Visit to Shirdi and other temples-Part 1

My wife and myself went on a two days Air package tour (22.8.14 and 23.8.14) organized by Akshayam Travels to Shirdi and other temples nearby. I am sharing my experience of the tour in two parts. Part 1 of this article covers the visit to Shirdi on 22.8.14 and Part 2 covers other places.

(Note: Since I could not take the mobile phone inside the mandhir, I could not take any photos in and outside  the mandhir. All the pictures in the article are taken from Google images.)

Delay in reaching Pune:

The tour group consisted of 23 persons including the coordinator Mr.S.Anantasehan who is also the proprietor of Akshayam Travels . All of us assembled in Chennai airport at 3.15 am on 21.8.14. As per the tour programme, we started from Chennai to Pune by Spicejet flight which departed at 5.15 am and supposed to reach Pune at  6.45 am. But due to heavy rains and poor visibility the plane could not land at Pune and it was diverted to Mumbai airport. 

After reaching Mumbai airport it was announced that the plane will take off after 8 am.Since the rains continued to lash Pune, the take off was repeatedly postponed and all the passengers were not allowed to get out of the plane. The cabin crew  in the plane were busy in selling the food items for breakfast of the passengers. Even at 10.30 am we were not told about exact time of departure. There was an announcement that those who wanted to get off at Mumbai could get down from the plane and some passengers left the plane.

At this stage many passenger got restless and asked the air hostesses to arrange for breakfast. After some delay all the passengers were provided cup of noodles as breakfast by the air hostesses. 

After the improving of weather condition at Pune, the flight left Mumbai airport at 11 pm and reached Pune airport at 12 pm. 

Bus travel to Shirdi :

After collecting our luggage, we got into an air conditioned  bus waiting at Pune Airport. The coordinator of the tour expressed regret for the delay in the flight which has upset the tour programme.

After getting our feedbacks,he also announced that instead of taking lunch, we could go straight to Saibaba temple in Shridi since darshan for the group was fixed at 4.30 pm. All of us were provided with bananas, biscuits and drinking water in the place of lunch.

The bus route from Pune to Shridi is in  the worst condition with so many ups and downs. The driver drove the bus very fast and we had hopes that the bus would reach Shridi by 4.30 pm positively.

The coordinator of the tour(who is also Proprietor of the Travel company) who is an ardent devotee of Shirdi Saibaba,  engaged all of us by singing prayer songs in praise of Baba and describing about the importance of various places of worship in Shirdi like Samadhi Mandhir,Chavadi,Dwarakamai etc.

There was heavy traffic jam in a place  just 20 kms from Shirdi and the bus started moving inch by inch with other vehicles. After nearly 40 minutes,the bus could start from the place and reach Shirdi at 5.30 pm instead of the target of 4.30 pm. Meanwhile the coordinator talked to many persons in Shirdi to allow the group special darshan at 5.30 pm.  He  advised us to leave the cameras,mobiles,chappels inside the bus to avoid waiting time in the temple. 

Peaceful darshan of Shirdi Saibaba and other deities:

The bus stopped just in front of the gate of the Samadhi Mandhir  for special darshan and all of us were allowed inside. 

Without wasting any time, we were straight away taken in a special queue and we were in front of the Saibaba Samadhi and idol within 5 minutes. It was really like a miracle that we had a nice and peaceful darshan inspite of all the difficulties and the delay undergone by us  in the journey.

After worshiping Baba, we left Samadhi Mandhir  and took tiffin with coffee/tea etc in a nearby restaurant and proceeded to see the other important places associated with Baba. 

Baba's Chavadi:

Baba used to sleep here every alternate day.  The Chavadi is divided into two parts.  One part of the Chavadi has a large portrait  of Baba along with a wooden bed and a  white chair belonging to him.Every Thursday the Palakhi from DwarkaMai arrives here.Baba's Photograph, his Paduka (slippers), and Satka are kept in the Palakhi. The chair, on which Baba used to rest, and the bed, on which Baba had his  last bath, are also kept in this temple.

There were separate queues for the gents and ladies to enter the chavadi to worship the portrait of Baba.

While coming out of the Chavadi, we could hear the bhajan during  the Aarthi for Baba which was telecast live. We were surprised to see a dog sitting in front of the Chavadi closing its eyes and in full attention as if listening to the bhajan. 

Dwarakamai :

Dwarkamai is situated on the right of the entrance of Samadhi Mandhir. Baba stayed at Dwarkamai till the very end of his life.

The first level of Dwarkamai has a portrait of Baba and a big stone on which Baba used to sit. This level has two rooms. One contains the chariot and the second a palkhi. Just in front of the room where the chariot is kept is a small temple. A saffron flag flies over it. The second level of Dwarkamai has a square stool made of stone, which Baba used for taking a bath. 

The main attraction of this place is the oil painting of Shri Sai Baba sitting in a carved wooden shrine. This level also has the grinding stone and the wooden vessel called  in which Baba used to keep the Bhiksha brought from the village.

(http://shirdisaitemple.com/shirdi-article/id/86/dwarkamai-shirdi) 

The dhuni ,located in Dwarakamai is the sacred, perpetually burning fire that Baba built and which has been maintained ever since, though today the fire is much bigger and is enclosed behind a wire cage. The sacred ash(udi) produced in the Dhuni is distributed to the devotees.

Laksmibai's house:

The next place visited by us is the house of Laksmibai who was a great devotee of Baba.In the house, there is a portrait of Laksmibai and the frame containing  the nine coins given to her by Baba before he attained samadhi. There is also the pillar on which Baba used to recline whenever he visited Laksmibai's house to take the food prepared by Laksmibai.

Hanuman (Maruti) Mandir :

We also worshiped Hanuman in the Hanuman Mandhir which is located in  the lane that runs between Dwarkamai and Chavadi.

Three temples and other important places seen by us inside Samadhi Mandhir:

We went again inside Samadhi Mandhir and worshiped the deities in three small temples. They are dedicated to Ganesh,Shani (i.e. Saturn) and Mahadev (i.e. Shiva).

The we saw the Neem tree under which Baba used to sit from the time he appeared in Shridi for the first time and the Garden which was maintained by Baba and the perpetually-burning lamp which was lit by Baba.

After completing our visit to the Mandhir, we reached the Hotel Kuber Inn where rooms were booked for us. 

We took our dinner in the hotel and spent the night.

Thus the first day of the tour ended and the details of our second day of the tour is  posted by me in 'Visit to Shirdi and other temples-Part 2' with the following link:

http://svsaibaba.blogspot.in/2014/08/visit-to-shirdi-and-other-temples-part-2.html

CONTACT DETAILS OF AKSHAYAM TRAVELS:

Mobile:   09840306678

             09944531961

             044-43537361

Email:       akshayamtravels@gmail.com

Website:  http://www.akshayamtravels.com/

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Talking about my Native Place-Sholinghur or CholaSimhapuram

View of both Hill temples in Sholinghur

I am glad to post this 150th article in my blog about my native place "Sholinghur" and about the famous temples in the town. 


Just like anyone, I have very sweet memories of the place where I was born and spent my school days in Goodlet High School managed by Church of South India. 

                                        Goodlet High School
( I left the place in 1966 and came to Chennai where all important events in my life like Graduation,Employment,Marriage etc took place. I am at present settled in Chennai in my own house.)


Now let me take you to my native place.


Sholinghur which is also called as Chozha Lingapuram (in short Sholingapuram ) and also called as  CholaSimhapuram is located in Vellore District. It is a famous Vaishnavite pilgrim place with two hill temples.


Sholinghur was ruled by the Chola Empire, Nawabs of Arcot and Tippu Sultan.Sholinghur also has a historical significance. It was here that Sir Eyre Coote fought against Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali in the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Transport:
It is just 27 K.m. away from Arakkonam on the Bangalore-ChennaiTrain Route. Easy transport facility is also available from Chennai, Vellore,Chittor, Tiruttani, Arakkonam and Arcot. People alight at Arakkonam junction and come to this place. 

1. Distance from Chennai 110 K.M 2. Distance from Vellor 50 K.M 3. Distance from Tiruttani 27 K.M 4. Distance from Arakonam 27 K.M 5. Distance from Arcot 31 K.M

There is Railway Station in the name of Sholinghur, but it is not in Sholinghur town proper. The station is in a place called Banavaram which is 13 kms from Sholinghur.


 There are direct buses from Chennai to Sholinghur. Or you can take a direct bus from Chennai to Thiruthani ( famous Murugan temple town) and from there you can get plenty of buses to Sholinghur.


You have to take an auto from Sholingur bus stand to go to Kondapalayam where the both Narasimhar and Anjaneya temple hills are situated.

The town is famous for the hill temples at its outskirts i)Sri Yoga Narasimhar (1305 steps) located on the top of the hill Ghatikachala and Sri Yoga Anjaneya Swamy hill temple (406 steps). It is one of the 108 Divya Desams - sacred places in Hinduism. The temples are located on two hillocks. 


The Thakkan Kulam located on the way to the hills, is a big pond with 45 feet Anjaneyar statue & temple. Also, the town has war monument built by Tippu sultan at 1784 A.D during Second Anglo-Mysore War. 

Thakkan kulam

Anjaneyar statue

Temple of Yoga Narasimhar (Big Hill Temple):

                                        View of Big Hill


The Big  hill which is the abode of Lord Yoga Narasimha Swami 
is of 750 feet height with steps  of 1305.

           

                                                  ShriYoga Narasimhar 




Lord Narasimha with Sangu Chakram, Salakirama Haram,yoga peetam, korai teeth, long nails and strong hair gives darshan to the people as santhamurthi.

The Lord is praised by Thirumangai Alvar, Peyalvar and Nammalvar.  They praise him as Ilangkumaran and Akkarakani.

 

                                        Shri Amirdhavalli thayar

There was a separate temple for Amirthavalli Thayar on the Big  Hill  Previously. Now the Thayar  Shrine  has  been consider nearer to the Santum Sanctorum of Perumal. Procession Deity of Thayar is also kept there.

Yoga Anjaneya Temple(Small Hill Temple):

The Small Hill which is the abode of Yoga Anjeneya Swami is of 350 feet height with 406 steps.

                                                    Yoga Anjeneya
  It is a pleasant sight to see the Lord in the  Yoga form with  Sanguchakram. This form is the unique  one  in our country.

There are lots of monkeys on both the hills.The best way to stay safe from the monkeys is by not teasing them and not carrying anything in the hands that is visible..preferably dont carry anything.There are shops  midway that sell juices and snacks. Also different types of prasadam are available in the temple premises. So one need not carry any food item with them.

Temple in the Town: Bakthavatsala Perumal Temple


There is another temple in the town which is near the Bus stand.

Moolavar - Not present
Uthsavar - Bakthavatsala Perumal (Thakkaan)

One can have Darshan of Adikesava perumal at the rear end  of  this  temple only on  certain  occasions.  There  are  separate  sannathis  for  Andaal, Azhwaars, Erumbiyappa, and Thottaachaarya.


Accommodation:


There are many private cottages and chatrams where one can get accommodation at reasonable rents.

(Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholinghur
http://www.sholinghurnarasimhar.com/eSholinghurhistory.html)

World's second-tallest Shiva statue, Murudeshwara Temple

                                                              Gopura of Murudeshwara Temple and Statue of Lord Shiva


Murudeshwara (Kannada: ಮುರುಡೇಶ್ವರ) is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Famous for the world's second-tallest Shiva statue, Murudeshwara beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

Major attractions

• Murudeshwara Temple and Raja Gopura: This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is constructed at the temple. Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. The entire temple and temple complex, including the 237.5 feet tall Raja Gopura, is one among the tallest, was constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist Mr R. N. Shetty.

The temple is entirely modernised with exception of the Sanctum Sanctorum which is still dark and retains its composure. The Main deity is Sri Mridesa Linga, also called Murudeswara. The linga is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga and is about 2feet below ground level. The devotees performing special sevas like Abhisheka, Rudrabhisheka, Rathotsava etc. can view the deity by standing before the threshold of the Sanctum and the Lingam is illuminated by oil lamps held close by the priests. The Lingam is essentially a rough rock inside a hollowed spot in the ground. Entry into the Sanctum is banned for all devotees.

• Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the SECOND tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world as the first tallest is located in (Nepal)and is made by Mr.Kamal Jain,this is 143 ft.high and the statue is called ( Kailashnath Mahadev ).
• The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million Rs. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling. Originally, the statue had four arms, and was adorned in gold paint. However, large wind gusts blew the arm off (the one that held a small drum), and rains dissolved the paint.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murudeshwara

Some Pictures of the Temple and the Shiva Idol:

Twelve Jyotirlinga Shrines in India

A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam (Hindi: ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग) is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam (pillar) of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_12_Jyotirlingas-Map.jpg

The following slogam explains the twelve points in India where the Jyotir Lingams are situated

Saurashtre Somanaatham Cha Sree Saile Mallikarjunam
Ujjayinyaam Mahaakaalam Omkaare Mamaleswaram
Himalaye to Kedaram Daakinyaam Bhimashankaram
Vaaranaasyaam cha Viswesam Trayambakam Gowtameethate
Paralyaam Vaidyanaatham cha Naagesam Daarukaavane
Setubandhe Ramesham Grushnesam cha Shivaalaye || 

Source:http://www.vedarahasya.net/jyotir.htm

The Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines or the 12 shrines enshrining Shiva in the form of a Jyotirlingam, have been held in reverence since time immemorial in the Indian system of beliefs. The southernmost of these is located at Rameswaram, while the northernmost is located in the snowy heights of the Himalayas at Kedarnath. These temples are closely linked with legends from the puranas and are rich in history and tradition.

1.Somnath is the foremost of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shrines of Shiva, held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, traditions and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

2. Ujjain - Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga shrine The ancient and historic city of Ujjain or Avanti in Madhya Pradesh  is home to the Jyotirlinga shrine ofMahakaleshwar.

3. Omkareshwar: an island in the course of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh  is home to theOmkareshwar Jyotirlinga shrine and the Amareshwar temple.

4. Kedarnath - the Northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow clad Himalayas is an ancient shrine rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only on foot, six months in a year.

5.Sree Sailam - Sree Sailam near Kurnool enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple rich in architectural and sculptural wealth. Aadi Sankaracharya composed his Sivanandalahiri here.

6.Bhimashankar - Jyotirlinga Shrine is associated with the legend of Shiva destroying the demon Tripurasura. Bhimashankar is located in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, accessed from Pune.

7.Varanasi - The most celebrated pilgrimage site in India TheVishwanath temple in Benares in Uttar Pradesh  is the goal of the thousands of pilgrims that visit this ancient city. The Vishwanath shrine is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

8.Tryambakeshwar -  The origin of the river Godavari is intimately linked with thisJyotirlinga shrine near Nasik in Maharashtra.Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Shrineis a temple located in the vicinity of the tourist town of Ellora, which has several rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium CE.

9.Vaidyanath temple at DeogarhThe ancient pilgrimage town ofDeogarh in the Santal Parganas area of Bihar is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

10.Nageshwar near Dwarka in Gujarat  is one of the 12Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

11.Rameswaram: This vast temple in the island of Rameswaram, in Southern Tamilnadu enshrines Ramalingeswarar, and is revered as the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.

12.Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Shrineis a temple located in the vicinity of the tourist town of Ellora, which has several rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium CE.

Source:http://www.templenet.com/jyotir.html

Other links:http://www.jyotirlingatemples.com/

http://www.nivalink.com/pilgrimage/jyotirlinga.html

Amazing Temples in the World

  Tiger's Nest Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley , is one of the holiest places in Bhutan
 


Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Mai, Thailand is unlike any Buddhist temples in the world.
 

Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java , Indonesia . The temple was built in 850 CE, and is composed of 8 main shrines and 250 surrounding smaller ones.




No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya [wiki] (or Pagoda) in Myanmar was built - legend has it that it is 2,500 years old though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th and 10th century.



Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China . The temple was constructed in 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty.



Chion-in Temple [wiki] was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo ( Pure Land ) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot.


In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur , a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.



The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple[wiki] in Punjab , India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism.
 


The Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple [wiki]), in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Ankor Wat is the largest of all temple, but it is currently non-functioning as a temple - see below).



Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood : Angkor Wat.