25/1000 - And Yet So Blissful

The temple town, the mokshapuri, in Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram, is just a couple of hours away from Chennai. It is even connected to my maternal grandparents. My uncles and cousins often go there. But I have been there only a few times. And the only visits I remember in all these years are the stop at the main spots of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (that was on work), Kamakshi Amman Temple, Ekambareshwara Temple, and Varadaraja Perumal Temple. 

And yet, Kanchipuram itself has much more for the religious and the spiritual. It is a city with 1000 temples. And indeed, it is quite likely that every street has more than one temple and of varying sizes. So, I doubt even people living there know about all of them. Oh yes, that's true. And I will share that story shortly.

There is something for the spiritual too. There is a Kanchi Mutt established by Adi Shankara, and it is the birthplace of Vedanta Desika. I saw a Buddhist monastery on Google Maps, and I am sure there are other significant places too.

But in all these years, the plans have always involved going farther.

This time too, my husband's cousins and I thought of Kizhadi in the Sivagangai district. The three of us had debuted our women-only trip to Pondy earlier this year. We had fun, bonded nicely and then got busy with other things. We were meeting again after a few months and started contemplating possibilities.

Just then, in another WA group, a friend mentioned traveling to Kanchi and then to places like Kooram and Thirupukuzhi. I had never heard of them, but what attracted me was her mention that they were traveling through fields in villages.

My heart sang. I shared it with my cousins, who immediately jumped at it. It was closer and easier to plan. When you set your mind to a task, the universe comes together to make it happen. In a week, we were off - the two cousins and I - in my humble car, with a list of places to visit in and around Kanchipuram, collected from the ironing guy in the gated community where one of the cousins lived.

Setting Out

As per plans, we started at 7 am and headed for Kuranganil Muttam temple. We realised the temple was open only till 9 and that we would not be able to reach on time. But there was a number and we called. The priest lives close by and would oblige by opening the door for us, we were told. We drove through broad, relatively free highways at a good speed. On reaching the village, cutting through fields, though, we realised that we were somehow being misguided by Google Maps. Local villagers were more helpful and we finally spotted the small, quaint temple by a pond.

One of the cousins went looking for the priest while I fulfilled my dream of just sitting, doing nothing, and enjoying the scenery.

The temple came into the limelight 600 years ago when Gnanasambandar, one of the Nayanmars, visited and sang in praise of the presiding deity - Sri Valeeshwarar. The deity is said to have been worshipped by Vali, Indra and Yama in the three forms that give the place its name - kurangu - monkey (Vali), anil - squirrel (Indra) and kaagam - crow (Yama). 

From there, we headed to our next destination in Thiruvothoor, Cheyyar - Vedapureeswarar Temple. Lord Siva is said to have initiated the gods and sages into Vedas here. This temple is also 600 years old. Somehow, I can't remember the main sanctum sanctorum, but His consort, Balagujambikai, engraved Herself in my heart. There was semidarkness and the energy seemed strong.

After this, there was no time for any other temples. Oh yes, after we had had kanji (porridge) that one of the cousins had brought soon after we started. We saw a Nellai Karuppatti Coffee shop when we came out of Kuranganil Muttam and relished karuppatti milk and some sweets made with millets and karuppatti. There was also amazing halwa that sated the senses.

From Thiruvothoor, we headed to our homestay, Lingaa residency. We had a whole house with beds for 10 people just for the three of us. It was tucked in a residential colony, neat, safe and comfortable. Swiggy delivered lunch and we napped. The cousins decided I had driven enough and that in the evening we will visit temples in Kanchi to avoid night driving.

Evening 1

There are no call-autos so we booked a cab and went to Kamakshi Amman temple. Not very crowded, as we reached early, and had a good darshan. The temple precincts are amazingly well maintained with the temple tank sporting two fountains and flowering trees all around. But we didn't linger as we had a long list.

We decided to walk to Ekambareshwarar temple, which is just 20 minutes away. The huge temple complex is another treat. Its pristine beauty, the echoing silence, the greenery and the temple structure all evoke awe. The Lingam itself is different from the usual, as it was made with clay by Kamakshi when she prayed for Lord Siva to accept Her as His wife. So, no abhishekam is done here. Behind the Lingam you can see Lord Siva and Parvati seated as a couple. The mango tree and the Kamakshi sannidhi in the temple just blew our minds away. Especially in Kamakshi sannidhi, we just wanted to sit and enjoy the peace, quiet, and the breeze. And since we didn't want to be bound by any agenda, we did just that - not in that sannidhi but in the mandapam opposite the main one.

When we came out, we also bought puliyodarai prasadam, which turned out to be a delicious dinner.

We were too late for Kailasanatha Temple, which was our next stop, but there was a Pandavadoothar temple right across. We walked there too and made it just before closing time. Normally in Vishny temples, you can see the awesome form of Mahavishnu right behind the utsavar. But here, I couldn't make out the moolavar. Then, on instinct, I bend to look up behind the utsavar and was astounded by the magnificent deity in Vishwaroopam as manifested in the Kaurava court before the battle.

This trip introduced us to many such novel sights that reinforce how integrated our cultural heritage is regardless of which part of the country we belong to.

Day 2, Off to Kooram

Remember the name? Kooram is what triggered my interest in going to Kanchi and we set out by 5.30, wanting to complete more temples. But God has his own plans. When we reached there, winding our way through fields and spotting a banyan tree where we wanted sit and relax in on our way back, the early morning puja had just started. We were told it would take an hour. All plans to cover lots of temples went out the window. We decided we will wait and strolled through the village. Instead of taking the path to the banyan tree, we turned the opposite way and reached a pond. The sun was right in our eyes, so we couldn't dip our feet in. But there was a very convenient rock to enjoy the sight from.

  After receiving the prasad and a good darshan, we headed out for Govindavaadi. Our destination was the Dakshinamurthy temple there. But again Google Maps couldn't figure it out and let us go further. We reached a spot where there was a naga hooding a prostrate figure of a deity. On enquiry, we found out it is Angalaparameshwari, a village Goddess, exposed to the elements.

We retraced our steps to reach the Guru temple and felt very contented. On the way out, we crossed the Ayyanar statues that we had seen on our way up. One of the cousins wanted to take pics and a lady was approaching in our direction just then. After telling us we could take photos, she asked us to visit the temple. Though I started the car, we somehow felt we couldn't ignore the deity and returned to see yet another aspect of how the divine is worshipped by the rural folks.

A breakfast stop after that and then we headed for Thirumalpuram. This was a big temple in a village and ladies had spread out harvested paddy on the floor to dry. Inside, one of the villagers very kindly told us the history of the temple, where Manikandeshwarar is the presiding deity. Lord Vishnu is seen right across, with hands folded worshipfully. Here too the Lingam is made of sand and it is considered as powerful as Rameshwaram.

There was an idol of Nandi with a monkey face. Apparently, Lord Siva was meditating and he told Nandi not to let anyone in. Ravana came and was offended at not being allowed entry. He cursed Nandi that his face would look like a monkey's. Nandi rebutted saying a monkey would cause Ravana's destruction.

See, how these stories weave into each other!?

There was Varahi temple on the way, and we stopped there too as it was strongly suggested by the man in the temple. 

Now, where to head next was the question. We had many options, but we decided to head towards Thirupukuzhi. We made it just in time - at 11.50, 10 minutes before closing time. Lord Vijayaragavan and Goddess Maragadavalli kindly waited and gave us good darshan. Though one man said something about childless couples coming here to worship, later my mother told me that roasted green gram is soaked and it sprouts - a science-defying feat - indicating blessings of Maragadavalli Thayar on the couple.

On the way back, we decided to make one secular stop - Kanchi Kudil. It is run by a private individual who has turned her childless late uncle's house into a museum. At just Rs 10, you can see how the old Kanchi houses were built and the objects used there. Maybe soon, dining may also be available as some construction was going on. But I am not sure about that.

We also stumbled on to Kailasanathar and thought we can complete visiting that temple too. But the main sanctum sanctorum was closed and that is the main attraction. A Buddhist monastery showed up on the map but we didn't have time.

So we went for lunch, then to our room, and returned after a short break.

Evening 2, A Closure 

The first stop was Varadaraja Perumal Temple. We thought we could buy the famous Kanchipuram idli or puliyodarai for dinner from the prasadam stall but had to return empty-handed. The next was Kailasanathar temple.

The temple was built by the Pallavas using sandstone. Much of it is corroded, but despite that, the beauty and symmetry are awe-inspiring. The Lingam has 16 faces and is impressive. But the main attraction is the path for circumambulation around the Lingam. The entry is narrow, as is the exit. It signifies leaving behind our karmas and walking towards moksha. I gave up, sadly, at the entrance, but the oldest of the cousins did it with aplomb.

On the outer precincts, one of the palm trees housed a delightful colony of tailor birds!

Next what? That afternoon, my mom called me to say dad wants me to visit Thuppul Vedanta Desika temple, which was not part of our original plan. But we decided to do that and visit Ulagalanda Perumal Temple as the Maps showed them to be just across each other.

Oh, how wrong it was! Not only that, it kept trying to push us into a no-entry zone. So we found the way to reach Ulagalanda Perumal Temple the traditional way - by asking people around. The temple was under renovation and we saw only the utsavar.

There was coconut rice prasadam that also sated our material needs. And outside, we had some amazing coconut flower.

When we again tried to go to Thupul, despite getting directions from the priest, we were not confident and the Maps continued to show only the one way. On an impulse, I cut across to my right - it was a main road and it was a rash move. I landed on a long but narrow street that ended in a dead-end! When we asked one of the guys there about Thupul, he drew a blank. Vedanta Desika temple? Blank. "Oh wait, let me ask our spirituality guy," he said and asked another man speaking on another phone. He told us the way, thankfully. And it was not even 10 minutes away. But, not even the people of Kanchi know about all the temples there!

The Vedanta Desika temple is also at a dead end, but a short street. To the left, when you face the temple, is Lakshmi Varahaswamy temple, and to the right is Vilakkoli Perumal temple. Another old temple, with lots of trees and space around it, it was also another beautiful experience. The Consort here, Maragadavalli, has also been sung about by Azhwars along with Mahavishnu - a rarity. She is the means through which you attain the Lord. The priest took time to remind us about our need to take the spiritual journey and shared an anecdote - Lord Rama waited even for Ravana who, despite his erudition, refused to see the Way. But finally he did and the Lord was there for him! 

We were about to leave after the darshan when one man standing outside the Goddess's sanctum sanctorum asked us to wait. We had begun the morning seeing the Lord being woken up. We finished by seeing Sayana Aarati for Goddess Maragadavalli (not to be confused with Thiruppukuzhi deity). We experienced that in the adjacent Vedanta Desikar sannidhi too. He is the disciple of Sri Ramanujacharya - the proponent of Vishishtadvaitam philosophy, followed by south Indian Vaishnavites.

The third temple had closed, but we were in bliss.

Sweet Parting

Which route should we take to reach Chennai? We had to be home anytime before 2 or 3, but the morning was still ours. We went to Sanjeevi Anjaneyar temple in Iyengarkulam. We should have visited here on day 1 itself, but better late than never. A fairly large temple, it has Hanuman's swayambhu vigraham that came up when a drop of the sanjeevi nectar fell during the Ramayana times when Hanuman was carrying it to treat Lakshmana.

The temple needs funds and awareness. One man seems to have dedicated his life to serving the temple and shared the many stories about the place. It was very moving.

From there, we headed to Thirupanangadu, which is actually in Thiruvannamalai district. The place was filled with fields and we stood for some photo ops.

There are two Lingams, two consorts, two flagstaffs... The two Lingams were worshipped by Sage Pulastya and his son and disciple, Sage Agastya. Sundaramurthy Nayanar had heard about the temple and was heading towards it but the place was filled with palm trees. He was hungry when he met a wayfarer who offered him rice. Nayanar got angry because there was no water to go with the food when the wayfarer created a fountain. Nayanar realised it was Lord Siva himself, who had given him food and water, and then told him that the Lingams were waiting for him as they were buried under the sand. Kochadaiyan Siddhar had been protecting it and offered it to him. A temple was built. The old temple has crumbled but a larger and new temple has come in its place, built by one of the wealthy men for winning a case after worshipping the lord here. There is a beautiful but unusable water pond right across the temple, said to come from the times of Sundarar.

The priest showed us a pillar with a carving of Vali and Sugreeva fighting. This was inside the temple. Just outside the threshold was a pillar with Rama. From there, the pillar inside can be seen, but from inside the outer one cannot. This represents Vali Vadham. "There are four pillars between these two pillars. It signifies the four stages of our life - Brahmacharya, Grahasthashrama, Vanaprastha, and Sanyasa - to attain the Lord. Vali was well-read but Maya blinded him. That Maya is signified by the seven trees. Lord Rama's arrow is the knowledge that pierces Maya and reveals the Truth. Vali surrenders and attains liberation," the priest informed us.

There is another temple for Kochadayar outside. He is protecting the temple. Apparently, he would enter the current priest's father and villagers have seen the conversation between the sage and the priest that would leave them all shivering!

At the behest of the man who told us the story, we went to a mandapam in the middle of nowhere where Sundarar had meditated.

When looking for Thiruppanangadu, one Adisesha temple and Baba temple kept coming up in the maps. The man in the temple told us it would be far, but we decided to go there anyway and were pleasantly surprised to see it was not far and both temples were in the same place.

We went in there, had a good darshan, had a good breakfast, and got an opportunity to meet and speak to Guruji - a Mahavatar Baba devotee and teacher of Kriya Yoga. He is 81 years old, from Kerala, was a librarian at Madras University library and had the opportunity to study spiritual books. His command of not just Tamil but Tamil spiritual poetry was amazing. He too talked of the need to understand our true purpose on earth - which is self-realization - and the importance of Raja Yoga and Brahma Vidya.

Another temple got added as the cook at the ashram told us about a Bhairava temple. We decided not to miss that either and went to Vembakkam for darshan.

From there, it was way back to home. We completed 25 places of worship in all. It didn't seem overwhelming or rushed. Because the number meant nothing to us. There were other temples on our list and some that were recommended by others. We did what we could and don't feel we missed anything. But if the opportunity presents itself, we would be happy to go back to do the rest for each had a story that was beyond imagination.

The photos are primarily from one of the cousins, Chithra. Sujatha was the third leg to this trip. We are already talking about the next.