Travel Diary of Sriram and Soumya

 Sharavu Temple, Mangalore This temple was built in the 12th century by Tuluva King Veerabahu. The Shrine of Lord Sharabeshwara is located on the western side of the temple and that of Mahaganapathy is on the south. The story of its origin and importance of the temple is narrated in the Skanda Purana. It is an exceptional religious place having a great history of more than 800. years. The name "Sharavu" comes from the word "Shara," which means "arrow". King Veerabahu built the temple to atone for killing a cow. This Shivalinga is worshipped as Sharabeshwara. I like the “kavacha” or the metal covering - of the lord. In the Sharavu temple the lord is covered with a silver kavacha that shows him as a mustached Shiva. The officiating priest here has whiskers which are similar and I wondered if he kept his as a mark of devotion to his Sharabeshwara. The all wood on granite plinth structure is beautifully finished with carved wooden brackets. The sanctum faces w...

  Pandiyanadu DivyaDesams - 3 of 18 Pandiyanadu Divyadesams - 3 of 18 Thirumayam, Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple திருமயம் சத்திய மூர்த்தி பெருமாள் கோவில் We traveled northeast of Madurai to the first two Divyadesams of Thirumohoor and Kallazhagar Kovil. We proceeded further on the route to Pudukottai to the abode of Sathyamurthi Perumal in Thirumayam. It is about 78 kilometers from Azhagar Kovil and 93 Kilometers from Madurai. I think the Azhagar malai itself is at the end of the broken eastern ghats. I also assume that the small hillocks which are in this region of Pudukottai should also be remnants of the eastern chain. As we drove into the small town of Thirumayam, we were greeted by the vast fort on top of a hillock. The Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple is beneath the Thirumayam fort and is a rock-cut temple. குடைவரைக் கோயில். The fortress, seen from the temple, is of great historical significance and was an important stronghold of rebel chieftains in the Polygar (Palayakkara) Wars. Th...

    Pandiyanadu DivyaDesams - 2 of 18 Thirumaliruncholai, Azhagar Temple (Kallazhagar) திருமாலிருஞ்சோலை - அழகர் கோயில் ( கள்ளழகர் ) Pandiyanadu Divyadesams - 2 of 18 Thirumaliruncholai, Azhagar Temple (Kallazhagar) திருமாலிருஞ்சோலை - அழகர் கோயில் (கள்ளழகர்) 21 Kilometers north-east of Madurai This is perhaps among the few temples where the Utsava Moorthy - the processional deity - is more famous than the Moolavar. Sundararaja Perumal here is Kallazhagar. There is something interesting and divine about him. We have heard about "பத்தரை மாத்து தங்கம்" which I read is half-part of Copper metal for every 10 parts of gold. Then there is "பத்து மாத்து தங்கம்" which is just Gold alone, otherwise called as Sokkathangam (சொக்கத்தங்கம்). And then there is a superlative to it called "ஆயிரத்தெட்டு மாத்து தங்கம்" - which is a very highly purified Gold called Aparanji - அபரஞ்சி பொன். The Sundararaja Perumal is made from the purest gold called Aparanji. Only two Utsa...

  Pandiyanadu DivyaDesams - 1 of 18 Thirumohoor Kalamegaperumal Temple திருமோகூர் காளமேகப் பெருமாள் ஆலயம் Pandiyanadu DivyaDesams - 1 of 18 Thirumohoor Kalamegaperumal Temple திருமோகூர் காளமேகப் பெருமாள் ஆலயம் 13 Kilometers east of Madurai on the route to Melur In 1970 the Pandiyan express from Chennai to Madurai took about 11 hours and today it takes less than 8 hours. The Tejas day Express takes slightly more than 6 hours and I thought it was a good speed to cover 500 kilometers. It is the most convenient train from city center to city center. Wherever we go, we prefer staying close to the focal landmark. The place around Meenakshi temple has several functional lodges and one such is the Sabarees Residency. Unassuming, small, with decent well-airconditioned rooms and with 24 hrs hot water for less than Rs.2000. It is less than 250 meters from the west tower and in close proximity to some low-cost, tasty, and hygienic food places. We arrived a day earlier than the start of the tou...

Pandiya Nadu Divyadesams   பல்லாண்டு பல்லாண்டு பல்லாயிரத்தாண்டு பலகோடி நூறாயிரம் மல்லாண்ட திண்தோள் மணிவண்ணா! உன் செவ்வடி செவ்வி திருக்காப்பு I have been to the Nava Tirupati temples decades ago. I remember going by a rickety Ambassador taxi with my amma, appa, maternal aunt and uncle. I remember the lush green landscape and usually empty temples, some with beautiful Nayak-styled pillars with numerous Yalis. We had the blessings of the cosmos to travel and have Dharshan at the Pandya Nadu Divyadesams and a few other important temples en route. Most temples were filled with devotees arriving from far away and I was happy to see the Vairagya in each one of them when they waited to see the various Swamis with Bhakthi. Unlike Kumbakonam which is peppered with important temples in close quarters, this route is far and wide. We traveled with a group called Tirtha Yatra, based in Bangalore whose motto is "PILGRIMAGE IS RECONNECTION WITH GOD". We arrived in Madurai and traveled by bus...

Land of Kashyapa - Page#24 Last Page Sir Walter Lawrence in his ‘The Valley of Kashmir’ writes "Kashmir is full of temples, shrines, and centers of pilgrimage or ‘Teertha’. Almost every mountain peak, cave, and spring have temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and the different forms of Divine Mother Bhawani". But time is relentless. "marching forever onward, stripping away everything in its path". How else can you explain the near demise of a fertile civilization? We gave the world Arthashastra and yet we failed when it came to defending our lands. To understand the invader we need to understand his mind. When Mahmud Ghaznavi came to demolish the Somnath temple, the priests of the temple negotiated with him, offering to pay gold equal in weight to the idol. Ghaznavi rejected the offer saying "I'd rather be known as but-shikan (idol breaker) than as but-farosh (idol seller)". India is vibrant because it has different colours. Kashmir once had several vibrant...