PARVATHAMALAI PHOTOS

LORD SHIVA AT PARVATHAMALAI

MOUNTAIN FROM THE WAY TO GO ON STEPS

TEMPLE IS AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

ME, TAKING SAND BAG FOR THE NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR THE TEMPLE AT TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

STEP WAY TO GO TTO THE TEMPLE

UPTO 2HR ONLY THERE IS STEPS, AFTER THAT THERE IS ONLY A TUF WAY TO GO!

LORD VINAYAGA AT THE TOP OF TEMPLE

LORD MURUGA AT TOP OF TEMPLE WITH DEIVANAI AND VALLI

LORD INSIDE THE TOP OF TEMPLE

ONE SPECIALITY OF THE TEMPLE IS THAT WE OWNLY MAKE ABISHEGAM & ARCHANAI TO LORD SHIVA

SLIDING WAY TO GO TO TEMPLE..USING THESE CHAINS ONLY WE CAN CLIMB!

SOME TRAIN STEEL TRACK MAY PLACED WHEN THERE IS NO WAY TO CLIMB..!

WAY TO GO TO ASHRAMAM, MADE FOR PEOPLES WITH ALL FACILITIES

NOTE:

THE TEMPLE IS ON CONSTRUCTION NOW. THERE IS NO FACILITIES AT THE TOP OF THE TEMPLE. ALL THINGS[CEMENT, WATER & OTHER CONSTRUCTION THINGS] ARE TAKEN BY THE WORKERS AND THEY CLIMBING DAILY. SO FOR THAT TEMPLE HAVE TO GIVEN THEM MORE MONEY & ALSO FOOD TOO.... SO, I REQUEST PEOPLE TO GIVEN MONEY FOR THIS CONTRUCTION WORKS AND ALL. IF ANYBODY WISH TO GIVE, PLEASE SEND A MAIL. I WILL GIVE THE ADDRESS WHICH YOU HAVE TO SEND MONEY.

ANY QUERY ARE DOUBTS JUST ASK..

REGARDS,

P.KARTHIKEYAN[karthibhc@gmail.com]

About love.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkVzqSNFiQQ&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS7krPKkrYE&feature=player_embedded

NATARAJAR

Structure of a typical Siva Temple

A classical Siva temple as per Agama rules will have five prakaras or circuits each separated by walls one within the other. The outer prakaras will be open to the sky except the innermost one. The innermost one will house the main deity as well as other deities. There will be a massive wooden or stone flag post exactly in line with the main deity.

The innermost prakara houses the sanctum sanctorum ( karuvarai in Tamil). In it sits Shiva, the supreme Lord.

Symbolism behind the structure of a Shiva Temple

1. The temple is so constructed as to resemble the human body with all its subtleties.

2. The five walls encircling one another are the kosas ( sheaths) of human existence .

a. The outermost is the Annamaya kosa , symbolizing the material body.

b. The second is Pranamaya kosa , symbolizing the sheath of vital force or prana.

c. The third is Manomaya kosa, symbolizing the sheath of the thoughts, the mana

d. The fouth is the Vignyana maya kosa, symbolizing, the sheath of the intellect

e. The fifth and innermost is the Ananda maya kosa, symbolizing the sheath of Bliss.

3. The sanctum which is in the prakara symbolizing the Ananda Maya Kosa sheath ,

houses the lord, seated as the Jiva within us. It is to be noted that the sanctum is an

unlit space, just as if within the heart closed on all sides.

4. The entry Gopuras are likened to the feet, as resembling a person who is lying on the

back with the toe up.

5. The flag post depicts the sushumna nadi which raises from the Mooladhar (base of the

spine ) to the sahasrar ( vertex in the head).

6. Some temples will have three prakarams. There they represent the stoola, sukshma

and karana sareeras (bodies) of a human being Some temples have only one and they

represent all the five.

Chidambaram temple and its symbolism:



Saint Thirumoolar, whose legend is intricately woven with Chidambaram, says in his thirumanthiram

திருமந்திரம்

மானுடராக்கை வடிவு சிவலிங்கம்
மானுடராக்கை வடிவு சிதம்பரம்
மானுடராக்கை வடிவு சதாசிவம்
மானுடராக்கை வடிவு திருக்கூத்தே

Meaning: Sivalingam is of the form of the human body; So is Chidambaram ; So is Sadasivam ; And so is his divine dance

1. The temple has the above five prakaras resembling the sheaths.
2. Nataraja gives dharshan from the sanctum called Chit Sabha with a golden roof.
3. The roof has 26,000 golden tiles (see picture), denoting the number of breaths of a person in a day.

4. These tiles are fixed to the wooden roof with the help of 72,000 nails depicting the number of nadis (the invisible ducts carrying energy to various parts of the body)
5. As the heart is to the left of the body, the sanctum in Chidambaram is also aligned slightly leftward.
6. On top of the Chit sabha roof, we find nine kalasas (made of copper) depicting the nine shaktis (powers)
7. The roof has 64 cross wooden reapers denoting the 64 arts.
8. The artha mandapa has six pillars denoting the six shastras
9. The mantapa next to the artha mantapa has eighteen pillars symbolizing the eighteen puranas.
10. There are five steps leading to the Chit sabha from the Kanaka sabha depicting the five lettered Panchakshara mantra ( Na ma chi vA ya)
11. The Chit sabha roof is supported by four pillars symbolic of the four Vedas.

Symbolism of Nataraja Swamy

1. Nataraja's dance is said to indicate the five divine acts which are

a. Creation . Nataraja dances with a small drum called damarukam in one of his
right hands. Easwra is nada brahmam. He is the origin of all sounds (nadam).This is
the seed (vindu) from which the tree of the Universe emanated.

b. Protection (Operation)- In another of the right hands, he shows the Abhaya
Mudra, meaning he is the kind protector .

c. Destruction; He has fire in one of his left hands , symbolizing destruction.
When everything is destroyed by fire, only the ash will remain which the Lord has
smeared on his body.

d. The foot which is planted shows the act of hiding

e. The raised foot shows the act of bestowing

2. Nataraja swamy has the Vigraha ( icon) of Devi Sivakama Sundari to his left . This symbolizes Ardhanareeswara , the Lord who has the female as his left half. To his right there is a screen. When the deeparadhana showing lamps takes place to the swamy and to the left side , the screen is removed and we see five vertical long hangings of golden vilva leaves. We see nothing behind it. Sivakami shows the Saguna Brahman (the God with a form) that is Nataraja . The Saguna Brahman leads us to the Nirguna Brahman (the God without form or the God who has formlessness as his form). This is told as Chidambara Rahasyam by the Dikshitars , who are the traditional pujaris in the temple.

3. Shiva's dance is called the cosmic dance by many scholars. In Chidambaram, this dance is called Ananda Tandava

4. Lord Maha Vishnu also saw the Divine dance. In a nearby mantapa called Chitrakoota, Maha Vishnu, gives us dharshan in his fully reclining Yoga Nidra pose on the snake bed. If one stands on a small lotus sculpted on the floor slab in front of Narayana, one can at the same time see Nataraja in his right side.

5. Sages Patanjali and Thirumoolar also saw Nataraja's dance in Chidambaram. Their figures are embossed on the Silver doors of the Chit Sabha.

I think you enjoyed reading the above. Nataraja Rahasyam is said to have come to Tamilnadu from the Indus Saraswati civilization. The Saiva Agamas, which teach tantric Saivism, reveal much more than the above. Next time you visit Chidambaram, remember all this, and worship Nataraja who will grant you release from the pains of the worldly life and show you the path of Gnana.

AHOBILAM

AHOBILAM

Facts to File How far : 363 km from Hyderabad, 262 km. from Tirupati and 74 km from Nandyal (Kurnool dist) How to go : Air: Hyderabad & Tirupati are the nearest airports. Rail: Nandyal town (74 km. on Guntur-Hubli line) and Cuddapah ( 118 km. on Madras-Bombay line) are the convenient railheads. Bus: 34 km. from Allagadda, which is connected by state buses from Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chittoor, Cuddapah, Kurnool, Nellore and Madras. Where to stay : Lakshmi Nilaya Tourist rest house, TTD Choultry and Arya Vysya Choultry at lower Ahobilam. What to see : Prahladavarada Narasimha temple, Alwar Koneru and Nine forms of Lord Narasimha. Ahobilam, which is known as Singavel Kundram, is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, the lion form of Lord Vishnu, which he took to kill the demon Hiranyakashyapa. Of the many places of Narasimha worship, this place is unique, being the only place where all the nine forms of Lord Narasimha are worshipped. Hence it is also called Nava Narasimha Kshetra. The temple is divided into two parts- the lower Ahobilam and the the upper Ahobilam. The lower Ahobilam is the abode of the Prahladavarada Narasimha, the form of Lord Narasimha blessing Prahlada. This temple lies in the center of three Praakaras built in Vijayanagara style. About a furlong from this temple is the Alwar Koneru, a drinking water lake. An ascent up the hill leads to upper Ahobilam, the lord here is Ahobaleswar. A 9 km. hillpath cutting across virgin hills and forests with several waterfalls and exquisite scenic beauty takes one to Ahobaleswar temple, located at the western side of a sacred stream known as Vavinasi (one who checks ego), which joins the river Krishna.

Poovarasankuppam - Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple

Om Namo Narayanaya namah

Srimat payonidhi nikethana chakra pane,
Bhogeendra Bhoga mani rajitha punya moorthe,
Yogeesa saswatha saranya Bhabdhi potha,
Lakshmi Nrsimha Mama Dehi Karavalambam.

Kshetram:Poovarasankuppam

Abode of: Lakshmi Narasimhar

Important Festivals:
Nrusimha jayanthi

Daily Poojas timings:Temple is open between 8am - 12.30pm and 4pm-8pm on all days

Monthly poojas and Special poojas: On the day of swathi star every month On the month of Puratasi (between Sept 15th -Oct 15th)

Sri Lakshminarasimha Perumal temple is situated at Poovarasankuppam, a small village about 15kms from Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. The residing deity is Sri Lakshminarasimha Perumal and his consort, Amirthavalli Nayaki Thayar. The Temple is also popularly known as "South Ahobilam".

Sthala Puranam:
Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple in Poovarasankuppam is about 1200 years old. After Hiranya vadha Lord Narasimha whose rage didn’t subside was roaming all over the earth. On the Northern shore of the river South Pennai in South India also known as Dakhshin Pinnakini, the "Saptha Rishi' or Seven rishis prayed to the Lord to have his darshan. The spot were the Lord gave the darshan is called Poovarasankuppam. However, the intensity of the Lord was so much that the rishis couldn’t bear it. They prayed him to cool down and requested his darshan along with his consort Amirthavalli thayar who gracefully obliged. Here the Lord appeared with the Thayar on his lap.

While she partially faces the lord as if in a conversation with him, forwarding the bakthas prayers, she also bestows her blessings with her glance at the bhaktas who visit her temple. This act of the Goddess Lakshmi brought a soothing and tranquil effect on the Lord. To this day, it is only at this temple in the whole world does the Lord Lakshmi Narasimhar appear in such a pose.

There is another legend to this Kshetram. Once a king belonging to the Pallava dynasty embraced Jainism and started destroying Vishnu and Shiva temples. He imprisoned those who protested against him. The king imprisoned those who protested against him. One of the protesters happened to be a sage ‘Narahari’, who was sentenced to death by the king. Due to his action the king was cursed with ‘Brahma hathi dosham’. The curse started having its effect. The king was besieged with problems and difficulties Realizing his folly he repented for his sins and sought the blessings of the sage. On his way to the sage’s abode he rested for a while beneath a ‘poovarasan tree’. The Lord appeared in his dream and declared that he would be redeemed of his curse as the sage would come there to bless him. On waking up a leaf from the poovarasan tree dropped on the king, were he saw the image of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. Overwhelmed with happiness the king knew no bounds when the sage appeared in person to bless him. The king was absolved of the curse. As per the wishes of the sage, the king constructed a temple for the Lord at Poovarasan Kuppam.

Nearby Cities/Towns
Villupuram: 20 Kms
Pondicherry: 32 kms
Cudallore: 15 kms

How to get there

Air: Pondicherry, Chennai
Rail: One can reach Poovarasankuppam from Villupuram, which is well connected by rail.
Road: There are buses/cabs connecting Poovarasankuppam with Villupuram and Cudallore.

PARVATHAMALAI

Parvathamalai is located at Thenmahadevamangalam village which is about 20 kms off Polur. Polur is some 35 kms north of Thiru Annamalai (Arunachala). There's a very powerful Lord Shiva temple at the top of the Parvathamalai hill. Devas and spiritual beings from other lokas worship here every night. This is a place visited by numerous Siddhas for Shiva worship. Reaching the hill is somewhat difficult. Hence it is better to start early in the morning and return as early as possible. During the Pournami full moon, this hill attracts a lot of devotees. This is a place vested with a lot of spiritual power.