Thirumaanikuzhi
Thirumaanikuzhi, a small village in the Panruti - Cuddalore route, houses the Arulmigu Ambujaakshi udanurai Vaamanapureeswarar thirukovil. The deities are also called Maanikka varathar & Maanikka valli.
Legend has it that a mouse intented to eat the frozen fuel of a lamp (Nei theepam) in the Lords room. By doing that, the mouse actually kindled the lamp thereby making it illuminate the room for one more night.
The Lord, on recognition of this act, made the mouse take the birth of a king in its punar janmah (next birth) in the Threta Yuga. Parvathy Devi told the Lord that the mouse had actually done a mitake by eating the fuel of the lamp in the Lord’s room and that it does not deserve to be a king. Hence, the Lord made the mouse to be the demon king. The king was none other than Mahabali Chakravarthy, the grandson of Prahalada. Mahabali was bestowed with qualities akin to Karna of the Mahabharata. He would never say ‘No’ to people who come to him for alms. However, Indra’s authority over the heavens was taken away by force by Mahabali.
Shri Vishnu, to restore Indra’s Authority over the heavens, took the 5th Avatar in Vamana, a dwarf bramhin – the first incarnation in the Threta Yuga. Vamana, requested King Mahabali for three steps of land for him to live in. Knowing that Vamana had a different motive, Sukracharya, the guru of Asuras, adviced Mahabali not to grant Vamana’s request. But, Mahabali would never say ‘No’ to people who request alms. Hence he decided to grant the request. However, Sukracharya took the form of an insect and blocked the spout of the vase ‘kamandalam’, from which water has to be poured to seal the promise. Whereas, Vamana immediately understands this and picks up a straw (Dharbhai) and directs it up the spout poking the left eye of Sukracharya. From that day on, Sukracharya is believed to be half blind.
Vamana, upon receiving the 3 foot of land from Mahabali, grows so huge that he could cover the earth and the heaven in two simple steps. Mahabali, in order to keep up his word, offers his head for Vamana to complete his request. Vamana places his third step on King Bali’s head and gives him immortality for his benevolence. Vamana taught King Bali that arrogance and pride should be abandoned if any advancement in life is to be made and wealth should not be taken for granted.
Now, Vamana gets the dosham of killing a king. In order to nullify this dosham, Vamana decides to offer prayers to the Lord (Shiva) in Thirumaanikuzhi. Vamana being a dwarf bramhin, requests the Lord of a possible solution for him to offer his prayers to both the Lord and Devi. The Lord makes a pit and sits inside the pit so that Vamana can offer his prayers. Thirumaanikuzhi, in tamizh means – thiru – word of respect; maani – bramhachaari (bachelor), Vamana is a bachelor; kuzhi – pit.
Also since Vamana offers his prayers to the Lord along with Devi in his ‘palli arai’, Bhima Rudra stands as a guard to his prayers. Hence, the deepaaraadhanai is first shown to the Rudra and then to the presiding deity ‘Vamanapureeshwarar’. The darshan of Vamanapureeshwarar is thus restricted to a little over a minute when the screen of Bhima Rudra comes back guarding!
This sthalam is also famous because both Appar and Gnanasambandar have sung hymns in praise of the deity.
Lordess Ambujaakshi is the consort of Vamanapureeshwarar. She is also called Mannikka valli. Ambujaakshi is one among the 5 ‘aakshi’s. Others are Kamakshi in Kanchipuram, Meenakshi in Madurai, Visalakshi in Varanasi, 5th unknown to me. Ambuja – Lotus; aakshi – eyes. Hence, the name Ambujaakshi.
The Arumugam sannadhi is noted to be as a ‘padal petra sthalam’ for having the 746th Thirupugazh song dedicated to this deity. The temple also houses a separate vinayakar sannadhi.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Monday, January 8, 2007
Le Tour de 2006
"I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full. ~Lord Dunsany"
i wish i had this little urge long back in life... in my humble opinion, travelling doesn't necessarily mean going overseas, its just a part off! travelling within your own land, travelling to see the diversities of your own culture is the first step to get rational. i started visiting new places in early 2006 and i wish i only follow 'Moore's law of travel' in years to come....
one of my friends started visiting 108 divya desams of shri maha vishnu and i too joined him... Thiruvalloor, a small village in the suburbs of chennai holds the Azhagiya Singar perumal koil.... we had all modes of travel... went by bike till central station, took up a suburban train till thiruvalloor station and took the local bus to the temple.... and walked a few minutes before we could find this temple.... a perfect travel, shall i say.... to meet the perfect deity....
lots of weekend plans involved a visit to the thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy koil, which is one of the two divya desams inside chennai, the other one being thiruneermalai. while i write this, i am reminded by the eternal, that thiruneermalai is still in the 'to do' list. Parthasarathy temple is unique atleast to me for one reason, the lord sports a moustache which is not a common sight...
one another travel memorable was the travel to srivilliputur....three of us planned the trip for a weekend.... srivilliputur is the birth place of Andal, one of the twelve aazhwars who sung the glory of the Lord. the main deity is vadapatra saayi perumal with Andal (kotha naachiyar) as his consort.... adjacent to the main temple is the birth place of Andal which holds the Andal sannadi... a terrific place with serene atmosphere, no wonder why it is a divya desam. we also visited a place called thiruvannamalai, some 15 minutes of back breaking auto travel from srivilliputur... interestingly, the deity is perumal here, juxtaposing the name of the place.... this is one of the oldest temples with over 100 steep steps on a rocky hill.... if you wish to see tranquillity, this is one of the place you ought tobe. enroute back home, we also visited the thiruparankunram temple near madurai. murugan, being my kula deiva and ishta deiva, i seldom miss an opportunity! there can be no better end to that day, a travel to Meenakshi Sundaresar temple in madurai on a 'pradosham' day....
a smaller trip to Sthala sayana perumal temple with Nilamangai thayar as his consort, in thirukadalmalai, now mahabalipuram, in my bike on my friend's birthday! initially we could not locate this temple, but as i always believed that a trip to see the Lord can never fail, we were escorted to the temple by lots of well wishers way by. we had the privilage of visiting Nithya kalyana perumal temple in thiruvidanthai too on our way back home. trip to sriperumbudur, kancheepuram, thiruneermalai and lot others is on the cards and i am definitely sure 2007 opens avenues for that.
one another 'picnic' sort of travel is the one to hyderabad... one of our friends got settled there and we took that opportunity to see the place... we travelled in and around hyderabad, secundarabad, golkunda fort.... a trip for a couple of days, worth for every penny spent.
different language, different people, different time zone, different life! yes, i have been to both the forward time zone, china and to the delayed time zone, dubai! two contrasting cultures indeed.... suzhou is a perfect blend of rural and urban culture.... beautiful river cruises, terrific gardens with chinese architechtures, oh, and the sufferings with verbal communications.... even people who knew english, did not know what vegetarian means! how pity!!! had to survive on biscuits, juices... what else should you sacrifice for a terrific trip!!! beijing, definitely is 50 years ahead of chennai... 'the great wall' should have felt proud on me visiting it, sadly all alone....clicking couple of photographs of the two greats together :-)dubai, on the other hand, is truly cosmopolitan! with mostly indians and pakistanis, so it was like being in home....
A perfect way to bid farewell to 2006 was a visit to 'God's own country' with my extended family members... we were 14 of us, 4 of them above 55 yrs, 5 of them below 12 yrs! starting with a darshan of guruvayoorappan quite early in the morning.... we also visited athirampally falls enroute to kaladi...'the holiest place on earth'... got so touched to stay the night in kaladi, where our guru, shri Adi Shankaracharya was born... visited the 'janmabhoomi' kshetra first thing in the morning! our visit also included places like chotanikara where the presiding deity is Bhagawati Amman and then we moved on to ettumanur, a sivan koil where unfortunately the deity was perhaps not interested in giving us a 'darshan'... our next visit to kerala would definitely have ettumanur, vaikkam as the priority places to visit.... a darshan to the Anathapadmanaba swamy temple, trivandrum on the vaikunda ekadesi day should have given my family members so much of 'punyam', sadly not for me though! i had to sit out taking care of all the baggages! hmm.... i belive, sacrifice gives more happiness and is akin to moksha!
"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu"
At the dawn of 2007, i wished myself a good travelling year... definitely not intented on arriving!
i wish i had this little urge long back in life... in my humble opinion, travelling doesn't necessarily mean going overseas, its just a part off! travelling within your own land, travelling to see the diversities of your own culture is the first step to get rational. i started visiting new places in early 2006 and i wish i only follow 'Moore's law of travel' in years to come....
one of my friends started visiting 108 divya desams of shri maha vishnu and i too joined him... Thiruvalloor, a small village in the suburbs of chennai holds the Azhagiya Singar perumal koil.... we had all modes of travel... went by bike till central station, took up a suburban train till thiruvalloor station and took the local bus to the temple.... and walked a few minutes before we could find this temple.... a perfect travel, shall i say.... to meet the perfect deity....
lots of weekend plans involved a visit to the thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy koil, which is one of the two divya desams inside chennai, the other one being thiruneermalai. while i write this, i am reminded by the eternal, that thiruneermalai is still in the 'to do' list. Parthasarathy temple is unique atleast to me for one reason, the lord sports a moustache which is not a common sight...
one another travel memorable was the travel to srivilliputur....three of us planned the trip for a weekend.... srivilliputur is the birth place of Andal, one of the twelve aazhwars who sung the glory of the Lord. the main deity is vadapatra saayi perumal with Andal (kotha naachiyar) as his consort.... adjacent to the main temple is the birth place of Andal which holds the Andal sannadi... a terrific place with serene atmosphere, no wonder why it is a divya desam. we also visited a place called thiruvannamalai, some 15 minutes of back breaking auto travel from srivilliputur... interestingly, the deity is perumal here, juxtaposing the name of the place.... this is one of the oldest temples with over 100 steep steps on a rocky hill.... if you wish to see tranquillity, this is one of the place you ought tobe. enroute back home, we also visited the thiruparankunram temple near madurai. murugan, being my kula deiva and ishta deiva, i seldom miss an opportunity! there can be no better end to that day, a travel to Meenakshi Sundaresar temple in madurai on a 'pradosham' day....
a smaller trip to Sthala sayana perumal temple with Nilamangai thayar as his consort, in thirukadalmalai, now mahabalipuram, in my bike on my friend's birthday! initially we could not locate this temple, but as i always believed that a trip to see the Lord can never fail, we were escorted to the temple by lots of well wishers way by. we had the privilage of visiting Nithya kalyana perumal temple in thiruvidanthai too on our way back home. trip to sriperumbudur, kancheepuram, thiruneermalai and lot others is on the cards and i am definitely sure 2007 opens avenues for that.
one another 'picnic' sort of travel is the one to hyderabad... one of our friends got settled there and we took that opportunity to see the place... we travelled in and around hyderabad, secundarabad, golkunda fort.... a trip for a couple of days, worth for every penny spent.
different language, different people, different time zone, different life! yes, i have been to both the forward time zone, china and to the delayed time zone, dubai! two contrasting cultures indeed.... suzhou is a perfect blend of rural and urban culture.... beautiful river cruises, terrific gardens with chinese architechtures, oh, and the sufferings with verbal communications.... even people who knew english, did not know what vegetarian means! how pity!!! had to survive on biscuits, juices... what else should you sacrifice for a terrific trip!!! beijing, definitely is 50 years ahead of chennai... 'the great wall' should have felt proud on me visiting it, sadly all alone....clicking couple of photographs of the two greats together :-)dubai, on the other hand, is truly cosmopolitan! with mostly indians and pakistanis, so it was like being in home....
A perfect way to bid farewell to 2006 was a visit to 'God's own country' with my extended family members... we were 14 of us, 4 of them above 55 yrs, 5 of them below 12 yrs! starting with a darshan of guruvayoorappan quite early in the morning.... we also visited athirampally falls enroute to kaladi...'the holiest place on earth'... got so touched to stay the night in kaladi, where our guru, shri Adi Shankaracharya was born... visited the 'janmabhoomi' kshetra first thing in the morning! our visit also included places like chotanikara where the presiding deity is Bhagawati Amman and then we moved on to ettumanur, a sivan koil where unfortunately the deity was perhaps not interested in giving us a 'darshan'... our next visit to kerala would definitely have ettumanur, vaikkam as the priority places to visit.... a darshan to the Anathapadmanaba swamy temple, trivandrum on the vaikunda ekadesi day should have given my family members so much of 'punyam', sadly not for me though! i had to sit out taking care of all the baggages! hmm.... i belive, sacrifice gives more happiness and is akin to moksha!
"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu"
At the dawn of 2007, i wished myself a good travelling year... definitely not intented on arriving!
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Adieu 2006
The curtains have fallen for one of the best years of my life.... yes, 2006 had it all for me.... i was working in Banglore in Jan and was literally fed up of the lonely life over there! Can be surprising to many, but yes... i did not like the culture in bangalore... On Jan 19 evening, as usual when i was walking back from office, i got a call from one of my Ex colleagues and until then i did not know that there would be a turn around! My colleague had switched jobs too and had an urgent opening in his new organistion back in chennai and he wanted me to fill up... i immediately lit up like a 1000 w bulb on hearing the word chennai and accepted.... I fixed up an appointment (interview is not a professional word, i am told) on the 27th Jan, the day after the republic day, just to have a sandwitched holiday..... Boy, i was reporting to the new office on Feb 13... i could not believe my self.... it was all along an interesting year after that....
i became addicted to satyam cinemas every weekend along with one of my college friends... even more addicted to visiting new restaurants (pure veg) thrice a week..... and started actually enjoying life....
for everytime i see an aircraft hovering above me, i would think that i would also be airbound one day, atleast on a domestic trip... and alas.... i had an opportunity to fly and interestingly fly abroad.... i was having so many negative thoughts since it was official, i thought the trip can be called off even before the flight taking off.... but finally i had 'janma saabalyam' when i stepped into SQ401 at 11.45 pm on 27th June!!!!
for every time i had to send off someone from the airport, deep in my heart i was so sad that i was not privilaged enough to be flying... but on that day, i should have been the happiest person of the world....... since then i have had a couple of overseas trips which have added beauty to my 2006.
i spent lot of time with my nephew, Vyaas during the year and now he is the next life on earth that i love! after myself.....
2006 takes credit to lots of my new habbits - lots of exotic dinners, lots of travel, a new habbit of reading books, complete fasting on Tuesdays (day time alone), lots of time browsing wikipedia, a daily workout in one of the best gymns, hmm.... i should 'treat' myself for a very disciplined year.....
another year of celibacy, another year without the touch of NV, without a sip of liquor or beer, without a puff of cigarrette.... hmm... thats 26 years in a row of me doing what i believed in..... i am told that 2007 would give a new 'boss' to me...... but i am still not prepared to face it..... 'live life as it comes' is my favorite biline....
Will 2007 be better ???? i can do nothing than to Wait & Watch
i became addicted to satyam cinemas every weekend along with one of my college friends... even more addicted to visiting new restaurants (pure veg) thrice a week..... and started actually enjoying life....
for everytime i see an aircraft hovering above me, i would think that i would also be airbound one day, atleast on a domestic trip... and alas.... i had an opportunity to fly and interestingly fly abroad.... i was having so many negative thoughts since it was official, i thought the trip can be called off even before the flight taking off.... but finally i had 'janma saabalyam' when i stepped into SQ401 at 11.45 pm on 27th June!!!!
for every time i had to send off someone from the airport, deep in my heart i was so sad that i was not privilaged enough to be flying... but on that day, i should have been the happiest person of the world....... since then i have had a couple of overseas trips which have added beauty to my 2006.
i spent lot of time with my nephew, Vyaas during the year and now he is the next life on earth that i love! after myself.....
2006 takes credit to lots of my new habbits - lots of exotic dinners, lots of travel, a new habbit of reading books, complete fasting on Tuesdays (day time alone), lots of time browsing wikipedia, a daily workout in one of the best gymns, hmm.... i should 'treat' myself for a very disciplined year.....
another year of celibacy, another year without the touch of NV, without a sip of liquor or beer, without a puff of cigarrette.... hmm... thats 26 years in a row of me doing what i believed in..... i am told that 2007 would give a new 'boss' to me...... but i am still not prepared to face it..... 'live life as it comes' is my favorite biline....
Will 2007 be better ???? i can do nothing than to Wait & Watch
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