Unknown Facts about Sani Graha - the most feared Planet Saturn

Sani Bhagwan

Shani Bhagwan is one of the planets as per Hindu mythology. In English the planet is called as Saturn. Scientifically Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System and takes more time to travel around the Sun due to its distance from the Sun. Shani is second only to Jupiter or Guru in our Solar System. Both these planets are responsible for the safe existence of our earth as per the scientific findings.

Owing to their huge sizes both these planets possess a big gravitational power that deflects thousands of Asteroids that are traveling towards our earth. If not for these two planets, our world would be non-existent as at least a dozen Asteroids will be hitting our planet every day.

Sani Bhagwan

Hence all ancient civilizations including Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Hinduism and several others have identified these planets and have judged their position and route in their course and predicted things that are going to happen here in our planet.

In Hindu Astrology, Guru and Sani are equally revered and Sani gains its importance in many ways because of certain facts that we are going to explore here today. In this blog, after giving a short introduction about the Sani Planet, its history and mythology, I am going to write about a powerful Sani Temple in Pozhichalur. This temple is situated in a place called Pozhichalur , two to three Kilometers away from the Pallavaram Railway station in Chennai – Capital city of Tamil Nadu.

Thirunallar Sani Temple

Hindu Astrology:

Hindu Astrology is based on the movement and effect of twelve Rashis that are none other than constellations present in our Milky Way Galaxy. Constellations are group of stars that are always seen as a group and appear at regular time intervals. Their movement in the galaxy is recorded for thousands and thousands of years by our ancestors and have found that their angle of location and their relationship with the planets determine major happenings in our planet and the lives of humans.

Thirunallar Sani Temple

Precession of Equinox:

Let me not go in deep about this event but a mention about this scientific phenomenon is essential here as this determines life of our planets and our lives. There are two days in the equator when the day and night are equal. Just choose a day when the day and night times are equal and sit exactly in the equator and watch the eastern horizon just before the rise of Sun. In the exact place where the Sun would appear, you will find a group of stars in the form of an animal. Now at this stage of time you will be seeing Virgo constellation in that horizon.

If you continue to sit and watch in the same place for the next two thousand years the next constellation in Rashi chakra will appear. Thus, the constellations or Rashis are seen completing a cycle in 24000 years. This is considered as on astrological cycle I Hindu Astrology.

Sani Temple in Thirunallar

Each and every individual in this planet is assigned a Rashi depending upon the place and time of birth of the person. The relationship of these constellations with the planets were accurately calculated and predictions are made for every individual.

Of all the planets in Kundali, Sani takes about two and a half years to change its location from one Rashi to another.

Sani Temple in Pozhichalur

Significance of Planet Sani or Saturn:

• The Sani planet travels at a slow speed and the effects created by the graha is sustained and substantial.
• It is believed that Shani Bhagwan is a great equalizer. He is the one who gives the most and takes the most.
• If Shani Bhagwan decides to give then no other influence from other planets could stop and hence he is considered in par with the god himself – The Lord Shiva.
• When we say that he bad effects to people in certain conditions there are reasons behind that even. Shani Bhagwan is the only power in the planetary system that calculates our karma and gives or takes the benefits to us in accordance to our karma and past deeds.
• He is thus considered as a god who could free us from all sins, even though he makes us suffer.
• Even the gods are afraid of Shani Bhagwan and treat him with respect because of his powers that does not leave out even the gods.

Sani Temple in Pozhichalur

Shani Temple in Pozhichalur:

• Pozhichalur is a place nearer to Chennai where it is believed that the Shani Bhagwan himself visited and prayed Lord Shiva to absolve himself of his own sins.
• The main deity of the temple is Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi. Shani Bhagwan has a separate sanctum here.
• Hanuman also has a sanctum in this temple.
• This is said to be built in twelfth century AD.
• Festivals in the temple:
• During Shani Peyarchi Shani Bhagwan is offered special prayers and thousands of devotees come here to take part in the rituals during the period.
• A big Yaga is conducted where a mixture of 9 cereals called as Nava-dhaniyas are thrown by every devotee to get the blessings of the lord.
• Laksharchana is conducted during the Shani Peyarchi when mantras praising the lord are recited thousand times.
• Milk Abhishekams are offered to the Shani God as per the request of the devotee.

Sani Bhagwan in Sani Temple - Pozhichalur

Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple

Sabarimala Temple is situated amidst dense forests in the top of a hill in the Western Ghtas Mountain Range in the state of Kerala. The main Deity of the temple is Sastha or Lord Ayyappan. The hill where the temple is located is surrounded by 18 other hills and all the other hills also have a temple of Sastha but this particular temple is the most famous one.

An estimated 50 Million devotees visit the temple every year that makes the temple the most visited during a festival season in the world. The temple is open only during the period of November to January and within that period devotees rush for the pilgrimage to offer their prayers and respect to the Lord.

Mythology:

Lord Parasuramar, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu threw his divine axe at the western direction where there was only sea and the power of the weapon made the sea to retreat and thus the state of Kerala is born. It is said that after creating the state of Kerala, Lord Parasurama built the Sabarimala temple in the state which is otherwise called as the God’s own land.

King Rajasekara is the foster father of Lord Iyyappa and there is a divine story behind it. The king was ruling the region ably and he is respected and revered by his subjects. During the period there was a demon whose name was Mahishasuran who obtained a boon from Lord Brahma and became more powerful and even the devas were defeated by his powers. Devas went and prayed Goddess Durga and she with her divine powers killed the demon. Mahishi is the sister of the slain demon and she, in order to take revenge for her brother’s death meditated and obtained a boon from Lord Brahma.

According to the boon Mahishi could be killed only by the reincarnation of both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Having obtained unconquerable powers Mahishi defeated all the three worlds. All good forces were defeated and destroyed. On the request of Devas, Lord Vishnu attained the form of a beautiful Damsel called Mohini and along with Lord Shiva, Mohini gave birth to a child and he is Iyyappa.

Once he is born he is left on the shores of a river where king Rajasekara takes bath every day and he finds the child. A Saint who was passing by advised the king to adopt the child.  The king took the child to his palace and in due course the queen also gave birth to a child. When both the children came to the age of succession the question of who will succeed the king became a big issue. The queen like all the mothers, out of love to his own son and misguided by the chief minister wants her son to become the next king. But Rajasekara wanted Ayyappa to succeed him.

As advised by her chief minister, the queen pretends to be ill and the doctor examines the queen and says that only the milk from a tigress could save her. King Rajasekara sends all his army into the forest and everyone could not obtain the milk. Lord Ayyappa who was only 12 years old at that time offers to go into the forest to fetch the Milk from a Tigress.

Lord Ayyappa enters the forest and the first thing he witnessed is the presence of evil force Mahishi and fights her.  After a deadly battle he kills the mighty Demon and over her dead body the Lord makes a divine dance that was felt in all the worlds. Then he goes on to gather all the tigresses in the forest and returns to the palace sitting in a tiger.

After the seeing the powers of the Child everyone realizes that he is the incarnation of god and the Lord advises the king to build a temple for him in the hill top where he will come every year to grace his devotees. He also said that only those devotees who observe a strict fasting and religious rites for 41 days will be graced with his blessings.

King Rajasekara worshipped Lord Parasurama and on his request Parasurama, with the power of his weapon – the axe, created a land from the sea and over that built the temple.

Pilgrimage to the Temple:

Devotees take 41 day viradham before going to the temple. At the start of the viradham they are initiated by a Guru who had already visited the temple for 18 consecutive years. They are given a mala made of Rudraksha and special beads and after wearing it the devotee also becomes an equivalent of god and he will be called the next 41 days as ‘Swamy’ or god by all the people. He has to wear only dhoti wither of black or blue colour.

Devotees restrain themselves from eating non vegetarian food during the period and also avoid tobacco and alcohol. They are supposed to take bath twice a day and offer poojas to the Sastha. On the 41^st day they start their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala temple.

The route is one of the toughest and experiencing all the hardship of the viratham and the travel devotees throng the temple every year.

Prayers:

During the pilgrimage period everyday a slogam called Harharasanam is recited which is composed by Sri Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer and is in the SWanskrit Language.

Appam is the main Prasadham offered in the temple and Abhishekam is offered to the lord with ghee that is called as Nei abhishekam.

All males irrespective of their nationality, caste, creed or religion are allowed in the temple. But females of age from 10 to 50 are not allowed to the Sabarimala temple as the lord dwelling here is still a brahmachrya or the one who has never married.

Rameswaram Temple - The place that removes karma

Rameswaram Temple is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in the southern tip of India. This is one of the four holy places that one has to visit at least once. A pilgrimage to Kasi is not considered completed if it is not followed by a visit to Rameshwaram. It is located in a small island called Pamban and the island is connected to the mainland of India by both Railway line and road.

History of the Temple:

The temple is believed to be built in the 12^th century. Rameshwaram has the unique distinction of having the longest corridor than any other temple in the world. It is built in the Dravidian style and architecture is considered as a fine example of the glory of the Dravidian culture. The wonderfully carved pillars adorn the entire corridor and their architectural excellence is worthy of a watch.

Mythology:

Lord Rama before going to Sri Lanka and after coming from there victoriously worshipped Lord Shiva and made this place a holy one. It is also believed that from this place, Lord Rama with the help of Vanara Sena built a bridge to go to Sri Lanka for fighting the Asura King, Ravana. After he was successfully defeated Lord Rama returned to Rameshwaram and again offered his prayers to Lord Shiva. During the return journey circustances so occur that Sita was forced to jump into Agni or fire and as the fire God was unable to fire the goddess, Sita with that same fury took a bath in the sea and that suppressed all the waves in the sea and even now one can see a calm sea over here.

Main Deities:

Lord Lord Shiva is the presiding deity in this temple with a separate shrine for the Goddess Parvati and here the Goddess is known as Parvadhamman. There are shrines for Lord Vinayaka, Muruga and other gods in the temple.

Worship:

Worshipping the god here starts with a dip in the adjoining sea. This is one of the 64 punniya theerthas present in the temple. Out of the 64, 22 thirthas are available in side the temple premises. Taking bath in the holy sea and the holy waters from the 22 wells inside the temple is considered as a major and important duty of a Hindu that absolves him of all his present and past sins and dhoshas.

Apart from the main deity which is made of sand by Lord himself there is also another lingam which is a bigger one that is brought by Hanumanji from Mount Kailash. Then the devotees worship the mother Parvati.

Festivals:

Two main festivals are celebrated in the Rameshwaram temple. One in the month of Aadi that is either July or August and the other during Masi February and March. There are separate Urchava Murthies decorated and kept ready in Vasantha mnadapam in the inner corridors. The Urchava Murthies are decorated and taken out for a procession during the festival time. Traditional arts are performed during the Urchavams or the festivals.

Kodi Punniya Theertham is offered by the temple authorities that are bottled and sold inside the temple. This is a holy water is taken by devotees for spraying it all around and insides of their houses to bring prosperity. 

Vadapalani Murugan Temple

Vadapalani Murugan Temple is situated in Vadapalani, in Chennai – the capital city of Tamil Nadu. It is located in the prime city limits nearer to the main bus stand – Koyambedu. For those who come by Electric Train, Kodambakkam is the station that is near to the temple. The upcoming Metro has a separate station for the temple with the same name – Vadapalani. From middle of 2015 the metro rail system is going to be operated.

Please do not miss the musical beat and festival atmosphere in Vadapalani Murugan Temple in the youtube video given below...Must see

Lord Murugan in Vadapalani Temple

Lord Shanmuga is the second son of Lord Shiva and he is widely worshipped in South India especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is a wonder that a powerful God does not have a shrine or temple in North India. Maybe it is because of the belief that Lord Muruga is a Dravidian God. Dravidians predominantly occupy the four southern states of India – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There are 6 temples in Tamil Nadu that are said to be auspicious for worshipping Lord Muruga and they are called as ‘Arupadai Veedugal’ or ‘Six Houses’. The combined devotee’s flow in all these six temples would even surpass the most popular ‘Tirupathi’ Temple. The combined revenue from all these temples is said to be more than that is generated in Thirupathi.

Lord Murugan depicted by Raja Ravi Verma

Palani is one of the six temples that comes second in place in terms of revenue generation and it is said to have the honour of having a Pancha Loga Murugan statue that is believed to offer cure for all incurable diseases.  Palani that is in the northern side is called Vadapalani in Tamil. The main temple was built in the year 1920 and before that a thatched hut was there as a temple where a small image of the Lord was worshipped for a long period by an ardent devotee of Lord Muruga.

History:

Before the actual grand temple was build, a devotee called Annasamy Naikkar built a small hut that served as a temple. He worshipped the lord and offered regular poojas there. He used to feel a divine energy flowing in his body while worshipping in this place and whatever he told became reality. This attracted lots of devotees at that time itself. His dream was to build a big temple there but he could not accomplish that in his life time. He then designated one of his close friend and a devotee as the trustee of the temple and he also was revered for his spiritual powers.

Vadapalani Murugan Temple Flag Post

Later after 1920 the temple and the majestic Rajakopuram were built the temple slowly stared gaining popularity which was mainly attributed to the presence of Kodambakkam nearby. This place is called the Hollywood of South India and lots of artists in film industry started visiting the temple and as their wishes got fulfilled the news spread like a fire and then on there is no looking back for the temple.

Versatile preacher and devotee ‘Thirumuruga Krubanandha Variar’ is a great patronage of the temple and he is one of the main reasons why the temple got so much of attention.

Significance and Miracles:

There are three important things in life make humans succeed or lose and they are

• Job or Business that offers money to lead a life
• Life Partner – Love or Marriage
• Child Birth

Vadapalani Murugan Temple is significantly placed in the top of Hindu Temples because Lord Muruga is said to offer all the three to his devotees here. As a devotee who is been personally benefitted by worshipping in this temple could vouch for that.

Magnificient Sculptures in Temple Towers

Temple Details and other deities:

The Vadapalani Murugan Temple is a artistically built temple that has four towers on all the four direction. The main tower or the Raja Kopuram is exquisitely built with excellent carvings depicting various stages of Lord Muruga’s life and also 108 dancing postures observed in the traditional Bharatha Nattiyam thus signifying the grace that is offered by Lord Muruga for the artists.

There is a big Tank just in front of the temple.

The entrance to the temple has a shrine for Lord Vinayaka who is called here as Varasidhi Vinayakar.

Lord Shiva has a separate sanctum where he blesses the devotees in the form of Shiv Linga.

Meenakshi Amman also blesses us in a separate shrine in this temple.

There is a sanctum for Nava Grahas and also a separate place of worship for Lord Hanuman.

Vadapalani Murugan Temple on a Friday

Poojas and Worship

• Regular Poojas are offered six times a day in this temple.
• Tuesdays and Fridays are auspicious days for Lord Muruga and special Poojas and offerings are made to the Lord on those days.
• Krithigai is an auspicious day that comes every month and special recitals of mantras are carried out during the day.

Night View of Vadapalani Murugan Temple

Special Poojas:

The Vadapalani Murugan Temple has a beautiful Ratha (Car) that is made of Gold. The Thanga Ratham or the Golden Car is adorned with the Urchava Murthy and taken for a procession around the temple during special and auspicious occasions. Devotees who have their own wishes come and pray the lord (This prayer has to be kept a secret till the wishes are fulfilled) and offer to run the Golden Ratha and after getting the wishes they come back here again and run the Ratha on his name. There is a nominal fee for running the Golden Ratha and beware there is a huge rush in booking it as more and more devotees are booking the event well in advance.

During the month of Panguni (March / April), Panguni Uthiram is celebrated when the lord is offered with recitals of Mantras hundred thousand times. This is called Laksharchanam and devotees throng the temple during the period to perform the prayer. Laksharchanas are also performed in the Sashti period when the Lord  Muruga fought the devils and defeated them.

Mythology:

Lord Muruga is the second son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi. He was brought up by six Karthigai Pengal (Six divine fairies) and as each wanted to look after the divine child the lord took the form of six babies and when at last he was handed over to his mother Sakthi, he again became one with six heads and twelve hands. This gave him another name – Arumuga that means one having six faces.

He later became the leader of Deva army and defeated and killed the demon king Asura.

Lord Muruga is associated with lots of mythological stories than any other God in the Hindu Religion.

He is said to be the creator of the ancient Tamil Language.

Festivals in the Temple:

Vadapalani Murugan Temple is known for its ‘Panguni Uthiram’ Thiruvizha when the lord is taken out in a decorated boat (Theppam) in the Temple Tank. It is a wonderful occasion that should not be missed during the time the entire tank area and the temple are decorated with lights that illuminate and gives the place a divine and a mesmerizing look.

Kandha Shashti is a very important festival that is celebrated in the Vadapalani Murugan Temple during the month of October / November. It is celebrated week long with Laksharchanas recited every day and the last day of festival is the main attraction. On the final day the two separate processions of the demon king and Lord Muruga are conducted and the battle is depicted symbolically and killing of the demon marks the end of the festival that also marks the beginning of a peaceful and successful life.

 

Vadapalani Murugan Temple - Prototype Model

Karpaka Vinayakar Temple, Tamil Nadu

India is a country full of temples. And each and every temple has its own history and mythology. There are many temples still unknown and not recorded in the net. But they are quite famous locally and attract millions of devotees. With this blog, I am trying to explore the temples of India, their history, myths behind their origin, their location, festivals and important other facts.

Let me start the blog with temples in Tamil Nadu which is my own state. The state gets its name from the language Tamil which is one of the most ancient languages of the world. People living in Tamil Nadu mostly speak Tamil and they are said to be descendants of Dravidians.  There are conflicting truths about their origin and history. We are not going deep into that in this blog. But we start with the temple of “Karpaga Vinayakar”

Lord Ganesha who is the first son of Lord Shiva is called in many names in many places of India. One of his most popular names is ‘Vinayak’ or in Tamil ‘Vinayakar’. Literally the name means an un-conquerable leader. Lord Ganesha is supposed to have originated from the dirt of his mother’s body. He is a God with human body and an elephant head. He has four hands.

Lord Ganesha is considered as the first God and every Hindu, worships him first before starting anything new. Even if you go to any other temple there will be a small place for Lord Ganesha and after worshiping him only people proceed to see the main deity.

In Yoga, particularly Kriya Yoga, Lord Ganesha is considered as the lord of the first chakra.  Your kiundalini awakening starts with him and without his grace nothing gets initiated.

Karpaga Vinayakar temple or in other words pillaiyarpatti vinayagar is located near Thiruppathur in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu. It is a cave temple with images of Lord Shiva and several other gods are made by cutting rocks. Lots of ancient texts are found in this temple that go says that the temple was built somewhere between 1100 to 1250 AD.

But the rock cut Vinayaka statue is found to be much older. The statue was carved by an ancient Tamil sculptor ‘Ekkattur Koon Peruparanan’ who was patronised by pandyas  regime.

There are many features associated with this temple that attract millions of devotees from all over India. Karpaka is a tree that is capable of giving whatever you wish. Since Lord Ganesha also fulfills all your wishes, the temple is named as ‘Karpaka Vinayakar’ temple. Since it is situated in the ‘Pillayarpatti’ hills, the temple is also called as ‘pillayarpatti vinayakar’ temple.

• The statue of Lord Ganesha faces the north direction which is a strange phenomenon in Hindu temples. It is often thought that deities facing north give a good government and enhance the living conditions.
• This is one of the rarest places where you can find Lord Vinataka with two hand.
• The trunk of the Lord is carved in the right side and hence the god also has the name of ‘Valampuri Vinayakar’
• The deity is always adorned with gold covers and only during special occasions you can see the true glory of the rock carved statue.
• The main festival celebrated in the temple is ‘Ganesh Puja’ or ‘Pillaiyar Chadurthi’. It is a 10 day long festival and it would be a delight to watch the proceedings.