Thiruketheeswaram Temple

Thiruketheeswaram Kovil, one of the five main Hindu temples of the country dedicated to God Siva, is an ancient Hindu Kovil situated in Manthei. It is about seven miles to the North from Mannar Town. ( Srilanka )

As the legend unfolds Kethu Bhagavan worshipped Lord Siva at this temple, and that is how the temple got its name Thiruketheeswaram.

This Kovil is one of the main places of worship sights in Mannar. Many Hindus and non-Hindus from all over the country visit this place nearly every day. “We never had to do the evening pooja without devotees. All around the year people visit this Kovil,” said Swami Nithyanandan. “The place is blessed with people,” he added.


The history of the temple goes back to the era of Chola. It is believed to be built in 600 B.C. Another story related to the Kovil says that the father-in-law of Ravana, the king of Lanka, built Thiruketheeswaram. Ravana himself had been a devotee of Koneswaram Temple, Trincomalee. Rama, who built the Sivan Temple at Rameshwaram, on his way back to Ayodhya from Lanka, is reputed to have worshipped Lord Siva at the Thiruketheeswaram as well.

Sri Lankan Sivan Temple Thirukoneswaram

Thirukoneswaram was one of the temples demolished by the Portuguese. In an effort to conquer and rule a nation, the invaders kill the leaders of the conquered people and destroy their places of worship. Four hundred years ago, no nation in the world opposed this practice. However, history suggests that
the Tamils have preserved their heritage through many

generations and have rebuilt that which was destroyed. Thirukoneswaram, rebuilt in 1963, is an excellent example and illustrates the resilience exhibited by our forefathers.

By 1624, the Portuguese destroyed many ancient temples in Eelam. Berndi Kovil, near Avissavela, in 1552, Muneswaram near Chillaw, in 1575, the Vishnu temple at Dondra, in 1588, Thirukatheeswaram, in 1589, and Nallur Kandasamy Kovin, in 1621, were destroyed. But the Portuguese showed utmost indifference to Thirukoneswaram temple in Trincomalee (Thirukonamalai), until 1622. In 1622, Constantine de Sa de Menzes was alarmed at the possibility of rivals taking possession of the port in Trincomalee. He ruthlessly demolished the ancient temple of Thirukoneswaram, desirous of amassing its wealth as booty, and to use the rubble to fortify the Trincomalee harbor.


It was New Years day of 1624 in Thirukoneswaram. The temple had one thousand pillars and, at that time, esteemed to be one of the richest temples in Southeast Asia. It had in its possession large amounts of gold, pearls, precious stones, and silk, which has been endowed over one thousand years.


Its origins are steeped in antiquity. Thirukonamalai is mentioned in ancient Hindu chronicles of Dekshana Kailasa Puranam, Ramayanam, Kanda Puranam. Accurate timing of these events has not been established. However, these chronicles appear to narrate events that took place approximately four to five thousand years before the birth of Christ.


The local tradition narrates in minute detail, the tragic events that took place on the New Years day of 1624, which led to the destruction of Thirukoneswaram temple. In the morning, the temple was decorated and well lit with eleven oil lamps for the New Year's worship and pooja observances. After the pooja, the customary festival procession proceeded out to the town with a crowd of worshippers.


At this time, Portuguese emissaries and soldiers gained entrance into the temple disguised as Hindu priests. They overpowered the few temple priests and workers who remained in the temple and looted the temple. All the possessions, treasured over a thousand years were carried away.


In the confusion, the few devotees, who escaped, carried away temple belongings they were able to take. These were the articles that were unearthed several years after in 1950 and now form part of the newly built Thirukoneswaram temple. The deities taken in procession were beyond the reach of the vandals and were placed in safety at other temples.


Towards the evening, Portuguese Commander Constantine de Sa delivered an ultimatum to the temple priest. It said that everything valuable in the temple should be surrendered to him at dawn of the following day as he will fire cannons from the ship at the Trincomalee sea and blast the temple down. The priest spent a night in misery. As usual, early in the morning, the temple attendant (pandaram) arrived by boat from Kottiyaram, bringing with him flowers, milk, and ghee for the days puja ceremonies. The priest confided in the Pandaram about the ultimatum. Together, they hatched a plan to save the bronze statues of Konanayakar and Ambal Devi. They left the stone Siva Lingam inside the temple. The Pandaram took these statues and a few remaining pooja utensils (as they were the articles demanded by Portuguese) to Thambalakamam lake for safety.

In the morning, the ultimatum expired and the Thirukoneswaram temple, worshipped by more than five hundred generations was blasted to destruction. The hill on which the temple stood was called Swami Malai. There was no worship at Thirukonamalai for nearly 180 years, until 1803, and no temple for 377 years, until 1963.

The stones from the temple were used to build Fort Trincomalee for the protection of Portuguese rule. Eelam and this Fort changed hands to Dutch, in 1658, and to the British, in1782.


The British, with religious tolerance, allowed worship at Swami Malai. A new generation of Hindus, who survived foreign domination and oppression began to worship at Swami Malai.


It was Arumuga Navalar's clarion call of October 1872,


"[Ceylon] is lucky to have two Saiva temples of which laudatory hymns have been sung by our Saints. Saint Thirugnana Sambantha Moorthi Nayananar sang in praise of the Lord of Trincomalee, and both he and Sundaramurthi Swamigal has sung in praise of the Lord of Thiruketheeswaram,"


that was instrumental in creating an urge for rebuilding the ancient Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. A society of devotees gathered by Arumuga Navalar completed the mission that he started.


The ancient statues made of gold and copper were found in 1944/1950. The initiation ceremony, Maha Kumbebishekam, of the newly built Thirukoneswaram temple took place on April 3, 1963.


The rebuilding of Thirukoneswaram temple is a good illustration of Tamil resilience. Our forefathers preserved the memory of Thirukoneswaram through many generations and finally rebuilt a temple at the same place and installed the same statues.


Lord - Thirukoneswarar


Goddess - Maathumaiyal


Vriksham - Kallalamaram


Theertham - Paavanaasam


Tēvaram padiyavar - Sampanthar


Valipattor - Iravanan (Ramaayana Kaala Ilankai Venthan)

Thiruvanamalai

Lord Arunachalar History

Traditional stories tell us that there was an unsettled dispute between Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma as to who was superior. They sought the help of Lord Siva to judge .who was really superior; Lord Siva grew into a long flaming light stretching between earth and heaven, and asked them to find root and crown.
Brahma agreeing to reach the crown took the form
a swan and flew, and flew to an extending height and could not reach the crown. In his upward flight he caught hold of a flower of Pandavas falling from Siva's crown and requested the flower to bear a false witness that he collected it from Siva's crown . Knowing this Lord Siva cursed Brahma that he would never be worshipped in the temple, and banished Pandavas flower from his adornment.

Lord Vishnu took the form of pig and kept digging down to reach Siva's foot; Siva was really pleased with the humility of Vishnu and took him his heart.

Girivalam

Full Moon pulls people and swells the crowd

Earthlings enjoy every full moon night. On every full moon day, the temple wears a festive look and draws devotees from all parts of the land as the nectar of the floral disc attracts bees with an osmotic pull of an astounding force. The full moon not only swells oceans and seas but also the crowd of devotees who throng about the temple. The moon shows its whole disc illuminated and this illumination exerts an influence upon earnest adherents by imperceptible means. While the waning phases of moon bring in depression its waning phases waken up soul of men to winsome elation; and the lovely luminous (full) moon brings in the devotees a magical sense of spiritual awakening. A glow with aspirations the adherents find a promise of new life, new spring in the severe summer of the earthly life.

Malaivalam (Girivalam)

A monthly ritual, a token of devotion working a stage in spiritual developments. The illumination of the entire disc of moon, is a monthly feature devotees drawn from different parts of the land visit the temple and phallic symbol placed in the sanctum sanctorum, and the mother Goddess 'UMA' and dextrally move in a circle in large numbers keeping the hill as the centre covering in a complete round a distance of nearly fifteen kilometers.

Viewing the vicissitudes of the vesture by which the nature covers the vertical monument.
Observing on all sides from the ground floor to the heavenly peak the changing moods of the hill.
Worshipping all along the way the hundred and odd lingams the masculine means of majesty, the phallic symbols used extensively in the cult of worship of 'Siva' and erected at regular intervals the procreative force (lingam).
Having a sense of detachment
Felling their oneness with the nature as they are
On joyous journey as
Go round the world, the universe, the constellations, all of which are his myth and manifestations.
Seeking spiritual union with the savior of all and for sometime the aspirants of higher aims are away from the harassing material world.

Devotees Glow in Health and return home refreshed

This monthly malaivalam, circuiting the sublime hill gives devotees spiritual power and relief from tension allays their suffering and alleviate their pain, calms their agitations and composes their feelings comforts them to a state to rest and joy offers an additional brightness of cheerfulness. This circumbulation issues a vital glow to the devotees who gain marvelous strength. All these one has to personally acquire and enjoy. The devotees return home refreshed and rejuvenated and refined regaining their lost hope and vigor with their psychic energy of primitive impulses converted into socially acceptable channels of endeavor.
One who thinks Arunachalam and desire to go around by water covering 15km the Arunachala hill and forwarding one foot will get equal benefit of Yagam and for second foot he will achieve the benefit of Raja suya Yagam and with clear mind of third foot will achieve Aswameda Yagam and who continues further will get beneficial of all Yagams.
Siddhas and devotees from various part of the World walk around on all days. In the full moon day of every month, lakhs of devotees go around the hill regularly.
Every angular sight of this holy hill - also known as Annamalai in the divine parameters of the upper worlds-offers various types of Godly visions of the mountain on your every footsteps and each such angular vision carries behind it thousand fold munificence and divine beneficence of the almighty all the 72000 cores of human physiology - are divinely activated and blissfully stream lined when you perform Girivalam here. the spiritual splendor of this holy mountain is enjoyed by physical circumambulation, under the divine guidelines of Sathguru who reveals its divine splendor .
The Siddhas tell going around the hill once destroys the karma of ten million births. That means nothing is as effective as MALAI VALAM. And siddhas like Sathguru Maharishi Venkatramana preaches devotees to walk around hill at least once in their life.

How to Make MalaiValam

Everyone should walk around the hill barefoot.
Mutter the name "Om Arunachala".
view the peak of the Arunachala hill during the circumambulation.
It should be undertaken during night.
There are 8 lingams, 360 holy tanks, mandapas and ashrams. There are eight lingams around the Arunachala hill one in each direction.

KAILASH MANASAROVAR YATRA (TAMIL VERSION)

 

Rameswaram

 The temple and the island of Rameswaram have acquired this name because, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, the God of Gods here on return from Sri Lanka. According to legend, after killing Ravana Lord Rama returned with his consort Goddess Seetha to India first stepping on the shores of Rameswaram. To expiate the "dosha" of killing a brahmin, Lord Rama wanted to offer worship to Lord Shiva. Since there was no shrine in the island had despatched Sri Hauman to Kailash to bring an idol of Lord Shiva.



Between 1897 and 1904, the ALAR family of Devakottai completed the imposing eastern tower of nine tiers 126 feet in height from Thiruppani funds. Between 1907 and 1925 they renovated the Sanctum Sanctorum and the prakaram(inner most corridor) by replacing the lime stones by black granite with adequate provision for light and ventilation and also arranged for the performance of Ashtabandana Kumbabishekam in 1925; then on 22-2-1947 and the third Ashtabandana Maha Kumbabishegam was performed on 5-2-1975.World Famous Third Corridor :
Outer Wing - East_West – 690 feet
North-South - 435 feet
Innerwing - East_West - 649 feet
North-South - 395 feet
Total number of pillars – 1212
Height of Corridor – 22 feet 7 ½ inch
Second Corridor :
During the construction of first corridor, it was decided to renovate the second corridor. The lime stone structure in Second corridor was dismantled and started granited stone work. But only compound wall in west side and one portion in north side of western wing in south gate was renovate. After that no Renovation work as done.
Therefore, it was proposed to complete the Renovation work of Second Corridor by collecting Funds from the public. Between 1961 to 1985, the Renovation work of Second Corridor was taken up and completed the western side of Second Corridor and a portion in North and South side, from the Temple Renovation Fund. Now it has been proposed to complete the Renovation of Second Corridor which has been unfinished and the Renovation work is started now.
The Sethupathy mandapam in front of the Temple’s Raja Gopuram9main Tower) was constructed by Ramanatha Sethupathy, a descendant of Ramnad Raja dynasty, with his own donation of Rs. 2,75,000 /-. This construction was started on 19-11-69 and completed on 11-2-74.
It is also most essential to construct the North and South Gopurams. Shri Jagadguru Sringeri Peedathipathy and Shri jagadguru Kanchi Kamakoti Peedathipathy have given their kind blessings for the constructions of the North and South Gopurams of the Temple.

Kailash Manasrovar

Kailash Manasrovar

Shri Kashi - 5

Shri Kashi -4

Shri Kashi - 3

Shri Kashi -2

Shri Kashi -1