SREE ABHIDHAGUJAMBAL (UNNAMULAYAL) SAMETHA SREE ANNAMALAIYAR, TIRUVANNAMALAI

SREE ABHIDHAGUJAMBAL (UNNAMULAYAL) SAMETHA SREE ANNAMALAIYAR,
TIRUVANNAMALAI

Tiruvannamalai can be reached from Vellore, Krishnagiri or Villupuram of Tamilnadu and is at a distance of  85, 145 and 65 kms respectively.   It is 180 kms from Salem and 185 kms from Trichirapalli.    The Hill is considered to be the Lord Arunachala and Girivalam on Full Moon day (Pournami) is considered very auspicious and special buses are operated by the Tamilnadu govt bus service to this place from all parts of Tamilnadu and Bangalore also.    As per the ancient legends the Annamalai Hill was Agni during Krithayugam, was Manickam (Ruby) during Threthayugam, was Gold during Dwaparayugam and is a rock during Kaliyugam.   On the request of Brahma and Vishnu, Lord Siva who was in the form of a fire column, took the form of Sivalingam at the foot of the hill , where the temple stands now.  The temple represents Agni in the Panchabootha temples.   

                                     PRADOSHAM AT TIRUVANNAMALAI

Annabhishekam is done during tamil month of Aaipasi (Oct-Nov) in all Siva temples on the Full Moon day and a picture of the one done in Annamalaiyar temple on 29th October 2012:

Ani thirumanjanam (June-July) is a festival celebrated in Siva temples with various abhishekams as Siva is a abhisheka priya.   The human year is a day for the devas and tamil month Margazhi is the dawn for them and tamil month Ani is the evening for devas.  The Siva temples normally have 6 kala poojas to correspond to this identification and thus the six periods of - Masi chathurthasi, Chithirai Thiruvonam, Ani Uththiram, Avani chathurthasi, purattasi chathurthasi and Margazhi Thiruvathirai are considered auspicious for the abhishekam and at annamalaiyar the urchavars after abhishekam are decorated and they bless the devotees and are taken in procession. 

Ani Thirumanjanam procession

The legend has this account for the story-  Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu entered into a controversy of who was supreme and they want Lord Siva to be the judge.  Lord Siva told that who ever sees the crown and the feet of him is the winner and he transformed himself into a column of fire, touching heaven and earth.   Vishnu took the form of a Boar/Varaha and digged deep into the earth to see the feet but accepted that he was not successful in seeing the feet.   Brhama took the form a Swan and flew higher to see the crown of Siva.  As he was doing that without success, he saw a thazhamboo falling supposedly from the crown of the Lord and asked it to be the witness for having seen the crown of Siva and thus lied to Siva that he had seen the crown.   The thazhamboo flower falsely vouchsafed for Brahma to have seen the crown and Siva became angry and told that henceforth Brahma should have no temple on earth and that the Thazhamboo flower should not be used for his pooja.   Also there is the belief that even one thinks of Tiruvannamalai he would get Mukthi or salvation.  

Tiruvannamalai temple has 9 gopurams and 9 prakaras and the main gopuram is of 217 ft height.  The temple covers an area of 25 acres.   It has a massive 1000 pillar mandapam.  Immediately on entrance to the temple, the sannidhi in which Arunagirinathar was blessed by Lord Subramanya can be seen and next is the Sivaganga theertham on the left and Pathala Lingam on the right.  Arunagirinathar is from this place and sung his Thirupugazh here.   On further proceeding, on the left again is the Brahama Theertham.    Annamalaiyar Sannidhi faces east and goddess Unnamulayal also on the east.  Before entering the amman sannidhi, red coloured Vijayaraghava Vinayagar gives darshan.   Amman sannidhi is on the north-western side of the 3rd prakaram.   On the outside prakara to Amman sannidhi, are the shrines of Vinaygar, Venugopalan, Lakshmi and Valli/devayanai sametha Subramanyar.   By the side of the Dwajasthambam on the amman sannidhi, on the northern side is the shrine for Bhairavar, Chitraguptan and Navagrahas.   As we come out of amman sannidhi, separate sannidhis of Pitari amman, ekambareswarar, chidambareswarar, Jambukeswarar and Kalahastheeswarar can be seen.   The latter represent the other panchabootha sthalams. 

Tamilnadu devotees follow the time for lighting the Karthigai Deepam based on the lighting at this temple on Karthigai day, known Thiruvannamalai Deepam. The deepam on top of the hill is on a cauldron with 3 to 4 tonnes of Ghee and can be seen from a distance of 20 kms.   5 large vessels in the tempe precincts are lit up to symbolise the 5 elements during this deepam festival.  The event is widely covered by TV channels.   

தேவார பாடல்கள் - திருவண்ணாமலை  
திருஞானசம்பந்தர் 
(பத்து பாடல்களில் மூன்று கொடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.)
பூவார் மலர்கொண்ட டியார்தொழுவார் புகழ்வார் வானோர்கள்
மூவார்புரங்கள் எரித்தஅன்று மூவர்க்கருள் செய்தார் 
தூமாமழைநின் றதிரவெருவித் தொறுவின் நிரையோடும்
ஆமாம்பிணை வந்தணையுஞ்சாரல் அண்ணாமலையாரே.

எனைத்தோரூழி யடியாரேத்த இமையோர் பெருமானார் 
நினைத்துத் தொழுவார் பாவந்தீர்க்கும் நிமலருறை கோயில் 
கனைத்தமேதி காணாதாயன் கைம்மேல் குழலூத 
அனைத்துஞ்சென்று திரளுஞ்சாரல் அண்ணாமலையாரே.

அல்லாடரவம் இயங்குஞ்சாரல் அண்ணாமலையாரை 
நல்லார்பரவப் படுவான்காழி ஞானசம்பந்தன் 
சொல்லால் மலிந்த பாடலான பத்தும் இவைகற்று 
வல்லாரெல்லாம் வானோர் வணங்க மன்னி வாழ்வாரே.


Temple Timings:
5 AM-12.30PM
3.30 PM-9.30 PM

AKILANDESWARI SAMETHA JAMBULINGESWARAR, TIRUVANAIKAVAL, TRICHY

SREE AKILANDESWARI SAMETHA SREE JAMBULINGESWARAR, TIRUVANAIKAVAL, TRICHY

The temple is at the centre of the Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) town in Tamilnadu and on the northern banks of the River Cauvery.  It is very well connected by air and road from Chennai/Bangalore/Trivandrum and within the town by bus-auto or any other mode.   It is on the way to Srirangam Ranganathar temple when one goes from Triuchirapalli Airport, Railway station or Central Bus Stand. Bus No. 1 Tiruchirapalli Railway station to Srirangam goes via Tiruvanaikaval. Lot of flower vendors sell nagalinga pushpam, lotus, jasmine and other flowers at the entrance to the temple.   The temple has 5 prakarams.

Jambulingeswarar sannidhi is west facing and at a lower level to the general floor level.   It has an underground water stream around the lingam.  The temple is one of the Panchabootha Sthalam and represents water and thus known as Appu Sthalam aslo.   The normal darshan of the Lord Jambukeshwarar is through nine apertures made on the wall of the sanctum.   Coming out after the darsahan by the northern entrance here, reach the second prahara and while circumbulating this second prahara offer prayers at the Vinayagar, valli devayanai sametha Subramanya and Saraswathi sannidhis.   Finally Dakshinamurthy on the southern side.  

The Goddess Akilandeswari sanndhi is on the 3rd prahara on the northern side of the prahara and the main entrance is at eastern end.  Flowers, pooja materials and archanai ticket for the Ambal can be here also.  The magnificient vigraha of the Ambal is seen to be believed.  The big thadangam adorned by the goddess was done with powers of the Srichakra inscribed on them by Adi Sankara.   Normally Srichakra will be installed at the feet of the Goddess.   To overcome of the Goddess's fury, apart from this thadangam, Adi Sankara also installed a Vinayagar (Prasanna Vinayagar) and Murugan in front of the mother.  The temple has a Palli Arai but no poojas are conducted here.   When Goddess was in penance in Jambu forest (Thiruvanaikaval), Lord gave darshan to Ambica but did not marry her.   There is no tirukalyanam festival in this temple. When Lord gave upadesa to her on appearing after the penance, she was facing east and the Lord faced west.  Hence this place is also called as Upadesa Sthalam.  As Goddess prayed to Lord Siva in penance, during noon, the Archakar dresses as a female and performs pooja to Lord Siva and the holy cow.  A special breed of cow known as Karam Pasu is brought for the pooja.  Goddess for the pooja during penance made a lingam out of the water from river cauvery and installed at the root of the Venn Naval tree (Jambu).

Immediately on entering the temple, on the right is the sanndhis of Sree Sundareswarar (Chokkanathar) and Sree Meenakshi. 

Two Siva Gnanas Pushpadanda and Maliavan who were serving Lord Siva in Kailash, quarelled over the supremacy among themselves to the intimacy to the Lord.  In the process each cursed the other to be born as a Spider and an elephant.   Pushpadanda was born as elephant and Maliavan as Spider.   They prayed for relief from the present life and not without fighting among themselves.   The spider entered into the ear of the elephant in an attempt to kill it.   Lord Siva gave salavation to the elephant only and made the spider to be born again for its attempt to kill the elephant.   As the elephant was blessed here, the place came to known as Thiruanaika.  The spider was then born  by name Kochengat Chozhan to the Chola King Subadeva and to queen Kamalavathi.  Kochengat Chozhan built Siva temples in which elephants cannot enter and in Tiruvanaikaval also, he renovated the temple preventing the entry of elephants.  There is a shrine for this king also in the temple.

Brahma once incurred  Sthree Dosha, as he loved one the woman he himself created.   To get over that, he prayed to Lord Siva and as told by Goddess, Siva takes the form of Uma and Parvathi taking the form of Lord Siva appeared before him while he was pardoned and given relief from the Dosha.  This is celebrated as a festival near the banks of Brahma Theertham.  

When the fifth prakaram was being constructed, the Chola King had to go in a war and his mind was on the temple construction only, though he went to perform his duty of engaging in war.   Lord Siva appeared as Vibuthi Chithar and completed the work and thus the prakara is known as Vibuthi Prakara or Thiruneetran thirumadhil (திருநீராட்டான் மதில்).   The temple is very big with lengthy praharas.

Once a Brahmin prayed to Mother Akilandeswari for himself to become an acclaimed poet.  Goddess took the form of an ordinary woman and she asked the brahmin whether she can spit the juice of betel leaves she was chewing in his mouth as she did not want to spit in the temple.  The brahmin grew angry on hearing that.  When she approached an another devotee by name Varadhan, he readily agreed as he did not want the temple premises to be spoiled and wanted the temple premises to be clean and allowed the juice to be spit in his mouth. The ordinary man later became the great poet Kalamegam.   Many pray the Goddess to attain wisdom by offering thamboolam.  

Temple timings:
6 AM to 12 Noon
5 PM to   9 PM