Indian Columbus

Pilgrims who choose to ascend the sacred hills of Tirumala on foot often speak of certain moments that remain etched in memory long after the journey ends. One such unforgettable halt comes at about the seventh mile of the footpath route , where the towering image of Sri Prasanna Anjaneya stands watching silently over the pilgrims. By the time one reaches this point, the climb has already demanded effort and perseverance. The path winds past familiar landmarks such as the Mysore Gopuram, Gali Gopuram, and the Divya Darshan token counters , each step drawing the devotee closer to the abode of Lord Venkateswara. And then, quite suddenly, through the trees and the open sky, this majestic form of Hanuman appears, calm, reassuring, and deeply inspiring. Prasanna Anjaneya of Tirumala A Form That Speaks Without Words The icon rises to a height of nearly thirty feet , mounted on a substantial pedestal that itself measures around ten feet . Yet, what strikes the pilgrim most is not merely t...

Counting the stars in the sky may prove elusive, but attempting to enumerate the exquisite temples adorning the banks of Tirunelveli's radiant Tamraparani river presents an equally daunting task. Among these treasures lies the picturesque village of Manur, home to the grand Ambalavana Swami temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, where tales of divinity intertwine with local lore. Legend Legend has it that within this village resided a sage known as Ambalavanar, blessed with divine visions of Lord Shiva in His Nataraja form. In reverence to this encounter, the temple's principal deity bears the sage's name, Ambalavana Swami. Another narrative recounts the arrival of Karuvur Siddha, a sage endowed with the power to summon Lord Shiva with a mere invocation of His name. In a moment of vexation, Siddha cast a curse upon the Tirunelveli temple, rendering it barren. However, Shiva, in the form of a radiant light, appeared to Siddha in Manur, leading to the temple's restoration and th...

Satyanarayana is a form of Vishnu, one who symbolises eternal truth. Satyanarayana Puja or Vrath is a common religious ritual worship observed across the nation from time immemorial. The puja is described in Skanda Purana. The puja, described in Skanda Purana, is carried out during full moon days or any auspicious event. In Tamil Nadu, it is rare to find a temple dedicated to Satyanarayana. Chennai has two such rare temples. This article focuses on the century-old temple located in the Sowcarpet locality. Seth Chotadoss, son of Hargovind Doss, belonging to the Gujarati Modh Visa Adalja community from Sojitra, established a Dharamsala (a shelter for pilgrims) in Rasappa Chetty Street on 25th May 1918. It was inaugurated by Sir S. Subramania Iyer, popularly known as "the Grand Old Man of South India". (He was the first Indian to become Chief Justice of Madras High Court).  Within one year, on 5th February 1919, the icon of Satyanarayana was installed in the open courtyard. The ...

Thaiyur, a remote, peaceful village till a few years ago, is a fast developing southern suburb of Chennai. Not many know that it is the site of seven ancient temples of Shiva called Sapta Sthana Temples of Thaiyur. This article is about one of those seven temples, the Mareeswarar Shrine. The list of seven temples of Thaiyur: 1.  Chenkanmaleeswarar    (Click the link to read the article about this site.) 2. Mareeswarar (the temple on which this article is written) 3.  Murugeeswarar   (This is the biggest temple of Thaiyur. Click the link to read my article on this temple.) 4. Jalakandeswarar 5. Azhageesar 6. Komaleeswarar 7. Abhatsagayeesar or Baleeswarar of Sozhathangal (or) the temple inside the forest of Chenkadu Till the early 2000s, the temple was in ruin. The current structure of the temple was built in 2007 CE, and the gigantic Raja gopuram (tower) was built in 2019. Except for Shiva Linga, Nandi, and a King's bas-relief image, all other sculptures are new...

We know about the famous Meenakshi and Chokkanathar (also called Sundaresa) Temple in Madurai. However, only a few of us might know that there is one more temple for Meenakshi and Chokkanathar in the same city. This article is about the lesser-known site called Adi Chokkanathar temple. This temple is located at a distance of around 1 km from the main Chokkanathar temple in the Simmakal locality. It is a tiny temple but is supposed to be very old. The legend says that the presiding deity, Shiv Linga, was installed by Kubera. It is believed that Budha (one of the Navagrahas who represents Jupiter) worshiped this temple. Per another legend, Idaikadar, a Siddha, was humiliated by a Pandya (the ruler of Madurai). Lord Shiva from the main temple moved out and traveled to this site to pacify this great devotee. On the following day morning, the priests of the temple reported to the King that they could not find the icon in the temple. The King ultimately found the icon on this site and...

Madurai is Meenakshi and Meenakshi is Madurai. This is what people primarily relate the city of Madurai with. This is due to the magnificent and artistically beautiful Meenakshi temple. This is undoubtedly the best attraction in the city. However, a few important Vishnu temples are also located in and around Madurai. Koodal Azhagar Temple is one such temple about which this article is written.  Koodal Azhagar temple is located in the heart of Madurai city, within one km of Meenakshi temple. Alwars, twelve revered saints of Tamil, have graced this temple in their hymns (found in the collection of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam). Thus this temple is considered one of 108 Divya Desam Temples.  (People generally confuse this temple and Kallalagar temple, perhaps due to similar names. Both are Divya Desam temples, and both are located in the same region, but they are two separate temples). Ashtanga Vimana Highlights: Tirumangai Alwar and Tirumazhisai Alwar ...