Thiruvarur

It is an hour's drive from Sri Vanjiyam to Thiruvarur.

How many times had I planned to visit this place, and how many times had the plans been dropped?

I remember Sri Aurobindo's words. You don't chose the divine, the divine chooses you.

Not a rough ride along the state highway. The ground was wet with recent rains, and the morning sun was pleasant.

Thiruvarur boasts of three big names: Saint Tyagaraja, Shama Shastrigal and Muthuswami Dikshitar.

The town reverberates with a spiritual flavour. Clean roads, huge temple tower and a beautiful temple tank.

Unless you have a guide, you get lost in the temple. You don't know where to begin and which sanctum to visit first.

The presiding deity of this temple is Vanmikinathar, but visitors throng to the Tyagaraja temple; this is the place where Siva as Somaskanda within an anthill gave darshan to the gods.

However, the temple you should not miss is Roudra Durgai and Rina Vimosanar.

Somewhere in the astral worlds, the gods operate, and there are junction points in this world where the deities come and help you.

The temples of Roudra Durgai and Rina Vimoasar are good examples.

It is said that the mind and body are freed of anxieties and apprehensions when these temples are visited.

By the time we came out, it was an hour past lunch. We had to wait for another half an hour before we could settle for a good South Indian meal.

We were on the road again. Our next destination: Thirukollikadu – Pongu Saneeswaran Temple.

Sri Vanjiyam

As we did not get a direct train to Tiruvarur, we got off at Kumbakonam. It was about four in the morning when the taxi took us to the hotel.  Raya's Grand is a good hotel to stay. After quickly catching up with some sleep lost during the night journey, we started off at 8.

After breakfast on the way, we were on the road to Tiruvarur. The state highways are narrow, but the traffic moves fast. The names of places on the way sound exotic--needamangalam, kapisthalam. It depends on the road you a take or the detour you make.

We thought the 41 kilometer stretch should not take us much time, but we were to be delayed.

The sign 'Sri Vanjiyam' on the way rang a bell. After a kilometer after the sign, we made a U turn to visit the holy place.

Srivanjiyam is a small village in Tiruvarur district. Located between Mudikondan and Puttur rivers, the temple houses a 'swayumbu' (Self-born) Lingam. Shiva here is called Vanjinathan, and his consort, Parvati, by name Mangalambika. Managala means 'auspicious' and 'ambika', mother--the auspicious mother.

When you go to a temple in South India you look for three things to get an idea about the place and people: Sthala Puranam--the history of the place, Sthala Vriksham--the tree in the temple and the Sthala Devathai--the presiding deity of the place or temple.

Yama Temple

diff. Iconography of Ragu and kedhu together

diff. Iconography of bairava

What is special about the temple is that the Linga (The phallic symbol representing creative energy) is self-born and faces both west and east. Prayers and puja are offered from both directions. Accordingly there are two Nandi's--Shiva's vehicle, the Great Bull; one in the East and one in the West.

According to legend, this is the oldest Lingam on the earth. Sandal is the Sthalavriksham. Sandalwood leaves are used for worshipping Shiva in this temple.

There is also a temple for Lord Yama, the god of death. Tired of taking so many souls since beginning, Yama felt he himself needed some rejuvenation. On the advice of Brahma, the god of creation, Yama came to the bank of Cauvery and worshipped Shiva. Shiva was pleased with him and asked Yama to be his vehicle. Yama stayed back, and there now, you have a temple for him also.

Legends work on our subconscious stuff. They remould some ancestral memory in us. Back from the temple, we felt rejuvenated ourselves and we travelled to our next destination--Tiruvarur.