For Every Auspicious Beginning, Thiruvalanchuzhi

वक्रतुंड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ:।
निर्विध्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥ 
"O Lord with a curved trunk and a large body, and the brilliance of a million suns, 
I pray to you to remove all the obstacles in every work that I undertake"

Any practicing Hindu would be quite familiar with the ancient tradition of invoking the fan-eared, elephant-faced god, Gajanana, before kick-starting a new task. Wherever we may be from, it has been a passed-on custom to honor Ganesha and ask him to remove the obstacles that may come in the path of our eventual success. From breaking coconuts at the roadside temple before the public exam to starting off a document with a Pillaiyar Suzhi to the Gana-Homam performed at the temples before the commencement of the week-long festivals, the chubby lord is bribed in various ways in exchange for a taste of success. Therefore, in keeping up with the tradition, I offer the first post of kshetrapuranas to the eldest of Shiva's sons, the remover of obstacles, Vigneshwara.

It was the year 2004 and I had very enthusiastically come to Kumbakonam, a town near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, to take part in the famous Maha Magham festival that the town hosts once every 12 years. As I got crushed and churned and carried away by the humongous sea of humanity milling around me, my heart was doing its own little tap-dance, for every direction I turned in (or rather the crowd made me turn to), I could catch a glimpse of the soaring Gopurams of several temples silhouetted against the rising sun. Kumbeswarar, Sarangapaani, Chakrapaani, Raamaswamy, Naaganathar, Vishwanaathar, Someswarar... the list is virtually endless.

Being this true temple freak (this blog wouldn't have materialized otherwise), I wanted to visit each and every one of them around Kumbakonam, little realising that the figure would have easily run into four digits.  One among those billion temples that I had on my to-visit-list was Thiruvalachuzhi.  I remember Babu’s father saying “Dei, Thiruvalanchuzhikku nichayam pongo”. They were my gracious hosts at Kumbakonam and Babu, my friend, was the official tour guide. But by a stroke of misfortune I was not able to go there, having given higher priorities to Swamimalai and Patteswaram. And boy, do I regret it. Nevertheless, the Kshetra boasts of an interesting Sthala Purana and since I am not aware of any law that requires me to have visited the temple to write about it, I place before you the first story of my blog!!!

Thiruvalanchuzhi Vellai Pillaiyar

Thiruvalanchuzhi, as the name indicates (thiru-sacred, valanchuzhi-right handed curve), is a holy place where the river Kaveri takes a gentle curve hugging the divine sthala to her bosom. When Kaveri, having been freed from Agastya’s kamandala (water pot), had rushed towards Chozha Desha, she went around the ancient temple of Jataimudinathar in an act of respect to the lord, thus giving Thiruvalanchuzhi its name. Adding further glory to the sacred place is an age old temple dedicated to the leader of ganas, revered in this sthala as Swetha Vinayagar or the Pure White Vinayagar. So how did he come here?

It all begins with what is perhaps a very well known incident in the Hindu Puranas - Amritha-Manthan or the churning of the milk ocean.

Long ago, when Indra was at the peak of his power, Durvasa Maharishi had come to pay him a visit. The blessed sage had come directly from Vaikuntha, bearing with him a gift for Devendra - a garland that was presented to him by  MahaLakshmi. Beholding Indra riding on his Airavatha (Four-tusked white elephant) at the forefront of a grand procession outside Amaravathi, he offered the garland to the king of Devas. Indra, however, was in one of his proud moods. With a smirk, he carelessly took the garland and placed it on Airavatha’s head. The elephant, as proud as its owner, was highly irritated with the garland obscuring its vision. With one swift twirl of its trunk, it whisked the garland from its head and stamped viciously on it.

Anger shot through Durvasa, whose wrath was both famous and highly feared. With blood-shot eyes he cursed Indra. “Oh foolish proud King, you have just shown disrespect to Lakshmi herself. May all your prosperity melt away. May your strength disappear and may you rot in disrespect.”. With a huff, he departed from Amaravathi, leaving all the Devas to shiver in fear.

Indra, now ashamed of his haughty behavior, and seeing the first signs of the Rishi's curse unfolding before him, rushed along with the Devas to Maha Vishnu and pleaded for his help. “Oh Divine Protector,” they cooed, “please show us a way out”. The ever benevolent Vishnu cast his eyes on them and said, “Devendra, it has become a regular pastime of mine to get you out of trouble for your obnoxious behavior. You have but one way left. Churn the Milk Ocean to obtain the Amrutha. The intake of this divine nectar will free you from the curse and restore you back to power”. The relieved Devas prostrated before him and took leave of Vaikuntha. 

Back at Amaravathi, the Devas had a round-table conference to chalk out plans for the churning of the milk ocean. Two items were at the top of the shopping-list -  a gigantic churn and a tremendously long rope. After much head-scratching, the Devas decided to use the Meru mountain as the churn. By divine will, Vasuki, the king of snakes, offered himself to act as the rope. Now that all the preparations were done and all the meticulous details worked out, the Devas still couldn’t begin, for all their strength had been sapped out by the Rishi'scurse. Even in their dreams they couldn't have been able to handle the thick, slippery Vasuki and the heavy Meru.

After prolonged consideration, Indra finally sent out a missive to his step brothers, the Asuras, asking them to join them in this effort, promising them a portion of the Amrutha in return for their help. The Asuras, ever greedy for the nectar and the boon of immortality that was promised to anyone who partook of it, agreed to help out with the churning. On one fine Dwadasi day, the churning began.

The Devas held the tail of Vasuki and the Asuras held the serpent's head. Vasuki had coiled himself around the Meru and had brazed himself up for a really tough time. The churning started out slowly and step-by-step, the momentum increased. As the churning quickened, the deadly poison Hala Hala slowly reeked out from the milky waves. These poisonous vapors along with the toxic fumes panted out by a famished Vasuki had catastrophic effects on the churners. Like always, they once again turned towards divine help and by a stroke of good fortune, the Devas got Shiva to drink the Hala Hala. The churning then resumed with a renewed zest, until the next catastrophe struck. To the biggest dismay of the churners, the Meru, having no support  from underneath, slowly began to sink.

Totally stumped, the Devas were just wondering why they were being subject to such untold miseries when a booming laughter pealed across the heavens. “You forgot Me, the Remover of Obstacles. Surely, you should know better!” Realization dawned on Indra and he immediately went in search of Ganesha. The chubby lord had however disappeared from everyone’s sight, leaving Indra to writhe in anguish. Seeing no way out, Indra returned to the milk ocean and hurriedly gathered the cream floating on the waves. He fashioned an idol of Pillayar out of the cream and offered his prayers by the shores of the ocean. “Oh Gajamukha, forgive us for not invoking you. Accept our apologies and bless us in our endeavour”. Once again the booming voice echoed from the skies, “I am pleased Devendra. You may now proceed”. The rest of the story is of course well known, with the Devas finally managing to get the Amrutha, and with it their lost strength and power too.

Indra, however, continued to worship the cream idol of Ganesha, and took it with him when he went on a pilgrimage to absolve himself of the curse of Gauthama Rishi. When Indra had once exhibited immoral conduct towards Gauthama’s wife Ahalya, the furious Rishi had cursed Indra to become a eunuch. Grossly ashamed of his piteous plight, Indra had hidden himself in the stalk of a lotus flower. Finally, Gauthama, took pity, and imparted to Indra the knowledge of the Maha Ganapathi Mantra. He then asked Indra to visit various Shiva temples on the earth. Indra too obediently followed his instructions and started on his yatra.

When Indra reached the banks of the Kaveri, he requested a cowherd boy to keep the box containing the Ganesha while he went to offer his prayers at the temple of Kapartheeswarar. The boy, who was none other than Shiva quietly kept the box under the Dwajasthamba (flag staff) and disappeared. Returning back, Indra saw that the idol had firmly attached itself to the ground and refused to budge. Understanding the divine will of the lord he prostrated in front of the idol. “Who am I to take you around when your desire is to stay here? All I ask is one boon. May I be allowed to perform pooja to you every day?”, he asked. Pleased with Indra's devotion, Vinayagar gave his approval and also cured Indra of his curse. Extremely elated with the recent happenings, Indra returned back to Amaravathi leaving the cream white idol to be worshipped by generations of devotees in what is now Thiruvalanchuzhi. 

Swetha Ganapathi

On entering the temple of Thiruvalanchuzhi, one is immediately welcomed by the Ganesha Shrine located bang in the center. Just outside the main sanctum is a mandapa that is made up of unpolished, uncut stones, carelessly fitted together as though it was built in great hurry. Legends tell us of the story of Haridwaran, the King of the land, who had once stopped by the temple to offer his worship. Placing a plate full of abhisheka materials in the hands of the priest, the king ordered the priest to perform abhisheka to the idol. “Bathe the lord in these fragrant powders and anointed waters. Let him be cooled.” The priest was now caught in a dilemma. The temple protocol required that no abhisheka be done to the delicate idol, while the king had just ordered for one. Either way he was doomed. Silently invoking Ganesha, he begged for help. In answer to his prayers, a voice reached out from the sanctum, “Oh King, I am made of cream and bubbles. Would you want me to be dissolved in the fragrant waters that you just gave?” The king, realising the mistake he would have otherwise committed, begged for forgiveness. “Then build a mandapa in front of the sanctum by sunset today to atone for your mistakes. May it remind people of the mistakes that they make in life and instigate them to pray for forgiveness”. The king obliged and built the mandapa in the given time period, putting together rough stones into an approximate hall. This mandapa stands even today and is called the Mannippu mandapam or Aparadha Mandapa. People who visit the temple meditate in this mandapam and ask Ganesha to forgive their sins and grant them eternal bliss. 

The beautiful pillars of the Gayathri Mandapa

Beyond the Aparadha mandapa is the Gayathri Mandapa, built to signify the 24 alphabets of the Gayathri mantra. It is a beautiful structure with meticulous details carved in stone. Its most wondrous feature is the Karungal Palagani or stone window that is carved with 16 viewing portals through which one can worship Ganesha. The 16 portals are said to signify the 16 names of Gajanana as mentioned in the Ganapathi Shodasa Nama Shloka in the Ganesha Purana.

सुमुखश्चैकदन्तश्च कपिलो गजकर्णक:|
लम्बोदरश्च विकटो विघ्ननाशो गणाधिप:||

धूम्रकेतुर्गणाध्यक्षो भालचंद्रो गजानन:|

वक्रतुंड शूर्पकर्णो हेरम्ब: स्कन्द पूर्वज:||

The Karungal Palagani is a marvelous architectural feat. It is said that when architects of yore signed their contracts, they committed to build the very best apart from five exceptional pieces of architecture that could never be replicated at all. Along with the Stone carved Veranda (Kodungai) of Aavudayaar Kovil, the Wall of Kadaarankondaan, the Gopuram of Tanjavur Periya Kovil, and the Vavval Otti Mandapam of Thiruveezhimizhalai, the Karungal Palagani of Thiruvalanchizhi remains one of those marvels.

The Vavval otti Mandapam of Thiruveezhimizhalai, The Kodungai of Aavudayaar Kovil, The Gopuram of Thanjavur and the Karungal Palagani of Thiruvalanchuzhi

Walking past the Gayathri mandapam, we then enter the sanctum. The cream idol in the sanctum, adored as Vellai Pillayar, Swetha vinayagar or Nurai Pillayar, is pure white and is protected very fiercely by silver and gold frames. No abhisheka or flowers are offered to the deity, lest the cream is washed away. All adornments and garlands are offered to the surrounding frames alone. The only offering made to the idol is Pachai-Karpooram (a fine edible form of camphor), which is pulverized (using a temple owned pestle and mortar which date back to the olden times) and sprinkled over the image on a regular basis. This alone is the main offering by the devotees to the temple.

The utsava moorthis are housed in a separate chamber. Ganesha, surprisingly gives darshan as a grihastha with Vani and Kamalambikai as his consorts. They are believed to have been born from the tongue of Brahma and the eye of Vishnu respectively. Interestingly, the trio is flanked by Indra and Mahavishnu, both of whom have their hands folded in prayer. The story of Indra has been seen already, but why is Vishnu here in this meditative pose?

Shankaranarayanar at the entrance

Once, when Shiva and Parvathi were playing dice, Maha Vishnu consented to be the judge. At the end, when Parvathi won, Vishnu jokingly declared Shiva to be the winner. Fuming at his unethical behaviour, Parvathi at once cursed her brother to be born as a blind python on earth. Stunned by her harsh curse, Vishnu took birth as a python and meditated on Ganesha for delivering him from the curse. It is believed that when Ganesha returned from his war with Gajamukaasuran, he liberated Vishnu from the curse at Thiruvalanchuzhi. Hence, Vishnu too is seen to be worshiping Gajanana here. On the other hand, utterly perplexed by the relation between Shiva and Vishnu and the unnecessary lie that Vishnu had uttered, Parvathi performed tapas at this kshetra and was blessed a vision of Shankaranarayanar (Shiva with half his body occupied by Narayana). Since Shiva and Parvathi were reunited at this kshetra, the place is believed to offer relief to couples whose marriage has been a bumpy ride.

Beyond the Ganapathi shrine is the main temple dedicated to Brihadnayaki (Periyanayaki) sametha Kapartheesar (Jataimudinathar). The temple legends celebrate the marriage of Parvathi, the daughter of Yayava Munivar, to Shiva. Yayava had obtained Parvathi as his daughter through a boon from Shiva. However, when Parvathi had reached a marriageable age, Yayava had simply refused to let her marry Maheshwara, claiming that he was an ugly ascetic who wore animal skins and rode on a bull. Shiva finally appeared before Yayava, removed the Maya that was clouding his intellect and gave him moksha. Parvathi married Parameshwara amidst much celebrations, thus setting an outstanding example to all womenfolk that the outer appearance of the husband doesn’t matter and one should always be devoted to him regardless of his beauty or the lack of it. 

The temple myths also tell us an interesting tale of the time when the thousand-headed Adisesha came out from the netherworlds at Thiruvalanchuzhi. However, the gigantic snake had to drill a large hole to make his way from the netherworlds to the earth's surface. So large was the hole that the river Kaveri flowed right into it, up to the very last drop. With the Kaveri gone, the dwellers of Chozha desha struggled a lot with their everyday lives. Neither was there enough water to drink nor was there sufficient moisture in the ground to sustain the crops. Extremely saddened by the plight of his subjects, the Chozha king rushed to the Thiruvalanchuzhi temple and begged the Lord to restore the Kaveri. Deeply touched by the king's love for his subjects, Shiva spoke through an oracle and ordered the king to sacrifice a Rishi at the site of the abyss. On hearing these words of relief, the king at once traveled to Kottaiyur, where he narrated the entire story to Heyranda Maharishi. Heyranda, the enlightened soul that he was, was only too happy to sacrifice himself for the well-being of a kingdom, and without a second word, he jumped into the deep abyss. At once, the Kaveri bubbled up from the hole again, after which the abyss closed itself and totally disappeared. Even today, Heyranda Maharishi is worshiped at the temple for his selfless sacrifice. It is also believed that Adisesha visits the temple to worship Shiva on every Shivaratri day in the year.

The Shiva temple also houses uniquely positioned Navagrahas, where Surya and Shani are seen to be facing each other as Mitra-Grahas. Also of special interest is the shrine dedicated to Ashtabhuja MahaKali, a shrine like no other. Thirugnanasambandhar has sung a beautiful pathigam on the lord of the temple as well as on Swetha Vinayagar, thus adding this temple to the list of 274 Paadal Petra Shiva Thalangal. 

There is a custom in vogue amongst the devotees according to which the entire Chozha Desha is considered to be a Shivaalaya, with the main deity enshrined at the Thiruvidaimaruthur Mahalinga Swamy temple. The various other Parivara devathas are worshiped at individual temples around Chozha Desha. In this arrangement, Thiruvalanchuzhi is the Vinayagar shrine in the Shivaalaya and is the first to be visited in the series. In due order, the other shrines are - Swamimalai for Karthikeya, Chidambaram for Nataraja, Aaduthurai for the Navagrahas, Alangudi for Guru, Sirkazhi for Bhairavar, Thiruvavaduthurai for Nandi, Thiruvarur for Somaskandar, and Thiruvaypaadi for Chandikeshwarar.

The most important festival in the temple is of course the Chathurthi Vizha in Aavani, celebrating the birth of the elephant-faced one. Another interesting celebration is the one in which the utsavar of Swaminatha Swami is brought down from Swamimalai. The Valli Kalyanam episode of Skandha purana is then enacted out with great fervor. In this episode, Ganesha comes as an elephant to scare Valli into marrying his brother Skandha. Also, on one particular day every year (in the month of Aavani again) the temple is closed at mid day after the priest lays out all the items for worship. It is believed that Indra himself performs the pooja for the day, according to the boon that was granted to him (One year on earth equals a day in the heavens). Apart from these utsavas, all Fridays, Tuesdays and Chathurthi Thithis see an increase in the pilgrim count. Sakkara Pongal (sweet rice with lentils) and Modakam (stuffed sweet dumplings) happen to be the predominant naivedyam at the temple. People often make them at home with love and devotion, and carry it to the temple to be offered to the cherubic Ganesha

The temple is located at a distance of eight kilometers from Kumbakkonam, enroute to Swamimalai, and is served by a number of private and public buses.  It is a fitting visit for anyone who is looking forward to achieve success in every step that they take. May the Long bellied one (Lambodhara) give us every pleasure in life. and also bless this blog with unhindered publishing

ஐந்து கரத்தனை ஆனை முகத்தனை

இந்தின் இளம்பிறை போலும் எயிற்றனை

நந்தி மகன்தனை ஞான கொழுந்தினை

புந்தியில் வைத்து அடி பணிந்கின்றேனே. - திருமூலர்
"The five limbed one, bestowed with an Elephant visage,
And tusks that are curved and shining like the crescent moon.
The son of Nandi and the embodiment of supreme knowledge,

We emplace your sacred feet in our minds, Bless us" - Thirumoolar

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