamil Nadu won the match on first innings lead but I was quite disappointed that MV Narasimha Rao, Khalid Abdul Qayyum and Vijay Mohan Raj did not live up to reputation.

With TN unable to force a win, the third day's play turned out so dull, that I left the ground after tea in frustration.

3. Feb 1982 Pre Quarter final match- NP Madhavan’s century for TN against UP

It was just about the time NP Madhavan quit his IOB job and joined SVPB, Udumalpet. I had watched him play his first match for SVPB at the Forest College ground( I still remember me asking him, as a 10 year old boy, why he quit a Chennai based bank job to join an Udumalpet paper company).

NP Madhavan was my favourite cricketer for a long long time –a very quiet cricketer, superbly behaved and a sporting cricketer.

He had got a chance to play for TN in the Knock out matches after having missed out on the South Zone league that season.

I was wary of UP as they had that prolific run getter in Sashikant Khandkar who it seemed would score runs every time he went out to bat, in those days. And true to form, he got a big hundred(actually close to a double hundred) but none else scored.

I was looking forward to Madhavan and he did not disappoint me that day. Along with S. Srinivasan (another player who would later turn out for SVPB in Coimbatore), he helped TN get out of trouble to give them the crucial first innings lead. Madhavan scored 125. Seena(as he was called by his team mates) also scored a century as the two put on a double century stand.
(TN lost the QF match against Delhi and this to this day has remained a question within me as to why TN could win over Delhi or Bombay in crucial knock out matches).

Despite this century and a century in, i think, his final Ranji match against Bombay, he played lesser matches than I thought he would.

4. Karnataka Vs Bombay in Bangalore- Ranji Semi Finals – March 1982 - Gavaskar batting left handed- once again leaves a poor taste

It was a very strong Bombay team vs an equally strong Karnataka outfit. I went in for Karnataka. Yes I had that natural dislike for Bombay cricketers.

Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Patil and Ashok Mankad against Binny, GRV, Brijesh Patel and Sudhakar Rao.

And yes, it was once again ‘Solpa Mattige Thirugichendunna’ - Raghuram Bhat and Vijayakrishna vs Shastri and Thakkar. Kannada commentators had a field day with their favourite term every time one of these spinners bowled.

Karnataka took the first innings lead easily thanks to superb knocks by Patel and Sudhakar Rao, but the interesting highlight of this match came on the last day, when Gavaskar batting in the middle order on that Sunday afternoon and fighting to save an outright defeat wanted to bat left handed….much to the shock of every one including the umpires…And as I can recall Sunny was booed off. As on several other occasions, Gavaskar left a very poor taste and despite all his runs, I never quite liked him(his slow scoring under venkat's captaincy, his lillee episode, his tangle with zaheer abbas- insisting to to complete a century in a dead match, his dropping of Kapil....)

5.Karnataka V Delhi 1982 Ranji finals –What a chase

This, to me, still is one of the most unforgettable chases in Ranji finals. I supported Karnataka and was happy after they had posted over 700 in their first innings. While Delhi had the best batting in Indian domestic cricket in those days(CPS, the two Amarnaths, the prolific Gurcharan Singh, Kirti Azad and the dashing Khanna), I was confident Karnataka would win especially with the presence of its double spin attack- Raghuram Bhat and Vijayakrishna and they seemed on track. Delhi, however, came back sensationally after having lost 8 wickets with still over 100 runs required.

Delhi showed why they were the best batting side of that time with Rakesh Shukla and Rajesh Peter putting on an unbroken century stand for the ninth wicket as they took the first innings lead. I listened through the final day and this partnership but it ended in disappointment as Karnataka lost. However, it was an inspirational partnership that I remembered for many years.

6.My famous cricket derby – SVPB v LMW

In the early 1980s, the LMW v SVPB match up was something I relished at the forest college ground in Coimbatore, the 1 ½ day super league matches. Ramakrishna Steel stood third those days.

SVPB had Peter Fernandez, NP Madhavan, M. Subramanian( he is still playing in the Chennai league- 25 years after I first saw him there) and Nallaswamy in its ranks. In the mid 80s, SVPB emerged a much stronger team with players like Brijesh Patel, Sainath, and Robin Singh playing for them, but then went low key again.

LMW had Kalyanasundaram-Kalli to his team mates- ( who I think is the only TN bowler to take a hat rick), Vaidynathan, Colaco, NS Ramesh and Natarajan.

Ramakrishna Steel had Rajendran as their best player- he was one of the most prolific batsmen in the league there.

I remember watching Kalli, lean and skinny, steam in on one Saturday afternoon on a wet pitch. He was a lovely bowler to watch and played in a very competitive spirit and yes he was quite quick. He was so aggressive that, on that afternoon, he pushed the umpires to start play while the two in the white coat and Peter Fernandez(SVPB captain) were not convinced that the pitch was fit to play.

While Kalli vs SVPB was one battle on the ground, there was another off the ground. Myself (a fiery SVPB supporter) vs Kalyanasundaram’s son(who also happened to be my classmate at school) and Vaidhyanathan’s son. They, for obvious reasons, were LMW faithfuls

Nirupama, Vaidhyanathan’s daughter (who later became quite a successful tennis player) used to come too with her brother and we used to play tennis ball cricket during the breaks.

108 Divya Desam-Thiru Koodalur

2006-09-01T22:03:00.000+05:30

Aaduturai Perumal Koil
JagathRakshagan- One who protects the World

The Aaduturai Perumal Koil is about 15kms from Kumbakonam on the road to Thiruvayaru, on the banks of Cauvery and is a few kms west of Kapisthalam.

Main Deity : Vaiyam(Ulagam)Kaatha Perumal- JagathRakshagan
Goddess : Padmaasini(Pushpavalli)

Thirumangai Azhvaar has 10 Pasurams in praise of the lord who is in standing posture facing the East.

Significance

As the Devas came together at this place requesting the Lord to kill the Asura Hiranyaaksha, this place has come to be called Koodalur(where people come together)

The Story

1. The Devas came together at this place and prayed to Vishnu requesting him to kill Asura Hiranyaksha. Legend has it that Vishnu cut open the earth, killed the Asura and reappeared, with Goddess Lakshmi, as Varaaha Moorthy (one of the 10 Avathaarams of Maha Vishnu) at SriMushnam.

As all of them came together at this place and prayed to the Lord requesting for protection, this place has come to be called Koodalur (where people come together). The Lord who protected the village from the Asura has come to called JagathRakshgan- One who protects the World

2. There’s another story to this place: Raja Ambarishi was a pious devotee of Vishnu, so much so that he even let go his kingdom to continue his penance.

Sage Durvasa, renowned for anger, once visited Ambarishi. With the king in deep penanace, Durvasa, in typical style, lost his patience. Wild with anger, Durvasa cursed Ambarishi to lose the power of his penance. The staunch devotee that Ambarishi was, he continued to think of the Lord. Coming to the aid of his devotee, Vishnu threw his Chakra at Sage Durvasa, who immediately begged the Lord for forgiveness and the Lord took back his Chakra.

Hence, one can find the Utsavar at this temple-JagathRakshagan- with the Chakra in his hand.

Pleased with Ambarishi’s penance, it is here that Vishnu gave him Darshan in his full Divine form. Ambarishi was ecstatic at having seen the Lord in his divine form and built a temple for the Lord at this place. It is believed that this temple was washed away and the temple that exists now was built later by Rani Mangammal of Madurai.

3. One other story has it that River Cauvery displayed her grief to the Lord that all the impurity/sins was being washed at the river and that she was feeling that the river here was becoming impure and unclean. It is believed that Cauvery regained all her glory at this place.

Thirumangai Azhvaar starts his 10 Paasurams(1358-1367) about Koodalur thus:

“Thaam Than Perumai Ariyaar, Thoothu
Ventharku Aaya Venthar Oorpol
Kaanthal Viral Men Kalai Nal Madavaar
Koonthal Kamazhum- Koodaloore.”

Quick Facts

Buses ply every 10 minutes from Kumbakonam to Thiruvayaru (narrow road along the banks of Cauvery)

Temple Timing: 730am-1230pm and 430pm-830pm

Priest: Venkatesa Bhattachar/Kasturi Rangan Bhattachar
04374 244279

Postal Address: Aduthurai Perumal Koil
Ullikadai Post,Papanasam Taluk Thanjavur Dist 614 202

Kumbakonam Divya Desams

2006-08-27T19:18:00.000+05:30

http://newindpress.com/Sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SET20060826083204&eTitle=Travel&rLink=0

the link to a Divya Desam story (Kumbakonam-Thanjavur)
that featured in the Sunday Express today 27th August 2006

Temple Circuit

Azhvaars or saint poets (there were 12 of them including the woman poet, Andaal) were ardent devotees of Vishnu. They composed verses in Tamil and were part of the Bhakti movement, which swept the country during the late medieval period. They visited temples and sang in praise of Vishnu. Such temples have come to be known as Divya Desams. The compilation of the verses in Tamil is known as Naalayira Divya Prabandam (4000 in all).

Of the 108 Divya Desams, 40 are in the Chola region (Trichy-Thanjavur-Kumbakonam belt). In today’s series, we feature the temples around Thanjavur-Kumbakonam.

Sarangapani Temple

Start off with the Sarangapani temple in the heart of Kumbakonam. It is at this temple that the Vaishnavite savant Natha Muni was inspired to compile the works of the famed 4000 verses of the Azhvaars. This temple has the third tallest temple tower (150ft) after Srirangam (236ft) and Srivilliputhur (192 ft) in Tamil Nadu. It boasts of one of the biggest temple chariots in Tamil Nadu. One of the mandapams is said to have been built in the 7th century AD by the famous Pallava King Mahendra Varma. This temple was renovated by the famous Vijayanagara King Krishnadevaraya. A visit to this temple is believed to rid oneself of past sins.

Contact: 0435-2430 349

Uppiliappan Temple in Thiruvinnagar

About 6 kms from Kumbakonam off Kaaraikal road, near Thirunageswaram, this is the only Divya Desam where the prasadam (offering) does not contain salt and hence the name ‘Uppiliappan’ (Lord without salt). The deity here is considered to be the brother of Tirupathi’s Srinivasa and hence those unable to visit Tirupathi come here. Legend has it that anyone who brings salt to this temple will go straight to hell. Some of the inscriptions here date back to the period of Rajendra Chola.

Contact: 0435 2463 385

Nachiyar Temple in Thirunaraiyur

Located about 10 kms from Kumbakonam, the Nachiyar temple at Thirunaraiyur can be reached easily from Uppiliappan temple. Every year in the month of Margazhi, there is a special procession where the deity is taken out on a stone Garuda mount. The mount is said to grow exponentially in weight with each layer. While four people are enough to carry him out of his sanctum sanctorum, as many as 64 people are required to carry him by the time he reaches the periphery of the temple.

Contact: 0435 2466 851

Thirucherai

The Saranathan temple in Thirucherai is 5 kms from the Nachiyar Temple and is close to Kudaivasal town. This is the only Divya Desam where the deity is seen with five Goddesses (Sridevi, Bhooma Devi, Neela Devi, Maha Lakshmi and Sara Nayaki).

Contact: 0435 2468 175

Nathan Temple

The Natha Nathan temple in Nandhipura Vinnagaram is about 5 kms from Kumbakonam near Korukkai/Pateeswaram. Legend has it that Nandi performed penance here to seek atonement for insulting the Dwarapalakas (gate keepers) of Vishnu and hence the name Nandipura Vinnagaram. It is also believed that the Pallava King Nandivarma built this temple. It is said that Vishnu, who originally faced the east, turned westward to look at the spectacle of King Sibi saving a bird. An image of Nandi can be seen on one of the walls.

Contact: Prabhakara Bhattachar at 98430 95904

Pulla Boothangkudi

From Kumbakonam, off Swami Malai, on the Kumbakonam-Thiruvaikaavur road, is Pulla Boothangkudi. This Divya Desam’s tale dates back to the Ramayana. It is believed that a parental curse can be removed if one visits this place since Rama, who had not performed the last rites for his father, made up for it by performing the Eagle King, Jatayu’s, obsequies, thus giving salvation to the bird. This is the only Divya Desam where Rama is in a reclining pose and can be seen with all his ornaments and four hands. Interestingly, Sita is not seen with him, as this temple relates to the time when he was separated from her.

Contact: Gopal Bhattachar at 94435 25365

Adhanur

This temple is very close to Pulla Bhoothangkudi. Legend has it that Kamadhenu, the sacred cow (who grants all wishes), had undertaken a penance here and hence you’ll find sculptures of Kamadhenu and her daughter Nandini. It is believed that Anjaneya stayed here for a few days on his way back from Sri Lanka to Ayodhya.

Contact: Seshadri Bhattachar at 0435-2000503

Kapisthalam

About 10 kms from Kumbakonam on the Thiruvayaru road, this is the only Divya Desam where Vishnu is said to have provided darshan to two animals – the Crocodile and Elephant. Legend has it that Vishnu, on his Garuda Vahanam (divine vehicle) rescued Elephant (King) Gajendra from the clutches of the Crocodile (the demon) on the banks of the river by hurling his Chakra (wheel) at the Crocodile. This episode is known as Gajendra Moksham and is enacted every year during the month of Panguni (March-April).

Contact: O S Seshadri Bhattachar at 04374-223434

Koodalur

West of Kapisthalam on the road to Thiruvayaru is Thiru Koodalur, 5 kms away. It is believed that Cauvery displayed her grief to Jagathrakshagan over the impurities being being washed away at the riverbank. With the deity’s grace, Cauvery regained all her glory at this place.

Contact: Venkatesa Bhattachar at 04374-244279

Kandiyur

The deity at Kandiyur, about 3 kms from Tiruvaiyaru on the Thanjavur road, is called ‘Hara Saabha Vimosana Perumal’ as Shiva was cleansed of Brahma’s curse here.

Contact: Sriram Bhattachar at 98653 02750

Thanjai Maa Mani Temple

Our final stop on this journey is at three temples, within a kilometre of each other, on the banks of the Vennar river on the outskirts of Thanjavur. Legend has it that Garuda guards this place and hence there is no threat of snakes. The temples date back to the period of the Nayaks of Madurai. From Thanjavur, one can take the Rock Fort Express back to Chennai via Trichy.

How to reach Kumbakonam

From Chennai, take the Rock Fort Express to Kumbakonam (via Trichy-Thanjavur). The main line to Kumbakonam via Cuddalore-Mayavaram is currently non-operational because of broad gauge conversion. There are direct buses from Chennai to Kumbakonam.

Where to stay

There are a number of economical and deluxe hotels around the Sarangapani temple.

Don’t miss

The ‘Kumbakonam Degree coffee’.
Kumbakonam is also known for betel leaves

108 Divya Desam- Kapisthalam

2006-08-26T22:55:00.000+05:30

Only Divya Desam where Maha Vishnu provides Darshan to two animals-Gajendra Moksham
– Krishnaaranya Kshetram

Situated just over 10kms from Kumbakonam on the Thiruvayaru road (about 5 kms East of Koodalur Divya Desam), Lord Gajendra Varadhan at Kapisthalam is in a reclining posture facing the East.

The story goes thus:

Raja Indirajimnan was a staunch devotee of Vishnu. He used to be so immersed in his prayers that he would forget the world around him. One day, Sage Durvasa came to see him. The Sage, renowned for his instant anger, waited for a while but with no sign of the King coming out of his prayers, became furious and cursed him thus- “The fact that you are a great devotee has made you arrogant and you have disrespected a Sage, who has come to meet you. May you turn into a mad elephant.”

Realising his folly, Indrajimnan begged for forgiveness. The Sage who is also know for showing sympathy agreed to reduce the impact of the curse stating that he would continue to be devoted to the Lord as ‘Elephant Gajendra’ and that he would one day be relieved of his curse by Vishnu himself.

Another story goes that Asura Guhu once playfully pulled the legs of Sage Agastyar while he was having bath. Angered at this act, the Sage cursed him instantly turning the Asura into a Crocodile.

Legend has it that Maha Vishnu, on his Garuda Vaahanam (a vehicle of the Lord) rescued Elephant (King) Gajendra from the clutches of the Crocodile (the Asura) on the banks of the river by hurling his Chakra at the crocodile and killing it. Thus the Raja was rid of his curse and attained Moksham.

This episode is known as Gajendra Moksham and is enacted here every year during the month of Panguni (March-April).

This is the only divya desam where the Lord provides Darshan to two animals.

It is a Praarthana Sthalam for Rahu

ThiruMazhisai Azhvaar’s only Paasuram here at Kapisthalam goes thus:

Kootramum Saara Koduvinaiyum Saara, Thee
Maatramum Saara Vagai Arindhen
Aatrankarai Kidakkum Kannan, Kadal Kidakkum Maayan,
Urai Kidakkum Ullathu Enakku(2431)

Meaning: As long as Lord Krishna, who resides in the Ocean and on the (Cauvery) riverside, resides in me, I need not fear anyone. No demon will come near me. With Krishna by my side, I know the way.

This is one of the ‘Pancha Krishna Kshetrams’ -5 Krishna Kshetrams.
(the other four are – Thiru Kannapuram, Thiru Kannamangai, Thiruvazhandur and ThiruKannangudi)

The temple is currently under the control of AG Lakshmana Moopanar’s family.

Quick Facts

Priest: O.S. Seshadri Bhattachar- 04374 223434
Agraharam
Mela Kapisthalam
Thanjavur Dist 614 203

Temple Timings: 630am-12noon and 5pm-730pm

Frequent bus services between Kumbakonam and Thiruvayaru.
Papanasam Railway Station

From a Cricket Umpire

2006-08-22T15:21:00.000+05:30

Having been an umpire for over a decade now, I have faced several difficult situations- rainy mornings, bad light, dangerous pitch, threats from players to parents’ trying to influencing umpire and match fixing.

Also having played cricket for two decades and especially having captained different teams for the last 6-7 years, I have been subject to different situations- Hence have been keen to watch how different umpires handle difficult situations.

For example, 2 incidents earlier this year caught my eye, both in the India v WI series

The first one where a ball was being bowled with only one umpire on the field
and the second one involved the catch by the WI player on the boundary line when Dhoni was going helter-skelter that afternoon.

But what happened on Sunday at the Oval was truly fascinating from an umpire’s point of view and also to hear how different people viewed it. That late evening I was catching the (in)action both on TV as well the World Service TMS.

Initial reactions from most have been supportive of Pakistan and have come down heavily on Darryl Hair for his supposedly insensitive way of handling the situation. But a few are now talking about the mistakes in decision making both by the Pak team as well as their authorities. I would like to think that there will be more on these lines in the next day or two.

While I am not particularly a fan of Darryl, my view both as a cricketer as well as an umpire is that Umpires on the field of play are the ones responsible for fair play and making sure that the game is played in good spirit. And they are the ultimate authority regards decision making on the field. And simply from that point, their decisions have to be respected. Clearly that afternoon , the Pakistanis failed to respect the umpires decision and hence failed to play the game in the right spirit. I also believe that they enacted a farcical drama by coming in and out of the dressing room, leaving the commentators to speculate on every action.

There are several questions being asked:

Did he spot something(the tampering that is)
Did he warn the players
Was he sensitive enough
With all his decade long experience, did Hair foresee the macro repercussions
Could an umpire have caught something which 26 cameras haven’t
Is it racism
Is it regionalism

Those can continue to matters for debate and more eyeballs for the TV channels.

Umpires are expected to do a specific job on the field including ensuring that the game is played in true spirit and fairness. The umpires took a particular call at 230pm (they followed certain process which were in line with the laws of the game and spirit as well as according to them the Pakistanis had violated the spirit of the game by altering the condition of the ball- Whether this was true, we will know shortly- guess on Friday).

As a captain/team on the receiving side, there are clear processes/guidelines laid out- we even follow it in the lowest of leagues here in Chennai. And Pakistan team had these options.

At tea which is when the Pakistanis deemed fit to protest, they had 20 minutes to lodge an official written protest to Mr. Procter who was sitting next door and yes, watching the proceedings ball by ball.

They could have indicated in that protest letter that they would be playing under protest after tea, which would have negated all suggestions that it would have amounted to agreeing to the umpires’ decision had they come out to play after tea.

This way, they would have played the game in its true spirit.

By refusing to come out the first time, I think it was against the spirit of play

They were given a 2nd chance about 10 minutes later and again they did not turn out . It was the 2nd time they went against the spirit of play

And they completely messed it (from a spirit of play point of view) by coming out on to the field without the umpires having taken the field and thus trying to create a situation that they were ready but the umpires were not. ( The players always follow the umpires on to the field and by taking the field without the umpires, I think the players again brought the game into disrepute).

The umpires in all fairness asked both the teams to come on to the field of play ( the 2nd time) and both the umpires as well as the two batsmen waited for a minute or two for the fielders to arrive. If the Pakistanis had really wanted to only register a protest by delaying the entry into the ground, they would have entered the field when the two umpires and the batsmen went in a 2nd time. I think that is where the Pakistanis lost the plot.

And having given them a clear 2nd chance to get them back on to the field, the umpires removed the bails which meant of end of the test match.Pakistanis by coming back alone into the field sometime later made a mockery of the umpires’ decision.

I do not know whether the ball was tampered or not . I do not know who was right or wrong.
People will continue to have their views on the decision. But with the umpires having made that call to change the ball, Ul Haq’s actions should have been keeping in mind the best interests of the game of cricket. And walking in and out of the dressing room and walking in when the umpires were not in the field was not in the best interest of the game.

If the ICC are not convinced with the umpires report and after inspection of the ball, I am sure they will take necessary action against the umpires. But for Ul Haq’s action or rather inaction and the drama of that 1 hour, it is likely he will pay a heavy price. And a well deserved price as well.

Cricket in the last two decades or so has undergone tremendous change- night cricket, 20-20, TV viewership, sledging, tampering. One thing that definitely needs to be kept in place is the 'spirit of the game' and the players( the Captain) cannot shy away from this responsibility.

108 Divya Desam- PullaBhoothangkudi

2006-08-20T20:55:00.000+05:30

Divya Desams

Saint Poets Azhvaars (there were 12 of them including Andaal) were ardent devotees of Vishnu. These saint poets composed verses in Tamil and revitalized the religious spirit sparking off a renewal of devotional worship, referred to as the Bhakti movement. The Azhvaars visited Vishnu temples and sung praises in the name of the Lord. Such temples have come to be known as Divya Desams. The compilation of the verses (known as Paasurams) is the revered Naalayira Divya Prabandam(4000 verses)

There are 108 Divya Desams in all, out of which over 80 are in Tamil Nadu. 40 of these temples are in the Chola region (Trichy-Thanjavur-Kumbakonam belt), 22 are in the Kanchipuram-Chennai region, 2 in Nadu Naadu(Cuddalore….) and 18 in Pandya Kingdom – Madurai/Tirunelveli belt.

There are 13 in Kerala and 11 in North India.
(2 are out of the world)

In these temples, Vishnu is represented usually in one of three postures – reclining(Sayanam), seated(Amarntha) or standing(Ninra) posture.

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar has sung praise of the lord in 86 Divya Desams followed by Nammazhvaar in 37 Divya Desams.

Among the temples where maximum number of Azhvaars have sung praises, Srirangam leads with 11 Azhvaars having sung praise , followed by Tirupathi, where 10 Azhvaars have sung praise of the Lord and Kumbakonam Sarangapani( 7 Azhvaars).

In the Divya Desam special, we take you on a trip to each of these Divya Desams

1. Pulla Boothangkudi - Liberation from Parental Curse -Jataayu Moksham

Situated about 10kms from Kumbakonam, this Divya Desam’s legendary tale dates back to the time of Ramayana.

In search of Sita, Raama reaches this place to the cries of the Eagle King Jataayu, which was breathing its last. The Eagle King, an old friend of King Dasharatha (father of Raama) had fought a valiant battle trying to rescue Sita from Raavana, before the Lankan king finally cut off both its wings. Lying in pain and unable to fly any further, the bird breathed its last uttering the words “ Raama Raama” and informing him that Sita had been taken away by Raavana.

Legend has it that Raama, who had not been able to perform the last rites for his father as he was away in the forest, derived some consolation by performing his obsequies and giving moksham to the Bird. In the Raamayana, this episode is referred to as the death of the 2nd father.It is believed that those who failed to perform last rites for their father(parents) will get liberation from their ‘parental curse’ (Pithru Saabham Nivarthi) if they visit this temple.

While performing the last rites, Raama felt the absence of Sita. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi came out of the Golden Lotus temple tank to stand by his side while he performed the last rites for the bird. Hence, Thaayar here is called Potraamaraiyaal.

The story also goes that Thirumangai Alwar who passed that way did not take notice of a tired Raama, who was relaxing in a sleeping posture under the tree after performing the last rites, and ignored the Lord mistaking him for a Kshatriya.

Realising this, Raama gave darshan to Thirumangai Alwar in ‘Full Divine Form’- with Conch- Disc and four hands.

Thirumangai Alwar starts his 10 Pasurams here with the verse that reads “ I have passed the Lord without realizing who HE is…” – ‘Arivathariyaan Anaithu Ulagum Udayaan Ennai Aal Udayaan……………Pulla Bhoothang Kudi thaane."

This is the only temple where Raama is in the reclining posture with all his ornaments and 4 hands. Sita is not seen with the moolavar, as this temple relates to the time when Raama is separated from her.

Many devotees have got employment after visiting Yoga Narasimhar (a separate sannadhi within the temple), so much so that the devotees have named it the Udyoga Narasimhar.

This temple is administered by Ahobila Matam.

Quick Facts about Pulla Bhoothangkudi:

Located about 10kms from Kumbakonam and 4kms from Swami Malai on the Thiru Vaikaavoor Road between Cauvery and Coloroon rivers

Main Deity- Valvil Ramar
Goddess- Potraamaraiyaal
Mangalasaasanam- Thirumangai Alwar – 10 Paasurams (1348-1357)

Local Bus Nos. 12 and 30 ply from Kumbakonam to Pulla bhoothangkudi (via Swami Malai) on way to Thiruvaikaavoor

Temple Timing - 730am-1230pm and 4pm-730pm

Priest- Gopal Bhattachar/
Address: 5/17 Sannadhi Street Pullamboothangkudi (SO)
Swami Malai -612 301
Tel No. 94435 25365

Staying Facility:

Ahobilam Matam Guest House next to the temple with bath/toilet facilities
A number of economical lodges are available in Kumbakonam(Rs. 150-300 price range).Also there are a few deluxe hotels(Rs. 500 plus price range) on the Big Street.

A version of this story featured in the Sunday Express in October 2005

Cricket Tales- 12 memorable matches/moments on the Radio

2006-08-20T00:19:00.000+05:30

My First Five years of Cricket on the Radio

I have been listening to cricket commentaries on the radio since 1978-79. I was such a crazy radio listener that even after the advent of live cricket on the TV, I continue to listen to commentaries on the radio. These include Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Pakistan, Radio Australia, BBC and of course our own All India Radio(AIR) .

Here’s a recollection of some of my favourite moments on the radio :

1.Tamil Commentary on Alvin Kallicharan’s 98 in 1979 Pongal test

My first recollections of listening to cricket on the radio date back to 1978-79 and to a weakened West Indies’ (WI’s main players were playing the Packer series in Australia) visit for a 6 test series in India. The traditional Pongal test in Madras had a unique offering for players- The TNCA had decided to reward players - those who scored a century or took 5 wkts.

I remember listening to the dismissal of Alvin Kallicharan the visiting captain just 2 runs short of a century off Venkat’s bowling. The sporting(and knowledgeable) crowd, that Chepauk was known for, felt sad for Kalli, as described by our Tamil commentators, among whom Ramamoorthy and ‘Expert’ Rangachari were my favourites. Kallicharan had had played a brilliant knock under pressure. My other favourite WI cricketer Hilary Anglo Gomes fought it out in the 2nd innings with 92. India won that test on a nerve wrecking day 4 to take the lead in that series.

Despite playing a 2nd string X1, the WI had fought tooth and nail in that series. A few new players were discovered in that series (Larry Gomes, Sylvestor Clarke, Vanburn Holder, Faoud Bacchus). Kallicharan had fought gallantly against a strong Indian team and led his rather raw team well, but with the return of the first team players, he lost his captaincy and shortly Kalli and Clarke went to South Africa on the rebel tour and never played for the Windies again.

2. David Gower’s double hundred -The English Summer of 1979 under Venkat

Later that same year, I listened to my first overseas cricket commentary -this time again on AIR.

Indians were visiting England in the 2nd half of the English Summer (after the World Cup disaster- India had even lost to Sri Lanka in WC 1979) under Venkataraghavan and we had our AIR team taking us through ball by ball (I think it was Suresh Saraiya and Ravi Chaturvedi) the entire series. The moments I remember distinctly on that tour was the emergence of a young David Gower with a double hundred in the first test of the series.
(Despite the advent of Harsha Bhogle in the 1990s as a radio commentator, my AIR favourites remain Suresh Saraiya and Ravi Chaturvedi for the excitement they brought me, at a time when I didn’t have TV at my home)

3. Karsan Ghavri’s 2 in 2 balls - Alan McGilvary and Radio Australia-1980-81-India in Australia

My earliest memories of Radio Australia date back to this series. I was greatly excited to wake up at 530am on Friday morning of the 1981 New Year Sydney test match-the first in the series… to listen to Alan McGilvary, Jim Maxwell and Dennis Compty along with experts from Norman O’Neil. I remember listening to every single ball of the Greg Chappell double hundred, to the Dennis Lillee vs Gavaskar fight, to Sandeep Patil’s brilliant knock and felling by Len Pascoe and to every ball on that final morning of the 3rd test when Kapil Dev bundled out a strong Aussie batting line up.

I particularly remember running home(10minutes at a stretch) at the ring of the lunch bell on the penultimate day of the Melbourne test to listen to the last few overs of day 4 when Karsan Ghavri removed John Dyson and Greg Chappell in successive balls. I also remember a class mate of mine-Subash(Chandra Bose)- who was also a big radio fan and we both discussed, that afternoon, the possibility of an India win the next day, especially with Greg Chappell gone.

From that year for the next 15 years or so, the mornings of November to February were spent with the little 1955 National Panasonic transistor. I listened to every single test played in Australia till Radio Australia finally stopped broadcasting to India in the mid/late 1990s…
(almost 20 years later, I had the opportunity to meet Jim Maxwell, Tim Lain and Mike Coward in Bombay on the eve of the India-Aus 2001 test)

4. Waking up at 4am to listen to the Wellington test in 1981

I was studying in Coimbatore then. It was my cousin’s wedding (She is currently in Dubai-interviewing - leading personalities - and writing for leading publications around the world) in Madras. There were about 10 of us(relatives) who took the night train to Madras. While all were asleep the next morning, I (9 year boy) was up by 4am to listen, on the Blue Mountain Express, to India’s tense run chase (Kapil had brought India back with a terrific 2nd innings bowling performance to bundle out NZ for 100 the previous day). Sandeep Patil seemed to keep India in the hunt for a while that morning but consistent Kiwi bowling helped them win by 50 odd runs. The test series was also of special interest to me as it was the series where Tirumalai Echambadi Srinivasan made his one and only test appearance. It was said that he had a great technique but hearsay has it that he didn’t get along well with Sunny Sir and that was the end of it for this TN lad.

5. Botham’s Ashes on TMS
My earliest memories of cricket on the BBC World Service goes back to this series-the famous Botham’s Ashes of 1981. Beginning that year, for the next 15 years till BBC stopped live TMS to India, I listened year on year to the TMS (Test Match Special) team including Peter Baxter’s ‘Old Test’ highlights during Lunch break( in which I had listened to some memorable test matches of 1960s and 1970s). I distinctly remember Dirk Wellham (one of my favourite Aussie players) on debut in the final test of the series struggle on 99, including being dropped , before finally reaching a debut hundred. He couldn’t keep up his debut performance and soon lost his test place.

6. Jeff Dujon’s debut as a batsman for the WI
I remember, vividly, listening to Radio Australia - the 1981-82 Australian Summer
The first test of the summer saw Pakistan, a team that included Javed, Majid, Wasim Raja and Imran in the middle order, being bundled out on a Saturday afternoon for 62 at Perth.

2nd half of that summer, I listened with great interest the emergence of Jeff Dujon(one who later was to become an all time great wicket keeper)- He started off his career as a batsman (Deryck Murray was the keeper in his debut test) with four successive knocks of 40 plus and a fifty in his fifth innings and I remember listening to each of these knocks. An elegant and stylish batsman and a gentleman cricketer, Jeffery Dujon was to become one of my favourite WI cricketer of the 1980s and 90s.

It was a well fought series and I enjoyed for the first time on the radio the battle between Lillee/Thommo - Richards/Lloyd and Roberts/Holding - Hughes/Greg Chappell- a series that ended 1-1.

7. Commentary in 3 languages- September 1982
My first memories of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation was an unofficial series that a 2nd string Australia played there- John Dyson, Yallop etc.

Though played in Madras, I listened on SL BC Sri Lanka’s first ever test against India, the test where Roy Dias scored two splendid gems and Mendis hit a six to reach his hundred. The commentary was in English and Sinhala with Tamil commentator mentioning the score in Tamil at the end of every over-possibly the only country where commentary for a cricket match took place in 3 languages.

Those days SL BC used to broadcast a sports round every day between 345pm and 4pm called ‘Vilaayatu Arangam’. For many years, I used to listen to commentary on SL BC including domestic matches played in Sri Lanka.

8. A Great catch to end the Melbourne Test Match-December 1982
Botham’s heroics had helped England retain the Ashes a year and half ago. Now Aussies were at it in their home territory seeking revenge. England had a new captain in Bob Willis. Australia had taken a 2-0 lead after 3 tests and the two teams arrived in Melbourne for the boxing day test match. The test began on a Sunday.

After a very even first innings, Australia had taken a slender 3 run lead. England got off to a shaky start in the 2nd innings but crucial knocks late by Pringle and Taylor( he was 41 years when he played this knock) took England past 280 which seemed unlikely at one point, when Botham was out.

Set 292 to win, Australia looked well on its way with a 4th wicket century partnership between inform Hughes and David Hookes. But Australia suffered a sensational mid afternoon collapse on Day 4 with newcomer Norman Cowans ripping the middle order. With 70 odd left to get, Australia just had the gritty AB, who I admired right from his debut series against England in 1979-80 and Thommo(he was rarely fiery with the bat). It was an afternoon/evening of exciting cricket commentary on Radio Australia with the Aussies fighting back. Bob Willis, as the Radio Australia experts explained during that last session on day 4, adopted a very negative tactic giving away easy singles to Border, who had till that day struggled in the series with an highest score of 30 odd in the four tests.

Thommo somehow survived the day with Australia requiring about 30 to win on the final day but with just the last pair at the crease and with Allan Border still fighting to regain his form in the series.

The final morning was a tense affair. I was with the transistor sitting on the steps to the first floor at my house in Coimbatore. It looked like Aussies would do it that 5th morning with Border battling it out and managing his first half century of the series.

With 3 runs to win, Botham found Thomson’s edge and to his dismay found Tavare grasping the opportunity only to find Geoff Miller running behind to take the rebound behind Tavare. It left AB heartbroken. It was a classic catch to end the test match- a win that gave England some hope(of retaining the Ashes) going into the Sydney test.

It had been my best test match commentary at that time. I missed many a heart beat that 4th afternoon and the 5th morning(early morning in India).

9. TA Shekhar’s debut - on Radio Pakistan-January 1983

I was in Udumalpet – a small town about 70kms from Coimbatore – for the pongal vacation at my grand mother’s place when I first listened to Chisti Mujahid(with his cheeky voice) on Radio Pakistan, describing each ball of that record equaling 451 run partnership between Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar in the 4th test of that series including the moment when Imran most(in)famously declared on that 3rd morning.

Later that series, in fact the next test match, I remember listening to Tirumalai Ananthapillai Shekhar’s (he had actually been called in half way into the series- after I think Madan Lal was injured) misery in his debut test when the Indian slip cordon let him down. And he never quite recovered from that.

10. AIR in the West Indies-1982-83 –Through the night on the radio

It was a comeback series for Venkat. Two teenage Indian spinners went there too- LS and Maninder. AIR covered that series in two parts every day. Part 1 was live ball by ball till tea and then a full ball by ball recording of the last session from 530am the next morning.

We were in Sabina Park for the first Test-those days Sabina Park was a very quick wicket( and remember was home to ‘Whispering Death’. The first time I was listening to a series in the West Indies. All excited I would do all my home work and studies by 8pm to switch on the radio around 8pm. On all the days I would listen till tea and then wake up the next morning at 530am for the post tea session.

On day five of that test,(after assistance from rain the previous day) it looked like India were easily going to save the test match. But a fiery Andy Roberts spell, immediately after tea,- he took the last 5 Indian wickets- broke the middle and later half of the Indian batting. So here I was waking up at 530am to listen to the post tea session. A WI victory- Impossible I thought but with every description of Suresh Saraiya and Ravi Chaturvedi, I was losing hope… Richards smashed the Indian attack- a half century in 30 balls and despite a late Kapil burst, the West Indians had won scoring 170 plus in just 25 overs.

The 2nd test too was a heart break. After Sandhu ripped the heart of the WI batting, (3 wkts down for 1 run), Lloyd and Gomes struck centuries to master mind the Windies recovery.

11. World Cup 1983
I was in Hyderabad at the time of the World Cup- had just moved in from Coimbatore. In fact , I was on the train to Hyderabad the day Trevor Chappell slammed a century as Australia comfortably beat India. BBC did not broadcast all matches live- We could get only a few matches on the special frequency on the world service.

Listened to that famous World Cup win on BBC World Service with Farookh Engineer, one of the expert commentators, voting Cheeka as his MOM but as it turned out Jimmy got the away for his all round performance. That night on the BBC still stands etched in my memory.

12.Another fantastic WI run chase- 1984 Lords

One and half years after a slam bang final day to beat India at Sabina Park, the West Indians repeated the feat against England. The home team had had the better of the first four days at Lords and declared on the final morning on reaching 300.

That afternoon saw exhilarating batting performance from Gordon Greenidge who raced to an unbeaten double hundred as WI chase 340 plus on the final day in just over 60 overs. That afternoon, I could visualize every shot of Greenidge with Henry Blofeld’s racy description of Greenidge’s cuts and pulls.

Travel in Tamil Nadu-Part 2

2006-08-17T18:55:00.000+05:30

Dhanushkodi - The most beautiful get away in TN

Having spent the first half of the day in Srirangam and Trichy, the bus drive brought me to Kumbakonam by 4pm. I spent the evening visiting temples in Kumbakonam- Sarangapani, Chakrapani, Ramaswamy and Uppiliappan- the first time I was visiting these temples in over 2 decades.

By 930pm, I caught on to a Thanjavur bound bus and two hours later, I was on board a fully packed TN state corporation bus(that played some good old Tamil movie songs) to Pudukottai from Thanjavur’s just built new bus stand*(far away from the city). From the Pudukottai bus stand, I spent Rs. 20 for an auto drop to the railway station.

With little time left, I quickly took yet another unreserved ticket and was just in the nick of time to catch the Sethu Express around 1am.

For the next hour, I sat there in the unreserved compartment watching a group of guys playing cards. Traveling by ‘unreserved’ shows what life is outside the unreal PR world that I had lived in- a few of the guys were students, a few just completed college and looking for their first job and quite a few doing not so high paying jobs. And these guys had an expert comment or two on everything in life- Sachin Tendulkar to Rajnikanth, TN politics to Sri Lankan issue.

By 4amish, I was standing by the door side watching the breathtaking sight of the train moving across the fabulous Pamban bridge- a rail bridge that once used to open regularly to allow ferries to move along the water way…. And to see the longest road bridge alongside, it was a sight to behold!!! While I had heard of the Pamban bridge in the past, one really has to experience the train journey across the Pamban, especially the early morning(pre dawn) trip to feel what an asset it is to TN tourism.

Past the Pamban bridge, the train moved along slowly with the thick white sandy shores of Rameswaram along side the track.

That night train journey between Pudukottai and Rameswaram ranks as one of my best to date. Any travel within TN would be incomplete without the train journey across the Pamban bridge. Guess we will have to wait a bit for the next train journey across the Pamban bridge, with the broad gauge conversion taking place now.

A bath at the Rameswaram Railway Station, a quick visit to the RamanathaSwamy temple on the seashore and I was all set for my ‘Dhanushkodi’ exploration.

By 8am, I was all excited about the journey to Dhanushkodi. I took the local bus from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi. It is a lovely 15km drive, not all of which bring pleasant memories - the ruins of a ravaged railway track- 1964 cyclone completely devastated Dhanushkodi including the railway station and the track. The Rama temple still stands amidst the ruins- a small road to the left leads to the temple.

The bus leaves me at the farthest part where road can take one. From there, I am led to a truly stunning experience-totally unexpected. A small open truck took 25 of us, all standing, on a 6 km drive on the hard thick white sand. The driver had to use hard card /metal board below the wheel, at several points along the route, to push the vehicle into the next yard. We were charged Rs. 25 a person then for this trip(to and fro).

Finally, we reached the southern most tip on the island at the confluence of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The sand is white here and the seas clear blue. While most played around the beach, I sat there with thoughts exploring ways to reach other side of the shore- North Sri Lanka so to say. The Northern most tip of Sri Lanka is just about 7 nautical miles from here. I even tried asking the folks there if I could be boated into Lanka but this was summarily dismissed.

Other than the 25 of us, there were none else, except of course a few security men who put us through a complete body scan (this was said to be the place where Lankan refugees came back to Indian shores). Actually, it is scary-the tip of Dhanushkodi- its far away from the nearest road- 6 kms away from another soul. Absolute silence- Yet beautiful.

After about half hour of solitude at the BOB-IO confluence, we were back in the truck and on our way back. Chatting up with a few got me insights into what happened that dreadful day in 1964, which washed away almost everything at Dhanushkodi. There have been talks now and then of redoing the railway track to Dhanushkodi. Hopefully after the broad gauge conversion up to Rameswaram, the concerned authorities would look once again into reconstructing the Dhanushkodi line.

Dhanushkodi may not be a place for the weak hearted but for the brave tourist who like quiet getaways without the hustle and bustle of city life, this place is definitely worth a visit. Beware though of the dangers of cross border wars!!!!

To me, the 6km truck drive to the southern tip of Rameswaram will ever be etched in memory.

The bus brought me back to Rameswaram and I took the train back to Chennai later that day.

* Thanjavur was one of the first in TN to set up a bus stand away from the city. Several others have followed suit since- Tirunelveli, Chennai, Madurai…

108 Divya Desam-Araiyar Sevai

2006-08-17T12:53:00.000+05:30

Saving a rare art- Araiyar Sevai

It looks like the renowned Araiyar Sevai, a visual song and dance enactment of the ‘Paasurams’** that has been performed at the Vaishnava Divya Desams*+ for over 1000 years, is seeing a slow death. A ritual which was once performed at all the Divya Desams today exists in only three temples in Tamil Nadu- Srirangam, Srivilliputhur and Alwar Thirunagari(near Tirunelveli).

Araiyars (King of Music) are descendents of Nathamunigal, who is believed to have introduced the Araiyar Sevai. It is believed that Lord Ranganatha himself gave the Araiyars the right to perform the unique musical chanting at the temples and presented them with the cone-like red cap, two cymbals, the sacred garland (which they wear around their neck when they perform).

Araiyars have been bestowed the special right to start as well as end the Paasurams (Divya Prabhandham) in Vaishnavite temples through their special song and dance sequence.

The Araiyars first recite the Paasuram, they then explain its inner meaning and finally perform the Abhinaya, a unique art/dance performance with their hands and legs explaining the Paasurams with special musical effect.

The Araiyar Sevai requires a deep knowledge and understanding of the Paasurams. It is not an easy art, as can be seen from the fact that it takes nearly 20 years to learn and perfect the ‘Abhinaya’.

One of the special ‘Araiyar Sevai’ occasions that is of particular significance is during Vaikunta Ekadesi(the winter month of Margazhi)- The Paghal Pathu(10 days) and the Raa Pathu(10 days, when one is treated to a real spectacle with the Araiyars enacting the ‘Story of Andal’ growing into a young beautiful girl through the Abhinaya.

Will Araiyar Sevai become a thing of the past?

Of real worry is the fact that only a handful of Araiyars are keeping this most difficult art going. Their plight, especially the Araiyars at Srivilliputhur is difficult to digest for a true Vaishnavite. With no salaries, the Araiyars there are finding the going tough, making it difficult for them to even provide basic education to their children.

Says Bala Mukunda Araiyar of Srivilliputhur, who is one of the few Araiyars still practicing this difficult art, “It has been a great honour for the Araiyars to be performing the ‘Abhinaya’. I learnt from my father for over 18 years and have tried my best to keep it going and pass on my knowledge to the next generation. It will be a pity if this 1000 year old art dies because of lack of support.”

Awards have been bestowed on artists in various fields but the Araiyars have sadly been left out of this, despite delighting devotees with their unique recital of the Divya Prabhandam. One feels it is time that they were given the recognition that has been due to them for years.

Call for Help

One of the popular depiction of the Paasurams, the art of enacting the divya prabandham could be lost to the world, at least in Srivilliputhur, if immediate action is not taken. While music and dance artistes have been recognized through various art associations, even the basic financial needs of these artistes(the Araiyars), who have put their heart and soul in this devotional performance, have been ignored.

The Araiyars are looking for a face lift to the art and also a source of income that would help them keep this unique art going for future generations to enjoy.

Only time will tell if the devotees, charitable institutions, private companies as well as the Government will come together in reviving the Araiyar Sevai across the Divya Desams. It is something too precious to lose and one hopes that it is not yet late to bring the Araiyars back to their glory days. Otherwise Divya Prabhandhams and Thiru Pallandu recitals in this unique art form will be a thing of the past, soon.

The Araiyars at Srivilliputhur can be reached on 94438 67345 or email prabhuopr@gmail.com for more details.

Contributions can be sent to :

Bala Mukunda Araiyar
35 Periya Perumal West Mada Street Srivilliputhur 626 125(TN, India)

+* Azhvaars /Divya Desams – There were 12 Azhvaars including Andaal. They were saint poets and ardent devotees of Maha Vishnu. These saint poets composed verses in Tamil and revitalized the religious spirit sparking off a renewal of devotional worship, referred to as the Bhakti movement. These Azhvaars visited temples and sung praises in the name of Vishnu. Such temples have come to be known as Divya Desams and are 108 in total.

**Paasurams - the 4000 divine verses( Naalayira Divya Prabandham) of the Azhvaars

This story featured in the Sunday Express in January 2006

Travel in Tamil Nadu-Part 1

2006-08-16T15:50:00.000+05:30

Maddening Travel

Part 1-Madras to Srirangam*-2001

After a tiring week at work, I decided all of a sudden one Friday evening that I would get away from Madras for a few days.

I took the unreserved coach of the Rockfort Express. As was the case then and many times in my subsequent trips, I sat next to the door in a crowded Friday night train, sleepless through the night.
(Unreserved compartments are not for hygiene freaks, neither are they for those who want a good night’s sleep on the train. However, travel in Southern Railways’ unreserved compartments+ will give in good measure, an account of how another side of India lives)

1. As the train moved through Ariyalur (this station is about 70 kms from Trichy) that night, my thoughts itched back to ‘recollections’ I had had of that fateful night in the 1950s when the then Tuticorin Express (now Pearl City) crashed at the Ariyalur river bridge (heavy rains/flooding had weakened the bridge and loosened the soil) leading to death of several people. Every time, I travel through this bridge, my heart stops for a moment.

2. The halt at Kallakudi Palanganatham around 3amish provided two interesting sidelights:

The station is famous for the protests around its name:
This station was for long called Dalmiapuram as it stands right next to the Dalmia Cements factory but for years the name evoked protests and finally some years ago the name changed to what it is today- Kallakudi Palanganatham.

b. With me handling so many IT/BPO companies and with so much talk now centering on work life at night and impact on employee health, my thoughts when the train reached this station was on the factory workers who for decades have worked tirelessly through the night in not so favourable environment, and yet without any complaints. Every time I pass this station, I find thick smoke out of the funnel on top of the factory. No body ever seemed to complain. But within years of the BPO bull run, we seem to have an over skew towards ‘issues relating to health’ and the like. For all that, BPO employees (working the nights) are having a rocking time.

3. The next station I eagerly waited for was Lalgudi**- 2 reasons- a. My father had done a little bit of his schooling there. b. There was the level crossing flyover I was watching out for.

With so much talk of flyovers and delayed deadlines, I was curious on the flyover status on this one - between Lalgudi and Toll Gate. Thankfully, its now up and running bringing to end what once (I had been on this road in the 1970s) seemed a never ending traffic bottleneck at the railway level crossing that jammed the traffic between Srirangam and Lalgudi.

Lalgudi and ahead, one can get a first glimpse of the Uchi Pillayar Koil, on the left, just as you cross the Pichandar Koil station. And then within a few seconds, you get a beautiful sight, on the right, of the Srirangam temple and several of the towers including a superb view of the ‘fully lit’ towering gopuram as the rockfort express rambles past the Coloroon bridge.

4am is the time to alight at Srirangam, a little behind schedule. A bath at the Srirangam station and I was wrapped in Veshti by 430am.Srirangam station is all buzzing-auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws outside and the man at Vegetarian stall inside. It would surprise many, that the breakfast for the Chennai bound Pallavan Express (scheduled to reach Srirangam at 645am) is made and packed here between 430am and 630am.

After the early morning milk at the stall, I took a 10 minute walk through the streets of Srirangam to reach the main temple at 515am(the other option is to pay a fixed Rs. 20 for an auto drop right outside the temple)

Just for those who haven’t been this early to Srirangam….the island+ town is up and running by 5am…On the banks of the Cauvery, you have people taking their morning bath. On the streets, you have the residents with their early morning street kolams, the fitness enthusiasts(yes, there are quite a few morning walkers in Srirangam) have already covered the four streets around the temple and the main street opposite the temple is well lit with tea shops, prasadam stalls all open and playing the morning prayer songs. An indication of the changing scenario (read privatization) is that these days it is the FM radio that plays!!! By 530am, there are a 100 plus devotees waiting outside the temple for the doors to open.

By 6am, its time for Vishroopa Darshanam at the Ranganatha Sannadhi. Lord Ranganatha is woken up with a splendid Veena recital, played by a man whose sincerity doesn’t seem to have waned one bit in all these years. By this time, the temple elephant is already on its way from the Cauvery having brought the sacred waters for the Lord, which it splashes on the Lord with a huge roar.

It is a sight not to be missed.

Having finished the temple darshan by 8am, its now time for the special breakfast at the 40 year old venkatesa bhavan (started in 1960s). A plate of pongal, dosai and a coffee costs less than Rs. 15 but quality and service have remained the same as the one I tasted in the 1980s.

A trip to Trichy is not complete without a stroll around the Burma Bazaar (stated by many to be the ‘original Burma Bazaar’-there are many versions today of this in different cities in TN) and an ice cream(rather several ice creams) at Michaels(the costliest ice cream was still only Rs. 3.50 then) right next to the Clive’s hostel(Remember Battle of Plassey /Governor of Bengal-Yes Robert Clive stayed here. He even had a house in Trichy).

From Trichy, a 2 hour bus trip took me to Kumbakonam through Thanjavur. This is a landmark route** on the TN road map- that passes through the beautifully green BHEL plant, the huge REC campus, NIT, Vennar Bank and Papanasam.

+ Unreserved compartments in Indian Railways are generally 3 bogies –one just next to the engine in the front and two at the tail end of the train

* Srirangam is an island with Cauvery on the Southern side and Coloroon on the Northern side

**Lalgudi, a small town 20kms north of Trichy is well known in the Carnatic Music circle for bringing one of the best exponents of violin ‘Lalgudi’ Jayaraman

To be continued……………

A Margazhi Trip

2006-08-15T20:25:00.000+05:30

It was the winter month of December (the month of ‘Margazhi’ in the Tamil Calendar) – the time of the year when the traditional Tamil folks (especially the women) wake up early hours of the day to be at the temple for the recital of Tiruppavai.
(Tiruppavai is a song comprising of 30 verses, in praise of the Lord, rendered by Andal, one of the 13 Vaishnavite-followers of Vishnu- saints).

I chose to visit Srivilliputhur*, the birth place of Andal, renowned for the Tiruppavai recital, to get a first hand feel of a special event I had only heard from my grand parents.

I took the night train from Madras to Tirunelveli**, a town famous for Halwas(No trip to Tirunelveli is complete without a taste of the ‘Iruttu Kadai(dark shop) halwa’). There are many pleasures of a train journey, one not so is of last minute passengers making a maddening rush to their compartment. And I found an alarming number this time around.

After a quickish bath, I took a 45 minute bus drive to watch the sun rise at the sea shore temple of Subramanya at Tiruchendur(50kms South East of Tirunelveli). A few hours at the beach and I continued my bus journey, onto 9 other temples called ‘ Nava Tirupathi’.
(All of these temples are within 5-10kms of each other and are a must visit for any Tirunelveli visitor-Most of these are on the banks of Tirunelveli’s famous river-The Tamaraibarani).

That night my dinner at Tirunelveli was all of 1/2 kg of Halwa, after which I took a 2 hour walk around the city, going through all the famous old streets of Tirunelveli including visiting the most famous saree shop of the town-The Pothy’s.

Tirunelveli is also famous for the round the clock road side eateries…. A walk down the railway station road after 11pm and you would find hundreds, sitting on small stools, having their ‘idlies - dosas with chutney – sambar’ for their dinner.

As I usually do during my train trips, I stayed the night at the retiring room at the Tirunelveli station
(This writer has a long term agreement with retiring rooms at all railway stations in Tamil Nadu and believes that retiring rooms are the best(and safest) place for overnight stay in TN, especially for travel freaks and for women travellers).

After a 2am wake up and bath the next morning, I took the first bus out of Tirunelveli for a 2 hour drive to Srivilliputhur.
(For those not too familiar with transport facilities down South, TN has got by far the best moffusil bus transport service in the country in terms of connectivity, frequency and round the clock service-All places in TN have 24 hour bus connectivity).

By 4am that morning (that was the time I reached my destination),the small temple town of Srivilliputhur was already buzzing with activity, with one bunch of young girls and boys running around to make their morning flower sale and another bunch for other pooja articles.

For an hour, I was a witness to the loud musical recital of Tiruppavai (that was the purpose of my trip) by 15 plus temple priests, all clad in dhotis. Moved by this recital and wanting to understand more, I chatted up with the priests about the Tiruppavai and its significance, the unique way of chanting these songs and the visual song and dance enactment of the ‘Paasurams’(the 4000 divine songs/hymns of Vaishnavite Saints) that is rendered through the month of Margazhi at this temple by Araiyars(King of Songs).

As I dug deeper and deeper into the subject, questioning and probing the priests (the art of questioning and extracting information was put to full use that day), there were insights of the temple culture and traditions that dated back to 500 AD- art forms that were slowly vanishing in this fast paced world, artistes who were in dire straits with very little money to even feed their family and a temple song & dance service, once performed regularly in over 100 temples- now in just three- seeing a slow death.

My chat lasted almost 6 hours (that would not be a surprise to those who know me well!!!) and I must confess that those were the best ‘hours’ I had spent in a long long time. In those few hours, I truly transcended into another world- a world of peace and solitude.

Following a story that I wrote that fortnight, the priest wrote in to me via the almost non-existent post card, that he had received very many enquiries about the revival of the traditional temple art form called ‘Araiyar Seva’ from across South India including funding contributions for the artistes.

Three months hence, the educational requirements of the kids of this artist have been taken care of by a corporate chieftain, one who to this day prefers anonymity on this front.

A quiet early morning peace seeking temple trip had transformed into something quite unexpected- a discussion that resulted in gaining insights into less known facts about the temple culture of Tamil Nadu, culminating in contributions to the (financially) poor priests and the revival of the song and dance rendering of vedic hymns, a ritual that had been practised for over 1200 years.

By that evening, another bus trip had brought me to the temple town of Madurai***+
I spent an hour at the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple and by 9pm I was fast asleep in the night train I took back to Madras.

*Srivilliputhur is about 75kms south west of Madurai and is a very small town. Also, known for Milk Bedas
** Tirunelveli is about 700 kms from Madras and is a night’s journey from Madras (about 11 hours)- Another 100 kms down South from Tirunelveli and you would reach Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India
***Madurai was once the capital of the Pandya Kingdom and is about 500kms from Madras on the Madras- Kanyakumari route
+In the 1980s, Vaigai Express (Madras- Madurai super fast day express) was one of the fastest trains in South India, the ‘Deccan Queen’ of the South…