Swami Vivekananda Ratha Yatra

As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, Rathayatras have been organised throughout the country since last year. The main objective of this Ratha Yatra is to instill in the people, especially the youth, noble ideas from the life and messages of Swami Vivekananda and thereby awaken and rejuvenate their spirit.  

In Tamilnadu too, the Ratha Yatra commenced its journey from Coimbatore in April 2013. After touring all the districts of Tamilnadu, the Ratha Yatra reached Chennai on 29-dec-2013 and various parts of Chennai were covered for the next eight days.  Totally a distance of more than 10,500 km was covered during the 280 days journey of Swamiji's Ratham to spread the message of Swamiji in Tamilnadu.

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama coordinated the entire Chennai city tour of the Ratham, in a very well planned and elaborate manner.

A dozen volunteers of our group accompanied the Rathams on 05-jan-2014, when the areas of Guindy, Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Kilakattalai and Velachery were covered.  The day's yatra was flagged off by Shri Sairam of G R N Builders at Guindy. 

To spread the messgaes of Swamiji, our volunteers distributed pamphlets, booklets and pocket calenders containing the noble ideas of Swamiji.  The reception was very good at all the places and the young and old participated enthusiastically to receive the Ratham and garland Swamiji. 

In Nanganallur area, the students of Modern School welcomed the Swamiji with vedic chants and they performed a skit depicting some of the events from Swamiji's life, interspersed with various songs in praise of Swami Vivekananda.

Vedic Chanting by students of Modern School

Students of Modern School, Nanganallur

A ceremonial Poorna Kumbha reception was give at Sri Ardhaneeswarar Temple at Nanganallur followed  by the chanting of Rudram, Chamakam and Sookthams from the Vedas by the local pandit.  

Shri Sairam addresses the public at Nanganallur

Thereafter a public meeting was held near the temple as a culmination of the days programme, which was well attended by the local residents.

Our Volunteers

Last Sunday (19-jan-2014), Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, T Nagar,  arranged for a small function to thank the organisers of the various localities and mementos were distributed to the participants.

அருள்மிகு குழந்தைவல்லி அம்மன் சமேத ஸ்ரீ கும்பேஸ்வரர் ஆலயம்

அருள்மிகு குழந்தைவல்லி அம்மன் சமேத ஸ்ரீ கும்பேஸ்வரர் ஆலயம்

அமைவிடம்:  சிற்றம்பாக்கம், கடம்பத்தூர் தாலுக்கா , திருவள்ளூர் மாவட்டம்

சென்னையில் இருந்து செல்லும் வழி : பூந்தமல்லியிலிருந்து பேரம்பாக்கம் வரை மாநகர பேருந்துகள் செல்கின்றன.  அங்கிருந்து சுமார் மூன்று கி.மீ தொலைவில் இத்திருக்கோவில் அமைந்துள்ளது.

உழவாரப்பணி நாள்: 22.12.2013.  

We had  written about this seventh century  temple in our  earlier  post of March 17, 2013 HERE   The local villagers, with great efforts,  have been able to complete a major portion of the renovation work and the Kumbabishegam is to be held within the next two months. 

We had offered our services for doing the painting and white washing work.  The first batch of volunteers reached Perambakkam on the previous night itself along with all the requisite materials.  The owners of Meenakshi Ramakrishnan Kalyana Mandapam at Peramabakkam were kind enough to accommodate  our team for the overnight stay there.  Other team members  came directly to the temple next morning to join the uzhavarappani.

The work of our volunteers is better depicted by the photos uploaded here.  Incidentally, a young and energetic lady reporter from the Tamil Spiritual Magazine--Sakthi Vikatan joined us to have a first hand account of our group's activities.  After interacting with various members of our team and taking photographs, she happily joined us in our painting work.

 What we have done is only the primary coat of painting.  We will again visit this temple a week before the Kumbabishegam to give a final  finishing touch.

The temple tank in need of renovation

An Appeal:  This temple has a beautiful tank, which is in a bad shape. For de-silting the tank and building strong bunds on all the four sides, the renovation committee is on the look out for donors.  Those who wish to participate in this Holy Kaingaryam are requested to contact any of the following renovation committee members:

1.  Shri Chengalvaraya Naidu - 94451 52916 
2. Shir Gajendra Naidu - 98845 41609
3. Shri Murugaiyan Mudaliar  - 044-2765 5233 
4. Shri Krishnan Mudaliar - 98435 25398  
5. Shri Udayakumar Mudaliar - 95781 40502

Contributions can also be directly sent to:
UCO Bank, Perambakkam 
SB Account No. 05170110021941 in the name of
SK SK Alaya Maiyam
IFSC Code: UCBA0000517

Additional Photos @ Chitrambakkam Uzhavarappani

நெமிலி புன்னாகேஸ்வரர் திருக்கோவில்

Kumbabishegam for this temple takes place today(09.12.2013), after a long gap of more than 50 years.  The Thiruppani Committee needs to be congratulated for their excellent work of roping in almost everybody in the village of Nemili and its surroundings and got them involved in the process of this long pending renovation work.

We had taken up the work of white-washing the compound walls and we did the first coat of  white-washing on 21.july 2013.  This is covered in our blog post of 22.08.2013 which can be seen here  @ புன்னாகேஸ்வரர் திருக்கோவில் , நெமிலி

 

To give a second coat and finishing touch to the compound walls, we were again at the place on 01.12.2013. Those of us who had reached on the previous day were accomodataed at Thirumati Dhanabakiyam Venu Thirumana Maaligai at Nemili.

Shri Karthikeyan of Nemili conducts free tuitions to school children from 4th std to 12th std along with Yoga. Dedicated teachers assist him in this endeavour for the past 4 years. Their students top in school exams. Some of these students joined us in our Uzhavaarapani.

Like the previous occasion, this time too, the rain god was in our favour.  Though the sky was overcast with dark clouds, there was no disruption in our work, while the entire city of Chennai and its suburbs were lashed by the cyclonic storm and gusty winds.

This toddler won the heart of everybody, by actively serving us during our lunch

Our friends who had been to Thiruvannamali for the Mahadeepam festival (Refer our previous post).  distributed to  all the participants அண்ணாமலையார் விபூதி பிரசாதம் & ருத்ராக்ஷம் .

Our team gave the finishing touch and packed up by 05.00pm with a great sense of satisfaction.

Click Here  to view additional pictures of Nemili Uzhavarappani

தீப மங்கள ஜோதி நமோ நம

Six of our volunteers working in Canara Bank were blessed with the opportunity of serving at the holy shrine Thiruvannamalai Temple for a week from 11-Nov-2013 to 17-Nov-2013, on the occasion of  Karthigai Mahadeepam.

Every year, the Thiruvannamalai Devasthanam provides the devotees with the facility of participating in the Karthigai Mahadeepam by way of their offering ghee for lighting the Holy Deepam atop the hill.  This is done through sale of ghee tickets in the denominations of Rs.50, Rs.100 & Rs.200( for 1/4th kg, 1/2 a kg & 1 kg of ghee respectively).  The sale of these tickets are done through Canara Bank, at special counters established for the purpose.

Sea of humanity adds colour to the festival

The entire town of Thiruvannamalai wears a festive look  and the devotees start coming in huge numbers.  During the first four days, our guys had the opportunity of working at the special entrance ticket counter and the Navagraha Deepam counter, besides handling the sale of ghee tickets.  Usually, the heavy rush is seen only during the last three days and as a result, the ghee counter gets shifted near the entrance during this period.



The temple authorities make a bulk order for ghee which is obtained in 15 kg tins directly from the Aavin Dairy in advance. The devotees who purchase these ghee tickets are allowed to add some camphor when  the ghee is weighed before them and  are repacked in tins.  This apart, the ghee separately brought by the devotees directly are also taken and poured into tins. The tins are again sealed and taken to the hill top for lighting the Maha Deepam

.

Ghee weighed in front of the devotees

Weighed ghee is re-packed

Tins are re-sealed

During the last three days, to meet the heavy rush, we opened our counters by 06.30am and we managed the show in shifts till 11.30pm in the night.  Especially on the 15th & 16th of  Nov., despite a heavy cyclonic storm lashing the town of Thiruvannamalai, the devotees came drenched to purchase the ghee tickets and patiently waited in the serpentine queue for this purpose. In between our shifts, we could snatch a few moments to take a few snaps for updating this blog post.
 

1000 metres of Gaada cloth- Wick for the Mahadeepam

The wick that is used in the Deepam is  new gaada cloth of 1000 metres.  This is provided by the family of Kandaswamy Mudaliar of Thiruvannamalai, who take it around the temple in procession  and hand it  over to the temple authorities  Along with the specially made big Kopparai (cauldron), all these are taken atop the hill by the members of Parvatha Raja Kulam, after the ceremonial  pooja at the temple.

Sealed Ghee tins are taken to the hill top

The Kaarthigai Maha Deepam in the evening  is preceeded by the Bharani Deepam celebrations, early in the morning at the Thiruvannamalai Temple.  A small portion of this Bharani Deepam fire is carried inside a container of baked earth to the summit of the mountain, where it is be used for lighting  the Maha Deepam in the evening.

In the meanwhile, preparations go on for the evening's climax. The Pancha Murthys are are brought out from the main shrine of the temple and housed in Vimanams in the 3rd prakaram of the temple, facing the flag staff and the Annamalai Hill. The last to arrive is Annamalaiyar who comes out of the second prakaram, dancing with his consort.

Ardhanareeswarar comes out dancing

The crowd waits to catch a glimpse of the  of Ardhanareeswarar, who comes out of the temple only once every year on this day and that too only for a few minutes. At the appointed time of 6.00pm,  Ardhanareeswarar is brought out in a gait by the bearers and a deeparadanai is offered to the Utsavar, and at this very instant, the Maha Deepam  on the hill is lighted amids the chanting of அண்ணாமலையாருக்கு அரோஹரா by the tens of thousands of devotees gathered inside the temple premises.  The crowd breaks into a cheer, yet retaining the order that was there when it was just beginning to assemble.

A few seconds after the Maha Deepam is lit---All devotees are turned towards the  peak with folded hands atop their heads  in prayer and chanting Annamalaiyarukku Arohara.  They  wait for the clouds to lift, so that they can have a Dharshan of the Maha Deepam.

The human mass gathered within and around the precincts of the temple, along with the residents of the town and neighboring towns catch sight of the flame atop the Annamalai hill, cherishing the age old belief that it is a representation of Shiva himself, who appeared in the form of a  mighty column of flame the origin of which  could not be deciphered by the other two of the Trinity namely Bhramma and Vishnu.

Keeping with tradition, the inner sanctum doors close, with the arrival of the deepam outside, and it is believed Annamalaiyaar is to be worshipped only as the Maha Deepam  beacon until the next morning when the shrine is reopened.   The residents of Thiruvannamalai also light deepams in their homes and start cooking food on that day only after witnessing and Maha Deepam. This year, there was a heavy cloud cover on top of the hills.  As a result. the Maha Deepam was visible from the eastern side only for the first few minutes on 17.11.2013.

 

Photo Courtesy: omarunachala.com

Photo Courtesy: omarunachala.com

 After eleven days of burning, the deepa kopparai is brought down from the hills and a ceremonial pooja offered.  A parihara pooja is also done at the temple since many devotees have climbed the Holy Hill which  is considered  as God Shiva Himself.   The burnt residue of the gaada cloth wick forms into a thick black paste. This black paste, after the ceremonial pooja at the temple on the day of Thiruvaadhirai festival,  is distributed to the devotees as a Prasad and the devotees consider this as a Raksha.

Click Here to view a few more images.

Thiruchotruthurai

அருள்மிகு ஸ்ரீ அன்னபூரணி அம்பிகா சமேத ஸ்ரீ ஒதனவனேஸ்வரர் திருக்கோவில் , திருச்சோற்றுத்துறை .

திருவையாறு சப்த ஸ்தான ஸ்தலங்கள் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் ஏழு இடங்களில் மூன்றாவது இடத்தில உள்ள திருத்தலம் இது.[மற்ற ஆறு இடங்கள் --திருவையாறு, திருப்பழனம், திருவேதிக்குடி,  திருக்கண்டியூர், திருப்பூந்துருத்தி மற்றும் திருநெய்தானம்  ஆகியவை].

திருமழப்பாடியில்  நந்தி தேவருக்கும் ஸ்ரீசாம்பிகைக்கும் கல்யாணம் நடந்தது.

திருவையாறைச் சேர்ந்த மாப்பிள்ளை நந்தி தேவருக்கும், திருமழப்பாடியைச் சேர்ந்த மணப்பெண் ஸ்ரீ சாம்பிகைக்கும்  நடந்த  கல்யாணத்திற்கு,

திருச்சோற்றுத்துறையிலிருந்து அன்னமும்,

திருக்கண்டியூரிலிருந்து  கண்டிகைகளும் ( ஆபரணங்களும்),

திருவேதிக்குடியிலிருந்து வேத பிராமணர்களும்,

திருபூந்துருத்தியிலிருந்து புஷ்பங்களும்,

திருநெய்தானத்திலிருந்து ஹோம திரவியங்களும்,

திருபழனத்திலிருந்து பழங்களும்,

சென்று விமர்சையாக திருமணம் நடந்தேறியது.

அதற்கு நன்றி சொல்லும் விதமாகத்தான் பஞ்சநதீஸ்வரர் சுவாமியும் தர்மசம்வர்தினி அம்பாளும் மாப்பிள்ளை பெண்ணோடும் இந்த ஊர்களுக்கு பல்லக்கில் சென்று நன்றி கூறுகின்றனர்.
 

 

திருச்சோற்றுத்துறை வரும் பல்லக்குகள் சுவாமி பிரகாரத்தை வலம் வர முடியாதவாறு புதர் மண்டியிருப்பதால் அவற்றை அகற்றி ஆறடி அகலத்திற்கு நடைபாதை  அமைத்து மேலும் பிரகாரத்தைச் சுற்றிலும் விஸ்தாரமாக உள்ள இடத்தில் நந்தவனம் அமைத்து அதைச் சுற்றி  வேலி போடவும் முடிவு செய்தோம். 

This temple has been in our consideration for quite a long time. We had wanted to clear the outer praharam of all the dense growth of vegetation and lay a pathway around the temple.  But the huge outlay involved made us to postpone our efforts for more than three years.  With Divine Grace,  financial and material  contributions from several devotees started pouring in that enabled us to complete a major portion of our work on Oct. 20, 2013.

Shri Kannan of Canara Bank, Thanjavur coordinated with  Shri Kannan, Computer Science Lecturer of Sastra University,  and engaged bulldozers to clear the bushes and create a pathway in the outer praharam.  The entire work was planned two months in advance.  Still, we had to encounter various delays in completing this clearing operation.

During the end of Sept.2013, a few of us visited a nursery in Uthandi, Chennai.  Under the guidance of Shri Ganesan, the Horticulturist of our team, we were able  to identify and order the flowering plants required for the temple. As the temple does not have a Rajagopuram and there are no gates at the entrance, we had arranged for grill gates to prevent entry of cattle.

 

Shri Mohan of Chennai was kind enough to make available at our disposal an Eicher Truck fully filled up with diesel along with a driver for two full days. The grill gates, fencing for the nandavanam area,   and all the equipment required for our work were  loaded in this truck  along with 1032 saplings of various flowering plants and sent in advance by Saturday (19.10.2013) afternoon itself.

On the night of Oct. 19, 2013, one group of volunteers numbering 70 boarded the Mannai Express at Egmore station.   We were joined by about 30 volunteers who had reached Tanjore directly by bus from various places.

The authorities of Kamala Subramaniam Matric Higher Secondary School were kind enough to provide us two buses as early as by 04.30 am  at Thanjavur railway station to  take us to Thiruchotruthurai temple and also to drop us back in the evening to board train for our return journey.

A separate area was marked for nandavanam and flowering plants like rose, arali, jasmine etc for use during pooja were planted.

Over all, we had created a 12 feet pathway around the second praharam for about 170 feet length  each on the southern side and the northern side and another 120 feet of the western rear side.  On both the sides of this pathway surrounding the wall of the second praharam, our volunteers dug out a trench of one foot depth , where the saplings were planted under the supervision  of Shri Ganesan.  The local children participated  with great enthusiasm and it was heartening to hear them say THIRUCHITRAMBALAM, with each planting of the saplings.   

We had also taken with us a motor pump in good working condition along with hose pipe for 100 metres length and the same was handed over to the temple trustees, to  help them in watering the plants. Shortly an overhead tank will also be constructed  for this purpose.

Final Touch to the entrance grill gate

We left Thiruchotruthurai after participating in the evening pooja.  praying for early construction of a Rajagopuram and a Kodimaram for the temple.  Strange are the ways of Lord Shiva.  We are sure that at the right moment He will get this done.

Varuna Baghavan too bestowed his benevolence on us.  The monsoon rains that lashed Thanjavur Dist during the previous two days had stopped when we reached Thanjavur.  The weather was very pleasant for the outdoor manual labour we had indulged in.  Only after we boarded the train for our return journey,  the rains started again and continued for the whole of next day. 

The tamil newspaper Maalai Malar - Trichy edition of 20.10.2013 covered our activities with a photo as well, quoting that the clearing of the bushes and creating a pathway around will enable the Utsavamoorthy to come around the second praharam after more than 200 years.

On Oct 26, we were delighted by  the information from the temple  that the saplings planted by us have started flowering and were used for the Pooja.  Again on Nov. 01, 2013,  Shri. Kannan of Thiruchotruthurai said that  after Pradhosha Pooja,  Pradhosha Nayagar was taken around the outer Praharam with Nadhaswaram, & Thavil vidhwans playing Mallari etc. They were ecstatic, since nobody had ever seen this happening before in their lifetime. This pathway around the outer praharam has been  cleared and leveled for the first time in nearly two centuries.

வாழ்க சீர் அடியாரெல்லாம்.  Looking back, three years ago, when we were discussing  this project, some of us were really doubtful if we could ever take up a mega work like this which required permission from the govt., huge financial outlay etc.  The sheer magnitude of the project made us a bit nervous. A week before we started on our journey, our group's coordinator decided to send a mail to all our contacts mentioning: "திருவோடு ஏந்திய இறைவனுக்காக நாங்களும்  திருவோடு ஏந்தி  விண்ணப்பிக்கிறோம்", since our project cost was exceeding  three lakhs and we were running short of funds.  Now that we have completed it, all we can say is that   this could not have happened without the Divine Grace, that has been guiding us throughout.    In the process, quite a number of philanthropists have helped us with money and material to complete this work. We record here  their timely contributions with a deep sense of gratitude.  We thank each and every one of them personally. 

காவினை இட்டும் குளம்பல தொட்டும் கனிமனத்தால்
ஏவினையால் எயில் மூன்று எரித்தீர் என்று இருபொழுதும்
பூவினைக் கொய்து மலரடி போற்றுதும் நாம் அடியோம்
தீவினை வந்து எமைத் தீண்டப்பெறா திருநீலகண்டம்

---- சம்பந்தர்

For more information about the greatness of this temple, please click on the following links:

 1.  Shaivam.org    2.   Dinamalar

Click Here   to see the images of the old outer praharam

To view additional photos of our work  Click Here