Bhagamandala and Talacauvery-Mysore and Coorg Trip Day-4

 

Next day morning Our journey took us on another spiritual quest as our next destination was Bhagamandala, One of the most popular hill stations in the country, Coorg is not all about nature but also of equally popular religious sites as well. This breathtakingly beautiful hill station in the western ghats of Karnataka state, boasts of being a popular destination among devotees as well. Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is one such shrine which attracts hordes of devotees to Coorg.

 

Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is situated at an elevation of 898 meters, at the Bhagamandala village in Coorg, which is also famous for the Triveni Sangama, a popular sightseeing place in a Coorg tour.

In Skanda Purana, Bhagamandala was known in ancient times as Bhaganda Kshetra. Long ago one great sage namely Sri Bhaganda Maharshi was living here in his ashrama with his disciples. Therefore, the place was named after the great rishi Sri Bhaganda as Bhagamandala. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi did severe penance to invoke the special blessings of Lord Subramanya and Lord Shiva. Lord Subramanya blessed the Maharshi and the place. Lord Subramanya named the place Skanda Kshetra and manifested it in the form of a stone image. Lord Shiva blessed Sri Bhaganda Maharshi and assured him of his divine presence in the place. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi installed a Shiva Linga and invoked in it the divine presence of Lord Shiva and worshipped it. Since the holy Shiva Linga was installed by Sri Bhaganda Maharshi it became popular and known as Sri Bhagandeshwara. It is traditionally believed that a very special manifestation of divinity is present in Sri Bhagandeshwara Linga at Bhagamandala.

 

A holy bath in Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala is not only enchanting but spiritually uplifting. Which is sacred as there is the confluence or sangama of the three rivers The Triveni Sangama is formed out of the confluence of three rivers namely Sri Cauvery, Sri Kanika, and Sri Sujyothi. Sujyothi of course, like the river Saraswati at Ganga Triveni Sangama at Allahabad, is ‘Antarvahini’-subterranean-not visible to our physical eyes. . Interestingly Sujyoti is largely mythical as it’s meant to be flowing underground and joining the main river as she spreads herself and flows along.

 

Architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple

The architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple is striking and rich. Architecture has a special place in my heart, as they speak of timelessness. Bhagamandala has a fusion of two architectural styles from Kerala and Nepal ? The main templeis constructed in a large stone courtyard, with multi-layered roofs of reddish hue and pagodas and shows beautiful carvings on the wood ceiling, the granite walls are covered with floral motifs and murals are made from vegetable dyes. The entire art and architecture is in its best form inside the temple.

 

The exact date of the construction and dedication of Sri Bhagandeshwara and other temples in Bhagamandala is not known, because no historical records are available in that regard. But it is believed that the origin of the temples belongs to the puranic age. According to the available historical records, it is known that Maharaja Veera Rajendra Wadeyar, the King of Kodagu, renovated the temple in 1790 AD. Sitting by the Sangama, I could see the religious importance here; pilgrims throng the Sangama to take a dip in the waters and to perform rituals to their ancestors. Tula Sankramana festival (in October) attracts huge amount of people.

I saw another aspect overlooking Bhagamandala that could have been an inspiration too ?the twin peaks of Mt. Thavoor and Mt. Koppatti. This region has a big potential to inspire adventure lovers or anyone who wishes to savour the mesmerizing beauty of the Shola forest ranges. Well, me stood and relished a moment myself.

After Darshan of Sri Bhagandeshwara We move on to the Brahmagiri hills to Talacauvery where the river originates and flows down 800 kms down to Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu. 

 

Story of Talakaveri

It is said that when Shiva and Parvati were getting married at Kailash Parvat, everyone went there to witness the wedding. As a result, the earth started tilting there. So, Agastya Rishi was sent to the South to maintain the balance of the earth. He was reluctant, and said, where he will get Holy Tirtha or Holy water for his daily rituals. Shiva filled the holy water in his Kamandal and said – here take it with you and go. So, Agastya Muni came down south. He sat on the Brahmgiri hill to meditate with his Kamandal carrying the holy tirtha.

 

In the parallel universe, Indra had to hide in a lotus stalk and needed some Holy Tirtha to get back his form and kingdom. The closest Tirtha was in Agastya Muni’s Kamandal. When Indra prayed to Ganesha for help, Ganesha took the form of a crow and sat on Agastya’s Kamandal. When he tried to shoo away the crow, Kamandal tripped and the water flowed. Agastya chased the crow till it took the form of a small boy and the Ganesha. In another story from Skanda Puran, Kaveri is the river incarnation of Lopamudra, the foster daughter of Rishi Kaver. She was married to Agastya Rishi.

At the entrance is a big arch leading to steps that lead to the Talakaveri tank. If you stand at the valley end of the arch, you see the vast green valley with layers of hills in different shades of green. It is a beautiful landscape of lush green Western Ghats. I only wish I had visited in the early morning or late evening. In the mid-noon sun, it was impossible to stand there, even with the soothing green in front.

Temple Tank

When we reached the temple tank it was a lovely sight. An enclosure around the spring called Gundige is connected to a small pond. A small Kaveriamman temple is on one edge of the pond. In the temple has the same image of Kaveri in a standing position emptying the pot in front of her

 

 A priest was performing Puja at the temple. From the small pond  river which flows underground and emerges after about a kilometer down the hill. There are shrines above the spring and temples dedicated to Agasthyeshwara and Ganesha. It is believed that the Saptha Rishis had performed a penance here to get immortality. The priest inform us that the Agni Kundas can be seen there.

 

You can go inside and take a dip, but not touch it with your feet. It is the holiest of places in the Coorg region and it must be respected. After saying a silent prayer, we headed to the temples that are still further up from the tank.

Agastheeswara & Ganesha Temples

There are small but very beautiful temples. One of them is called Agastheeswara and was built by Agastya Muni. The other one is dedicated to Ganesha to commemorate his role in bringing Kaveri here. We spent some time there and felt a sense of peace that comes from places that have been worshipped for a long time.

 

The beautiful range of Brahmagiri Hills, as seen from the TalaKaveri view point..!!⠀Brahmagiri hill ranges, one of the biggest and the beautiful hill ranges of Karnataka. It houses numerous trek spots for adventure junkies and also the home for invariable species of flora and fauna.⠀ A sublime atmosphere which automatically transports you into a spiritual trance. Tala Cauvery a must visit place.

Our tour completed in four days on the way we visited Aprmeya Temple and back to Mumbai.

JaishreeIyer

Vatapathrasayi- Sri Andal Temple-Srivilliputhur

Vatapathrasayi- Srivilliputhur Temple:

Last week we had a trip to our native Place. On the way we visited Srivilliputhur Temple.It was long time wish to visit this temple.The temple was so beautiful and divine.

Srivilliputhur Andal Temple is situated in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu near Madurai.  It is one of the 108 Divyadesams dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vatapatrashaayi along with his consort Andal. Srivilliputhur known by other names such as Varaha Kshetram ,Shenbakaaranyam Thenpuduvai, Vadeswarapuram, Vadamahadamapuram,  Vikrama chola chaturvedhi mangalam, and Sridhanvipuri.

This is the birthplace of two of the Alvars, namely Periyazhwar and his daughter Andal

History

The history of Srivilliputhur centres around the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, dedicated to Andal. It is argued that the temple of Vatapatrasayi is present from the 8th century, but there are epigraphic records are available only from the 10th century CE.The view that the Andal temple was built during the 14th century is highly debated

 

As per legend, sages Bhrigu and Markandeya were doing penance in a dense forest named Champaka/Shenbaga. A demon named Kalanemi was harassing the sages. They prayed to Lord Vishnu to help them. Pleased with their devotion, the Lord came down to earth and slayed the demon. The Lord then took abode in the forest in a reclining position on a banyan leaf. He came to be known as Vatapatrashaayi (vata – banyan, patra – leaf and shaayi – reclining position).

 

As per another legend, the land around Srivilliputhur was under the rule of Queen Malli who had two sons one of whom was Villi. One day, the Lord came in Villi’s dream and ordered him to found a city. Villi did so and the city became known by his name, Sri-villi-puthur. He then built a temple by installing the statue of Lord Vatapatrashaayi in it.

The temple has inscriptions from Chola, Pandya and Nayak rulers, spanning across various centuries from the 10th to 16th centuries. As per some accounts, the original structure was constructed by Tribuvana Chakravarthy Konerinmai Kondan Kulasekaran and the Andal temple by Barathi Rayar.

During the reign of Thirumalai Nayak (1623–1659) and Rani Mangammal  (1689–1706), this city became very popular. Thirumalai Nayak renovated all the temples of this city.

 

He installed choultaries, temple tanks, paintings and golden towers inside the temple. The sculptures in the hall leading to the shrine of Andal were also built by him.[5]

From 1751 to 1756 CE, Srivilliputhur came under the rule of Nerkattumseval  palayakkarar Puli thevar and was a maravarpalayam. Later the Fort of Srivilliputtur was ruled by Periyasami Thevar.

Then it fell into the hands of Mohammed Yousoof Khan. Until 1850, Sri Andal temple was under the care of the king of Trivancore.

The British ruled the country till India attained freedom in 1947. The temple’s gateway tower, 192 ft (59 m) tall and it is believed that this is the official symbol of the Government of Tamil Nadu (Sri Vatapatrasayi Temple Tower).

Sthala puranam

Mukunda Pattar and Padmavalli were a couple in Srivilliputhur, devoted to Lord Vishnu in the form of Vatapatrasayi (vata=banyan, patra=leaf, sayi=lying down). Their fifth child – Vishnuchittan – was also a devotee of the Lord, and used to prepare garlands for worship of the Lord at the temple. Once, Vishnuchittan won a contest and received a gold box by the grace of Lord Vishnu, who appeared on Garudan. The townfolk were astonished, and so Vishnuchittan sang a Pallandu which pleased Lord Vishnu. The Lord blessed him, and after this, Vishnuchittan became Periyazhvar.

One day when Periazhvar was gathering flowers in the garden, he found a girl child and took her home, as he and his wife were childless, and named her Kothai, who later came to be known by the local people as Andal. Kothai constantly dreamed of the Lord, and her only wish was to be married to Ranganatha Perumal. She even used to wear the garland prepared for the Lord, and ensure it was fit to offer to the Lord. On one occasion, Periazhvar found a human hair in the garland prepared for the Lord, and knowing it was Kothai’s started preparing another for the Lord. That night, Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream and insisted he would only accept the garland tried out by Kothai!

Kothai, now Andal, sang many pasurams on Perumal, and the day finally came when Lord Vishnu decided to get married to her and told Periazhvar to bring her to Srirangam. When he took Andal to Srirangam, she disappeared in the Kaveri river, as the Lord had taken her to be with him. Periazhvar requested the Lord to come to Srivilliputhur and get married to Andal, again. Accordingly, Ranganathar visited Srivilliputhur as Rangamannar (since he came dressed as a King) and married Andal.

Temple Structure

The Rajagopuram, the temple’s gateway tower has 11-tiers rising to a height of 194 ft. The tower was built by Periyazhwar with the prize money he obtained from winning a religious debate in the court of a Pandiya king. This awe-inspiring tower is the chosen emblem of Tamil Nadu. The temple has two sections – Andal temple located in the Southwest section and the Vatapatrashaayi temple in the Northeast section. The Andal shrine houses the image of Andal and Rangamannar. Garuda, who brought Lord Ranganatha the divine bridegroom, from Srirangam is also present in the same shrine. The second hall from the entrance towards the sanctum, houses sculptures of Mohini, Rama, Kamadeva, Ratidevi and many other deities.

 

The Vatapatrasayee Temple, is  about 2000 years old and said to have existed long  before the great Tamil Vaishnava scholar  Periyazhwar's time. Unlike other temples, it a "Maadakkovil" and one has to climb a few steps to worship Lord Vatapatrasayee while the shrine of  Sri Lakshmi Narasimha is on the ground floor.

 

The Vatapatrashaayi temple premise houses Lord Vatapatrashaayi in a reclining posture and his consorts Lakshmi (Sridevi) and Bhudevi. Sage Bhrigu stands near his head and sage Markandeya is near his feet. The banyan tree on whose leaf the Lord reclines is present behind Bhrigu. The hall leading to the sanctum has detailed teak wood carvings depicting Puranic events and Dashavataras. Near the dwajasthambam and bali peetam, there are shrines for Nammazhwar and Ramanujar on the left and Periyazhwar on the right. There is a shrine of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha facing the dwajasthamba.

 

The Lord’s image is a large and very colourful stucco image (made of brick and mortar), hence daily Thirumanjanam (sacred bath ) is not performed. Lord Vadabadrasayee was the Lord whom Periyalwar and Andal worshipped with such fervour. Images of Panchamurtis – Thumburu, Narada, Sanathkumara, Kinnara, Sun, Mithuna and Moon are present around the deity as well as representations of Villi and Puttan are seen at his feet.

Tiruppora Mandapam:

Tiruppora Mandapam is situated in the Nandavanam between Andal Shrine and Vadabadrasayee Shrine. It was here that Andal was found as a small child beneath Tulsi plant by Periyalwar. It is also believed that this mandapam was built by Periyalwar and the idol installed after his return from Srirangam where he handed over Andal in marriage to Ranga Mannar. . Inside the Nandavanam there is an idol of child Andal. By her side is the thulasi mantapam. The entire verses of divine Thiruppavai can been seen inscribed on marble in the Nandavanam.

 Andal Shrine:

Andal Temple is situated on the southwest side of the Temple Complex. 20 Pandha Mandapam is found in the entrance of Andal temple. Kalyana Mandapam is situated on the left side after Pandha Mandapam. There are shrines for Sri Rama and Srinivasa Perumal immediately after the Kalyana Mandapam. Dhwaja Sthambam can be found next. There is Mandapam called, Madhavi Mandapam after the Dhwaja Sthambam. This Mandapam houses lot of beautiful paintings depicting Lord Vishnu.

 

Next to it is the Mani Mandapam and then the Artha Mandapam and then the sanctum follows. The Sanctum houses the image of Andal and Ranga Mannar. In Srirangam, Lord Ranganathar holds a conch and discus in his hands, In Srivilliputhur,  he holds a Dhandam-royal staff held by kings and is called as Ranga Mannar. A green parrot rest on Andal’s shoulder. This parrot is special in that it is freshly made by hand everyday using leaves and herbs.

Nandavanam:

The flower gardens (Nandavanam) in between these two areas are said to have been maintained by Periyalwar.

Andal Idol:

There is no separate shrine for Andal in the Temple premises. A separate Statue is kept for Sri Andal in the Nandavanam, where she was born, which is found on the North East direction .

Periyalwar Shrine:

Periyalwar Shrine is found on the North side of the temple and he is faced towards the south direction.

Festivals

Aadi Pooram, Adhyayana Utsavam, Vasantha Utsavam, Peria Perumal Bramhotsavam, Theppostavam and Andal Mannar Thirukalyanam are the important festivals celebrated in Srivilliputhur temple. Aadipooram festival, the birthday of Andal, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aadi (July – August), is the most prominent. During the festival, the presiding deities Sri Rangamannar and Goddess Andal are taken in decorated palanquins to the temple chariot. The festival marks the adoption of Andal, by Periyazhwar after he found her near the temple nandavanam.

The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7 a.m.,  Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m.,  Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m.

Famous For:

    Tulasi Garland

    Sthana Powder (Turmeric Powder Made of natural herbs)

    Palkova (Sweet Delicacy made of Milk)

How to Reach Srivilliputhur Temple?

By Air:

Madurai Airport is the nearest airport which is 70 km away

By Train:

Srivilliputhur Railway Station is the nearest Railway Station which is 2 km away

By Road:

Sriviliputhur Is Well Connected With Other Major Cities