2014 Adi Pooram at Rajarajeshwari Temple

I myself attend the Adi Pooram function at the Rajarajeshwari Temple which is located off the girivalam roadway. The Vallaikappu ceremony and puja attracted large crowds, and the Goddess was splendidly adorned in a multitude of silk saris, jewels and garlands for the occasion. 

Sri Rajarajeshwari 2014 Adi Pooram

Close-up of the supremely contented Goddess

Aadi Pooram Photographs—Friday August 9, 2013

After a long delay I finally connected with Swami at Rajarajeshwari Temple on the Arunachala Girivalam Roadway, and picked up photographs of the Aadi Pooram Festival as it was celebrated at that Temple. 

Below are two photographs of Sri Rajarajeshwari at Arunachala, specially dressed for this most auspicious Festival. I will be posting a more complete narrative with photographs onto my website Arunachala Samudra. To read more about this wonderful Temple, please visit my website at this link here. But for the time being below, two most sublime photographs. 

Right click for photo enlargement

Adi Pooram is celebrated in all Hindu temples in Southern India in the month of Adi, which corresponds to the English months of July-August, when the asterism Pooram (Delta Leonis) is in the ascendancy. As the Festival fell on a Friday this year, the occasion was regarded as even more auspicious. This Festival is observed to propitiate the Sakti Goddess who is said to have come into the world on this occasion to bless all. She is thus worshipped in order that one may secure happiness for oneself and for loved ones.

Arunachala Samudra Update

To those interested in reading about the recent Adi Annamalai Mahakumbhabhishekam please visit my website Arunachala Samudra at the section on Adi Annamalai Temple.  

Over the last month a number of new narratives have been added to the website, in the Temple Section, narratives and photographs on Adi Annamalai Temple, Rajarajeshwari Temple, Pachaiamman Temple and the Asta Lingams. 

There are also in depth narratives in the Festival Section, on the Thiruvoodal and Mahashivaratri Festivals. 

For morality tales, anecdotes and quotes go to this link here.

I will be continuing to upload new material on Arunachala Samudra over the coming months, so please continue checking in. 

Tripurasundari and Navaratri

To learn more about tree species in this area, visit my recent posting on my Arunachala Land Blog at this link here. One of the trees I mention in that posting is the Kadamba.

There are many legends and mythology concerning the Kadamba Tree. Probably best known in these parts are the legends associated with Lord Murugan and the deity Kadambariyamman.

During the Sangam Period in Tamil Nadu, Lord Murugan in the form of a spear under a Kadamba Tree at Tirupparankundram Hill of Madurai was referred to as a centre of nature worship.

In another mystical story, the Kadamba tree is also associated with a deity called Kadambariyamman. The Kadamba tree, which is considered the ‘sthalavruksham’ (Tree of the place) of the city that is otherwise known as ‘Kadambavanam’ (Kadamba forest).







The Kadamba tree is is said to put forth orange, fragrant buds at the roaring of thunder clouds. A withered relic of the Kadamba tree is believed to be preserved in the precincts of the Madurai Sri Meenakshi Temple. The name also means multitude. In that sense, the Kadamba forest stands for the Universe that the Devi permeates completely i.e. like a cloud that quenches the thirst for knowledge of the sages.

The Festival of Navaratri, dedicated to the Divine Mother starts on September 28th, 2011. Arunachaleswarar Temple will celebrate this Festival in evening functions at the site of the Old Marriage Mandapam near the Shiva Sannidhi. Ramana Ashram also has delightful puja functions throughout the Festival.

There are several very beautiful Temples in Tiruvannamalai dedicated to the Divine Mother, one of which, Rajarajeshwari Temple also known as Tripurasundari, is a wonderful Temple to visit, especially during Poornima, Deepam and special functions as Navaratri and Deepavali. What makes the Rajarajeshwari Temple so appropriate during Navaratri, is the presence of its exquisite and most powerful Sri Meru Chakra.

Goddess Rajarajeshwari

“Dear One, Tripura is the ultimate, primordial Shakti, the light of manifestation. She, the pile of letters of the alphabet, gave birth to the three worlds. At dissolution, She is the abode of all tattvas, still remaining Herself”
[Vamakeshvaratantra]

Sri Meru Chakra

Embedded below is the wonderful Sri Tripurasundari Stotram sung by the Sulamangalam Sisters, which extols the glory and attributes of the Goddess inhabiting the Kadamba Forest. The name Goddess Tripurasundari attests that the Goddess is consort to Lord Shiva who is called Tripura because he contains within himself all three forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

English Translation to Strotram:

Seek I shelter in Tripurasundari, materfamilias of the three-eyed one. Who is roaming in the Kadamba Forest, a bank of clouds to the galaxy of sages. Whose hip excels the mountain; who is served by damsels celestial, whose eyes rival new blown lotus. And swarthy like the nimbus newly-formed.

Seek I shelter in Tripurasundari, materfamilias of the three-eyed one. Who is inhabiting the forest Kadamba, Holding a Vina golden, wearing a necklace of gems priceless. A face deeply aglow of ambrosia. Through mercy bestowing prosperity, clear-eyed, the wandering one.

Arrayed we be in panoply by her Kadamba forest abode. By the garland gracing her massive bosom. By her bosom rivalling mounts. By the splendid flow of her surpassing grace. By her cheeks ruddied by wine. By her melodious musical voice. By her cloud-like blue. By her instructable play!

Seek I shelter in Tripurasundari, materfamilias of the three-eyed one. Who is in the midst of Kadamba forest; seated on the golden disc. Who resides in lotuses six. A lightning to the constant Siddhas, splendorously mocking scarlet Hibiscus with cloudless moon for her crest jewel.

Seek I shelter in Sage Matanga’s daughter. Mellifluously conversing. Vina gracing the bosom. Adorned with curly tresses. Residing in lotus. Scorning the evil-minded. Reddish-eyed from nectar. Captivating Cupid’s enemy.

Seek I shelter in Tripurasundari, materfamilias of the three-eyed one. Who bears the first flower of Manmatha. Clad in garments blue, spotted sanguine. Holding a liquor bowl. With eyes inebriated, languishing at the ends. Close-set bosom heavy and high. The swarthy one with locks dishevelled.

In japa I remember the Mother. Smeared with vermillion. Forelocks grazing the dot of musk. Looks soft and smiling. Bearing arrows, blow, snared and goad. Deluding all people. In red garland, jewels and apparel.

I salute the Mother of the World entire. Who has the celestial queen for plaiting tresses. Brahma’s consort skilful for anointing sandalpaste. Vishnu’s spouse for adorning with lustrous gems. And heavenly damsels for servant maids.

Tripurasundari Stotram

Kadambha vana charineen, muni kadambha kadambhineem,
Nidhambha jitha bhoodaram sura nithambhini sevitham,
Navamburuha lochanam abhinavambhudha shyamalam,
Trilochana kudumbhineem tripurasundarim asraye.

Kadambha vana vasineem kanaka vallaki dharineem,
Maharhamani harineem mukha samullasa dwarineem,
Daya vibhava karineem, visadha lochineem charineem,
Trilochana kudumbhineem tripurasundarim asraye.

Kadambha vanashalaya kuchbarollasanmalaya,
Kuchopamithashailaya gurukrupalasad velaya,
Madarunakapolaya madhura geetha vachalaya,
Kayapi gana leelaya kavachiha vayam leelaya

Kadambha vana madhykam kanaka mandala lopa sthithaam,
Shadambhuruha vasineem sathath sidha sowdamineem,
Vidambhitha japa ruchim vikhacha chandra choodamanim,
Trilochana kudumbhineem tripurasundarim asraye.

Kuchancithabanjikaam kutila kunthalalangrutham,
Kusheshaya nivasineem kutila chitha vidwesineem,
Madaaruna vilochanaam manasi jari sammohineem,
Madhnga muni kanyakaam, madhurabhashineen ashraye.

Smareth prathama puspineem, rudhira bindu neelabaram,
Graheetha madhu pathrikaam madhu vigurna nethranchalam,
Gana sthans baronnatham galitha soolikaam shyamalam,
Trilochana kudumbhineem tripurasundarim asraye.

Sakumkuma vilepanaam alaka kampikasthurikaam,
Samanthahasitheshanaam sachara chapa pasangusam,
Asesha jana mohineem aruna malya bhooshambaram,
Japa kusuma basuraam japa vidhow smarathembikam.

Purandara purandrikaam chikura bandha sairandhrikam,
Pithamaha pathivrutham, patu pateera charcharathaam,
Mukunda ramani manim lasadalangriya kaarineem,
Bajami bhuvanambikam, sura vadhootika chetikam.

Rajarajeshwari Temple Homam

I previously mentioned the very nice hill round girivalam performed by bullock cart last Tuesday, February 10th by a group from France. This same group of 18 members escorted by Dominique Vincent and his companion Rahina, also sponsored a very beautiful Sri Chakra Homam at the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the evening before their departure. The Group is currently at Varanasi on the second stage of their Indian visit.


Even though the Group was not able to remain for the actual Homam at the Temple, they were able to participate in the Sankalpam and view the elaborate and beautiful preparations that had been made for this powerful Homam.

Below is the Temple's exquisite Sri Meru Chakra upon which abishekam will be performed after the Homam.

Some fresh, young sugar cane arrives for the Goddess.

And so it starts.

Dasa Mahavidyas

In previous posts I mentioned the beautiful Rajarajeshwari Temple, which is located on the Hillround at Parvati Hill about a kilometre before Adi Annamalai Village. In addition to the peculiar facts of the Temple's location, information of which you will find in the Parvati Hill link, the Rajarajeshwari Temple is also unique (at Arunachala) because of the presence of a Sri Meru Yantra in the Temple's Sanctum Sanctorum. One other unique facet of this fascinating Temple is the presence of statue representations of the Dasa Mahavidyas which are worshipped independently and also in conjunction with the Goddess in the Temple's Shrineroom.

The feminine aspect of the Divine represents knowledge (wisdom) and also what is hidden, secret, subtle and sensitive, what has to be searched out and discovered. The Goddess who represents both the teaching and its comprehension, is thus the inner guiding power. She represents creation on all levels, expressed through her Ten Wisdom Forms (Dasa Mahavidyas) and their different functions.

"The Ten Forms of the Goddess function not merely to teach us superficially or intellectually but to challenge us to look deeper. As great cosmic forces their energies can be difficult to bear and their extremes of appearance and expression may jolt us. Their forms are often disturbing, and they are not meant to be merely pleasant. They are meant, like mysteries, to entrance or shock the mind into awakening. They are not meant to merely console or inspire but to promote within us the deepest search. Their forms are ambiguous, contradictory and paradoxical. They are provocative energies designed to take hold of our minds and through their enigmatic nature neutralize the thought process which keeps us in bondage." [by David Frawley]

The Dasa Mahavidyas - The Ten Wisdom Goddesses

Kali

Kali: The Goddess of Yogic Transformation. She is thought to be the most mysterious and difficult to understand of the Goddesses. She is dark, destructive, terrible in form, and unpredictable and is allied with the forces of death. She appears alien to ordinary esthetic intepretations of beauty.

Tara

Tara: The Saving Word. Tara is not only an important Hindu Goddess, she is also the most important of the Buddhist Goddesses. The word Tara, means the deliverer or saviour and this Goddess is called upon in emergencies or at crossroads where we require guidance.

Tripurasundari

Tripurasundari: The Beauty of Pure Perception. Sundari literally means beauty. To worship this Goddess is to follow the path of beauty and delight through the world of nature into the Absolute.

Bhuvaneshwari

Bhuvaneshwari: The Queen of the Universe. Bhuvaneshwari means the Queen or ruler of the Universe. She is the Divine Mother as the Queen of all the worlds. All the Universe is her body and all beings are ornaments on her infinite being. She carries all the worlds as a flowering of her own Self-nature. She is thus related to Sundari and to Rajarajeshwari, the supreme Lady of the Universe.

Bala Bhairavi

Bhairavi: The Warrior Goddess. "Bhairavi specifically means "terrifying" and is the powerful, awesome, or energetic form of the Goddess. She represents transforming heat or radiance, Tejas, which is the primal power or Divine energy. This we experience as a frightening thing because it burns away and destroys all the limitations and illusions of egocentric existence." [David Frawley]

Chhinnamasta

Chhinnamasta: The Consciousness Beyond the Mind. The name Chhinnamasta, literally means "a severed head" - is the most frightening form of the Goddess. She has cut off her own head and, holding it in her right hand, with it drinks the blood flowing from her own severed neck. Yet her face is not frightening but happy, even blissful. What she presents is the joy of transcending the body, not the pain of losing it. She is also the most energetic form of the Goddess and shows the power of transformation in action.

Dhumavati

Dhumavati: The Grandmother Spirit. Dhumavati is the eldest among the Goddesses, the Grandmother Spirit. She stands behind the other Goddesses as their ancestral guide. As the Grandmother Spirit she is the great teacher who bestows the ultimate lessons of birth and death. She is the knowledge that comes through experience.

Bagalamukhi

Bagalamukhi: The Hypnotic Power of the Goddess. Bagalamukhi is the Goddess of speech, and as such is related to Tara and regarded as a form of her. When sound becomes manifest as light, Tara, becomes Bagala. "When the brilliant light of speech comes forth, then Tara gains the effulgence of Bagala and causes all things to become still. Bagala is thus the stunning radiance that comes forth from the Divine Word and puts the human or egoistic word to rest." [David Frawley]

Mantangi

Mantangi: The Utterance of the Divine Word. Mata literally means "a thought" or "an opinion". Matangi is thus the Goddess power which has entered into thought or the mind. She is the word as the embodiment of thought. She bestows knowledge, talent and expertise.

Kamalatmika

Kamalatmika: The Lotus Goddess of Delight. Kamalatmika is one whose nature is of the lotus. The lotus Goddess is Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe. Kamala is Lakshmi among the Ten Wisom Goddesses (Dasa Mahavidyas) and is the goddess of wealth, beauty, fertility, love and devotion.

*****************

To find out more about the Dasa Mahavidyas please refer to "Tantric Yoga, And the Wisdom Goddesses" by Dr. David Frawley

Rajarajeshwari Shrine

In an earier posting I mentioned a few details of Rajarajeshwari Temple on the hillround roadway and its location at Parvati Hill. Below is some more interesting information about this small, fascinating Temple.

What is now the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the Girivalam pathway has been at the same .25 acre site in some form or another for the last 100 years

The family who maintain the Trust of this independent Temple is that of A.Valagurumudaliar Annaporni and comprises 7 brothers and 2 sisters, all of whom are actively involved in the running and development of the Temple. The family, who come from a merchant tradition, are Mudaliars, a sect famous for their support of Temples and Religious endeavours in many area throughout Tamil Nadu.

Of the seven brothers of the Valagurumudaliar Annaporni family, Arul Arasu, who trained as an engineer, is currently the priest and manager of Rajarajeshwari Temple.

Rajarajeshwari is held as the first God of the Devi Mahatmyam, in which all others are centred.

In the shrine room at the feet of the goddess is a Koorm Pristhiya (Meru) Sri Yantra of which you can more details at this link:

Below is the statue of Sri Ganesha which is stationed at the doorway of the Inner Shrineroom.

The next photograph is of the statue of Rajarajeshwari which is located outside the Shrineroom and is used for various other kinds of puja and processions around the Temple.

The metal carving of Gaja Lakshmi is positioned outside the Shrineroom.

Facing the Shrineroom, instead of the usual Nandi one always associates with the Shiva Lingam, is the Simha (lion) associated with the Goddess aspect, particularly that of Durga.

Below one can get a better idea of the Simha dais facing the Shrineroom inside the Temple.

The blue panel at the back of the outside of the Shrineroom is the back of where the Rajarajeshwari statue is located.

When this Temple was established a 100 years ago by the ancestors of the current A.Valagurumudaliar Annaporni family, the small pink structure was the whole of the original Temple. As time progressed what is now the current Rajarajeshwari Temple grew around the original Shrineroom below.

The next photograph is of the Goddess, in another of her aspects, located inside the Compound but outside the Shrineroom.

Currently a small Shiva Temple (i.e. Rajarajeshwaran) is being constructed adjacent to the current Goddess Shrine. The Lingam in the below photograph will get moved into its own small Temple when complete.

The Nandi below is also awaiting completion of the new Temple, afterwhich it will be positioned facing the Shiva Lingam.

A view of the small garden surrounding the Rajarajeshwari Temple.

This lovely Amman Temple is becoming increasing popular for people performing Girivalam. It is estimated each month during the day of Poornima over 50,000 people visit this Temple. The number increases to 100,000 on the day of the annual Bharani Deepam (which this year is celebrated on November 24th, 2007).

For full information of Poornima and Deepam dates please check this link.

Sri Meru Yantra

In a recent posting I mentioned visiting one of my favourite Temples at Arunachala; the Temple of the Divine Mother, Rajarajeshwari. Although a small Temple set off the girivalam pathway, its quite perfect and I will be posting more information on it in future but for the time being would mention the beautiful Sri Meru Yantra located at the feet of Rajarajeshwari inside Her shrine room.

There are three kinds of Sri Yantra, Bhuprastha, Kurma Prastha and Meru Prastha. A plain Sri Yantra is called Bhuprishtha (back of the Earth), one which is raised on a tortoise back is called Kachchhap Prishtha and that which is raised fully like the Sumeru Mountain is called Meru Prishthha (like a Mountain).

The 3-Dimensional Meru Sri Yantra is a multi-Pyramid Cosmic Grid signifying unlimited abundance and positive powers. In the cosmos there are three states; Creation, Establishment and Destruction and these are represented by the three circles in the Sri Yantra which in itself is the symbol of the Universe or Cosmos.

Sri Yantra is the worshipping place of the form of the Mahatripura Sundari (Rajarajeshwari). It is Her divine abode. All Gods and Goddesses are worshipped in it and all other religious adorations are done there as it includes all conducts, learning and elements.

Koorm Pristhiya (Meru) Sri Yantra is one of the oldest, rarest and most precious Yantras and believed to have been created by Adi Guru Dattatreya for the welfare of the world. The name, Sri Yantra, which means mounted at the back of tortoise upwards is also significant because in Hindu mythology, it is believed that the tortoise lifted the weight of the earth on its back. The tortoise is particularly relevant as it is a very powerful, protected being that can live in either water or land. It is also non-violent and Nature has provided it with a strong cover or jacket to protect it from danger.

Sri Yantra designed over the back of the tortoise has eight petals as in the case of the original Sri Yantra where the Lotus flower (Kamala) has eight groups with sixty four Lotus dal. The reason the lotus flower was chosen for the base of the Yantra is that the lotus is the only holy flower believed to have originated from the navel (Nabhi) of Lord Vishnu.

The Sri Yantra designed on the mount over the back of a tortoise looks similar to the dome of a temple which is slightly mounted. It also depicts one of the fundamental of Vastu Kala which says that any residential house, palace or temple must be mounted at the centre to the top, so that the person residing in it should get more energy radiation and solar reflections from the Universe in order to ensure a life of abundance.

This particular meru inside the shrine of the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the Arunachala girivalam pathway has an interesting recent history. In 2000 Swami Nithyananada performed a homam (puja) at the Temple (on their behalf) for the purpose of expediting the successful completion of ongoing Temple construction work. In lieu of the puja, the Temple presented the then exisiting meru to Swami Nithyananda and replaced it with a new Sri Meru Yantra for the Rajarajeshwari shrine room. Thus the current Sri Meru Yantra at the Temple only dates from the year 2000.