Eagles enhance the sanctity

[Guest guest]

Eagles enhance the sanctity

The daily routine is a unique phenomenon ... eagles partake of the food offered

by the temple priest. THIRUKAZHUKUNDRAM, POPULARLY known as Pakshi

Thirtham and Dakshina Kailasam, is one of the most celebrated places of

religious importance in Tamil Nadu. The two sacred eagles

appearing over the temple to worship the Lord every day are a major attraction

for the visitors. They come down to a rock where sweet rice is offered as food.

To watch these eagles taking the food is a rare experience. According

to tradition, the four Vedas, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana, are seen here in

the shape of four boulders, placed one above the other, with Lord Siva as

Vedagiriswarar, emerging from the head of the fourth Veda, Atharvana. Hence the

place gets the name Vedagiri, where the presiding deity on the hilltop is

Vedagiriswarar. The hill covering an area of 265 acres is 500 feet

high and the hilltop can be reached by ascending 562

well-laid stone slabs. On the way there are small mandapams, for pilgrims to

rest. The steps and the walls on the sides have been built from donations. For

the infirm and the aged, dholis carried by two persons are available at nominal

charges. Before ascending the steps, the devotees worship Siddharti

Vinayaka and Ayyappa at the foot of the hill. The central shrine of the temple

where the presiding deity Vedagiriswarar is seen is built of three large

boulders, constituting the three walls for the sanctum. Vedagiriswarar is a

swayambu lingam. Vedagiriswarar was worshipped by Indra,

Thillothama (a dancer in Indra's court), Garuda (mount of Vishnu), Ashtavasus

and many Rudras. He has been praised in the songs and verses of the four great

Tamil saints — Appar, Sambandar, Sundaramurthi and Manickavasagar. The inner

walls of the sanctum contain many images, all hewn out of the rock surrounding

the presiding deity. In the enclosure around the sanctum,

are the shrines of Goddess Sokkanayaki and Vinayaka (in a dancing pose).

After a darshan of Vedagiriswarar, devotees eagerly await the arrival of the

eagles just before noon. They wait in large numbers at a shed specially erected

for the purpose. After cleaning a particular spot on the adjacent boulder, the

temple priest sits down, with the food (sakkarai pongal). Two

eagles, after circling around temple top, come near the priest walking. They eat

the balls of rice and after cleaning their beaks in the water kept in a small

vessel nearby, take off, circle around the tower again and fly off. This has

been going on for centuries now. The scene is sculpted on one of the walls in

front of Goddess Tirupurasundari, in the lower temple.

Thirukazhukundram ... well known for its hill temple and Sangu Thirtham.

Many tales are told about the visit of the two eagles. Two rishis (sages) —

Pusha and Vidhadha were cursed by Lord Siva to become eagles, for some

indiscretion. It is believed that these are the two eagles that visit

Thirukazhukundram daily for time immemorial, in order to worship Siva and to

obtain salvation from His curse. It is said that after a bath in the Ganges in

the morning, they come here at noon for food, reach Rameswaram in the evening

for darshan and return to Chidambaram for the night. Legend says they would

regain their original form and attain moksha (salvation) at the end of Kali

Yuga. Hence this place derived the name `Tirukazhu(gu)kundram' (the hill of the

sacred eagles) and also Pakshi Thirtham (in Sanskrit), meaning " water made Holy

by the visit of the birds " . After descending a few steps on the

other side, a monolithic cave-temple is seen. This

mandapam is full of rare sculptures and belongs to the Mamalla period (A.D.

610-640). There are two verandahs in the cave, each being supported by four

massive pillars. In the lower one, there are two life-size statues, decorated

with ornaments. In the upper verandah, there is a huge lingam with figures of

Brahma and Vishnu on either side. The peculiarity is that the whole mandapam

with sculptures is hewn out of a single rock. Hence this cave is known as

Orukkal Mandapam. On the eastern side, at the foot of the hill,

there is a small shrine Nalvar Koil, from where the four Tamil saints — Appar,

Sundarar, Sambandar and Manickavasagar — had darshan of Vedagiriswarar. The

Consort of Vedagiriswarar is not seen on the hilltop. She is enshrined in the

temple of Bakthavatsaleswarar at the centre of the town. The

temple has four gopurams (towers), the tallest with nine tiers (on the southern

side) and the other three with seven tiers. In the

prakaram of the temple, the tank, Nandi Thirtham, is located. It has a huge

Nandi (mount of Siva), facing Vedagiriswarar on the hilltop. The absence of a

Nandi before the presiding deity on the hilltop is a unique feature. The Nandi

once undertook penance on the Earth. Pleased, Siva appeared before him and told

him to ask for a boon. The Nandi desired that the place and the tank be named

after him and asked that those taking a dip in the tank and worshipping

Vedagiriswarar be absolved of their sins. His prayer was granted and hence the

place is also known as Nandipuram and the tank, Nandi Thirtham.

The mahamandapam that fringes the inner gopuram (Rishi Gopuram) contains a fine

sculptural representation of Agora Veerabhadra (Siva in ferocious form), a

colossal figure seven feet high. A similar image can be seen at the Meenakshi

temple in Madurai. The prakaram around the sanctum of

Bakthavatsaleswarar (the presiding deity of the temple) has many

images. The shape of the vimanam of the temple is peculiar, resembling the

Buddhist viharas in the North, since the spherical top portion is cut in front.

It was here that Lord Siva appeared before the Tamil saint Manickavasagar, in

the form of Dakshinamurthi, and initiated him into the secrets of the holy

Panchaksharam. The plantain tree is the sthala vriksham of the temple.

Goddess Tirupurasundari has a special shrine. Around the sanctum engraved on

marble slabs fixed on the walls, are verses from the " Abhirami Andhathi.

Not far away, but opposite to this temple is the sacred tank Sangu Thirtham. It

is an extensive tank of 1,000 square yards area, with wide steps on all sides.

It is believed that Saint Markandeya, came down here after visiting Benares. He

wished to have a bath in the sacred tank and perform abhishekam to the Siva

lingam here but he found no vessel to take the water. Just then a conch suddenly

emerged from the tank, with a humming

sound, and Markandeya performed the abhishekam. It is said that even now once

in 12 years, a conch emerges from this water, which the temple authorities

collect with all honours and preserve in the temple. There is a

collection of about 1,000 conches in this temple, with which, abhishekam is

performed to Lord Vedagiriswarar on the last Monday in the Tamil month of

Karthigai. The conch last appeared in the tank in 1986. According to

the sthalapuranam, Lord Siva Himself has declared that this tank is the holiest

of all, and as per His command, all the sacred waters in India meet here once in

12 years when Guru (Jupiter) enters Kanya rasi. The event is conducted as a

festival — Sangu Thirtha Pushkara Mela — when there is a huge gathering from all

parts of the country — this being the second biggest bathing festival in the

South, next to the Maha Makham. It is believed that the hill has innumerable

medicinal herbs and plants and therefore the cool

breeze is said to cure ailments.

 

 

 

New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC for low, low

rates.