Spiritual Diary: Chapter 31

After the conclusion of the mourning period for my departed aunt, my friend and I embarked on a six day pilgrimage that was intended to cover many temples in and around Madurai and Tirunelvelli.

We started off first, with a visit to Palani.

This magnificent abode of Lord Muruga sits on top of a hill and is perhaps the most venered among all the Aru Padai Veedus or literally, houses of Skanda.

A short haul by winch brought us to the top of the hill. We proceeded directly to the shrine of Bhogar, a famous ascetic/ siddha who was an ardent devotee of Muruga. His samadhi is djacent to the shrine and is considered a Jeeva ( living) samadhi as these sidhas possessed miraculous powers and were adept at kriya yoga that confers immortality to the fortunate few!

Indeed Bhogar is supposed to have lived for thousands of years , having perfected the art of transmigration into various bodies. He is believed to have travelled to various parts of the world like Egypt, Rome, China, Central America; made many scientefic discoveries and inventions like the first airplane, etc. It is believed he was a master of medicine as well.. Bhogar was an expert in combining herbs and poisons to find cures for an array of common ailments. He is largely attributed to have fashioned the existing stone idol of Muruga in the sanctum. This image has been made from an amalgam of substances and is believed to possess healing powers. The milk and Sandalwood ablutions to the main deity are greatly valued as they are believed to cure many diseases.

The shrine of Bhogar was in a small room. The figurines of the deities he had worshipped have been preserved carefully along with the yantra for each deity. On the day we visited, the priest informed us that the daily flower supply to this shrine had not yet been delivered. This was significant since we could see the powerful yantras clearly, without the camouflage of flowers. The Ganapathi , Bhuvaneswari and Murugan yantras are believed to be so potent that ordinary visitors are normally , not allowed to get a glimpse of them.

We were indeed lucky.

I sat for a while in meditation at this hallowed spot and prayed to Bhogar to guide me on my path.

Later, we entered the main sannidhi.

I was fortunate to get a seat on the threshold of the inner sanctum. The daily ablution ceremony started and I watched, mesmerised.

Later, while the idol was being decorated, a priest ( Odhuvaar) stood nearby reciting verses from the Thirumurugattrupadai. I closed my eyes and listened to this fervent prayer. “Help me, Muruga”, I beseeched. “I don’t want anything in this world but for you to be by my side”.

It was as if he heard my prayer. I slowly lost complete conciousness of my body as I sat there right on his doorstep. I was brought back to earth and life when the curtain in front swung open to a chorus of “Aro Hara- VetriVel Muruganikku”.

We left Pazhani , exhilarated by the darshan. On the way back to Madurai there was a quick stop at Tiru Avinankudi, another famous temple dedicated to Muruga and glorified by ancient poets like Nakkirar.

Yet another temple housing Kuzhandai Vadivelan merited a quick stop over and then we headed back.

Later that evening, we had an opportunity to visit Tirupurankundram , another abode of Muruga where he is believed to have married one of his consorts- the heavenly maiden Deivayanai.

This was followed by a stop at another Jeeva Samadhi . This was a small shrine venerating the saint, Kuzhandai Ananda Swamigal. This powerful, yet little known shrine is tucked away amidst the crowded shops and markets of Madurai.

Yet, entering inside, one can get a feeling of total tranquility. This Saint was an ardent devotee of Madurai Meenakshi and Lord Murugan. Many were the miracles he accomplished during his life time. A Sri Vidya Upasaka of the highest order, there is a separate shrine here housing the Sri Chakra Yantra that the Swami had used.

We rounded off our pilgrimage on the first day by a visit to the Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Despite the crowds, we were able to get a darshan of this benign goddess before retiring to the hotel for the night.

The following day started off with a visit to the Vaishnavaite temple at Sri Villi Puttur famous for the poetess- saint Andaal.

Sri Villiputtur is perhaps one of the most important among the 108 Divya Desams for Lord Vishnu.

This was the birth place of Andal and her foster- father, Periazhwaar, a great Vaishnavaite Saint.

The story here is that Periazhwaar was worshipping his Lord as Vatapathrasayee ( Lord in a reclining pose) at this hallowed place when, one day, he found a little child in the garden he maintained.

With great joy and delight, Periazhwar brought up Kothai, as he called her. Every day, flowers from Periazwar’s garden were used to make the flower garland for the Lord. Kodai, was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and extremely devout from an early age. She used to fashion beautiful flower garlands and then try them on herself, before sending them to the Lord. Attaining the supreme God- head was Kodai’s only desire in this world and it was her intense desire to ‘marry” or unite with supreme truth or reality.

One day, a strand of hair found in the flower garland incensed Kodai’s father and he soon discovered kodai’s customary practice of wearing the garland before sending it to the temple.

He forbade her to make any more garlands.

However, Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream and stated that it was Kodai’s galands he preferred!.

After this episode, KODAI was called Andal ( one who has conquered the Lord through love and devotion) or Choodi Kodutha Nachiyar- ( maker of flower garlands_)

Andal is credited with composing many soul- stirring devotional works in praise of he Lord- Tiruppavai, Vaaranam Aayirm and Nachiyar Thirumozhi, the latter dealing with the passion felt by a young girl wishing to get married to Lord Vishnu.

The legend is that She finally entered the sanctum of Sri Rangam on an appointed day and disappeared into it!

The temple at Sri Villi Puttur is magnificent with sculptures, frescoes and paintings dating back to the Nayak period.

What struck me as most impressive is a huge hall in front of the sanctum of the Lord Vatapatrasayee, panelled entirely in wood with intricate carvings and paintings depicting various incidents in the Ramayana and Bhagavatam.

The temple Of Andal is especially beautiful and she is seen in all her splendour alongside her Lord with Garudan, the sacred mount standing respectfully with them.

Shankara Narayanar Temple was our next stop. This temple also over a thousand years old and is famous especially because it celebrates the unity of Shiva and Vishnu.

Here, Lord Hari Hara is worshipped in a single image; Lord Shiva on the right and Vishnu on the left holding aloft in their hands, the respective symbols, the trident and discus. Lord Shiva is also present as Shankara Lingam in a separate sanctum, while his consort Gomathi Amman has her own imposing, sannidhi.

Situated on the banks of the river Tambiraparani, this ancient and enormous temple is a magnificent complex of vast corridors and open spaces.

There is a local belief that the snake-pits here are divine and eating the “puttru marunthu” or the mud from these snake- hills is supposed to cure a person of psychological, mental and physical ailments.

We wandered through the seemingly, never- ending corridors visiting the various shrines and marvelling at the sculptures. The image of Ambal was singularly beautiful. I sat for a while in a sacred spot directly in front of the goddess. A Sri Chakra is supposed to be present here, embedded in the ground. I closed my eyes and fervently prayed for the great mother’s protection.

We were soon speeding off in the direction of Tirunelvelli, a sleepy town in the deep south of Tamil Nadu.

After a short break for a rather late lunch, we proceeded to the famous sea-shore temple for Murugan at Tiruchendur.

I could scarcely believe my luck. Since the previous day, I had already visited two of the Aru Padai Veedus. This was the third temple for Skanda that I was destined to go to.

An Abhisekham for the lord had been arranged here.

We reached the serene and peaceful abode of Skanda around 5 p.m. in the evening. The temple is located right on the sea shore and the evening breeze wafted gently as we waded in the waves to wash our feet.

As we entered inside, I noticed that a puja of Lights/ Deepams was going on in a huge hall in the first enclosure. It was rather beautiful to see two long rows of lighted lamps with women seated in front of them offering sacred chants. For a long time, I sat and listened to the prayers, resounding in this long and narrow corridor. Then, we went inside the main sanctum.

To my great delight and surprise, the priest who was escorting us came up to me with a huge pot of milk. He requested me to carry it into the inner sanctum and to be the first person to start off the abhishekam ritual for the Lord.

I was quite stunned! There I was carrying this enormous milk-pot, accompanied by the musicians playing nathaswaram, proceeding directly and regally up to the main sanctum!

It was as though Murugan was welcoming me back in style to visit him.

The hour that followed is one time that I shall cherish for the rest of my life.

I was seated right on Muruga’s doortstep, and, the ritual abhisekham started.

Accompanied by the chants of Rudram, the stone image of Senthil Andavar was bathed with a variety of liquids; milk, honey, sandal paste, panchamritam, a nectar made from fruits, etc.

I sat, scarcely moving, almost rooted to the spot devouring the scene in front of me. Behind me , a lot of other families who had also paid to see the abhisekham were seated. It was crowded outside the sanctum and inside the inner sanctum which was a very small cave-like room with a low ceiling, about 20 priests were shouting the rudram at the top of their voices, their torsos completely drenched with sweat!

An hour later, the image was decorated and, as the alankara deepam was shown, I sincerely thanked the Lord for giving me such a glorious darshan.

Tiruchendur temple is the only one of Muruga’s abodes that is not located on top of a hill. This was the staging ground for the battle between the young warrior god and the demon Surapadman. However, following the defeat of the demon, Murugan prays to his father, Shiva.

In fact, directly behind the sanctum ( which is formed out of a cave in the cliffs), is a small passageway leading into a small, airless chamber. Here, there are five Shiva lingas. The only source of light comes from a hole in the roof and a solitary ray of fading sunlight gently illumined this most sacred spot!

As we emerged from inside, we noticed that the temple chariot was being taken around the temple and I had the opportunity to join along with the crowd and pull this “ratham” (chariot) for a short distance. The final arathi was done to the Utsava Murthis on the top of the chariot and then we departed Tiruchendur.

This was a visit I shall always cherish.

Murugan had asked me to finish his painting and when I did, He had rewarded me with the most exhilarating darshan!!

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 30

It was my intention to carry on my pilgrimage and visit as many temples as I possibly could during the remainder of my stay in India.

However, on the full moon day of March 4^th, 2007 , I decided to re visit Nemili to attend the monthly pournami puja. This time my friend accompanied me as well.

The little house was full of people when we arrived by 9 a.m. in the morning. Inside, the ablutions ( abhishekams) to this little deity had just started. I sat there in total peace drawing an inordinate amount of strength from just witnessing the whole sequence of events. Bhajans and songs on Baala were sung and the atmosphere was truly tranquil. I closed my eyes to savour the moment when a few messages seemed to flash through my mind in rapid succession. It was as though Bala was striking up a dialogue with me. “ You will tell Ezhilmani to build a huge hall oposite my house. I want you to bring all your paintings and give it to me. They will be exhibited in the new building which shall be constructed on two floors”.

My head reeled. Was I hearing things again? I leaned over to my friend and told her quickly what had just happened. How was it possible to go up to Ezhilmani and ask him to construct a building? That might be considered too presumptious. After all, these devout people had served Bala all their lives. I was barely a new comer.

All these thoughts made me hesitate. However, my friend suggested that I could ask Ezhilmani or his nephew, Murali, whether they owned any land close to the temple. That might be a possible starting point for this conversation.

In addition, there was another question I was longing to ask the priest. On my previous visit to Nemili, I had purchased a CD that had been just released. Usually, the songs composed at the Bala peetam were solely about her. However, in this CD, I found a song dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba.

In fact, when I was involved in painting Shirdi Baba the previous year, I had frequently questioned myself why I was being drawn almost like a magnet to worshipping this great saint. After all, vedanta teaches us that worship of all the different Gods represents mere Saguna ( external) form of worship and one has to transcend this mode of veneration of a God endowed with attributes, to an awareness of the Nirguna aspect , in order to progress spiritually and realise the divine nature of one’s real self.

Although, I had finished several paintings of various Shaivaite and Vaishnavaite deities, ever since I reconnected with Baala in 2006, I considered all the Gods to be just an aspect of this great Goddess. Somehow, I could not make the great mental leap to recognising that Supreme awareness or Conciousness that is beyond space and Time and possesess no limiting attributes. Devotion or bhakthi seemed to bring me closer to a familiar Goddess. It was here, that I was stuck in my spiritual path.

Hence, I needed to find out the connection between Sai Baba and Nemili Bala.

Rather hesitantly I approached Ezhilmani. First, I asked him why the song on Shirdi Baba had been included in the Cd.

His reply was swift and took me by surprise. He said “ There is no difference between Baala and Shirdi Sai Baba. “He and I are one”- She has said this in an Arul Vakku”. He smiled.

I realised then that this child goddess was indeed guiding me at every step on my spiritual path!

So, with a bit more confidence, now I asked Ezhilmani if he or his family owned any land directly in front of the peetam.

His answer, was of course, no great surprise “ Yes, my son owns a small plot immediately across from the temple”.

“Are you planning on building something like a hall here”, I found myself asking.

The reply, “Why only this past week our family has been discussing proposals to build a two- story structure on that plot. However, nothing has been decided. We are waiting for Baala to give her permission- uthiravu”

I thought I would faint!

Quickly I filled him on the details and the commands given to me.

Murali took me outside to view the plot of land and soon after I departed after promising Ezhilmani that I would keep in touch with them regarding the project. My intention was to help financially, if Bala allowed me to!

In the week following, I made plans to go on another pilgrimage. This time I wanted to start with a visit to Pazhani, the famous abode of Muruga, that I had yet to see among all his six sacred places of worship. However, during this time an elderly aunt died and I decided to postpone the trip until the funeral rites and ceremonies including the mandatory mourning period got over.

Also, one day I got a command from the warrior god. “Complete a painting of me before you visit me”.

That was the message. It did not come while I was sleeping. Instead, the command was a flash of thought during my daily prayers.

In fact, all my visions and dreams had stopped completely by now. They had slowly decreased in frequency over the past two years. The only change was that I was receiving silent messages during my prayer. I could hear Bala talk, Lord Murugan give me an instruction and when I visited temples, I could hear the Gods and Godesses commune to me. They were not just idols or statues. Instead, their power was extremely accessible!

I had not discussed this with anyone except Ezhilmani. He simply smiled and repeated that Bala had accepted me as family!

I visited Swami Paramartha, in Chennai, one day without calling him up first or fixing an appointment as is usually the norm. I was getting disturbed by these mental messages and needed help from a learned saint/ Guru.

The day I walked into his private apartment, Paramartha was all alone and readily agreed to chat with me.

In fact, he enquired if I had experienced any visions lately. I quickly filled him on my situation and asked him to just be there, mentally for me as a guide. I also wanted his help in removing all that remained of my “ego” or “ahamkara”.

I did not want to feel I was in any way “different” from anyone else.

Paramartha looked at me , smiled and said “You don’t have the ego problem. I’m with you- Always, Always, Always”.

He repeated this statement three times and then I left.

In the days that followed, I started a painting of Lord MURUGAN. I depicted him seated on a rock , smiling majestically, while his mount, a peacock, played near his feet.

During this period, the only hymns I listened to were those pertaining to this great Lord. He was there in my waking as well as sleeping state. That is to say, there seemed no difference between the painting and myself since it was a mere reflection of my inner self- which was Lord Muruga, at that time.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 29

My husband and I landed in Chennai on February 4^th, 2007. The very first thing I did was to give my pictures for framing. Somehow, taking this new Baala painting and the smaller painting of the Sri Chakra to Nemili was the most important task ahead of me.

On the final Friday in the auspicious tamil month of Thai,( February 9^th, 2007),my husband, myself and an aunt of mine went to Nemili to hand over the paintings.

My husband was a reluctant recruit on this trip. Until the previous day, it wasn’t really clear if he would accompany us. However, it was Baala’s desire and he was merely summoned to visit her.

I explained briefly to Ezhilmani the reason for this photo copy and the events that had come to pass while working on it. He merely smiled and positioned the painting on the side-wall . I continued with my narration and said that the original was meant for the Raja Rajeshwari Peetam. Ezhilmani’s reply surprised me “Why Amma, I have just returned from Vizag where a huge temple Kumbabishekam took place. This is Haran Aiya’s Guru’s temple. I met him and his Guru and have told him about you . Do go to Rochester, but call first as Haran is a very busy man”.

Ezhilmani lit the camphor on a plate and reverently showed it in front of little Baala in her Peetam first and then to the paintings I had given. The flame lingered near her eyes and then her right foot!

We went up to receive the kumkum prasadam. I received the prasadam in my cupped right hand. However, when my husband came up, Ezhilmani placed the prasadam at the feet of Baala and then applied it directly on his forehead. I felt this was a significant moment implying that Baala’s grace would definitely be with him.

I moved away to the book stall for a few minutes with the intention of buying a few newly released CD’S. I had just about finished my purchase when my aunt nudged me urgently. As I turned arount, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a green skirt, more like a whirl of colours disappearing in front of me.

I looked at my aunt questioningly.

She said “I wanted you to see this very, captivating, small child who just walked in. She moved purposefully to the center of the peetam, took the prasadam left on the tray there, and even as I was going to ask her who she was, she ran away without uttering a word with just a small smile on her lips. I wanted you to see this child because she looked so enchanting but you were busy buying the cassettes. You just missed her”!

Of course, it had been Baala and my Aunt had been honoured with her darshan!! I felt happy for my aunt because she is a pious lady and I had brought her with me just so she could receive Baala’s blessings! I remembered reading in Ezhilmani’s book that Baala often enters her own peetam in human form either as a child, an old woman or in the guise of a dog!

Back in Chennai, my husband suddenly seemed interested in visiting a few temples. I suggested a short two day trip to visit Madurai Meenakshi Amman ( since she was the family deity) as well as Rameshwaram. Both these temples are world reknowned for architectural splendour and appealed even to non- religious tourists.

On Friday, February 16^th, we left for Madurai by the early morning flight and proceeded to the temple immediately. We were treated to an extended darshan of the Goddess and witnessed her glowing splendour as she was worshipped by myriad of lights- “Alankaara Deepam”.

After a short tour around the ancient temple precincts admiring the statues and sculptures in the 1,000 pillared hall and “listening” to the sounds produced by the musical pillars, we left Madurai on our journey to the holy city of Rameshwaram.

It seemed incredibly fortuitous that we would be reaching the most famous abode of Shiva on perhaps the only day in the whole year that is extremely auspicious—Shiva Rathri.

However, on the way to Rameshwaram, we stopped off to visit a few temples associated with the legend of Ramayana.

The first of these was Devipattinam. The story is that as Rama was on his way to Sri Lanka to fight with the demon Ravana and reclaim Sita, Devi appeared in his dream and asked him to worship the nine planets at Devipattinam. The goddess informed Lord Rama that his misfortunes had been caused by the adverse planetary conditions which could only be set right at this holy spot.

However, when Rama did arrive at Devi pattinam, he did not find any temple for the Navagrahas. Instead, he fashioned these Nava Bhashana or stone figures out of the sand and worshipped them. Later he went to Thirupullani where a bridge to Sri Lanka was built with help from the army of monkeys. Rama’s defeat of Ravana and his triumphant return home is a well known story. However the legend is that on his way back from Lanka, Rama stopped off at Rameshwaram to pray to Shiva in order to mitigate the sin incurred by killing a Shiva devotee!

Hence, Rameshwaram is a magnet for pilgrims, both Shaivaite as well as Vaishnavaites.

At Devipattinam, the sea is calm and serene. About a few hundred yards into the expanse of water lie nine roughly hewn blocks of stone which the priest said represented the nine planets. It is generally believed that devotees perform worship here for a number of reasons apart from removing the malefic influences of the planets. Indeed, they seek relief from sins incurred during their previous birth; offer prayers for the liberation of departed ancestors and perform the last rites for their fore- fathers at this holy spot.

Devi is supposed to have fought and killed the demon Mahishasura at this place, hence the name and the aura of auspiciousness that surrounds this place.

The priest who took our archana basket waded waist deep into the water as he performed puja for each block of stone.

We offered our heart-felt prayers and proceeded on our journey.

The next stop was the famous temple for Shiva at UthiraKoshaMangai.

This is an ancient and breathtakingly beautiful temple although it has not been well maintained due to paucity of funds. The sculptures in each of the pillars supporting the inner courtyard are replete with scintillating images of Kings, mythical beasts, dancing girls and stories from the Puranas. The main feature of this temple is the massive image of Shiva as the dancing Lord Nataraja, made entirely out of emerald. When we visited this temple, the huge 5 feet image was covered with a Kavacham ( cover) of sandal-paste. We were informed that this cover is taken off only once a year at the Arudra Darshan in the tamil month of Margazhi ( december).

The evening was closing in as we carried on to the next temple at Thirupullani. The story goes that Lord Rama rested on a bed of Grass here before moving on to defeat his foe, Ravana. Lord Vishnu reclines majestically on his serpent, in the main sanctum offering protection and blessings to all his sincere devotees.

We hurried on to our last stop for that night, the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameshwaram. Although, it was quite late in the evening, this famous temple was heaving with pilgrims, since our visit coincided with the holy night of Shiva Rathri.

The temple itself dates back thousands of years and has several remarkable features such as the thousand pillared corridor and the magnificent temple towers. The temple is also famous since it houses one of the twelve Jyotir lingas, sacred due to the fact that Lord Shiva’s radiance or light ( Jyothi) is believed to be locked up inside these lingas.

It was here in Rameshwaram that Lord Rama prayed to Shiva by the ocean ( Agni teertham), to absolve himself of the sin for killing Ravana ( an ardent Shiva devotee).

The story here is that Lord Rama wanted his faithful servant HANUMAN to obtain a Shiva linga for his worship from Kashi, in the north. However, Hanuman did not procure this linga on time. Hence, Sita fashioned a Shiva Linga from sand and it is believed Rama worshipped this image. On his return, Hanuman was sorely disappointed and to appease him Rama declared that the temple in Rameshwaram would house two lingas; the one brought by Hanuman would be worshipped first!

There are 22 wells within the temple precincts, fed by an underground spring. It is believed that a dip in each of these is bound to have marvellous purificatory and medicinal effects on people.

Early on the following morning, we caught a glimpse of the sunrise over the ocean at Rameshwaram. The shore was teeming with pilgrims who were preparing to bathe in the sacred waters. Some were already waist deep in the sea; yet others were setting off to the temple dripping wet with sea water. Other devotees were offering prayers and purificatory rites to their ancestors. Yes, This auspicious day meant brisk business for the innumerable priests plying their tools of trade.

My husband and I waded into the sea and then dutifully traced our path to have the obligatory dip in the numerous wells.

However, the floors of the temple were by now treacherous and slippery from the combination of sand and water and the jostling pilgrims. We opted for a light sprinkling of water from each well and then hastened to the main sanctum for a glimpse of the Lord as Shiva Linga.

There is no doubt that Rameshwaram is a beautiful temple steeped in mythology and legends.

We rounded off our trip with a quick visit to Dhanushkodi, the narrow penninsula jutting into the Bay Of Bengal, at a strikingly close distance from Sri Lanka.

Another brief halt at the famous Kodanda Ramar temple to view the foot prints of Lord Rama, finally brought to a close this amazing pilgrimage.

We started back to Madurai in the early afternoon to catch the evening flight back to Chennai.

However, there was sufficient time to view two more temples close to my heart.

Pazhamudhir Cholai is a famous temple for Lord Muruga, set among the lush hills on the outskirts of Madurai. A perennial waterfall, Noopura Ganga, tinkles down from the hils above, fed by an underground spring.

Lord Muruga stands serenely alongside both his consorts at this peaceful temple that has been glorified by several poets of the Sangam period, especially Nakkirar in his authoritative work, Thirumurugattruppadai. Among the six abodes of Lord Muruga, this tranquil spot is believed to enrich a devout seeker with spiritual wealth!

Following a darshan of Skanda, we proceeded to the famous fortified temple complex- Alagar Koil, which enshrines Lord Vishnu, and is regarded as one of the most important of his 108 abodes!

This two- day temple tour went by too quickly, yet we had the total satisfaction and peace of mind from just being able to visit and worship at these ancient and hallowed sites.

It seemed that Goddess Bala had started me off on a never- ending pilgrimage, because a few days later, again , at my husband’s request, we set off on another small tour. This time we visited the magnificent temple complex at Chidambaram ( second time for me), followed by the Brihadeeswara Temple in Tanjore.

After spending one night at Tanjore, I decided to visit Pudukkottai the following day as I wanted my husband to receive the blessings of Goddess Bhuvaneswari.

We reached the temple quite early in the morning and I sat in front of the Judge Swamigal samadhi and closed my eyes .

As always, when I visit Pudukkottai, a feeling of great sadness envelops me as I see this familiar temple and remember the innumerable times I have come here in my childhood days when Swamigal was alive. This occasion was no different. I sat with my eyes closed wishing Swamigal to give me guidance. I sincerely prayed that He should assist me further on my spiritual journey. No sooner had I finished my plea when a sudden instruction alighted in my mind. I use the word “alighted” because a second before, the thought did not appear and a second later it vanished. However, there was no mistake in the command. “Go to Sendamangalam”!.

I opened my eyes and saw an elderly priest beckoning me to his side. This old man was a close confidante of Swamigal when the latter was alive and is in charge of the administration of the Temple. My husband and I hurried to his side and went inside his little room. After paying our respects , I casually asked him if there was any importance attached to the temple at Sendamangalam.

I was informed that Sendamangalam housed the Samadhi of our Swamigal’s immediate preceptor or Guru- Sadasiva Brahmendrar ( the person in the photo at the samadhi of Bodhendrar).

I realised then that I had been given an answer to my silent plea.

Although Sendamangalam was not in our itinery, a decision was quickly made to visit this place following a short detour to Pillayarpatti.

I had wanted my husband to visit this famous abode of Lord Vinayaka. As luck would have it, the temple was quite empty and the colossal image of Pillayar seemed even more imposing as he sat there decked in his Golden Kavacham, waiting to bless us!

After a short stop in Trichy for refreshments, we set off again on that hot and dusty afternoon towards Sendamangalam. The priest at Pudukkottai had given me a packet of Vibhuti with instructions to smear it all over the stone idol of my Guru’s Guru. A priest at Sendamangalam would perform this rite and then hand over some of the sacred ash back to me as prasadam. Apparently, this vibhuti prasadam was unique and had curative powers.

When we arrived at Sendamangalam around 5 p.m., the temple seemed deserted and empty. I approached a small row of huts directly in front of the temple. These housed the temple priests. I entered inside the first house and awoke the elderly priest, who was taking his afternoon nap and requested him to open up the shrines inside. He was more than willing to do so, and soon we were walking up a steep flight of steps carved in the hillside to reach the shrine of Murugan and Sadasiva Brahmendrar.

The shrine containing the mortal remains of my Guru’s Guru was a very small, cave- like room with an extremely low ceiling. I crouched and went inside. Here, there was a stone image of the Guru right on top of his samadhi.

In the ante room were old, faded photographs of the Guru when he was young along with several other Sanyasis whom I didn’t recognise.

For a long time after the arathi was over,I sat inside this small room and sincerely prayed to this great soul to help me mature in my spiritual quest.

Later we visited the shrine to Lord Muruga and then took leave of the priest after he pressed some Vibhuthi prasadam into my hand.

We headed back to Trichy from Sendamangalam with one stop enroute to see a Huge statue of Hanuman as Anjaneya in a temple at Namakkal.

The striking feature of Namakkal is the giant outcrop of rock that seems to have thrust its way right in the midst of this small, bustling city. The ramparts of an ancient fortress surrounds the city. However, the most interesting feature are the two temples; one dedicated to a huge image of Anjaneya and another directly opposite, hewn out of rock, wherein resides Lord Narasimha ( Vishnu).

The story here is that Lord Anjaneya brought with him a Saligram stone ( fossil- worshipped as a symbol of Lord Vishnu) from the mountains in North India. At Namakkal, he decided to do his worship for Lord Rama and asked Mahalakshmi to hold it. However, the latter found the stone becoming significantly heavier and placed it down on the ground in order to rest her hands. The stone remained unmovable at the spot and soon assumed the gigantic proportions of a huge stony mountain devoid of any vegetation.

In the center of this spiral of rock is a cave where a shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his avatar of Narasimha.

The fierce and angry lord can be seen here, tearing the life and heart from the demon Hiranyakasipu, lying on his lap.

Lord Anjaneya stands directly facing his Lord’s feet. The image at Namakkal is probably the tallest Hanuman in TamilNadu. There is no roof to cover this colossal statue and Anjaneya bestows his blessings with a majesty and rare grandeur to all his devotees.

The following day, we returned to Chennai. My husband departed to London shortly thereafter and I remained behind for a month longer in Chennai.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 28

I left India a few days later and headed back to London and then on to Boston.

I arrived during early November just in time for Thanksgiving and relished the opportunity to be back with my daughters!

I carried on with my meditation and prayers as was my normal routine. However, one day in early December as I was listening to some songs on Nemili Baala, I received a very quick message from her. She wished for me to do a portrait of her as a nine- year old child seated on a lotus. I had done this previously, of course and had given it to the temple. However, this was the message I received along with the instruction that it should be finished on Pournami. This was just a few days away.

The very same day I started this divine task. I prayed that Baala would give me the strength to carry it out.

I immersed myself completely into the world of Baala. I listened to the CD’S and cassetes continuously as I set out to draw the portrait.

Slowly, the picture took shape and within a few days, I had finished the pencil drawing. On Pournami day in early December, I finished the entire painting and all that was left was the drawing of the eyes.

Just as I was about to draw the left eye of the Goddess, another message was flashed to me- “Call your daughter, Paavana immediately”.

Without hesitation, I put down the brush and picked up the phone.

Normally, my second daughter is never in her room on campus and this was a major source of friction between us. However, I was surprised when the phone was picked up immediately, almost at the first ring. There was a problem!

Over the next few weeks, I prayed to Baala to give me sufficient strength to withstand any downturn in my life!

Almost a whole month went by and the painting I had stopped working on was just covered and pushed away in a corner as there were more pressing family matters to attend to.

Christmas and New year came and went and then, in early January just before the full- moon day for the month, I had a direct request from Baala to do another, fresh painting of her. This time the instructions were unmistakable.

“Give the original painting to Haran Aiya of Raja Rajeswari Peetam in Rochester and give a large photo copy of it to VenkatGiridhar who writes all the songs, at Nemili”.

I was expected to finish this painting by Pournami .

I was intrigued by the mention of Raja Rajeshwari peetam, yet again. I visited their website and casually looked up what they offered in the online publications section. To my surprise ( actually, knowing Baala, I should have expected this), was a quarterly magazine that had been dedicated to this great goddess. On the front page was the smiling image of Baala as a nine- year old, a copy of the painting hanging in Kancheepuram.

Hardly believing my luck, I decided to base my image on the photo- copy which I hurriedly printed out.

Over the next few days, I was once again totally lost in the unfathomable world of Baala. Her songs and stories, the latter read by Venkatgiridhar, were the only sounds that fell on my ears. I shut myself up as if in a little cocoon with all my thoughts focused only on her in both my waking and dreaming state.

It’s no surprise that with the grace of Baala, the drawing was finished very quickly. There were two times when I received her precise and unmistakable orders. The first command was when I was trying to draw her folded right leg. I was copying this image from another artist’s impression and try as hard as I could, the position of the right foot was not quite acceptable. I put down my pencil and silently asked Baala “ Why am I stuck while drawing your beautiful feet”?

The response was not only immediate but hit me like a thunderbolt”Don’t draw My right foot using that artist’s picture. He didn’t get it right. I want you to draw it using your own skills”.

That was it! I picked up my pencil and looking at the position of my own right leg and foot in the mirror, proceeded to complete the picture.

The second order came as I was drawing Baala’s eyes.

‘Don’t copy my eyes from that artist’s painting. Draw it entirely out of your imagination”.

The portrait was finally finished and I painted Baala in glowing colours. On Pournami day, I painted in her eyes. My hands trembled as I drew in her left eye. “ What message are you giving me this, second time”? was my silent question.

Immediately, her response came “I love you and will be with you always”.

I finished her eyes in silence; rather it was Baala who finished Her painting for me!!

I took a photograph of the completed painting and put in onto a disc. I remembered the directive of giving the photo- copy to Nemili.

However, I was in Boston in January, 2007, with no particular plan of visiting Chennai at that time.

Within a few days of finishing Baala’s painting, my husband called from London and informed me that my presence was required in Chennai on certain work- related matters; documents had to be signed, etc. He had planned to come down to India with me as well!!

I left Boston immediately taking almost nothing with me except the precious disk that had Baala’s photo on it.

I stopped over for a couple of days in London and here, I made a large photo copy of my portrait. I also drew an image of the Sri Chakra , again under the directive from Baala, to give one original painting (i.e. the sri- chakra) and the photo-copy to Nemili.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 27

Back in Chennai, I immediately started work on the Balambigai painting I intended to give to the temple at Tiruvasi.

Slowly, over the course of the following week, the painting took shape and finally, I was able to get the Goddess’s left hand exactly as it was portrayed in the image at the temple.( i.e. as the slightly clenched palm of an old lady).

During this period, my thoughts were constantly on Nemili Bala and I was listening to the powerful chants of the Devi Mahatmyam almost non- stop.

A few days before Diwali, 2006, the portrait was fully finished including the sparkling embellishments for the head dress and jewellery of this great Goddess.

While, I was involved with the painting, I did visit a few more famous temples near Chennai.

It had been my desire for quite a long time to visit three temples in North Chennai, all of them famous for being Shakthi Peetams. Finally, one Pournami day that luckily coincided with a Friday, I headed off to worship the Great Goddess in her three manifestations as Iccha Shakthi, Gnana Shakthi and Kriya Shakthi!

At a place called Meloor in North Chennai, there is` a temple dedicated to Shakthi as Thiruvudai Amman. She resides here as Iccha shakthi fulfilling all the desires of her devotees.

This temple dates back thousands of years and the legend here is that a cow was seen pouring its milk on a sweet smelling shrub, which, upon inspection proved to be a Swayambu Lingam and this was the origin of the place of worship.

Lord Shiva is called Thirumanangeshwar at this temple and Thiruvudai Amman stands in solitary splendour in her separate Sannidhi radiating her love and blessings.

The second temple I visited was the Vadivudai Amman temple at Tiruvottriyur, a short distance from Meloor.

This temple is huge and perhaps one of the most ancient and powerful in Tamil Nadu. The temple itself dates back to the Chola period and all the famous Shaivaite Saints- Appar, Sundarar, Manikkavachagar and Tirunavukkuarasar have glorified this temple and the main deity in their hymns. The Swayambu Lingam of Shiva is called Adi Pureeswarar ( first lord) or Thiagaraja Swami.

The Shakthi at Tiruvottriyur is said to bestow wisdom ( Gnana) to her ardent devotees.

Finishing off the trio of Shakthi peetams, is yet another famous temple at Thirumullaivoil where the Goddess, Kodiyudai Amman assists all bhakthas in their work and activities through the power of KRIYAA Shakthi.

This temple , too is thousands of years` old. The story goes that when Thondaiman was the ruler of Thondaimandalam, his subjects were harassed by a couple of demons. Therefore, the king set out to defeat them. On the way, his elephant caught its leg on a creeper ( Mullai), and the king raised his sword to cut the thorny creeper. However, to his surprise, the king noticed a spurt of blood at the spot where his sword landed and when the creeper was removed, a swayambu lingam was unearthed.

The king was totally shocked by the fact he had committed a grave sin and just as he was about to immolate himself, Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him while reassuring the King that he would emerge victorious in the battle against his enemies. In fact, Shiva’s vehicle, Nandi proved to be instrumental in ensuring the battle’s success.

The overjoyed king is supposed to have constructed the present temple by way of showing his gratefulness to the Lord.

A curious feature of this temple is that the bull, Nandi, sits facing the front of the temple and not in the customary direction towards Lord Shiva, as if to keep a vigilant eye and ward off enemy attacks!

The significant feature of all these three temples is that the images of the Amman are exactly alike and I was informed that subteranean passageways were built in the ancient days linking all these three shakthi peets!

Following this memorable visit to all three powerful places of worship on a full- moon day, I had the opportunity to visit, within the next couple of days, another very famous temple to Lord Shiva, this time at Tiruvannamalai.

It is often said that one can attain liberation by worshipping Shiva at Chidambaram- i.e. by merely entering this hallowed place of worship; Similarly, it is believed that birth at Tiruvarur or death in Kasi leads to Moksha.

However, the mere thought of Lord Shiva at Tiruvannamalai is said to instantly relieve a person of all his bondage and attachments! Such, is the power of this ancient temple. Numerous saints like Bhagavan Ramana , Seshadri Swamigal and countless siddha purushas are still believed to exert their subtle powers on sincere devotees who visit the sacred temple and hill, the latter believed to be an embodiment of Lord Shiva!

The year 2006 was definitely memorable for me due to the innumerable temples I was fortunate to visit. I had spent many years in solitude in London, reading up all I could about all these famous temples and often yearned to visit them. Finally, with God’s grace, the pilgrimage had been made possible this particular year.

Around the time of Diwali, 2006, I had completely finished the portrait of Balambigai meant for the temple at Tiruvaasi. All that neded to be done was to go there in person and hand it over to the temple authorities.

However, things did not go smoothly. First of all, this was the monsoon season and continuous rain for over a week made the roads impassable. I waited patiently for about ten days, but there appeared to be no sign of the rain abating. Finally, I decided to make a quick trip to Nemili to secure the blessings of this powerful Goddess and seek her help in fulfilling my mission.

The morning of the day I decided to visit the Bala Peetam at Nemili, the rain dried up completely! We made the trip with no undue problems desite warnings from family members tht the roads leading out of Chennai were in a bad state!

I prayed to Bala sincerely asking her to help me send my painting actoss to Trichy.

From Baala came a lightening message “Don’t ever think that You are the Doer of any action. You cannot accomplish anything that I do not want you to do. You are merely carrying out my plan. You have to remember me first and seek my blessings before you undertake any activity. That is the reason you are here today. Don’t ever forget that I gave you the ability to draw”.

As I took leave of the head priest, Ezhilmani, I told him I would be heading back to London after my Trichy visit and requested his blessings for the whole family. I admitted to him that it had been my desire to visit the peetam along with my husband some day. However, my husband is a total non- believer and hated being dragged to temples. Ezhilmani’s response was characteristically simple and indicative of his deep devotion to Baala. He looked at me sincerely and said” Baala has accepted you as part of her family. So, anyone in your family whether he or she is an atheist, will come under the shade of your umbrella as well. Don’t worry, next time you visit this peetam Baala has ordered your husband to come with you”.

He laughed and walked away!

The very next day, I was able to find a courier who was willing to carry the massive painting to Tiruvaasi and the following day my friend and I set off by car to Trichy.

The journey was uneventful except for the incessant rain that made the trip slightly longer.

Enroute, we stopped off at a place called Siruvaachur on the outskirts of Trichy to visit a temple dedicated to a powerful Kali.

The unique feature of the temple at Siruvachur is that it is only open for worship twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

The temple itself dates back to the Chola times. The legend goes that the original, main deity of this temple was a Goddess called Chelliamman. A Sorcerer obtained sufficient powers to control this Goddess and made her carry out all his wicked deeds.

During this time the famous Karbukkarasi Kannagi, a.k.a. Madura Kali visited this temple hoping to obtain peace of mind and calm down her anger. Kannagi had just set the whole city of Madura on fire as a revenge for the Pandya King putting to death her innocent husband who had been falsely accused of stealing the Queen’s anklet.

A furious Kannagi destroyed the city of Madura in her grief and rage and wandered around the neighbouring country-side. She is supposed to have visited various holy sites in both Kerala and Tamilnadu all of whom were converted into powerful Shakthi Peetams.

The temple at Siruvachur is no exception. The story here is that when Kannagi entered the temple precincts at Siruvachur, the presiding deity, Chelliamman sought her help to defeat the evil sorcerer who had been harassing her. The sorcerer was vanquished by Kannagi and his powers were destroyed. Overjoyed by the turn of events, Chelliamman is alleged to have given up her position of the main deity and handed the seat of power to Madura Kaali ( Kannagi). Chelliamman , later retired to the top of a neighbouring hillock called Periaswamy Hill and took up abode there!

However, it is still tradition to show her (i.e. Chelliamman) the first respect when the pujas are offered in the shrine at Siruvachur. When the camphor is lit on the tray, the priest holds it aloft in the direction of the hill before swirling it respectfully in front of Madura Kali.

It is believed that Kali and Chelliamman both reside on the hill together except on Mondays and Fridays when pujas are performed in the temple at the foot of the hill.

In addition, the successors of the Sorceror’s family have continued as the main priests!

There was definitely a powerful atmosphere at Siruvachur. As we circumambulated the shrine, we could witness several women whirling like dervishes and priests trying to pacify them! Apparently it is common practice for the Kali to enter someone and “speak” through him or her!

Very soon we were headed in the direction of Trichy and Tiruvaasi.

By the time we reached the temple in Tiruvaasi, it was mid-day. However, the priest was waiting for us and took us straight away to the sanctum of Lord Shiva. We witnessed an Abhisekham to this great Lord accompanied by the melodious chanting of Rudram. Later,we entered into the shrine of Balambigai Amman.

The painting I had done at “Her” request was placed against the wall in the sanctum sanctorum. The priest busied himself with doing an Abhisekam to the Goddess and then purified the painting by sprinkling holy water on it.

At the commencement of the puja the head- priest had informed me that my painting would be hung in the outer prakaram ( courtyard) surrounding the shrine as it is generally never taken into the main sanctum. I nodded my head and said that he could do what he thought was best. However, after the abhisekham to Baala was finished and just as the priest was preparing to light the camphor in front of the Goddess, I felt a sudden vibration. I could “hear” the Goddess talking to me. This was a strange feeling, quite difficult to describe. I felt “She” was terribly accessible to me at that time. Mentally, I asked her “Where do you want the painting to be placed? It is my desire that something I created so lovingly should be closest to you and by your side”.

In a flash came the reply”Of course the painting will remain where it is standing right now. You do not have to say anything. After the Arathi is over, the priest will confirm what I am telling you now”.

And so it was! The arathi was over and as I cupped my palm over the flame reverentially, the priest said in a loud voice “ You know, I think we should leave the painting in the sanctum- sanctorum since it seems so perfect in that spot”!.

As we took leave of the priest, he seemed emotionally overwhelmed and repeated that events such as these could only re affirm faith in God among people in this Kali Yuga!

We visited two further temples in Trichy that evening; one dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Lakshmi Narasimhar and an Anjaneya temple housing a very small but powerful image of this Lord.

The following day marked our departure from Trichy . We altered the return route slightly in order to take in a few famous temples around the district of Cuddalore.

Our first stop was at the Jeeva Samadhi of Vallalar a.k.a. Arut Perum Jyothi Ramalinga Adligalar at Vadalur, a village on the road to Cuddalore.

Vallalar was one of the foremost Saints of the 19^th Century. He was a great Siddha who had mastered the state of “deathlessness”. He could materialise and de-materialise his body at will and considered himself enveloped in the Great Shining Light ( Arut Perum Jyothi) that was the effulgence of the Divine Spirit. A curious fact was that his body was observed not to cast any shadow- He was apparently visible, yet not really there!

Ramalinga Adigalar was opposed to caste distinctions as well as excessive rituals and superstition. He exhorted his followers to show great compassion to all living beings, particularly animals. A great tamil poet and scholar ( who was largely self- taught), Vallalar has written several works exposing his philosophy on life.

His mantra was that the Divine spirit was manifest in the form of a great flame- Arut Perum Jyothi.

Adigalar was only 51 years of age when he seems to have “disappeared” from his physical form. He was seen walking into a room with no windows and then vanish completely. No trace of his body was found.

At Vadalur a huge shrine was built around the place where this great saint disappeared.

We entered a vast hall in a building that was built to resemble an eighteen petalled lotus.

Very few people were about and the atmosphere seemed charged with an intangible force. I sat down in meditation and was able to drift off into a quiet corner of my mind almost effortlessly!

After spending a short time at this beautiful samadhi, we headed in the direction of Tiruppadripuliyur, a temple town on the outskirts of Cuddalore famous for Lord Shiva as Paadaleeshwara!

The temple is an ancient Chola masterpiece with beautiful carvings and sculptures in every pillar and doorway.

The Shaivaite Saints, Tirunavukarasar and Sambandar have glorified this temple and it is no exaggeration to say that this temple is one of the most magnificently preserved ones I had visited thus far in my temple tour.

I had a special reason to visit this temple! A Swamiji I had chanced to meet a long time ago had mentioned Tiruppadripuliyur as a very powerful temple- The Swamiji is an ardent Sri Vidya Upasaka and informed me that the shrine of Arunthavanaayaki at this temple is terribly potent and that I should visit the place and do some meditation if I got the chance.

Well, it seemed fortuitous that we were here after all!

The history of the temple reveals colourful legends. Parvathi playfully closed the eyes of her consort Lord Shiva with disastrous consequences. The whole universe came to a grinding halt! So, as a punishment Parvathi was re- born on the earth and was instructed by Shiva to do severe penance at many temples and continue to search for him. Parvati was told that she would finally find her consort only in one temple upon entering which, her left shoulder and eye would twitch.

It was at Thirupadripuliyur that Parvathi’s left eye and shoulder twitched and after doing meditation and penance under a “padri” tree, she was finally united with her consort.

The spot where Parvati meditated is called “ Arunthavanayaki peetam”.

Lord Shiva is also revered as a Siddha in this temple since the story goes that he appeared in this form to bless his devotees.

I sat in a spot directly in front of the place where the Goddess was believed to have indulged in severe penance. There was a fair bit of crowd milling around me with the customary noise of children talking/ wailing/ priests reciting mantras, etc.

I closed my eyes and prayed that somehow that the all- compassionate Mother should bless me in my spiritual quest!

Gradually the noises around me faded away and I seemed to be floating away into space. There was no fear, just a feeling of exhilaration, followed by a very heavy sensation right on the crown of my head as if someone had placed a stone on top of it and was pressing down.

I opened my eyes and looked into darkness. All the lights in the temple had gone out and as a consequence , the crowd of pilgrims had dispersed.

In the gloom pierced by the glow of a small oil- lamp, it seemed to me that I was having a private audience with this most powerul Goddess!!

Tiruvahandeepuram is a Vaishnavaite center of pilgrimage near Cuddalore and we decided to visit here next.

The presiding deity at this ancient temple is Lord Devanayaka Perumal , considered to be the elder brother of Lord Venkateswara at Tirupathi.

Indeed, the great Lord gives darshan in his standing pose and is decorated in a manner similar to his famous sibling. The Moolavar is also called Moovaragiya Oruvan- literally meaning that the Lord is an amalgam of all three Gods, Shiva, Vishnu and BRAHMA.

In the outer enclosure, there are shrines to Lord Ganesha, Rama, Rajagopala, Andaal and Desikan.

This temple is associated very closely with one of the most revered Vaishnavaite Saints, Vedanta Desikar. It is said that Desikar meditated on the form of Garuda , while seated on the top of a nearby hill called Aushada Giri. He was rewarded by the darshan of Vishnu’s powerful mount and was given an image of Lord Hyagreevar by him.

Hyagreevar is a form of Vishnu albeit with the face of a horse and is considered to be an embodiment of Knowledge. This lord is propitiated by hordes of devotees wishing to acquire intellectual prowess and good memory!

The shrine for Hyagreevar is at the top of the hill.

The rain that had mercifully ceased for a while, as if to allow us to carry on our temple tour unhindered, started off again in real earnest.

We finished our pilgrimage and drove back to Chennai.

Spiritual Diary: Chapter 26

October 1^st, 2006 was Saraswathi Puja and provided an extremely auspicious start on the fifth day of our pilgrimage.

We started off with a visit to an ancient and little- known Navagraha temple in the village of Pallur, on the outskirts of Trichy . The unique and rare feature of this temple is that the nine planets, Navagrahas, appear on their mounts , with their respective consorts seated beside them and it is considered extremely auspicious to worship the navagrahas in this form or aspect.

The temple itself is a short detour from the main road leading out of Trichy in the direction of yet another famous shrine for Lord Vishnu at Gunaseelam.

Set amidst rice and sugarcane fields, Pallur Navagraha temple is an extremely old temple. When we visited it that morning, the temple was quiet and tranquil. An elderly priest had just come in to perform the morning rituals. We observed the abhishekam to all nine planets and prayed fervently that they should continue to bless us with good luck and spiritual strength.

Soon, we were off on our way to the Prasanna Venkatachalapathi temple at a place called Gunaseelam.

Sanctified by the Vaishnavaite saints called Nammazhwars in their hymns, the ancient temple at Gunaseelam is linked with a sage by the same name. Gunaseelar was an ardent bhaktha of Lord Venkatachalapathi and desired fervently to receive his darshan. It was here, at Gunaseelam that the Lord appeared in the form of a self-made or Swayambu Murthy called Prasanna Venkatachalapathi.

Gunaseelam is called the “Then” or South Tirupathi and those who cannot make a pilgrimage to the sacred seven hills of Tirumala, offer their prayers to this lord at Gunaseelam who is quick to grant boons.

The lord is seen in the inner sanctum in a standing pose similar to his famous counterpart at Tirupathi, decked with ornaments and with Sri Lakshmi residing in His chest. In his right hand, the Lord holds a sceptre which is supposed to drive away all kinds of mental afflictions and mental depression from people who pray devoutly to Him.

The influence of the Chola period is unmistakably present in this temple dating back over 5,000 years. The story goes that after the Sage Gunaseelar’s lifetime, the temple fell to ruin and was covered by termite mounds. King Gnana Verma, a Chola ruler was instructed by the Lord in a dream to reconstruct the temple at its present site.

We paid our respects to Lord Vishnu at this holy spot and carried on our journey.

The next stop was at Tiruvaasi, to re visit our family deity, Balambikkai.

It had been over four years since my first visit to this temple following the very powerful and vivid dream. As we walked into this ancient shrine on the penultimate day of Navaratri, I could not fail but to succumb to its mysterious charm. The resident priest of this Shiva Stala accompanied us to all the shrines within the temple complex starting with Lord Ganesha.

It was the first visit here for my friend and together both of us paid our respects to Lord Shiva in both his forms as a linga as well as the dancing Natarajar. Slowly we made our way to the powerful shrine of Balambigai.

The stone statue inside the inner sanctum seemed somehow a lot bigger than I remembered. I looked at Her for a long time and remembered the dream that had started me off in this spiritual quest in earnest in 2002.

I sat down for a while just in front of the inner sanctum, my eyes closed in meditation . As I got up to leave and neared the outer doorway of the Ambal sannidhi, I could not but help overhear the conversation between the priest and the man who had been our chaperone and tour guide for the trip so far. The priest was saying “ Oh, you do realise that this Goddess is very powerful. Why, so many of our patrons have requested us for a photograph of the main deity or at least a drawing or painting, but this lady is very stubborn. She has not given “uttiravu”- permission to any artist or photographer to take photos or make any portraits”.

The priest was just saying the last sentence when I happened to come near him. Instinctively, without thinking I said “ Oh, that’s a very curious feature. I like to paint religious deities. Do you think that this Amman would give me the permission to portray her in my art?”.

The priest seemed surprised and appeared a little reluctant. Perhaps he did not wish to offend me by giving a negative rresponse. So, instead I quickly filled him in on the details of my first visit and the events that had preceded it, i.e. my dream, and the fact that the left hand of the Goddeess had proven quite significant since it resembled that of an” old woman”.

The priest thought for a moment and then said “ Come inside. I will ask her permission if you can capture her in a painting”. So, once again I made my way to the inner sanctum directly in front of the goddess. The priest shuffled two scrunched up pieces of paper and threw them on the ground. He told me that one packet was filled with kumkum and the other- vibhuthi or holy ash. If I picked the one containing kumkum, then this was an indication that I was “given” permission.

I closed my eyes and prayed to my Guru. An instinct told me “ Pick up the packet near the left hand”.

I leaned over and picked up the paper packet lying near MY left hand – this was a mistake as the packet contained vibhoothi. The priest said I should try again since this must be a mistake. He shuffled the packets really well and threw them down. I thought to myself- “ Surely, the goddess could not have given me the wrong command”. Suddenly, the answer flashed across my mind—Of course, She had said- Pick the packet near Her left hand ( the significant hand of my vision), and NOT- as I had misconstrued, near MY left hand.

I leaned over again and this time picked up the packet that had fallen down in front of the gnarled, old, left hand of the Goddes.

There was kumkum inside this packet. The priest agreed that the Goddess had given permission.

As we left the temple that morning, I was both a bit exhilarated at the prospect of drawing Baala again , as well as a bit cautious. After all, I tried to reason to myself, there was always a 50%- 50% chance when you pick one event out of a total of two chances—

My friend was not so convinced by my mathematical explanation of probability,.

“ If you really didn’t get Her permission, you will never be able to draw her”.

Taking leave of this ancient temple we carried on our pilgrimage that morning with a visit to Uttamar Koil.

The Thirukkadambanaur Bhikshandar temple a.k.a Uthamar koil is of enormous significance as it is perhaps the only temple in India which houses the Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The story goes that Lord Brahma worshipped Vishnu at this place. Pleased by his devotion, Vishnu decided to test his faith further by appearing in the form of a Kadamba tree. Although Brahma knew the real nature of the tree through divine insight, he carried on worshipping the tree and watered it. Vishnu was greatly delighted and decided to stay on in the same location alongside Brahma and his consort, Saraswathi or Gnana Saraswathi as she is called here.

Our visit to the shrine of this Goddess of Wisdom could not have occurred on a more appropriate day.

As it was Saraswathi puja on the day we visited this temple, the shrines for Dakshinamurthy as well as Saraswathi were thronged with students. However, we did manage to get a good darshan.

Lord Vishnu is called Purushottaman at this temple and his consort, Poornavalli Thaayar.

There is also another interesting story that explains Shiva’s presence at this temple.

Legend has it that Lord Shiva became jealous of Brahma and plucked off one of his heads in a fit of rage. However, the sin of killing a brahmin immediately attached itself to him and Lord Brahma’s head or kabalam, became attached to Shiva’s hand .

Lord Vishnu despairing at the sight of Shiva, requested his consort, Mahaalakshmi to help him .

Lakshmi gave biksha or alms to Shiva at this holy spot and when the Kabalam was filled with the Biksha, the curse on Shiva was lifted.

Hence, Shiva is worshipped as Bhikshandar at this temple and his consort is the appropriately named, beautiful, Soundarya Parvathi.

It was mid morning by the time we were finished at this temple and we swiftly proceeded on to the famous Akhilaandeshwari Temple in Trichy .

We realised that given the fact it was a public holiday and an auspicious day, the temple would be very crowded. It was!. But we were able to observe some of the most unique rituals at this temple as well as relish the interesting legends peculiar to this ancient place.

This temple owes its origin to a famous Chola King- ThiruChengann. Built over 3,000 years ago, the fascinating architectural splendour, massive pillars, airy courtyard, sculptures and friezes, all denote the power and glory of a by gone era when art ruled supreme-

This temple is regarded as one of the important places for worship of Shiva representing the natural element of water- Appu Stalam. Indeed, in the main sanctum where the linga is housed a subterranean current of water keeps the holy spot perennially damp.

Being a shakthi peetam as well, the power of the goddess is extremely potent and Adi Shankara is generally attributed to establishing two Sri chakras in the form of earrings inorder to reduce the “ugra” or fierce power of the Goddess.

The story of the temple at Tiruannaikaa—is a curious one.

Apparently thousands of years ago an elephant worshipped Lord Shiva in the midst of a grove of “Jambu”- rose-apple trees. Everyday the devout animal would bring in water from the nearby stream in its trunk and perform abhishekam; flowers and fruits would be plucked from nearby plants and trees and offered to the Lord.

While this was going on, a spider also competed to win the favour of the Lord. It built a vast web over the Linga to prevent leaves and dust falling on top of it.

The elephant angered by the presence of the spider tore up the web , while the spider intending to teach the elephant a lesson clambered into the trunk and scuttled all the way inside the elephant’s brain and bit it. The elephant died instantly and so did the spider caught up inextricably inside the body of the elephant.

However, since they both died in the service of the lord, both were rewarded. The elephant attained liberation and the spider was reborn as a famous Chola King who built over 60 temples for Shiva during his lifetime, including the massive structure at Tiruannaika.

A note worthy feature of the temples built by TiruChengann as the Chola ruler was called is that many of the temples were built on a mound and the doors of the temple were deliberately narrow so that no elephant could gain access.

In fact, I came to understand that the ancient Shiva temple at Nalloor ( with the five-color LINGA) was also the work of the same ruler. The temple at Nalloor is also built at a height and there are internal staircases and narrow doors leading into the sanctum inorder to prevent elephants from gaining entry.

When we arrived at the temple it was noon and time for the “Ucchi” kaala puja. A priest dressed in a saree darted out to perform puja to the cow waiting patiently outside. After this ritual was over, the priest hastened inside the main sanctum to perform the midday worship for the Lord Jambukeshwarar. The legend goes that Parvathi herself performs puja or worship to Lord Shiva at this holy spot and this tradition is meticulously maintained to the present day.

The main shrine for Ambal/ Akhilandeshwari was extremely crowded. However, we were able to wade through the sea of people and caught a quick glimpse of this most beautiful and benign goddess.

There is no doubt that the Akhilandeshwari temple is an outstanding example of art and architecture and it is also for the spritual energy that it exudes.

It was well past midday by the time we finished our visit to the Tiruannaika temple and proceeded to make a quick stop at the nearby Vekkali Amman temple.

There is a peculiar feature at this temple that is not seen anywhere else. The main deity, Vekkali is seated in a central sanctum that has no roof covering. The story goes that the place where the temple is situated (Woraiyur) was once a prominent city during the reign of the cholas which nearly got ruined due to a downpour of sand and dust. It was Kali or Durga in the form of Vekkali that protected the townfolk who had lost their houses during the sandstorm. So, until today, in memory of those who had lost the shelter over their heads, Vekkali seems to prefer sitting in a spot that is left open at the top.

We stepped inside the temple just as it was closing for midday. However, I did manage to get a good look at this very powerful and potent goddess.

It is widely believed that letters written to the deity and placed on her spear or at her feet will beget an immediate response!

After some lunch and a short rest, we decided to round off our temple visit for that day by going to two Murugan temples within a short distance from Trichy.

The first was a visit to the temple at Vayalur. Vayal means a field in tamil. The temple sits in magnificent splendour amidst the coconut groves and fields that surround Vayalur.

Dating back to the 9^th century A.D.. this temple is a grand illustration of Chola artistry at work. Lord Muruga resides in the inner sanctum seated astride his peacock with his two consorts, Valli and Devayanai beside him. Lord Shiva was worshipped by Agni at this sytalam, hence his name is Agneeshwara. Parvati is the Aadi Nayaki or the original force!

At Viralimalai, Muruga is seated on the top of a hill. He has six faces as Shanmuganatha , twelve hands, eager to protect the world from Demons and his two consorts are standing near Him.

There was a bit of a stiff climb up the hill to reach this abode of Skanda, but it was well worth the effort.

The image of Skandan in the inner sanctum simply takes your breath away. Here lives and breathes the most handsome, youthful warrior God who awaits to bless His devotees.

We arrived in the gathering dusk just as the evening arathi was taking place. The three glorious faces of Skanda lit up with a jubilant smile as the flames from the camphor were shown in front of him; and yet again, they glowed, as the priest moved behind the image and showed the flame, lighting up the three faces at the back of this magnificent stone image! We could see the three faces at the back reflected in a huge mirror positioned directly behind the Moolavar.

A curious feature at this temple is the offering of cigars as Naivedyam to the Lord.

Apparently, Skanda appeared in the dream of one of the local rulers- Ramachandra Thondaiman of Pudukkottai and requested cigars as an offering. The king was believed to have been cured of his afflictions after this was carried out.

Yet another story details that an ardent Murugan devotee – Karuppu Muthu Piilai, used to visit Viralimalai every Friday. On one occasion, he was unable to complete this pilgrimage due to severe rain. Now, it so happened that this bhaktha was a chain- smoker as well. As Pillai was about to return, dejected from not being able to have a sight of his Lord, Skanda appeared before him and personally escorted the devotee to the temple where he received an unique darshan and also gave him the prasadam of a cigar!

We left this temple after savouring the vision of this beautiful Lord and basking in the glow of his bountiful blessings!

The following day was Vijayadasami- auspicious for all new ventures and beginnings.

We were to begin our pilgrimage with a visit to the Bhuvaneswari Temple at Pudukkottai established by my Guru- Santhananda Swamigal.

As we were driving up in the car, I was listening to the melodious chants of Durga SapthaSathi parayanam and hoping in my heart to be blessed with the grace of a Guru.

My Guru had passed on four years ago and I felt rather sad that He was no longer a living guide who could help me along my spiritual path!

We entered the temple and had a quick darshan of all the shrines. I sat down to meditate in front of the samadhi of Judge Swamigal ( my Guru’s parameshti Guru) and silently requested His blessings.

When I opened my eyes a short while later, a temple priest came up to me and said “ Would you like to meet the Peetadipathi Shri Omkarananda Swamigal?”

I was quite taken aback, since I had no idea that the current head of this Peetam was in residence at the temple that day!

It was as if my prayers had been answered. A Guru had been provided for me so I could obtain his blessings on this auspicious day.

I went inside the small room where Swamigal was seated and prostrated myself.

Swami Omkaranada remembered vividly his visit to my London home and we had a brief conversation. As I was about to leave, I requested him to bless me in my latest venture- the new painting of Balambigai I was given “ permission” to undertake.

Before leaving the temple, I sat down in front of the Sannidhi of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, took out a small sheet of notepaper and did a very simple, sketch of her. I wanted to start off the day with the blessings of my Guru at His favorite temple and it seemed appropriate that the very first drawing my hand should execute was the mother herself!

Soon we were off again, this time heading in the direction of the famous Pillayarpatti Temple for Lord Ganesha! Enroute, however we had an opportunity to marvel at another temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu at a place called TiruMaiyam.

Nestling under the folds of huge rocky outcrop on which an impressive fortress sits, are two cave temples – one dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Satya Girinathar and another one dedicated to Lord Shiva as SatyaGireeshwarar.

We had time just to visit the Vishnu Temple. Built by the Pallava Kings, Mahendravarnan and Narasimha varman , this magnificent cave- temple features some of the most outstanding works of art.

In the main sanctum, Lord Vishnu is seen in a reclining posture. Cut directly from the rocky hillside, this stone image of the reclining Lord is immense in size- probably the largest in Tamil Nadu.

Lord Vishnu is flanked by a host of clestial deities like Garuda, ChitraGupta, the sage Markandeya, Brahma, Devas and rishis.

The legend goes that Asuras or demons tried to steal the image of Vishnu from this temple. Therefore, we see in the rock- cut scene in front of us, the mighty serpent, Adi Seshan chasing away the demons by spewing out fire and poison from his fangs!

The Thaayar here is Uyyavanda Naachiyar and there are also separate shrines for Andal. Krishna and Lakshmi Nrisimha.

After a hurried visit to this temple we proceeded directly to Pillayarpatti reaching there just before midday.

The huge image of Lord Ganesha was decked out in his Gold Kavacham on this holy day. It seemed to me He was waiting for us to come and receive His blessings!

We returned to the hotel in Trichy for a late lunch and after a short rest headed out to the huge temple complex at SriRangam.

Boasting the tallest temple tower in the whole of India, the Ranganathar Temple in Sri Rangam is the foremost of the 108 sacred shrines for Lord Vishnu glorified by the Vaishnavaite Saints.

The origins of the main deity in the Sanctum remain shrouded in myth. The legend goes that the actual shrine- Sri Ranga Vimana sprung from the depths of the ocean- parkadal- as a result of Brahma’s penance. The Sri Ranga Vimana arose from the ocean borne aloft by Garuda with Adi Sesha spreading his hood over the idol and was taken to Ayodhya where it was worshipped by the dynasty of Surya Vamsa ( Ikshvaakus). As the story unravels, after the coronation of Lord Rama following his victory over the demon Ravana, Vibhisana was given this magnificent image of Lord Vishnu by Rama.

Vibhishana intended to take the idol back to Sri Lanka. However, on his way, he stopped at Sri Rangam and placed the idol on the ground where it remained stuck!

The disconsolate Vibhisana is supposed to travel every day and offer his prayers to the Lord in Sri Rangam, at mid-night!

It is said that Lord Vishnu assured Vibishana that he would assume the yoga- nidra posture at Sri Rangam and lie facing south—towards, Sri Lanka.

The temple clearly dates back thousands of years and parts of the temple complex were constructed during the early Chola period . Following the Muslim rule in India when the temple was sacked, the Vijayanagaram rulers ( 10^th- 12^th century) were responsible for a lot of restoration work while the Nayaka rulers of the 16^th- 17^th century made the temple certainly more prosperous.

We marveled at this huge temple complex that is enormous in size. There are 7 prakaras / enclosures or Thiruveedhis as they are called encompasing 156 acres. The enclosures are formed by thick and massive stone walls pierced in 4 cardinal directions by towering gate ways or Gopurams.

Sri Rangam is architecturally unique and the sculptures found here are the finest examples of artistry and workmanship of the period.

The thousand pillared hall, the Horse Court, Garuda Mantapa with the enormous image of the sacred mount, the Seshadri Mandapa housing scupltures of the Dasavataras, etc are all singularly unique and memorable for the vast array of the most exquisite stone sculptures and frescoes they contain.

In the main sanctum, Lord Ranganatha is lying down on his serpent bed facing South. The sculpture itself is extremely beautiful and radiates a powerful energy!

There are many interesting shrines dotted around the temple complex for other deities like Andal, Krishna, Rama,Chakrathalwar, etc, . However, I found the Sannidhi of the Saint Ramanuja to be the most soul- stirring.

Saint Ramanuja is the founder of Vaishnavaite philosophy of Visishta Dvaita and was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. It is believed he lived before the 10^th century and his remains have been interred in a separate shrine within the temple complex itself.

Entering this shrine, one is confronted with an almost life- like image of this famous saint positioned just above the Samadhi.

The explanation given by the priest was that nearly a thousand years ago, the body of the Saint who had been buried in the tomb, rose of its own volition above the Samadhi and this image has been preserved ever since that time by applications of Camphor, etc.

In fact, as the arathi was being done and the flame was shown in front of the Saint’s eyes, an inexplicable tremour went down my spine. Those eyes were almost alive!

In fact one can see body hairs on the skin as well as nails on the fingers of this miraculous image!

Sri Rangam temple’s outer three enclosures almost contain an entire town replete with streets, houses and shops while the 4 inner enclosures are religious zones and house the various shrines.

Given the time constraints, we had to satisfy ourselves with just a quick tour of the main points of interest since we had another temple to visit that evening.

The Samayapuram temple of Mariamman is a very famous temple on the outskirts of Trichy and this is where we headed next.

Dedicated to Shakthi in her very potent form, this temple is indeed a magnet of attraction for hordes of pilgrims throughout the year who come to beseech the Great Mother to grant them a prosperous and healthy life!

Worship of Mariamman / Karumarriamman is very popular among those seeking to alleviate ailments and the Goddess here is considered to be extremely powerful!

There was a huge swarm of devotees near the main sanctum. However, we were able to catch a quick glimpse of the deity. The priest informed us that the Moolavar or main deity was fashioned out of clay; hence all abhisekhams were performed only to the idol placed directly in front of it.

The evening puja was nearly over and we were fortunate to get a good darshan as the camphor was lit and gently swirled in front of the Goddess. She seemed to smile benevolently and just as I finished my fervent prayer that Her presence should always continue within me, a small flower garland dropped from her left hand!

The following day, we departed from Trichy and finally headed back to Chennai. The pilgrimage was over and I said a small prayer of thanks to Nemili Bala for having provided me with such uplifting experiences in every temple we had visited and sought her blessings for the next painting I had been “ commissioned” to do!