My pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu

My pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu

By

P.R.Ramachander

I returned today   after very small annual pilgrimage to certain temples  in Tamil nadu,The temples I visited are

   

1.Vaitheeswaran Koil 

WE were  about 45 years back young parents for a son and daughter   and were  living in Rajamundry..Both our children were very often sick and were really perplexed   as to what do. One day one of senior collegue Dr.Krishna murthy visited us and when we   told ablut our problem, he told us to take one time food (home prepared only) on all  Tuesdays and Meditate on lOrd Vaidhyanatha  of Vaitheeswaran koil and go to the temple  whenever it was possible for us. We both started observing that Vritha on Tuesdays. As if it was a  miracle  our children  became healthy   and we could visit that temple only 28 years back, When we told about it to our father  , he told us that  we had migrated to Pudhukode from Vaitheswarankoil and the god there was our  Kula deivam.  From that time we have been making an annual pilgrimage to Vaitheswaran koil and do Abhishelams to  the Lord and Goddess  Balambika. The   Tuesday vritham has become a habit for us and it helped us  in keeping our children and grand children healthy,On 12^th we went to   Vaitheswaran koil.

2.Seerkazhi

     It is the famous temple where  Goddess Parvathi gave milk to the Baby Sambandar and which made   Adhi Sankara  write requesting her to   give him the remaining milk.  The  main God is Brahma pureeswarar but by climbing sixty steps inside the temple, You can see  God sattainatar  (CHattanadhan is a verypopular name in certain villages of Palghat) .Devotees believe That when Lord  Narasimha became uncontrollably angry Lord Shiva   quelled his anger by taking the form of Sattainadhar    

are old , we did not attempt to climb the 60 steps.When we told the priest that we were coming from Vaitheeswaran koil , he jocularly said it was the temple of Shiva, the  gazetted officer and Sirkazhi was a temple of Shiva the NGO .

2.Thirukadayur

   My mother’s name is Abhirami  and it is the name of my daughter also.It is a rare name for Palakkad  Brahmins.  WE have been visiting the  Abuhirami temple of Thirukadayur for the past 20  years. When we first the  temple had only very few pilgrims and we were able to get Sahasra Namarchana   done without any difficulty. Nowadays   it has become a ver crowded temple with hundreds of Sashti abdha poorthis and sathabhishekms  carried out simultaneously  . So we just visited the temple and Prayed the Goddess  .I have another special reason to go there. After we visited the temple first  I translated  Abhirami Andathi  in to an english andathi(the last word  of a verse becoming first word of next verse) ,To my knowledge, there are no other andathis  in english. I could do this only due to the blessings of Goddess  Abhirami.

3.kOtthanur  Saraswathi temple.

    We happened to visit this great but small  temple  a few years back,  I have translated a great prayer on this goddess  by Sme Saundara Kailasam. Whenever we visit the temple   we do purchase large number of pens and note books and pen and get it kept before the goddess   and worshipped. Then we distribute these to the children we know.Many of them have told us that  they score higher marks if they write the exams with that pen

4. Lalithambika temple of Thirumeeyachur

   We visited this temple last year and we both read Lalitha Sahasranamam   in front of her. You may be surprised to know that I used to read Lalitha Sahasranamam    even at the age of 17. We were thrilled to know that   Lord Hayagreeva taught  Lalitha Sahasranama to sage Markandeya    at this temple.  Normally the temple is deserted  but day before yesterday being Adi poram there was a little crowd.

5.Nithya Sundareswawarar temple ,

    Since we were  staying in BHEL quarters  and wanted to visit a great temple ,My sister in laws son took us to this great temple, which is deep in side series of villages near Thoovakudi village  In this temple  the Siva lings is not in the centre of Garbha Graha but towards  the right. Devotees believe that he has given place to Goddess  there and though there is no idol, Goddess  is present there. Arunagiri Nadhar has sung a Thirupugazh  on the Muruga in this temple. The Murugan devotees in large numbers assemble there  on second Sundays  of every month and sing THirupugazh,Saint Sambandar   has sung a Pathigam called  “Idal kalayum pathigam –the pathigam which removes  difficulties.(you can get  more information about this temple as well as get the text of this great Pathigam in  http://www.shivatemples.com/sofct/sct008.php ).There  is a well called Agatheeswarar  theertham in side the temple. It seems it never dries. (If Vaidhyanatha swmy is gazetted , Sattanadhar is  non Gazetted, Bithyasundarar appears to be a poor clerk)

    After  this  satisfying pilgrimage we   returned back to our home in Bangalore  )