A Tale of Three Cities - Thiruvadhigai, Ashta Veerattaanam - 2

அப்பணி செஞ்சடை ஆகி புராதனன்
முப்புரம் செற்றனன் என்பர்கள் மூடர்கள்
முப்புரமாவன மும்மல காரியம்
அப்புரம் எய்தமை ஆர் அறிவாரே - திருமூலர்

“The Primordial Lord, bearing the crescent moon on his crimson matted locks,

destroyed the three great cities, so tell the unwise and the ignorant.

The three cities are in fact the triple impurities and nothing else,

It is the impurities that he burnt, but only a few who understand this truth”

-Thirumoolar

This life of ours is a gift from the Supreme, who reigns this world as well as the rest. It comes with its own god-given support system consisting of the triple virtues – love (Prema), knowledge (Buddhi) and the primordial energy (Shakthi) which sustains it all. However, we are often unable to keep the three virtues in their pure untainted states and mostly we end up imprisoning them within the three strong castles of bondage, namely, ego (Ahankara), Karma and illusion (Maya). Once caught in the web, we hardly get to escape from it, or worse, we seldom realize the imprisoned state of our virtues. This is when the divine seeks to help us out of the trouble that we have put ourselves into. The first step in the destruction of the three vices, however, is to be taken from our side. We have to let go of the ‘I’ in us and surrender to the belief that we are all but mere puppets in the cosmic show. This way, the ego breaks down, and with the firm belief that we are no longer in charge of our actions; Karma slowly loses its significance too. At long last, when this truth is firmly embedded in our intelligence, the fog of illusion is lifted and we dwell in eternal bliss. This is the very gist of Karma Yoga as Krishna details in the third chapter of the Gita.

मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि सन्न्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा।

निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वर:।। - श्री भगवद्गीता (3, 30)

“Surrendering all your works unto Me,

with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit,

 with no claims to proprietorship,

and free from lethargy, fight.” – Shri Bhagavad Gita (3, 30)

Of course none of the above said happens without us having to be twitched around by the puppeteer. It was to illustrate this necessary participation of the Paramatma, in the destruction of the vices of the Jeevatma that the entire episode of Tripurasamhaara was acted out in the cosmic theatres. The story of the Tripuras and their destruction is perhaps one of the most sung leelas of Shiva in the Thevaram and the Thirumurai. It also occurs repeatedly in the Vedas, the Sarapopanishad, the Mahabharatha, Thirumurugattrupadai, Shivapurana, Puranaanooru and several other pieces of Vedic and Dravidian literature. Though the incident is variously related with the pilgrimage towns of Trayambak in Maharashtra, Kashi and several other North-Indian shrines, we will restrict ourselves to the tiny hamlet of Thiruvadhigai in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. The shrine at Thiruvadhigai has close ties with the Tripurasamhaara and is the second stop on our list of the Ashta Veerattaana Thalangal.

The legend of Tripurasamhaara was narrated by Duryodhana in the Karna Parva of the Mahabharatha (Chapters 33-34) to Shalya, who was reluctant to be the charioteer of Karna, and the other assembled warriors. It is believed that the story was originally conveyed by the sage Markandeya to Dhritharashtra, in the presence of Duryodhana. The tale begins with the relentless and powerful penance of Taaraka, a ruthless Asura king. He was an immense Shiva bhaktha and regularly conducted Shiva poojas and vrathas. However, the very tainted asuric-blood, which had thrived through the long lineage of Daityas, flowed in his very veins. As a result, he was possessed with the impossible idea of achieving invincibility, supreme power, and immortality, and that was precisely the reason for his latest penance to please Shiva. Finally, when Shiva appeared before him to grant his boon, Taaraka very cleverly demanded that he could be killed only by a son of Shiva and no one else. Shiva’s lips twitched lightly, but nevertheless, he granted this boon and disappeared.  But Shiva had no child! Worse, he did not even have a wife at that period of time, with Sati having immolated herself at Daksha’s yagna. Taarakasura was simply thrilled that he had tricked the Lord into granting him immortality. Little did he consider the intelligence of the Supreme Being, who had created the seemingly ‘intelligent’ him?

The subsequent narrative of the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi, the birth of their son, Kumara, and his eventual victory over Taarakasura form the central theme of the Skandapurana.

Coming back to our tale, the Asura Taaraka had three sons - Vidhyunmaali, Taarakaaksha and Kamalaaksha. They too were staunch devotees of Shiva, and just like their father, their love for power and immortal life stimulated them to meditate on Brahma, the grandsire of all creation. For thousands of years they meditated on one leg, inhaling only air, hardly taking in any solid food. Brahma, as always, the easiest to please of the Trimurthis, rushed down to them and immediately consented to grant their boons.

“Sons of Taaraka, what is it that you seek? Ask and it shall be given.” said Brahma. The Asuras voiced their one boon in unison, “We seek immortality, Oh Grandsire. Death should never befall us.”
“That, I am afraid, is a boon that I will not grant.” quipped Brahma, “Ask for something else.”

“Then, Oh mighty creator!!!” the Asuras chorused again, “Grant us two boons, the first being that no one in this creation of yours should be stronger than us.” Brahma at once gave his nod, all his four heads vigorously going up and down. “And grant us three forts, one made out of gold, one of silver and one of iron. These three forts should be able to fly, roam and go to any place that we desire. The forts would come together, but once in a thousand years, at a specified time and place. Only when the foremost one amongst the gods, who bears in him half the strength and prowess, of each of the 33 crore Devas, will, with one shaft, pierce those three cities united into one, shall we, the Tripuraasuras meet our end. This is our wish.” The grandsire gulped nervously, rolled his eyes, granted them their ridiculous wish and was gone in a jiffy, lest they asked for more alarming boons.

By the command of Brahma, Maya, the Danava architect, was commissioned to build the three cities. Maya let his imagination flow and soon there were three beautiful cities, filled with palaces, gardens, orchards, Shivaalayas, fountains, wide roads and grand intricate gateways, fully equipped with weapons and divine space chariots. The Kalpaka Vrikshas and the celestial cows present in the forts made sure that the inhabitants were kept happy by yielding them all the material wealth that they desired. The three kings lived in their individual forts and with great piety and regularity, performed Shiva Poojas and observed the Vrathas and festivals. The golden fort was built in the heavens and was occupied by Taarakaaksha. The silver one was constructed in the skies and went to Kamalaaksha. The iron fort was built on earth and was inhabited by Vidhyunmaali. The forts floated around the worlds, like some giant ancient UFO’s, at peace with each other and with the three worlds.

In the meanwhile, a burning desire was kindled in Hari, the son of Taarakaaksha. He too wanted to contribute to the glory of the Asura lineage like his father and uncles. So, following in their footsteps, he too went to a dense forest and started to meditate on Brahma. He ate no food and drank no water. He meditated upside down and under the flowing waters of the rivers. He even built a fire and meditated in its midst. Soon, Brahma was pleased beyond his own expectations and he appeared before Hari. Now Hari was a tad more intelligent than the other Asuras. So, when Brahma asked him to state his wish, instead of demanding immortality directly, he took a roundabout approach. “Oh Supreme Creator, grant me the existence of a lake in our city, such that persons, slain by the means of weapons, may, when thrown into it, come out with life, and with redoubled strength.” And Brahma said “Thathaasthu!”. A lake immediately sprung up in the midst of the golden fort, sparkling with a divine shimmer. In whatever form and whatever guise a Daitya might have been slain, if thrown into that lake, he was restored to life, in the self-same form and guise. Hari rejoiced at his laudable achievement and the Asuras planned a grand celebration in his honour.

The Devas make their complaints to Shiva

The Devas however, did not like this at all. They were jealous of the sparkly flying cities, of their immense treasures and were positively freaked out by the magical lake. They even instigated the Maruts to wage a war against the cities, but the forts were simply impregnable. At long last, they ran to Brahma, poured out their unfounded woes and asked the divine Grandsire the means by which the triple cities could be destroyed. The grand old god looked at them meekly, with big sad eyes. It was because of his very boon that the three cities were even in existence. Feeling helpless, they proceeded to Kailasha, but even Shiva turned his face away, stating that the Asuras had not performed anything wrong yet, and hence could not be punished. Panic and fear washed over the Devas like a tidal wave, but they were not ready to give up. Gathering up their tattered hopes, they finally resorted to Vishnu and begged him to show them a way out.

                                                                              

Vishnu, the omnipresent and the omniscient, looked at the Devas and burst out into a laugh, much to the surprise and embarrassment of the assembled gods. “Well, you come to me for such trivial situations, Oh Devas. If they have not yet fallen prey to any sins, don’t we just have to force them into committing some?” he suggested coyly.

The Devas stared back in disbelief, confusion etched onto their faces. Vishnu smiled again and with a gentle wave of his hand he created a man. The man had a clean shaven head and was swathed in faded robes. In his hands he carried a water pot. The man approached his creator, with a piece of cloth covering his mouth and asked, “Master, who am I? Why was I created?”

With the mischievous smile still plastered to his face, Vishnu took the man to one side. “You, who have been created by me will learn a new religion and preach the same. I will be your guru and teach you the religion, all its doctrines and beliefs. You will believe that there is no Swarga and no Naraka. The religion will strongly deny the fact that the rewards and punishments for your acts will be meted out after death. The religion will be against the very Vedas and all its messages. You will then go and preach this religion to the Tripuraasuras, to take them away from the path of righteousness. That will give us sufficient time and excuse to plan their downfall.”

Thus, Vishnu himself taught the man and four of his disciples, the intricacies of the new formed religion. The five of them then resorted to forests near the Tripura and started preaching the religion. Since Vishnu himself had trained them, their act was pretty convincing. The tenets of the new religion were so influential that even Narada got confused and adopted the new religion. In fact, Narada was the one who carried the news of this fantastic new religion to the court of Vidhyunmaali. Hearing about the greatness of the religion from Narada himself, Vidhyunmaali reverentially approached the teachers, took lessons from them and converted to the new faith. His two brothers soon followed suit.

But, as they started practicing the canons of the new religion, they forgot the message of the Vedas. They acted rashly and started waging wars against the Devas. They stopped worshipping the sacred Linga, the Salagrama and other sacred symbols of Sanatana Dharma. The three forts started to fly around at tremendous speeds, killing birds and knocking out the stars. They landed without any prior notice and thousands of innocent lives were crushed to death. Further, instigated by the presence of the divine lake, the Asuras lost the fear of death and started harassing the common people, the rishis, the demigods and other harmless creatures. Deprived of their senses, all of them began to shamelessly exterminate the cities and towns established all over the universe. Thus, day by day, the atrocities of the Tripuraasuras increased drastically - in perfect accordance with Vishnu’s grand plan.

Knowing that the time was finally ripe, Vishnu and Brahma led a delegation of Devas to Kailasha to petition for the destruction of the Tripuraasuras. “Mahadeva”, they voiced in unison and then immediately prostrated before the Supreme Being.

“Our repeated salutations to thee, O Lord. Salutations to thee that art the source of all the gods,

to thee that art armed with the bow, to thee that art full of wrath.

Salutations to thee that had’st destroyed the sacrifice of that lord of creatures,

 to thee that art adored by all the lords of creatures.

Salutations to thee that art always praised, to thee that deservest to be praised, to thee that art Death's self. Salutations to thee that art red, to thee that art fierce, to thee that art blue-throated,

to thee that art armed with the trident, to thee that art incapable of being baffled,

to thee that hast eyes as beautiful as those of the gazelle, 

to thee that fightest with the foremost of weapons,

 to thee that deserves all praise, to thee that art pure, to thee that art destruction's self,

to thee that art the destroyer; to thee that art irresistible, to thee that art Brahman,

to thee that leadest the life of a brahmachari; to thee that art Ishana; to thee that art immeasurable,

to thee that art the great controller, to thee that art robed in tatters;

to thee that art ever engaged in penances, to thee that art tawny, to thee that art observant of vows,

to thee that art robed in animal skins; to thee that art the sire of Kumara, to thee that art three-eyed,

 to thee that art armed with the foremost of weapons,

to thee that destroyest the afflictions of all that seek thy shelter,

 to thee that destroyest all haters of brahmanas, to thee that art the lord of all trees,

 the lord of all men, the lord of all kin, and ever the lord of sacrifices.

 Salutations to thee that art always at the head of troops, to thee that art three-eyed,

 to thee that art endued with fierce energy. We devote ourselves to thee in thought, word and deed.

 Be gracious unto us.”
-Karna Parva, Mahabharatha

Shiva smiled at the gathered gods and demigods, his eyes twinkling with good humor. “Pleased I am you’re your praises. What do you seek from me today?” he asked. The Devas exchanged anxious glances between themselves; not daring to raise their voice in Kailasha. Amazed by the sudden silence, Brahma finally came forward and spoke for the Devas. “It is through your power, Oh Lord that I create and rule over all my creations. It is with the very same power vested by you in me that I granted the boons to the three Asuras. But now, their deeds have gone beyond the limits of tolerance. They no longer tread the path of righteousness. It is you alone who is capable of destroying them. Grace us with the shelter of your lotus feet.”

Maheshwara smiled. “I agree with you, Brahma. We should put an end to this. But I shall not, however, kill them single-handedly. They are tremendously powerful and hence I consider it apt that all of you, united together- with half of my might bestowed upon you, should go to war with the Tripuraasuras.”

Brahma gulped again. “But, Mahadeva, the strength of the Tripuraasuras is twice that of our own. We have already been defeated by the ruthless inhabitants of the forts. And besides, we would never be able to bear even a tiny portion of your energy. On the other hand, with half our might united with you, would you be capable of destroying the Asuras?”

“So be it, Brahmadeva. With half your energies united in me, I will destroy the three Asuras and their forts. Prepare for the war everyone, and provide me with the very best of chariots and horses, a single fine arrow and an equally fine bow.”

The Devas, then transferred half their energies to Parameshwara. With all the added energy, Shiva shimmered bright. Overwhelmed by this extraordinary vision of Parameshwara, the Devas praised him as Pashupathi and sang his glories. Thus was born the Sri-Rudram – the sacrosanct hymn of Shaivas that is found in the Yajur Veda. The Sri-Rudram starts off with praises to Rudra, his two hands, his bow and his arrow - the key requirements for the destruction of the Tripuraasuras.

नमस्ते रूद्र मन्यव उतोत इषवे नम:| नमस्ते अस्तु धन्वने बाहुभ्यामुत ते नम:||

या त इषु शिवतमा शिवम् बभूव ते धनु:| शिवा शरव्या या तव तया नो रूद्र मृडय || - श्री रुद्रं

“Oh! Rudra Deva! My salutations to your anger and also to your arrows.

My salutations to your bow and to your two hands.

Oh! Rudra! By favor of your arrow, bow, and quiver,

which have shed their anger and turned auspicious, please render us happy.”-Sri Rudram

Shiva on the specially built car 

The Devas then got to work at once, to build the most suitable car for Rudra. Vishwakarma, the divine-architect, was consulted and the construction began. Mother Earth, with all her glorious mountains, rivers and forests, became the car. The sun and the moon were made the two wheels of the chariot, balanced on the Mandhara Mountain, which acted as the axle. Nandi became the flag which was hoisted on the Meru mountain that acted as the flag staff. The four Vedas became the four horses drawing the car and the four supreme serpents became their tethers. Brahma was chosen by the demigods to be the charioteer, and in his hand he held the Vedic sound Vashat as the goad, with the Gayathri acting as its string. Time itself became the bow of Shiva and the very shadow of Rudra became the indestructible bowstring (Certain versions claim that Meru was the bow and Vasuki, the king of snakes, was its string.). The 33 crore Devas became various parts of the car and finally, Agni became the point of the fatal arrow and Vayu became its rear end. Vishnu seated himself at the shaft of the arrow, thus becoming the guiding source of its fatality. The newly constructed car,  filled with the requisite weapons was brought to the gates of Kailasha. There, gleaming with the brightness of a million suns, Shiva mounted the special car, while the source of his energy, Parvathi Devi, stood firmly by his side. Everything in place, Brahma goaded the steeds, and the car zoomed forward.

The car made good speed and soon, they were almost at the destination, when suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and the car tilted down on one side. The steeds tripped over and fell upon one another. Shocked by the inauspicious incident, Shiva jumped down from the car and saw that the wheel hubs had broken. Realization dawned upon him as he looked at Parvathi. “It looks like our son is playing with me right now. I agree it is my mistake that I failed to invoke him before I started on this momentous task, and now I see this. Let this be an example to all of mankind, that the laws remain unchanged, even for me, who occupies the highest seat at Kailasha.” Shiva immediately sat down and shaped a small Ganesha out of turmeric, and propitiated his own son, the remover of all obstacles. Humbled by the prayers of his father, Ganesha rushed to the scene and immediately removed all the hindrances that may come forth in the war. The car was soon put back on its wheels and off it sped again.

Sensing approaching danger , the Tripuras flew everywhere, trying to block the path of the divine car, but only in vain. However, the crazy movements of the three forts combined with the weights of Shiva, Vishnu and Meru started to push the earth (car) into the netherworlds. The gods panicked at the plight of Mother Earth  when, in a split second, Vishnu took the form of a giant bull. He lifted the earth from below and put it back into its rightful place. He then rushed into the golden fort of Taarakaaksha and drank up all the water from the Lake of Rejuvenation.

To burn with a smile

Meanwhile, Shiva patiently waited for the appointed time, when the three forts would eventually come together, thus making them vulnerable by the power of the Asuras’ very wishes. Accordingly, during the Sharad Kaala, when the star Pushya was in the ascending, Shiva finally put the arrow, which was Vishnu, onto his bow. The Devas watched with bated breath, some of them loudly calling out their contributions in helping the Lord bring about the destruction of the Tripuraasuras. They took immense pride in the fact that Shiva now bore half of their energies, which was going to help him finish off the three cities. They waited and waited...

But Shiva did not release the arrow. On the other hand, as the Tripuras drew near each other, Maheshwara just looked towards them and smiled gently. At once, the three forts were engulfed by brilliant flames. The Devas immediately hung their heads in shame. Along with the three cities of the Tripuraasauras, the pride and ego of the Devas had also been conquered. His smile alone was sufficient to destroy the cities and here they were, thinking that they were the sole reason for the destruction of the Tripuras. He had asked them for half their energies, not because he was incapable of defeating the Asuras without them, but just to respect the boon granted to the Asuras by Brahma.

Again, in accordance with the boons granted to the three brothers, Shiva released his single arrow on the three Asuras and they were reduced to ashes instantaneously. The ever-compassionate Lord, however, revived the three and made them his Bhootha-Ganas. Hence, Taarakaaksha and Vidhyunmaali were blessed with Saaroopyam (Same form as the Lord) and were appointed as the Dwarapaalakas to Shiva. Kamalaaksha, on the other hand, was assigned to the role of playing the five-headed trumpet during joyous occasions at Kailasha. After all, at one point of time, they had been his greatest devotees.

Tripura Taandava

Vishnu then sent away the preachers of the new religion to live in the great deserts until the beginning of Kali Yuga, when they could start their teachings afresh. Overflowing with joy on this wonderful occasion, Shiva danced gleefully to the beats of Nandi, Parvathi, Vishnu and others, lifting his legs high up into the air, in swift, graceful movements. (The dance of Shiva at the end of Tripurasamhaara is aptly called Tripura Taandava and is one of the major forms of Shiva Taandava.) As the 33 crore Devas watched the rising and falling of his lotus feet with rapt attention, they finally breathed freely after a long hiatus, no longer afraid of any golden airships or iron tanks. 

Tripuranthaka Moorthi

As was said earlier, the temple town of Thiruvadhigai, near Banrutti in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, celebrates this destruction of the Tripuraasuras by Maheshwara. It is believed that the Tripuraasuras were killed, revived and accepted as Ganas at this very place. The Thiruvadhigai temple is spread over 7 acres in three concentric Prakaaras, and is overflowing with a plethora of brilliant sculptures depicting the various forms of Shiva, the Tripurasamhaara episode, and the 108 Karanas (positions) in Bharathanatyam, besides many others. Much of the temple was built during the Pallava regime, and their influence on the plans and the architecture of the temple can be easily felt. The presiding deity is Veerattaneswarar, who is housed in the central shrine as a large, 16-faced, swayambhu Linga. Behind the Linga is a beautiful stucco figurine of Shiva and Parvathi in their Thirukkalyana (marriage) posture. The goddess goes by the name of Tripurasundari, who had accompanied Shiva during the destruction of the Tripuras. Separately enshrined, in yet another shrine known as the Veerattesar Sabha, is the idol of Tripuraari/Tripuranthakar. He is shown to be standing, accompanied by his consort, who is variously praised as Janmamrithyu Vinasini and Tripuravalli. In his hands, he holds a deer, a goad, a bow and an arrow. This shrine is the very heart of the Thiruvadhigai Veerattaanam and houses the form of Shiva who had destroyed the Tripuras. A similar sub-shrine acts as the home to the famous Pancha-Mukha Linga. With four faces in the four cardinal directions and yet another face looking upwards, the Linga is a sight to behold and is not seen anywhere else in Tamil Nadu.

Thirunavukkarasar

The temple at Thiruvadhigai has several laurels to its name. It was here that the Thevaram was first sung. In fact, it was at Thiruvadhigai that Appar, the author of the Thevaram, and one of the Saiva quartet, was rechristened as Thirunavukkarasar. Appar was born as Marulneekkiyaar in a village named Thiruvamoor near Thiruvadhigai. He also had a sister named Thilagavathi. Early into his teens, Marulneekkiyaar was attracted by the covenants of Jainism. Eventually he became a staunch follower of the religion and changed his name to Dharmasenar. His sister on the other hand, tormented by the death of her fiancé Kalippagaiyaar and vexed with life, offered herself to the service of Shiva and all his devotees. She shifted to Thiruvadhigai and regularly worshiped Veerattaneswarar, while helping out the pilgrims who visited the temple in large numbers. While Thilagavathi was at Thiruvadhigai, her brother contracted a severe disease that affected his bowels. As a result, Dharmasenar continuously suffered from an excruciating pain in the abdomen which could not be alleviated by any of the Jain monks. Wishing to see his sister before things became any worse, Dharmasenar secretly left the Jaina school and made his way to Thiruvadhigai. There, he almost collapsed at his sister's feet and begged her to cure him. Shocked by the pitiful condition of her brother, Thilagavathi ran into the sanctum and taking some holy ash, she rubbed it onto Dharmasenar’s stomach and asked him to ingest some. The moment the Vibhuti entered his mouth, the ache vanished completely, leaving no trace at all.  Relief flooded Dharmasenar and his joy burst out in the form of a beautiful Tamil hymn.

கூற்றாயின வாறு விலக்ககிலீர்
கொடுமைபல செய்தன நானறியேன்
ஏற்றாயடிக்கேயிரவும் பகலும்
பிரியாது வணங்குவ னெப்பொழுதும்
தோற்றாதென் வயிற்றி னகம்படியே
குடரோடு துடக்கி முடக்கியிட
ஆற்றே நாடியே னதிகைக் கெடில
வீரட்டா னத்துறை யம்மானே
“The father whodwells in Adhigai Veerattaanam on the northern bank of Ketilam!
you do not cure my disease which is giving me pain like the god of death.
I do not knowthat I did many cruel acts intentionally to get this disease.
Sivan who has a bull!
I bow to your feet only, always night and daywithout leaving them.
being invisible, inside my belly.
to disable me by binding together with the intestines.
I, who am your slave, could not bear the painyou must admit me as your slave removing the disease.”

And thus was born the Thevaram, one of the foremost of the twelve Shaiva Thirumurais. So pleased was Shiva with his heart-moving pathigams (verses) that, he blessed Dharmasenar with the title of Navukkarasar (the ruler of all tongues). With a renewed zest, Thirunavukkarasar offered himself to the eternal service of Shiva and to spreading the glory of the Shaiva faith. Navukkarasar and Thilagavathiyaar remained in Thiruvadhigai and started the practice of Uravaazhathondu (Cleaning the temple). To this day, the temple at Thiruvadhigai remains sparklingly clean. To honour the two great souls, there are separate shrines for Thilagavathi and Appar within the precincts of the temple

The temple has been sung about by all the three of the Thevaram trio (Thirunavukkarasar, Sundarar and Thirugnanasambandhar). It is the only temple of the Ashta Veerattanas to have been sung so. In fact, when Sundarar visited the place, he was so afraid of stepping on the sacred land that was sanctified by Thirunavukkarasar that he stayed at the nearby Siththavadamadam and offered his prayers from there. One night, while he was asleep, he felt that someone was repeatedly kicking him on his head. Startled by the kicks, Sundarar woke up and realized that it was the Lord who had placed his lotus feet on his head. Feeling energized after having received blessings from the Lord, Sundarar went on to convert the Pallava king, Mahendravarman, from Jainism to the Shaiva faith. Mahendravarman then ordered that the Jain schools be demolished and he built a grand Shiva temple, Thiru Gunapparaveecharam, near Thiruvadhigai. The original temple is now in ruins. However, it was rebuilt by the Pandya kings at a later stage and was even used as a fort by the Marathas and the British.

The Car-shaped Sanctum

Since Shiva had come in a grand chariot to destroy the Tripuras, the central shrine at Thiruvadhigai is itself built like a chariot. The vimana over the central shrine is built such that its shadow never falls on the ground. It is filled with thousands of colourful stucco sculptures, each depicting various scenes from the Puranas and Itihasas. It is believed that Rajaraja Chozhan modeled the famous Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur based on this temple. Even the practice of celebrating temple-car festivals originated at this place. Legends even claim that the very first chariot was built solely for Tripurasamhaaram.

Tripurantaka Moorthi on Ambal's Vimana

Kedilam river, also referred to as the Thengangai (Ganges of the South) is the main theertha of the Kshetra. The temple also sports the Soolatheertham. It is believed that people who drink water from the theertha will be cured of ulcers, stomach aches and other gastrointestinal diseases.

Since Shiva had granted darshan to Appar in his Thirumana Kolam (Married form) at Thiruvadhigai, a lot of marriages are solemnized within the temple premises. The sthala by itself happens to be a Kalyanakshetra like Madurai, where the goddess’s shrine is located to the right of the Swami’s shrine.

A popular belief exists that the Lord of Thiruvadhigai delivers his devotees from the triple vices of ego, Karma and illusion. People who come to the temple with Ahankaara (the ‘I’ factor) do not get to return again. Such is the greatness of the temple and the presiding deity. Temple protocol demands that the devotees remain with their heads bowed to the Lord. While applying the sacred ash, one is required to bend his/her head and do so, indicating that we are submitting our egos to the Supreme. The ash reminds us time and again, that at the end of the stipulated time, everything is reduced to ashes.

Bhoga Shayana Narasimhar

Apart from the temple of Veerattaneswarar, Thiruvadhigai is also home to the Saara Narayana Perumal temple. Since Vishnu was the arrow (சரம், Saram in Tamil) that had destroyed the Tripuraasuras, he remained at Thiruvadhigai as Saara Narayanar. The goddess of the temple is known by the name of Hemambujavalli. The temple houses a very unique idol of Bhoga Shayana Narasimha, where Narasimha Swami is shown to be reclining on Adisesha. Such an idol is not found anywhere else in the world. It is believed that Narasimha Swami laid down to take rest after vanquishing a demon named Vakkiraasura. The rare idol is kept covered with gold shields and is often bathed in cool waters to reduce the heat of the Lord’s anger. The presiding deity of the temple is seen to be in a standing posture and is completely carved from Salagrama stone. In an unusual occurence, he is flanked on his right by Sri Devi alone (Usually he is flanked by both Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi). Like at Uppiliappan Kovil, it is believed that Mahavishnu married the daughter of Markandeya Maharishi at Thiruvadhigai. The temple Garudazhwar is also seen to be in an unusual pose, with his hands crossed and bearing the Sudarshana and the Panchajanya. The temple legends speak of the fact that Vishnu gave his conch and discus to Garuda, for safekeeping. while he took the form of Shiva’s arrow. Hence Garuda remains in possession of Vishnu’s weapons at Thiruvadhigai.

Every year, in the month of Vaikasi, Saara Narayana Perumal and Thiruvadhigai Veerattaneswarar take part in the annual 10 day Brahmotsava of the Veerattaneswarar temple. On the ninth day, the entire episode of Tripura-Dahanam is re-enacted in the temple car-streets. Grand scale poojas are offered to Tripuranthaka Moorthi, who is then taken on a car to the banks of the Kedilam river. Saara Narayana Perumal is also carried to the river banks and placed next to the temple car. Three forts are then constructed with hay, dried coconut palm fronds and palm leaves. Wooden dolls of the three Asuras are then placed within the newly-constructed forts. Amidst the chanting of mantras, the arrow is taken from the hands of Tripuranthaka Moorthi and placed on the idol of Saara Narayana Perumal. The powers of Vishnu are then transferred to the arrow, which is once again placed in the hands of Tripuranthakar. Camphor lights and oil lamps are offered to both the idols, and then the three forts are set on fire. After the entire spectacle, due respects and naivedhya are offered to Saara Narayana Perumal, and then Tripuranthakar returns to his shrine, where he is bathed in cool waters to wash away the inauspiciousness of the Asuras’ death. The festival ends with the lowering of the temple flag on the 10^th day of Vaikasi Visagam.

Yet another important festival at Thiruvadhigai is the 10-day Appar thiruvizha, which takes place in the month of Chithirai. It celebrates the curing of Navukkarasar’s disease and the subsequent darshan given by Maheshwara. Apart from these, Karthikai Somavaram, Thiruvadhirai, Thirugnana Sambandhar Thiruvizha in the month of Aadi, Maha Shivarathri, Thilagavathiyaar Gurupooja and Pradhoshams also see a large gathering of devotees.

Thiruvadhigai is thus a place worth a visit by any self-respecting human being. As was said earlier, it is only with the destruction of the three impurities of the mind that divine bliss comes to us mortals. What better place to seek for the same than where the Lord himself had symbolically destroyed them?

Thiruvadhigai is located very near to Cuddalore, Pondicherry, and Banrutti and is easily accessible by road and rail.

Notes:

1.  It is interesting to note that the three vices of ego, Karma, and illusion are duly represented by Taarakaaksha, Vidhyunmaali and Kamalaaksha. Once god has had his way with them, the vices are burnt and refined into knowledge, prowess, and love respectively. If one was to closely observe the Dwarapaalakas at some of the Shiva shrines, it can be seen that Taarakaaksha bears earrings that have elephants on them, while Vidhyunmaali sports earrings with lions. Elephant represents knowledge and the lion is perhaps the best example for prowess and strength, and hence the appropriate earrings for the refined Taarakaaksha and Vidhyunmaali. It is also to be understood that, while knowledge and prowess may just get you into His presence, it is only ‘love’ (Kamalaaksha) that is going to make Him happy enough to perform His Aananda Taandava.

2.      The place where the axle of Shiva’s car broke is today known by the name of Accharuppakkam (Acchu – axle, Aru – break). There is a temple dedicated to Acchumuri Vinayagar, who was responsible for the axle’s damage. Shiva is also enshrined here as Pashupathi. It is believed that a rishi named Trinethradhari worshipped Pashupathi and was blessed with a vision of Tripurasamhaara Moorthi.

3.   The legend of Tripurasamhaara is also associated with several other temples such as the Muppuraari Kottam temple in Kanchipuram, Tripurantha Kesam, Simhachalam and the Thevara-Vaippu Thalam of Tripuranthakam. The images, icons and paintings of Tripuranthaka Moorthi and Tripura Taandava Moorthi adorn the walls and pillars of several Shiva temples all over the world.

4.      In the writing of this Purana, it may appear that Jainism has been shown in a bad light. I assure that I have the highest respects for all religions. However, the history of Tamil Nadu does throw up several incidents associated with tyrannical Jain kings. They converted from one religion to another and often ended up confused, thus defaming any religion that they embraced. History also reports the presence of several influential Jains with the wrong ideologies, who attempted to control the affairs of the State by converting the kings. Such converted kings often disrespected people of other faiths and sometimes went to the extent of destroying temples. Shaiva saints like Sundarar and Appar, struggled against these kings, often with the help of divine help, to re-establish religious freedom.