Chitra Pournami is a festival dedicated to the worship of Lord Chitragupta with recipe of Sarkarai Pongal

 Chitra Pournami is a unique festival celebrated across Tamil Nadu dedicated to the worship of Chitragupta. Chitra Pournami is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of April-May (Chitirai Masam in Tamil), believed to be his birthday.  This year it falls on 26th &27th April. The pournami  thithi  starts on 26th afternoon and ends on 27th morning.

Chitragupta is said to diligently record and maintain the account of the good and bad actions performed by every human being who is born on this earth. On the completion of a person’s life time, Chitragupta prepares the final report to be presented to Lord Yama. This forms the basis for the God of Death to decide the fate of that particular individual.

People celebrate this festival by taking bath in holy rivers to wash off their sins and offer special pujas and prayers at temples. Interestingly, some of the temples dedicated to worship of Chitragupta are the Chitragupta Temple on Nellukara Street, Kanchipuram, Chitragupta Mahadeva Devalayam in Hyderabad, Chitragupta temple at Kajuraho, and Chitragupta Maharaj Temple at Chitragupta Ghat on the banks of the Gandak river in Hajipur, Bihar.

In the temple at Kanchipuram, the main deity of Shri Chitragupta is depicted in a seated position with a palm leaf in his left hand and a pen in his right hand. The utsava murthy  of the Lord with his wife Karnika Ambal is beautiful.  Priests and devotees offer Sarkarai Pongal and other delicacies without salt as neivedyam for the Lord.

There is another legend associated with this festival pertaining to Lord Indra and his Guru, Brihaspathi. The story goes that they had an argument, after which the Dev Guru refrained from giving advice to Lord Indra.  Bereft of the wisdom and proper advice of his Guru, Lord Indra committed various sins. Later he realized his folly and sincerely repented for his mistakes. Out of sympathy and compassion the Dev Guru resumed his duties and advised Devraj Indra to undertake a pilgrimage on Earth. After a long journey, at a certain place, Devraj Indra sensed that he had been redeemed of his sins. He found a Shivalingam under a Kadamba tree and wanted to offer puja to the Lord in gratitude. He looked around and surprisingly, in a pond nearby, he found a golden lotus. He worshipped the Lord with the golden lotus. The place was the holy city of Madurai and the day was the auspicious Chitra Pournami day. Even today this divine event is commemorated with an Indra Puja on Chitra Pournami day at the Madurai Meenakshi temple.

Here is the Recipe of Sarkarai Pongal which is the main neivedhyam offered to Lord Chitragupta on Chitra Pournami day.

Sarkarai Pongal

Ingredients:

Raw Rice – 1 cup
Yellow Moong Dhal – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1/2 cup

Water - 2 cups

Jaggery – 2 cups (grated)

Cashews – 3 tablespoons
Raisins – 3 tablespoons
Powdered Cardamom – ½ teaspoon
Ghee – 3 tablespoons


Method:

Roast the moong dhal in a teaspoon of ghee till it slightly changes color. Remove on to a bowl and soak it along with raw rice in water for 10 minutes. Strain it to remove water.

Take a vessel and boil milk. Add  the soaked and strained rice and dhal to the milk and water and cook  till the rice is fully cooked. Mash it up with a spoon and keep aside. Alternatively you can cook the rice, dhal with milk and water with a teaspoon of ghee in a pressure cooker for 4 or 5 whistles. 

In a separate bowl add the jaggery to water and bring to a boil. Strain to remove impurities. Add this jaggery water to the milk, rice and dhal mixture. Stir well on a low flame till they are completely mixed.

Take a pan and pour the rest of the ghee in it. Fry Cashews and raisins in the ghee to a golden brown and add to the pongal mixture. Stir on low flame till they blend well. Add cardamom powder and mix.

Your Sakkarai Pongal offering is ready.

#ChitraPournami #Chitragupta #Kanchipuram #SarkaraiPongal #Recipe

#Neyyattinkara #ShriKrishna Swami #Temple in #Kerala #IncredibleIndia

 

This beautiful temple to Shri Krishna Swami is located just about 20 Km from Thiruvananthapuram at Neyyattinkara on the way to Kanyakumari. We wanted to visit this temple, having heard so much about it being considered as the Guruvayur of Thiruvananthapuram.

Depiction of the Bhagavad Gita on the Entrance Tower 

A divine scene from the Bhagavad Gita with Lord Krishna explaining the Gita to Arjuna, is beautifully depicted on the main entrance to the temple. The temple is built in the typical Kerala style of architecture with sloping tiled roofs amidst vast tracts of green land.

The long corridor leading to the Sanctum

We proceed towards the sanctum where the main deity of UnniKannan (baby Krishna) with butter in both hands is worshipped. 

The main Sanctum

The Lord is also called Navaneetha Krishnan. We were asked if we wanted to make an offering of ‘Thrikaiyyilvenna”. Vennai means butter and this is the most important offering to the deity at this temple.

 Another thing that caught my eye was a huge pazhakola kept in readiness to be offered. We were told that it was the first plantain produce of the season and the farmer wanted to offer it to UnniKannan.

Pazha Kola (plantains) as offering to Shri Krishna

The temple is also said to have historical significance and there is a very interesting story behind the construction of the temple by His Highness Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the erstwhile Prince of Travancore in 1750 to 1755.  The Prince had taken strict action against ‘Ettuveettil Pillaimar’. This turned them against him, and he was being chased and surrounded by his enemies. It is said that when he reached the place where this temple is situated, he was actually looking for a safe place to hide. A small boy appeared there and led the Prince to a huge jackfruit tree which had a hollow trunk. The boy asked the Prince to hide in the hollow space and assured him that no one would find him here. Miraculously that is what actually happened. The enemies left without finding him and his life was saved. The Prince searched for the boy but could not locate him anywhere. The Prince was then told by the astrologer that it was his Lord Unnikrishnan who had come in the guise of the little boy and saved him from his enemies. To express his gratitude to Shri Krishna, he built this temple. The tree where he hid himself is still preserved in the temple premises and protected by an enclosure. It is visible to all devotees who worship Shri Krishna at Neyyattinkara. It is called  ‘Ammachi Plavu’. (Plavu is Jackfruit tree)

The 'Ammachi Plavu' in a protective enclosure

The presiding deity is a west facing, panchaloha idol of Shri Krishna with butter in both hands. According to what we heard there, the original idol was made of wood. But the boat which was carrying the idol got stuck and stopped on the way. To keep the installation in accordance with the auspicious time schedule, the panchaloha idol was installed. This is also believed to be according to Shri Krishna’s wish.

Apart from the main shrine to Shri Krishna Swami, there are shrines to Lord Ganesh and Dharmasastha. There is also a shrine to Nagaraja outside the main complex. The temple is administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Shops outside the Temple selling Puja materials and souvenirs

The main festivals celebrated at the Neyyattinkara Shri Krishna Swami Temple are Janmashtami called Ashtami Rohini, Vishu, Navaratri, Mandala Puja and the main annual temple festival in the Malayalam month of Meenam. As in all Kerala temples, this annual festival starts with the Kodiyettram on the first day and ends with a grand Araattu (a sacred dip of the deity in the river Neyyar) procession on the day of the star Rohini in the month of Meenam. During the festival the jewels and ornaments of the deity, ceremoniously kept at another temple, are brought to the Neyyattinkara temple to adorn Shri Unni Krishna. There is a huge crowd of devotees in the temple on that day waiting to have darshan of their beloved Lord adorned with all the ornaments.

#Neyyattinkara #ShriKrishna #UnniKannan #temple #incredible India #Kerala #Keralatourism #Thiruvananthapuram #Thrikayyilvenna 

A visit to the #Omkareshwar temple in #MadhyaPradesh on #ShravanSomvar #Templetales

The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is located around 80 Kms from Indore in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh on the banks of the sacred Narmada. We had started out early and the drive from Indore was wonderful as we breezed past green fields and colourful villages. Along the way we saw many groups of devotees carrying kavads and walking barefoot towards the temple. The driver told us that this was very common during the month of Shravan. The devotees would fill their jars with water from the sacred Narmada and carry it to the temple for performing abhishek to Lord Shiva at Omkareswar as well as Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain.

A view of the Omkareshwar Temple

Kavadias on the way to Omkareshwar

 

There was a traffic jam at a certain point and noticing an open wayside café, we got down to have coffee.  We then proceeded to Omkareshwar. It was a Shravan Somvar and there was a fair like atmosphere all around.  The shimmering blue waters of the Narmada, dotted with colourful boats waiting to ferry devotees to the temple was a welcoming sight. 

Colourful boats dotting the Narmada River

We chose to however use the Jhula Phul, a beautiful hanging bridge, about 272 feet long, built over the Narmada connecting the mainland to the island. 

The Jhula Phul

The shape of the Mandhata Island resembles the sacred Hindu symbol ‘OM’. The Omkareshwar Jyotirling temple, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in India, is located atop this island. As we walk towards the temple, we find stalls on both sides of the lane selling any kind of puja items. We climb a flight of steps on the ghats to reach the temple. The base floor of the temple which houses the sacred Jyotirling immersed in water. There is a silver image of Goddess Parvati behind the Shivaling. We were allowed to perform abhishek for the Jyotirling with water and milk and offer Vilwa leaves to the Lord.

Inside the temple

A priest doubled up as a guide and led us to the Sabha Mandap standing on 60 pillars with artistic carvings.  He also told us that the temple is called the Omkar Mandhata temple as it was the Ikshvaku Maharaja Mandhata’s devotion that brought Lord Shiva to this place. The temple itself is a five storied structure with a shrine to Mahakaleshwar on the first floor and shrines to Siddhanath, Gupteshwar and Dhwajeshwar on the subsequent floors.  The priest told us that main pujas and abhishek with milk, curd and water are performed three times in a day at Omkareshwar. The first one is performed by the temple trust early in the morning. The second puja is performed by the priest of the Scindias, and the third in the evening by the priest of the Holkar State. Again there is a belief that Lord Shiva rests at Omkareshwar every night. So the Shayan Aarti at 8.30 pm in the night is worth watching. A bed is laid out for Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and a game of Chaupad is placed for them to play. This Aarti is open to the public.   

There is an open corridor with a view of the joyous and youthful flowing Narmada, where the priest guided us to perform the puja and abhishek to Mahadev with a small Shivaling and water from the Narmada. This was indeed spiritually satiating.  

Performing Puja in the temple premises

Though the temple was extremely crowded due to it being Shravan Somvar, we got very good darshan, albeit after a wait of almost an hour. Photography is not allowed inside the temple sanctum. But anywhere else one can take photographs.

The priest guide then led us to the Mamleshwar temple on the opposite bank. We now chose to have a boat ferry us across the river. This was another wonderful experience. 

On the boat ride across the Narmada River

The Mamleshwar temple’s original name is Amareshwar and there is equal significance accorded to it. In fact many people say that both Omkareshwar and Mamleshwar are Jyotirlings and so devotees make it a point to visit both. This temple complex has an ancient look and is protected by the ASI. The carved sculptures on the stone walls are aesthetically beautiful and the Nandi Mandap is exquisite. We were told that the Lingarchana at Mamleshwar is worth seeing as a thousand Banalingas are placed in concentric circles around the main Shivalinga. They are then worshipped. But unfortunately we could not see this puja as it was already over by the time we visited the temple.

As in many pilgrimage destinations there is a parikrama path which can be done on foot or by boat if the water level in the river is good. 

Stalls set up on the banks for Shravan

The Omkareshwar Parikrama passes through several temples including the Kedareshwar temple, Markanda Ashram with a huge image of Sri Krishna, the Gauri Somnath temple, Khedapati Hanuman and Patali Hanuman temples, Siddhanath temple and a giant statue of Lord Shiva.

Another place to visit, if you have time, is the Mandhata palace, where the views from the Jharokhas or hanging windows of the temple and the river are mesmerizing to say the least.

#ShravanSomvar #Omkareshwar #Mamleshwar #MadhyaPradeshTourism #IncredibleIndia #Temple #Pilgrimage #Jyotirling  

#AadiPooram and #Srivilliputhur #templestories 8 and the #story of #Andal

We set off from Madurai to the Srivilliputhur Andal temple in Virudhunagar district.  The temple is located at a distance of around 80 Kms from Madurai and takes about one and half to two hours to reach. The sight of the extremely beautiful temple tower (gopuram) signaled that we had arrived at our destination. Interestingly, this 192 feet tall, 11 tiered imposing Raja Gopuram is featured on the emblem of Tamil Nadu indicative of the importance accorded to the temple as one of the 101 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu.

Raja Gopuram

The temple has been in existence since ages and is also associated with the incarnation of Goddess Mahalakshmi as Andal (also known as Kothai or Godha). So it is a two in one temple complex with shrines to Vatapatrasayana Perumal and Andal separately.

The original deity is Lord Vatapatrasayana Perumal. We enter a huge hall and have to climb a flight of steps to reach the main sanctum sanctorum. 

On the way to the sanctum sanctorum

There are three doorways through which one can have the divine darshan of the Lord in a reclining posture on the Adishesha with his consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Sage Brighu is standing near the Lord while Sage Markandeya is praying with folded hands reverently at his feet. 

Perumal Sannidhi

There are also images of Narada, Panchamurthis, Sanatkumara, Surya and Chandra, apart from Villi and Puttan.

Way to Andal Sanctum

There is a garden in the middle where Andal is said to have appeared as an infant near a Tulsi plant and was found by Periazhwar. This is called Andal avatharitha Nandavanam. The temple tank in called Mukkulam and is believed to have the holy waters of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.

The entrance to the Andal temple has a huge Mandapam.

Entrance to Nandavanam where Andal made her first appearance

 The deity of the Goddess is breathtakingly beautiful.  There is a Kalyana Mandapam and Madhavi Pandhal  a little further away. 

Andal Sannidhi

The story of Andal is an exceptional example of devotion.  

The great devotee, Periazhwar, had no children. Once on the day of Aadi Pooram, he found an infant girl child near the holy Tulsi plant in the temple. With the permission of the Lord, he adopted the girl child and named her Kothai/ Godha meaning a garland of flowers. He brought her up with love and affection. Periazhwar used to pluck flowers and tulsi leaves from the garden and weave a garland for Lord Vatapatrasayee with his own hands. He would then present it to the Lord. Kothai used to observe this and help him. One day when Periazhwar left her for a few minutes before leaving for the temple, she had a strange desire to wear the garland. She wore it and then removed it before her father came back. Without knowing that Kothai had worn the garland, Periazhwar offered it to the priest for Lord Mahavishnu.  Kothai started wearing the garland and admired herself every day after that before her father took it to the temple. But one day the priest happened to see a strand of hair in the garland. He was furious. He refused to offer it to the deity. Periazhwar was stunned and sad at the turn of events. He kept a secret watch over the garland and found to his dismay that it was his daughter, Andal, who was wearing the garland before he took it to the temple. He was very angry with her and discarded the garland. He then made another garland to be offered to the Lord. That night he had a dream when Mahavishnu said that he would accept only the garland worn by Andal. This happened when the child was just five years old. 

Andal grew up and her father wanted to search for a suitable bridegroom for her. But Andal’s mind was fixed on her Shri Krishna. Her devotion to the Lord was unshakable. Then it was that the Lord appeared once again in Periazhwar’s dream and bade him bring Andal dressed as a bride to Srirangam. It is believed that, when Andal was taken in wedding procession and reached Srirangam, she just entered the sanctum and merged with the Lord.  

The festivals celebrated at this temple are Aadi Pooram, GodhaRangamannarThirukalyanam, Vasanta utsavam, Brahmotsavam etc.

#Andal #AadiPooram #festival #Srivilliputhur #temple #GodhaRangamannar 

#AshadhiEkadashi 2020 celebrations at #PandurangaVittala #temple #Pandharpur to be very low key #templestories 7

Ashadhi Ekadashi or Devashayani Ekadashi, as it is also called, is one of the most significant religious festivals in Maharashtra. This year it falls on 1st July. But with the prevalent pandemic situation, celebrations are to be very low key. The famed Wari procession will not take place on foot as usual and only a select few warkaris will be allowed into the temple with the padukas of the saints, which will be taken by road or air.
On this festive occasion, I would like to share an excerpt from my book "Temples in Maharashtra-A Travel Guide"

"The mention of Pandharpur brings to our mind vivid images of the turban or topi clad Warkari holding tals in his hands and singing abhangs (sacred hymns composed by the great saints like Gyaneshwar or Tukaram) with joyous abandon and devotion, walking towards his Lord Vittala in complete surrender. No wonder then, that Pandharpur is considered by many as the holiest place in Maharashtra, the Bhu-Vaikuntam.

This is the place where Lord Vittala stands on bricks with hands held on hip, waiting for his beloved devotee, Pundalik, to finish his chores for his parents and turn towards the Lord so that he can be blessed, the place where the Lord Vittala and his devotee, (Warkari), cannot be separated.

Pandharpur, located approximately 365 kms. from Mumbai and 215 kms. from Pune, is best accessed from Solapur which is 74 kms. away and has good stay options. The road is well maintained and buses are available every fifteen minutes. As you enter the ancient temple town, picturesquely positioned on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga, you attention never wavers from the Vittala temple. The temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. Traditionally, one is supposed to have a dip in the holy waters of the Chandrabhaga, have darshan at the Pundalik temple and worship the devotee before the Lord. Hence the main eastern entrance faces the Pundalik temple on the banks of the crescent shaped river. It is lined with shops selling flowers, bukka and puja materials, and one is approached by many who wish to guide you for a fee.

The entrance to the sanctum santorum is through the Namdev Gate, in respect to the great Marathi poet and devotee, Sant Namdev. There are twelve steps and the first one has the figure of Namdev with a tambourine in his hand singing a kirtan, and fourteen members of his family carved on it. There is also a bust of 94 Namdev to the side of the step. It is said that when Namdev took Samadhi, the rest of the fourteen members drowned themselves. This step, called Namdev payari, is considered the samadi of Namdev. Hence devotees worship it, cross it without setting their foot on it. Generally the pujari here is from Namdev’s Shimpi community and the offerings go to the Badaves or the hereditary priests of Vithoba.
Near the entrance we find the Samadhi of Chokamela, a great devotee of the Lord. Chokamela was from the Mahar community, who in those times were considered outcasts and not allowed inside the temple. He was termed mad by the people because he used to always be in ecstacy singing, dancing and conversing with his Vithobha. The Lord loved him and used to converse with him everyday. The story goes that while the Lord was having lunch at Chokamela’s house, one day, curd fell on his vastra. It was neivedya time at the temple and the priest was stunned to see curd on the vastra of the Lord. When he came to know the truth, the temple priest apologised profusely to Chokamela.

The Darshan Mandap which can accommodate the huge gathering of varkaris during the Ashadi and Karthiki Ekadashis has been built quite recently. As we enter through the central doorway flanked by the images of Jaya and Vijaya, the dwarpals of the Lord, we come across the Solakambh mandap (16 pillared hall), which reveal exquisite carvings depicting scenes from the Dashavatar and Krishna Lila on the roof. All the pillars exhibit artistic carvings while the back one encased in silver and bearing the image of Lord Vishnu, is known as the Garuda Stambha (the place where the statue of Garuda was supposed to standing before the mandap was built.) The devotees traditionally embrace the Garuda stambha and make offerings before praying to Lord Vittala. We were shown an inscription carved on a block of stone, listing the donors to the temple in the 12th century. Devotees used to rub their backs on this inscription in the belief that they would be relieved from their sins and rebirth. As one enters the sanctum, the eyes are magnetically drawn to the highly revered black stone image of Lord Vittala standing on a brick shaped square block with the arms, holding a shankh in the left and a lotus in the right, resting on the hip. This is believed to be the brick that his devotee Pundalik offered to him as an asana. The crown or mukut of the Lord has a Shivlinga engraved on it, and the ears are adorned with makara kundalas and the chest with the Kausthubha gem. The deity is believed to be swayambu or self manifested. This is the only shrine where devotees can touch the feet (sparsh) and seek blessings.

Behind the main shrine is a separate shrine to Goddess Rukhmani or Rakhumai as she is called here. The beautiful black stone image of the Goddess is dressed in typical Maharashtrian style and is adorned with many ornaments. There are shrines to Satyabhama and Rahi (Radha) too. There are stories and legends galore about this temple and the presence of Vithoba in Pandarpur and his devotees, the most important one being that of Pundalik or Pundarik who is credited with having brought Lord Vittala to this land. Pundalik was initially a self centred man who care for nothing except his own pleasure. He neglected his aged parents. But he agreed to take them to Kashi, albeit on foot, while he and his wife rode on horses. On the way came across an ashram of Rishi Kukkut, who welcomed him and took good care of him. Pundalik could not sleep that night. He witnessed the remarkable sight of three young women in dirty clothes enter the Rishi’s ashram and started doing cleaning jobs. They then went to the prayer hall and when they re-emerged they were spotlessly clean. When asked about this miracle, the three women mentioned that they were Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathy. They were burdened with the sins and impurity of all the thousands of people who took a dip in their waters to absolve their sins. But they were purified by serving the Rishi, who adored and took great care of his aged parents. Transformed by this conversation Pundalik began caring for his parents to the exclusion of everything. Pleased with his devotion to his parents, Lord Krishna came here to bless him. When the Lord called out to Pundalik he was serving his parents. So he threw a brick (veet in Marathi) to the Lord to wait. Probably the name Vittala originated from this veet. The Lord stood on the brick with his hands resting on his hip and waited till Pundalik finished his chores for his parents. The Lord still stands, but now He waits for all the scores of devotees who surrender to Him.

Another mythological legend, according to the Padma Purana and the Panduranga Mahatmya, says that Krishna and Radha were inseparable during their childhood. Rukmini Devi also knew about this. Once when Radharani met Sri Krishna at Dwaraka, their intimacy upset Rukmini Devi, who silently left to do penance in Dindirvana to win back her husband. The Lord immediately went in search of her to ask for forgiveness, but the Goddess, deep in penance, did not even recognise his presence. Sri Krishna then went to see his devotee Pundalik in Pandharpur. Later, after her anger and distress had abated, Rukmini Devi joined her husband to bless the devotee. Apart from Pundalik, the primary devotee who was instrumental in the presence of the Lord Vittala at Pandharpur, Sant Dyaneshwar who is credited with starting the Wari tradition, Sant Namdeo, Sant Tukaram, Janabai and many others have composed and sung verses (abhangs) in praise of the Lord, which are being sung with great devotion even today.

Temple Timings The temple opens for darshan at 6.00 am to 11.00 am, from 11.15 to 4.30 pm and 5.00 pm to 11.15 pm (Darshan remains closed during 11.00 am to 11.15 am for Mahanaivedya, 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm for Poshakh, and 5.00 pm to 11.15 pm)

 Every day is a festival and every Ekadashi a fast at Pandharpur. But the Ashadi and Karthiki Ekadashis are special when a huge congregation of devotees gather at the temple to have a darshan of their beloved Lord Vittala. The temple is open for twenty hours on these days, as the Lord remains awake to bless his devotees. The deity is bathed and dressed in new clothes the day after and fed a different diet with sugar and spice, as it is assumed that the Lord is tired after the long day. Apart from the Ekadashis, the festival of Navarathri is celebrated with great fervour. The deities are adorned with beautiful new clothes and fine gold jewellery studded with brilliant gems of various colours.

 The Wari tradition and the Warkari: The depth of emotion and spiritual fervour marking the largest procession in the world is unbelievable. The eight centuries old tradition of wari is a journey on foot to the abode of the Lord Vittal at Pandharpur that the devotee or warkari undertakes again and again. Lakhs of warkaris gather at different venues across the country and carry the padukas (wooden or silver footwear) of Sant. Dnyaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, Sant Eknath or Sant Eknath in palkis (palanquins), and start their journey to the reverberating sound of hundreds of drums, mridangas, cymbals etc. The largest congregation is at the start of the procession accompanying the palki carrying the padukas of Sant Dnyaneshwar, who is credited with starting the wari tradition, from his birthplace Alandi. Another big procession is from Dehu carrying the Tukaram Padukas. The starting day of the wari may be different depending on the distance to Pandarpur, but the concluding day is the same, the day before Ashadhi Ekadashi, when warkaris coming from various cities and direction meet on the banks of the Chandrabhaga spreading love and devotion in the air and chanting the holy abhangas in gay abandon. En route to Pandharpur, the wari halts at various places and the locals of that place welcome the warkaris with some special food and delicacies. Medical aid is provided to those who require it, at most halts free of charge.

 The dindi system is followed to avoid chaos or missing persons. Each dindi comprises of a number of warkaris, generally from the same locality, carrying combined essential rations, clothing and medicines in a truck or a trolley, and they group together wherever they halt. Usually they have some abhang singers and cymbal players. All the dindis in a particular wari assemble for the evening aarti conducted by their palki chief. On reaching Chandrabhaga river, they take a dip in the holy waters. The excitement of the warkaris reaches its crescendo when they first sight the flag atop the main Vithobha Mandir and they rush forward in unison to catch a glimpse of their favourite Lord. That is the climax. The moment they are face to face with the Lord and feel his benevolent gaze blessing them for ever and ever."

#Ashadhi, #Ekadashi #Pandharpur #Karthiki #Vittal #Rakhumai #Sant_Dnyaneshwar #Sant_Tukaram #Alandi #Dehu #Panduranga #temple  #festival #Wari #Warkari

Unique #Temple ##Prasadams and #GI Tag

Have you ever wondered at the delicious taste of the Palpayasam at Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna temple or the Unniappam at Kottarakara Ganapati temple?

Yes. They are amazingly delicious, yet unique. The taste of these neivedyams can never be replicated as they have bhakti (devotion) as an additional ingredient. The same goes for the aravana payasam of Sabarimala.  All these neivedyams are prepared in the respective temple kitchens with full adherence to hygiene and purity of the ingredients. These neivedyams are offered to the deity and then distributed amongst the devotees as prasadam. Devotees crave for getting a portion of the prasadam, sometimes leading to long meandering queues at the distribution counter. I remember, just a few months back when we visited the Ambalapuzha temple, we had to wait for almost an hour in the queue for the divine palpayasam. It was well worth the wait though. I was told that it takes almost six hours for the palpayasam to reach the correct consistency and pinkish colour. Currently, the Travancore Devaswom Board wants to patent these three temple prasadams and the application process has begun for the GI (Geographical Indication) tag.

Some temples in India are famous for their unique neivedyam or offering to the deity of the temple. Almost everyone has heard of the Laddu offering of one of the world’s richest temples, the Tirupati Balaji temple. 

Also known as the Srivari Laddu, this delicious sweet is prepared in the temple’s kitchen known as Potu. Run by the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam), the temple is believed to prepare, on an average, more than 2.8 lakh laddus on a daily basis. The Potu has three conveyor belts which carry the ingredients for making it and then transport the finished laddus to the prasadam counter, from where they are distributed to the devotees. The world famous Tirupati Laddu was the first temple prasadam to be conferred with the GI tag. That was more than a decade ago in 2009.

Srivari Laddu of Tirupati

Another temple, the Arulmighu Dandayuthapani Swami temple in the temple town of Palani in Tamil Nadu was granted the GI tag for its Panchamirtham in August 2019. The production of this Palani Panchamirtham is fully automated and derives its name from its five natural ingredients, (banana, jaggery, cow ghee, honey and cardomom). The addition of dates and diamond sugar increases its flavor. No water, preservatives or artificial ingredients are used in the preparation. The grant of the GI tag limits the production of this Panchamirtham to the confines of the Palani temple town.

Palani Panchamirtham

What is the GI tag and why is it so important?

An Indian product belonging exclusively to a specific region is granted a geographical Indication tag which means that it can be made only within that particular region or territory. The World Trade Organization agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights specifies that a product should possess “a given quality, reputation or any other characteristic that is attributable to its geographical location” as a prerequisite for application of a GI tag.

Aravana Payasam of Sabarimala

In the case of the Kerala temple prasadams mentioned above, the patenting is thought necessary as there have been cases of some private outlets selling counterfeit stuff and devotees being conned into believing that they are getting the genuine aravana payasam or palpayasam. The GI tag will ensure that making of these delicious prasadams will be restricted to the temple premises.

 #Tirupati #SrivariLaddu #PalaniPanchamirtham #AmbalapuzhaPalpayasam #Aravanapayasam, #Sabarimala #KottarakaraUnniappam  #neivedyam #prasadam #GI_tag #temple

A Visit to the Arulmighu #RatnagiriBalamurugan #Temple in #Vellore, Tamil Nadu #templestories 6

Our visit to the Ratnagiri Balamurugan Temple coincided with a very auspicious day for the worship of Lord Murugan, the Thai Krithigai day. The temple is located around 18 Km from Vellore city on the Vellore-Arcot road, at Thirumanikundram, Kilminnal.  

A beautiful archway welcomes the devotees and one can see the temple tower (Gopuram) from a distance.

The Arulmighu Ratnagiri Murugan Temple

The entrance Arched Gateway

The temple is picturesquely nestled atop a hill called Ratnagiri and a long flight of steps lead to the main sanctum. Many devotees,(especially locals), prefer to climb the steps to have a darshan of their favorite God. However there is also a well maintained roadway leading to the hill top. A spacious parking space ensures that one can park their vehicle safely.

The motorable road leading to the temple

The beauty of the temple tower (gopuram) is enhanced by aesthetically carved sculptures. We entered the temple premises and offered our worship to Lord Vinayaka first. Being Thai Krithigai, there was a heavy rush of devotees, but they were waiting for their chance to have darshan and offer worship in a very orderly queue. It took us more than 45 minutes to reach the sanctum sanctorum. 

The Notice board with the list of pujas and timings

A view of the artistic sculptures on the gopuram

There is a note displaying the various pujas and timings on the way to the sanctum. The main deity is Balamurugan (child Murugan) and the utsava murthi is Shanmugan (Murugan with six heads). The Lord gives darshan to his devotees along with his consorts Devayanai and Valli.  There is a beautiful golden chariot in which the Lord is carried out in procession for circumambulation of the shrine on festival days.

There is a separate exit point from where we come out after darshan and alight a few steps to leave the premises.

The exit point from the sanctum

We were told that the temple was originally a very simple one on top of the hill. It is an ancient temple and there is evidence of its existence prior to the 14^th century as the famous Tamil Saint Arunagirinadhar had mentioned Rathnagiri Murugan in his verses praising the Lord. Devotees of Lord Muruga believe that wherever there is a hill, their Lord will reside on it. Many of the famous Subramanya Swamy temples are on hill tops and Rathnagiri Balamurugan temple is one of them.

It is said that when a devotee went up the hill to worship Lord Muruga, he asked the priest to light camphor for deeparadhana.  The priest said that there was no camphor in the temple. The devotee then asked for at least an incense stick to be lit. But the priest did not have that also. The devotee was really saddened by the dire state of penury at this temple. He fainted. The priest and others tried to bring him to the foothills, by which time he had regained consciousness. He was spiritually awakened and took it upon himself to rebuild the temple to Lord Balamurugan and restore its glory. This significant event took place on 20^th March 1968, and the devotee was called Swami Balamurugan Adimai. The temple in its present grand form has been built by Swami Balamurugan Adimai with the help of the devotees.

The temple is open to devotees for darshan from 6.00 am to 1.00 pm and 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm.

Skanda Shashti is the most important festival, celebrated at the temple for six days. The Krithigai of every month sees large crowds as does the Shashtis and Pournamis. Panguni Uthiram, Navaratri and the enlightenment day of the Swami on 20^th March are also celebrated with great fervor.

 #Ratnagiri #Vellore #Balamurugan #Temple #TamilNadu #SkandaShashti #Krithigai

The Magnificent #Temple to Lord #Shiva at #Rameshwaram in #TamilNadu #templestories 5

      

Since ages, a journey to the temple city of Rameshwaram has been the starting point and culmination of the holy Kashi Yatra. Hindus believe that their life is incomplete without undertaking this Kashi-Rameshwaram Yatra at least once in a lifetime. We have done the yatra twice, but this time we went to Rameshwaram as part of our pilgrimage to some important temples in Tamil Nadu. We touched down at Madurai airport at around 11 am and proceeded directly to Rameshwaram in a cab. The four hour long drive via Ramanathapuram, to cover the distance of approximately 174 km. was made easy by the well maintained roads, except for a small patch where road widening work was in progress. We breezed through villages with intriguing names like Thangachimadam (home of younger sister) and Akkamadam (home of elder sister) and reached the Pamban Bridge, which connects the conch shaped island of Rameshwaram to mainland India. The beautiful sight of the bridge across the expansive blue waters of the sea drew our breath away, and we could not but stop to get down, savour the magnificent view and take photographs.

A view of the Pamban Railway bridge

Panoramic view of Pamban Island

On reaching the temple town, we were impatient to visit the magnificent Ramanathaswami temple, but the vadhyar (priest) advised us to visit the temple in the morning, after taking bath in the holy Agnitheertham and the 22 theerthams in the famous third prakaram of the temple. He also advised us to take a change of clothing as entrance into the main temple sanctum is not allowed in wet clothes.

Agnitheertham

At dawn, we were ready to take a dip in the Agnitheertham. The magical allure of the deep blue sea beckoned us to step into the clean shallow water and immerse ourselves. The taste of salt on our lips and the light burning sensation in our eyes reminded us that this holy water is not called Agnitheertham for nothing. An old man, who was taking a bath alongside, told us that Hanuman had dipped his burning tail in the sea after the epic Lankadahan and hence the burning sensation in our eyes. I don’t know how far this is true, but it seemed to be a logical explanation, and one which I had not heard of before. However, I have read somewhere that Lord Rama took a bath in the Agnitheertham to absolve himself of the sin of killing Ravana, who was a learned Brahmin. 
We then walked towards the temple in our wet attire which dried by the time we reached the temple premises. The priest had arranged for a guide, who bought the tickets and led us to the 22 theerthams in the prescribed chronological order starting with the Mahalakshmi theertam and ending with the Koditheertham. The guide was mentioning about the significance of each theertham but in the noise and crowd, I could fathom only a few. The Koditheertham is where the Lord Sri Krishna was redeemed of the sin of killing his uncle Kamsa.

Devotees doused in water walking along the corridor from one Theertham to another

We gave ourselves up to the pure joy of being doused with buckets of water from the theerthams one by one, which culminated in the Kodi theertham inside the temple. The water of the theerthams varies in taste, some sweet, some salty, some cold, some warm.  This is an exhilarating experience, definitely not to be missed by anyone who visits Rameshwaram. Apart from the 22 theerthams inside the temple, we heard that there are supposedly 31 theerthams in the vicinity of Rameshwaram, Navabhashanam in Ramanad and Dhanushkodi. Some of these are well maintained, whereas others are neglected.  

A view of the Gopuram from the corridor

The temple itself is a massive structure with a majestic gopuram, three prakarams or enclosures and a magnificent corridor believed to be the longest temple corridor in India. The visual impact of this famous third prakaram is extraordinary, appearing as though the pillars are progressively shorter and thicker, gently receding into the darkness.

The magnificent third prakaram

The Ramanathaswami temple is believed to be as old as the Ramayana. Legend goes that Rama was returning from Lanka with a heavy heart as he had vanquished Ravana, who was a great Shiva bhakt. To atone for this sin, he wanted to worship Lord Shiva. He requested Hanuman to bring a Shivaling from Kailas. But when the auspicious time arrived, there was no sign of Hanuman. So Sita made a Shivaling of sand from the seashore. As Rama was completing his worship of the Lord, Hanuman arrived with a Shivaling. Seeing the disappointment and sorrow on Hanuman’s face, Rama instructed that the Shivaling brought by Hanuman would be worshipped first. The Shivaling made by Sita is called Ramalingam or Ramanathaswami, the Lord of Rama. The Shivaling brought by Hanuman is called Vishwalingam, the Lord of the world. The practice of worshiping the Vishwalingam before Ramalingam is still followed.

Another story, again connected to Ramayana, says that Rama and his monkey army were trying to build the sethu (bridge) across the sea but failed every time, as the bridge they would construct during the day would be destroyed by Ravana and his men during the night. It was then that Rama was advised to worship a Shivalingam in the midst of the sea, as it was felt that Ravana being a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, he would not destroy a Shivaling. This is believed to have worked and Rama could build the sethu without any further hindrance. 
I have also heard of an interesting folk tale about Rama searching for a learned Brahmin to perform a yagna to worship Lord Shiva, but could not find one. Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, suggested that Rama send a message to Ravana as he was a learned Brahmin. It is said that Rama sent an invitation to Ravana and he not only accepted, but knowing that Rama could not perform the yagna without his wife, Ravana brought Sita Mata also along with him. After the yagna was performed when Rama and Sita sought his blessings, Ravana blessed Rama to be victorious and Sita to have a long married life. I don't know whether this is true or not, though.

As we enter the main sanctum we find a huge Nandi over 15 ft. in height, in a grilled enclosure. Ramalingam, made by Sita, is worshipped in the main sanctum as Ramanathaswami. To the left, there is a separate shrine to Parvathavardini, the consort of Ramanathaswami. The sanctum to Vishwalingam, brought by Hanuman, is to the right. Worship to Vishwanathaswami is offered first. There is a shrine to Goddess Vishalakshi also. Behind the main sanctum there is a shrine to Lord Vishnu as Sethu Madhava, the God of the Sethupatis, who ruled here. He is also considered the guardian of the Sethu. There is a separate shrine to Nataraja or the dancing Shiva, decorated with rudrakshams and surrounded by offerings of Naga images.

It is said that only a structure with a thatched roof existed over the sanctum for a long time until the 12^th century. Most of the pillars and designed structures were built by the Sethupati rulers of Ramanathapuram between the 12^th and 16^th centuries. The world famous third prakaram was built as recently as the 18^th century by Muthuramalinga Sethupati.  

Inscription describing the dimensions of the third prakaram built by Muthuramalinga Setupathi

We heard that renovation of the inner prakarams took place in the 20^th century and further work may be undertaken to finish construction of the unfinished North and South towers or gopurams.

The importance of the temple is enhanced by the fact that the shrine of Ramanathaswami is one of the 12 sacred Jyothirlingas. Apart from the usual special darshan and abhishek, we were fortunate to have a darshan of the Spatikalingam pooja conducted only early in the morning. Our minds purified and our souls satiated, we reluctantly left the temple premises, promising ourselves to make a visit again whenever possible.

Some important information: The temple is open from 5.00am to 1.00pm and 3.30pm to 9.00pm. The Spatikalingam pooja is held at 5.00 am daily. Special entry tickets of Rs. 50/- per person, are available for all the other poojas. There is a token fee for Ganga jal abhishekam, which is very important for people who are coming to Rameshwaram as a part of the Kashi Yatra. Ganga jal is also available at the temple for a charge of Rs. 50/- per litre. If you happen to visit on a Friday, you can see the procession of the Goddess Parvathavardini in a golden palanquin at around 7.00 pm.

The most important festivals are Shivaratri (Feb-March), the Thirukalyanam or wedding celebration of Lord Ramanathaswami with Goddess Parvathavardini in (July-August).

#Rameshwaram #Temple #Shivaratri #LordShiva #RameshwaramTemple #RameshwarKashiYatra, #GoddessParvatavardhini #worldfamous  #Ramanathaswami