JOIN US TO VISIT TEMPLES IN CHEYUR AND ENROUTE.....

Our AALAYA DHARSHAN group of 17 members - age ranging upto about 90 years o performed this one day tour on 12th june 2010 from 0600 HRS TO 2000 hrs This tour diary gives you a rough idea of time taken and distance covered detailing what we saw, where and how significant was it. We occupied our seats in the usual Mahindra Tour van of our regular driver Kuppuswamy. His son Manikandan was the driver well trained to safely transport us to our full satisfaction. Mention should be made of course of the delicious food items usually supplied by our neighbor and best friend Mr PP Balaji and his family, who takes good care to supply the best they can at the most modest rate possible. We therefore carried enough idly, sambar, Puliyodharai, chips and Curdrice with mango pickles along with their delicious short –eats, to feed us throughout the journey covering about 600kms. 1. 0600 left from Thirumal Marugan temple as is our practice after prayers 2. 0815 After the main bus stop we took the inner road to take us to Kothandaramar temple. It was pleasant to have His darshan on this Saturday morning. Adjacent to the main sannidhi is the sannidhi of Anjaneyar, which bears the rare name “ SANI BAGHAVANAI ADAKKIYA ANJANEYAR” . Anjaneyar steps on Sani baghavan in the sanctum sanctorum and I learnt a small story here which is narrated below Like anyone else, once Anjaneyar too was subject to Sani bhaghavan’s 7 ½ year governance, but Anjaneyar had the power to postpone it at His option and asked Sani baghavan to come to Him when asked as Anjaneyar was busy in rendering service to Rama in tracing Seetha and for the Ravana Yudhdham. When Rama and Lakshmana were spell bound by the powerful asthram of Indrajit rendering both in trance to death, there was none but Anjaneya to fetch the Sanjeevi herb at the instance of Jambavan. On his way in search of the herb, suddenly Anjaneya realized all these troubles were because of His postponing the Sani bhagavan’s governance. He immediately prayed to Sani bhaghavan and offered to be subjected to the spell. Hence, Sani bhagavan too applied his holding power on Anjaneya when the latter was returning back to the battle field with the Sanjeevi parvatham itself. Sani bhaghavan could not bear the weight of both Anjaneya as well as the sanjeevi mountain and so requested Anjaneya’s permission to drop out. But Anjaneya would not agree to defer the due any further. He caught hold of Sani bhaghavan for the entire remaining period retaining him with Him under his foot. Is not this story strange and something unheard of? Go and see the Anjaneya idol yourself at Chengalpattu 0900 hrs. we reached the adjacent village floating on the road with green paddy fields on either side, named PON PADHIR KOODAM. This small village with a few huts here and there, has an old Chola built temple for CHATHUR BHUJA RAMAR. The sannidhi was too dark to see anything inside with powercut. But we managed to see the idol of Lord Rama. Such excellent ancient temples remain under lock and key because there is no visitor and so no one to attend you . We went to the nearby Madappalli incharge’s house, brought him with the keys and managed to have dharshan of the lord. We took our break fast here and had coffee prepared by the Madappalli in charge at his palatial old house with him as the lone occupant when we were there. 0930 hrs we reached the next famous village PON VILAINDHA KALATHUR - Here there are two vaishnavite temples each by the side of the other. Sri Lakshminarasimhar temple and Sri Kothandaramar temple. Ramar is at the entrance as a huge stone idol with Seetha and Lakshmana. He is swayambu they say, and there is no peetam for Him and his feet rest on the floor. A very impressive idol as this Ramar I am yet to see elsewhere. • Before the temples close in the fore noon we had to rush next to Arasarkoil, a village on the banks of River Palar lyng between Bhudhur and Padalam. This temple is located some 15 km from Chengalpet • • Mother Sundara Maha Lakshmi is the Mother of all wealth and treasures. This form of the Mother is Aadhi Moola Lakshmi – the root form of all 64 Lakshmi avatars (each one governing one of the 64 forms of wealth, well being and prosperity). A true prosperity is not just the bank balance but the blessings with all the 64 aishwaryas • This is a Kubera Sampath Shakti Temple and Mother Sundara MahaLakshmi brims with billions of Kubera Shaktis, Aishwarya Shaktis, Sukra shaktis, treasure shaktis and prosperity shaktis. • Mother Sundara Mahalakshmi sports six toes in Her right leg. Six is Sukra’s number and Mother Lakshmi is Sukra’s Divine Controller, i.e., She controls Shukra’s power to bestow prosperity. • Shukra worships at this shrine every Friday without fail. What form he might assume is beyond human comprehension, but he is one of the visitors to this shrine every Friday. • This is a perfect shrine for propitiating the navagrahas. Each of the nine Navagraha lords and their consorts worshipped Mother Sundara Mahalakshmi at this shrine in nine different Lakshmi forms. • Make it a point to worship Mother Sundara Mahalakshmi at this temple on Varalakshmi Vrata days and Fridays, particularly those Fridays that occur in the months of Aadi (July 15 – August 15) and Thai (January 15 – February 15) and especially during Sukra hora. We were just mesmerised by the beauty of the Sundara Mahalakshmi with the ‘chubby cheeks’ like a baby. Especially, sitting in the Padmasana Lotus posture with both hands in abhaya hastham, the real meaning of ‘Sundaram – the beauty’ has been understood. She was matched by a beautiful and sincere alankaram as well. I thought it was a special day but the Bhattar told us it was just a normal day alankaram only. The young bhattar named Kannan described the legend and the secret/ sacred facts of Sundara Mahalakshmi with authority and much devotion as if She is his breath. The whole village is behind this temple now wanting to bring it up to a good shape at the earliest. The stone walls of the temple are in very good shape and can be repaired / patched up at a minimal cost but a group is trying all means to demolish all the stone walls completely and reconstruct from the scratch, for obvious reasons. I was in tears to see Sri Kamala Varadharaja Perumal lying under the heap of paddy grains in a room Shrine of Sundara Mahalakshmi Perumal sanctum Front mandapam of the Perumal shrine with the shrine of Sundara Mahalakshmi at the background This is the place where original sanctum of Perumal stood. The ancient stone construction has been ruthlessly dismantled to construct the ultra modern sanctum but is lying half-baked at this stage for a long time now. This village has a very very ancient vaishnavite temple named KAMALA VARADHARAJAR TEMPLE. This is a Abhimaana sthalam and houses a separate sannidhi for the thayar named SUNDARA MAHALAKSHMI. This ancient temple under the control of Hindu Religious Endowment of Tamilnadu Govt is receiving very poor attention by them like anywhere else. The local interested devotees are endeavouring to perform renovation and Kumbabishekam for the sannidhis. The temple has excellent architecture explained to us by the priest Kannan. We waited for him upto 1330 hrs and got every interesting sculpture explained by him in detail. The Thayar, Sundara Mahalakshmi has six fingers as can be clearly seen in the idol, and is a very imposing enchanting sculpture. She is seated on various peetams with Sukran prominent, and many rishis and saints visit this temple in the earliest wee hours, at Sukra horai, and the priest Kannan Bhattachariar predicts and utters suddenly some “vaakku” that I am the leader of the troup. I never knew him before and all our tour members were flabbergasted. At 2 15 pm if any one can dream of visiting any temple for a dharsan it should be next to impossibility. However, we were lucky to have the dharshan of Lord Kandaswamy at Cheyur thanks to the Gurukkal residing next to the temple. Lord Murugan with Valli and Devanai is a feast to the eyes with full alankaram that day. That was the first saiva temple visited that Saturday. The Gurukkal also helped us to locate a comfortable place for having our lunch of Puliyodharai and Curd rice. There is a Srinivasa temple nearby and we had dharshan there also. We originally planned to visit a dilapidated fort, at Alamparai, but decided against the idea, as many of the elderly members of the group felt we can as well proceed to the next temple at Vittalapuram. 1700 hrs. We visited Vittalapuram Pandurangan Temple and were in time for the priest to open the gate. This temple was built by a lieutenant of Emperor Krishna Deva Raya of Mysore, named Kondama raya, was posted in this region as local commander. He was an ardent baktha of Panduranga. He built a temple in the same style as was in Mysore then, and installed a Panduranga idol of same size and features. This temple had been dilapidated and luckily renovated now. Not many are aware of the existence of this temple those who visit this temple are lucky and certainly be guaranteed of peace of mind and an inexplicable joy. Time was running out and we planned to return home before 8.30 pm and so moved next to Thalasayana temple a Divya desam Mahabalipuram. Lord Ranganatha is a huge idol with sridevi and boodhevi, markandeyar and Brahma in this temple of Pallava period. Saint Thirumangai Alwar has sung many hymns in praise of the Lord here and has mangalasasanam done. This temple is close to the great architectural beauty of the Pallava rock cut temples, and engravings. You will see the taken of these temples in the album attavched with this mail and can have a better view as the writer is incapable of expressing all his feelings and emotions effectively in this short write up. You will hardly believe that we covered all these temples, had snacks, coffee, food etc., costing not more than Rs 315 per head. That is the secret of togetherness, cooperation and true association of likeminded friends joining a tour. Tks brgds. J.K.SIVAN