Path to Vairakal Murugan Temple from Girivalam Roadway

In an earlier post about the Vairakal Murugan Temple on top of an Arunachala spur, I gave directions of how to reach the Temple (situated at the top of a hillock) by going through Rajiv Gandhi Nagar. Below is an alternative pathway you can take to reach the Temple via the Girivalam Roadway. 

Take NH66 (Chengham Road i.e. Girivalam Road) leading out of Tiruvannamalai. About one kilometre from Ramana Nagar on the right side is the Simha (Lion) Theertham. Walk past the Tank and about 500 yards further down the road, third path on the left after the Tank, is a roadway which has been created for construction material to be taken up the hillock to the Temple.

Simha (Lion) Tank on NH66 (Girivalam Road)

At the entrance to this roadway is a Temple board. Take this roadway and after a short distance it starts to climb up into the hillock. Follow this path direct to the Temple. 

Sign at pathway leading to the Vairakal Temple

Pathway leading up the Hillock

Closeup of rocky cluster surrounding Temple on Hillock

Construction roadway leading up to top of Hillock

Vairakal Murugan Temple, Arunachala Spur

There is a very nice Murugan Shrine situated on top of a spur of Arunachala Hill. The Vairakal Murugan Temple is known to locals in the area and is becoming increasingly popular with visiting devotees during Poornima and festivals. Currently several times a year evening functions with singing are conducted at the Shrine, which is brightly lit up for these occasions. So much so that from my house I can easily see the lights on those evenings coming from the Arunachala Hill spur. Lights on the Hill are put up for the night of Mahadeepam, Chitra Poornima and Panguini Utthirham. The Temple is expecting devotees to come for puja and watch the lighting of the Arunachala Mahadeepam from the Hillock. 

Around one year back, the Murugan statue which had been on the top of the Hillock for over 30 years was damaged. When this became known, many local villagers gave donations to pay for the creation of a new statue of Lord Murugan and to help finance the construction of a larger Shrine. Until the Shrine is complete, the new statue of Lord Murugan will remain in an adjacent shed (see below photographs). Kumara Swami who lives on the Hillock, is maintaining the performance of regular puja for both the Murugan Statue and Shiva Lingam. Special pujas are being performed on Tuesdays, Fridays and Poornimas. A beautiful function on the evening of December 12, 2016, the night of Mahadeepam is planned. 

To assist in bringing material up to the top of the Hillock, the excellent Shantimali Trust helped the Shrine finance the creation of a pathway for construction vehicles, the digging of a water borewell and is currently also active in supporting the development of the Lord Murugan Shrine. 

There was no thought other than creating a Shrine to house the new Murugan Statue, however a devotee felt a strong impulse to give money for the creation of Shiva Lingam to be housed in a cave situated in a rocky cluster at the top of the Hillock. It is planned that after the Lord Murugan Shrine is complete, a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva will be created inside a nearby cave in which devotees will be allowed to meditate. 

Circle shows location of Vairakal Murugan Temple. Arunachala background

The photograph above indicates how to get on the pathway leading to top of spur. The pathway to top of Hillock is located at back of Cow Sheds

Arunachala darshan from the location of the Vairakal Murugan Temple on Hillock

Easy walk up Hillock to the Murugan Shrine

Way to the top

Murugan Shrine at top of Hillock

Stone known as Anjaneya Rock, next to the Shrine

Villagers believe that the spirit of Lord Anjaneya resides at the top of the Hillock in the form of this guardian rock

This is the old Murugan Shrine which is being replaced by a larger Shrine that is nearly complete

Larger Vairakal Murugan Temple nearly complete

As construction is underway completing the Shrine, statue of Murugan is being kept in adjacent white shed. Puja is being regularly performed.

Lingam has been specially created. Will be later moved to its new home

Cave located in rock cluster on top of Hillock

There had been no intention to create a Shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva on the top of the Hillock. However when a person visited the Shrine and unexpectedly gave a large donation for the creation of a Shiva Lingam, it was decided that after completion of the Murugan Shrine, a Shrine will be created for Lord Shiva and located in a cave situated in a rock cluster (above photograph) at the top of the Hillock.

Shrine for Lord Murugan with adjacent shed housing new statue. Lingam in front of Shrine

On top of Hillock

Kumara Swami has been living at top of Hillock for the past year, conducting regular pujas to the new Lord Murugan statue and Shiva Lingam

One view from the Hillock overs the 750 acre Samudram Eri (lake) which fills with water during the Monsoon season

View from top of Hillock

Beautiful views and darshan from top of Hillock

Excavation

I stopped by this evening at the site of the controversial land grab at Pavala Kunru, a small hillock spur of Arunachala. I took lots of photographs, which I hope to post over the next few days, but for the meantime a few to get started. The below photograph is of the rock on which Paramahamsa Nithyananda reports to have experienced his realisation while still a young boy. This is the site which is the centre piece of the envisaged 3 acre ashram infrastructure that some hope to develop but which is currently causing alot of local controversy.

The below is taken from the 3 acre site and shows part of the adjacent unspoilt Hill.

The last photograph is of part of the current exacuvation of the proposed 3 acre ashram site.

Apart from the overriding spiritual and aesthetic senstivities of the opponents of the proposed ashram at Pavala Kunru, Arunachala, there is also the serious consideration of soil erosion and mud slides during monsoon because of the disruption of boulders and rooted trees. Some years back, before the current Arunachala reforestation programmes, parts of southwest Tiruvannamalai was endangered by falling rocks from the Hill resulting from soil degradation.

Wedding at Pachaiamman

Today I went to Pachaiamman Temple situated on the south east slope of Arunachala to meet with one of the Temple Trustees. I didn't realise when making the programme that the day would be a very auspicious one and that many of the Mandapams and Temples would be the venue of marriages. Here is the Raja Gopuram at the entrance of the Temple with Arunachala in the background.

Inside the Temple compound the statue of Pachaiamman (the green Goddess in the centre) sits looking out over her domain. Pachaiamman means 'Green Mother' and there are several stories connected with this Goddess which explains the history of her name. In one story, the sage Gautama Rishi in readying his Arunachala ashram to receive the Goddess, prepared a 'parnasala' (a holy seat). For this purpose durbai grass was used (a variety of pale yellow green grass used for yagnas). When the Goddess arrived and came to the 'parnasala', the durbai changed colour from the pale yellow green to an intense green. Another story of how the Goddess received the name Pachaiamman, is that during her journey from Kanchi to Arunachala, while staying at Vazhapanthal, Amman sat under a covering of lush green banana leaves; hence her name.

And in this her Arunachala domain, she sits watching over her guardian warriors. A legend of Pachaiamman (an aspect of Parvati) has it that after completing her penance at Kanchi, the Goddess started off for Arunachala. She travelled with 7 rishis and 7 virgins (Sapta Kanniyars) as part of a protective entourage. Halfway from Kanchi to Arunachala, the entourage stopped and made camp at the village Vazhapanthal. At that place the local king tried to molest the Goddess and the 7 rishis became as munishwaras (guardians) and killed the king. In the Pachaiamman Compound there are 14 statues of Pachaiamman’s warrior guardians set out in two lines, with two representations of each warrior.

When I arrived at the Temple a marriage was in progress. The ceremony was performed inside the Goddess shrine and afterwards the wedding entourage came outside into the compound to perform the rest of the wedding ritual. In the below photograph, the groom is putting on wedding 'toe rings' onto the toes of his new wife.

And here are the young couple.

The below shows the wonderfully extravagant hairdo of the bride; a lot of work went into that!

The following shows in more detail the intricacies of the bride's hairdo.

As in Western weddings, the bride and groom receive presents on the same day of the wedding ceremony. In India the favourite presents are usually to do with the kitchen. Sounds familiar!

Next the sister of the bride with whom I was having a nice chat. I had never attended a wedding at Pachaiamman Temple, and it seems a wonderful venue for such a function.

Below are the statues of Lord Munishwara's vahanas (vehicles) in the form of an elephant, a dog and five horses. I rather like the incongrous inclusion of the cotton candy seller!

Now that the function is over, time for tiffin. And snacks of sambhar rice with kurmar, bhajis and sweet kesari bath was served to all wedding guests on banana leaves in the Temple compound.

Once the wedding was over, the Compound emptied out quickly and suddenly everything was back to normal, the Hill and Pachaiamman silently watching over us all.

Murugan Shrine

Yesterday while walking near Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, I looked up at the small hillock spur of Arunachala that I regularly climbed when living in that area. Although it takes under 10 minutes to get to the top, it has one of the best views of Arunachala and the surrounding countryside. Very few people know about the Murugan Temple on top of the hillock and sitting up there is; quiet, private and inspirational.

I'm at the top of the spur and in front of me is the vel (spear) that is associated with Lord Murugan. In the distance is the water of Samudram Lake and lots of nice, open countryside.

The below photograph is of Lord Murugan, whose shrine is at the top of the hillock. Lord Murugan is Ganesha's (the Elephant God) brother and is particularly revered in Tamil Nadu.

Next to the shrine is a natural rock formation that many locals call 'Anjaneya' (Hanuman, the Monkey God) because it resembles the side profile of a monkey.

The hill spur is attached to the southwest foot of Arunachala. In the next photograph you can see part of the inner girivalam pathway.

This is the view of Arunachala from the Hillock.

Over the last couple of years there has been a rapid introduction of mobile phones into the area. Sadly with mobile phones goes telephone towers. Just pointing my camera towards the Ramana Nagar area, I can see 5 phone towers.

The next picture is of the developing residential area of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar. In the background on the left side is the big white auditorium of Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram.

The below is of the quarry which is slowly eating away at the Hillock I am standing on. To read more about this you can check here and here.

With my back to Arunachala and looking forward in all directions, I can see lots of unspoilt countryside. In the front is the rapidly receding waters of the 600 acre Samudram Lake, which fills and empties depending on the yearly rains.

To the west and away from the township of Tiruvannamalai and its ever-developing urbanization, lots of open spaces.