Christmas holiday trip 6

Christmas holiday trip 6 - Tirunelveli

On Friday we set out to Tirunelveli which is 75 kms from Sankarankoil. This seems to be quiet a happening place. We went straight to the Nellaiappar Temple. This temple seem have come into existence in the Pandyas era and the later kingdoms have contributed to the structures of the now standing temple. This is quiet a large temple and similar to the other temples we have been visiting in this trip - each God in this temple has their own separate shrine.

Here also there were many devotees from Sabarimala pilgrimage in the temple and we had wait in long queue. Lord Nellaiyappar in the form of Lingam could be worshipped very near to the shrine. As we go around the corridor of this Lord we see intricate stone work around the temple and prasadams being made, We have then move to the next shrine which is quiet far away with just a small path connecting us to the Goddess Gandhimathiamman. We could worship her in a yellow saree with eyes full of mercy. On the way we can see many different types of Lingams along the corridor. Next was the shrine of Lord Murugar where you can worship him with all six faces. The priest at the Lord Murugar temple explained to us the unlike the temples in the north of Tamilnadu the temples here are huge and have separate temples for each God within the campus. It would take more time to cover the whole temple as there are numerous shrines and each architecture differs with reference to the kingdom they belong to. One should allocate at least a day to go around this temple.

Just opposite to this temple is the famous Iruttukadai halwa kadai, in the evening there was a small queue in this shop. We could buy the sweet to take back home. The snacks sold here are also different and has a good taste due to the Thamirabarani river. The Tirunelveli city is on the river banks of Thamirabarani. Good time spent her but not enough. Nellaiappar Temple was a memorable one.

On the next Saturday we left Sankarankoil by 5:30 AM and reached Chennai by 5 PM with breaks for food only. On the whole it was a fulfilling trip.

Comments

Mannargudi - Day 2

On the next day at Mannargudi, we had an early start. After having tea through room service we left to the Rajagopalaswamy temple. The temple gopuram can be seen at a large distance as the from the space was allocated for parking. Early morning we could see only 2 cars before us. After paying the parking fee we went inside the temple. Due to the maintenance work we were devoid of enjoying the beauty of the temple gopurams. We got to see the temple's famous elephant - Sengamalam as soon as we got in. This temple is called as south Dwaraka, there is small Krishna statue inside which we can worship by taking in our hands. The main deity Lord Vasudevaperumal is seen here along with his cow. Next to his the baby Krishna idol which can we worshipped by devotees for their special prayers. We had a good darshan of the Perumal. Had theertham, jadaari and then walked towards the Goddess. The consort of Lord Rajagopalaswamy is Goddess Sengamala Thaayar. We had a very peaceful...

Aadi koozh vaarthal

Aadi koozh vaarthal is a religious occasion for most Tamil house holds. In the month of Aadi raagi koozh is served to all thirsty people around the neighborhood. Koozh is prepared and offered to Amman followed by the distribution. While offering koozh there are also other heathly eatables included in the Padayal. The koozh preparation starts a day earlier. Rice is cooked first and raagi flour mixed in water is added to it and cooked till ragi gives a glazed look to the koozh. This is then left over night to ferment. The next day water is added to the koozh to get a drinking consistency. To this we add finely chopped onions as topping and curd to give that cooling effect. Once the koozh is all set we go about the padayal to the almighty Amman. Aadi, the Tamil month solely dedicated to Amman is for celebrating her and her kindness to her devotees. So we first offer the koozh to her in the Padayal followed by white rice and other items. The USP of Aadi koozh is that...

Vijayawada trip - Part 2

On the third day morning of our trip we were much energetic and ready to take on the day after a largely rested night. By 8:30 an we came down to the reception and was soon followed by Raju garu. He first took us to the restaurant near Vijayawada SP office for breakfast. This again was similar to the yesterday's, self-service, get your dish and eat it as you stand. As the crowd was less we for a table to place the plate. Had two maida poori, ghee dosa and coffee here for less than Rs.200. Our first place today was the Kanaga Durga temple. Its in the middle of the city on top of a small hill. The entrance charges Rs.50 for the car. Mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. The queues to the darshan was very huge. With the help of Raju garu we connected to one of the person inside the temple. He took us through the Rs.500 ticket queue, near to the Goddess Kanaga Durga for a much blessed darshan. In turmeric kaapu the was glowing. The temple inside was very well decorate...

Our wanderings and perceptions

Search This Blog