Previous blog ~ 3 days and 15 temples: Kumbakonam pilgrimage tour
KUMBAKONAM
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MAYILADUTHURAI - 35 km / 1hr
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VAITEESWARAN KOIL - 15 km / ½ hr
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THIRUVENGADU - 16 km / ½ hr
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NAGANATHASWAMY - 7 km / 15 min
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THIRUKADAIYUR 15 km / ½ hr
Total distance - 87 kms/ 2 ½ hr
All these temples are nearby the major temple town of KUMBAKONAM, and can be easily done in a day.
But No!! that's not how it went for us. We preferred to move onward from there, so after much chatter, planning and deliberations, we finally made up our minds, and left KUMBAKONAM pretty late in the day.
It was 8 pm when we drew into the sleepy town of MAYILADUTHURAI. Fortunately, unlike KUMBAKONAM we were able to find a decent hotel in no time. After a quick check-in and dinner, we thought of walking down the road around 8:40 pm.
It was a moonlit night, and the only temple in sight wore a deserted look. All except the temple priests and their assistants had left. Calm and serene was the atmosphere; an experience unlike any other in a long time.
Tip- MAYILADUTHURAI has far better stay options as compared to KUMBAKONAM. We noticed a number of foreign tourists prefer to stay here. Hotels are of a certain standard and some even offer complimentary continental buffet breakfast.
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| Mayuranathaswami koil, Mayiladuthurai |
1- MAYILADUTHURAI : an ancient temple town
Mayiladuthurai has an ancient history. Like KUMBAKONAM, this too was ruled by the Cholas, Vijayanagara kings, Thanjavur Nayaks and even the Thanjavur Marathas.
Besides being a pilgrimage town, agriculture and fishing are two major occupations of the region thanks to the fertile Cauvery delta and its vast meandering tributaries.
There are a number of temples here, but the most prominent one is Mayuranathaswami koil after which the town is named. Lord Shiva is Mayurnathar here. Mayil means peacock 🦚. As the legend goes it was a curse that turned Devi Parvati into a peahen, so she began worshipping Shiva in that form here. There is a large temple tank at the entrance where pilgrims take a dip to purify themselves from spiritual contamination.
Besides temples, there is also an old beautiful Catholic Church [ St. Francis Xavier church] making we wonder if the Portuguese were here before. We were fortunate to attend the Sunday mass and noticed that this place has a significant Christian population as well.
2- VAITEESWARAN KOIL, SIRKAZHI
Shiva is worshipped as Vaidyanathar or Vaitheeswaran meaning the 'God of healing' and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases here at VAITEESWARAN KOIL.
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| VAITEESWARAN koil (temple) in Tamilnadu, note the intricately carved pillars |
What does the future hold for me?
This temple town is also famous for Nadi astrology, and there are several such astrologers. Nadi astrology is based on the concept that an individual 's past, present and future is already recorded in the universe. Certain sages of yore had this remarkable gift and kept a record of this data on palm leaves and barks of trees.
How practical this concept is, I can't say for sure, but felt no harm in pressing a 500 rs note into the palms of a Nadi astrologer for a glimpse into my bleak future.
As the narration continued mostly in Tamil,my dad listened attentively, making a mental note of words like :
Marriage. Rich husband. Good husband
bright future. job, career... And whatnot. Anyways, I admit leaving our Nadi astrologer's office just as confused as I was before.
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| Vendors selling pooja items outside a temple in Tamil Nadu |
3- THIRUVENGADU, POOMPUHAR BEACH
Bhagwan Shiv is worshipped here as Swetharanyeswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Brahmavidya Bigai.
It is one of the 9 Navagraha Sthalas, and THIRUVENGADU is dedicated to Budhh - IE. planet MERCURY. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m
We got to know about Poompuhar beach only after we left THIRUVENGADU. Do comment and share your thoughts, if you have visited the beach
4- Naganathaswamy temple
This is a small and unassuming temple and a Navagraha sthalam dedicated to KETU, a shadow planet. The temple's main deity is Bhagwan Shiva as Naganatha Swamy.
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| Naganathaswamy temple, Tamilnadu |
Note~ Yesterday we visited the Rahu sthala at Thirunageswaram Naganathar temple in Kumbakonam.
5- THIRUKADAIYUR- where people pray for a long life
Our final destination for the day was THIRUKADAIYUR, so we thought it advisable to seek suitable lodgings for the night and had no difficulty in finding a reasonably clean and comfortable place.
The temple of THIRUKADAIYUR is unique in a way. Elderly couples who have completely 60, 70 or 80 years of married life together come here to renew their marriage vows. While the idea is truly endearing, the sight of mess within the temple precincts is quite an eyesore. Flowers, pastes, incense sticks, coconuts and other such pooja material were scattered all over the place.
Next blog ~ Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) an old dutch hamlet by the sea
It's time to bid farewell for the day. If you enjoyed reading this blog, do give your comments below. Bye for now!
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