The Navaratri season has just drawn to a close and before we let October clear the coast, here is one more round of tribute to the Divine Goddess- this time from a littoral perspective all the way from Chennai in Tamilnadu.
We all know that the Divine Goddess in her form as Lakshmi is closely associated with the beautiful ocean, as the daughter of the waves (or the celebrated ‘Alai magal’ in tamil) and as the consort of Lord Vishnu who rests afloat the Adi Seshan on the ocean. However- did we know of an association of Goddess Parvathi with the same expanse of water?
As if thrown gently ashore by the Lords themselves are two very ancient temples lining the coast of Chennai along the Bay of Bengal, dedicated to Lord Siva and his consort Goddess Parvati, manifested in one of her very powerful forms- Tripura Sundari. Join us as we walk this shoreline from Thiruvotriyur, a port town almost marking the northern limit of the city to Thiruvanmiyur, a crowning ‘elitist’ jewel in the city’s southern end.
From coast- to- coast: Thiruvottriyur to Thiruvanmiyur
Besides the starting ‘T’ and closing ‘r’ in these locations’ names and the obvious constant companionship of the Bay of the Bengal, these temples have much in common. Both of them date all the way back to the times of the Pallava dynasty and were further expanded and glorified by the Chola kings.
The architectural beauty of these temples is astounding- with breath-taking gopurams that push even the sky as a limit. The intricate sculpture on the gopurams and also elsewhere in both temples are rich not only in mythological and musical references, but have stood testimony to years of rich history and culture. Besides the main deity and His consort, each temple has shrines dedicated to several other Gods and notably to saints who sung the praise of the deities.
Needless to say, the Nayanmars- the pioneers of the Shaivite movement in Tamilnadu since as early as the 7th century- have had a distinctive presence in both temples and composed thevarams and songs in praise of the Lord. Hence both these holy places are part of the 275 ‘paadal petra sthalams’. Saint Appar, Saint Sundarar, Saint Thirugnanasambandar, Pattinattar Pillaiyar, Vallalar, Sri Adi Sankara- and even Saint Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana are some of the many men of God who have sanctified these temples. Like every other historic temple in Tamilnadu, both these temples have dedicated water tanks (kolams in Tamil), the waters of which are considered to have their own share of divinity!
‘Thiru ottriyur’- the land of the ‘magizham’ blossoms!
‘ottri’ in Tamil means to be ‘exempted’, or to be an exception. The temple of Thiruvottriyur is said to have been built to protect devotees on doomsday from the waters of the deluge (pralayam) and hence was known to be ‘thiru ottriyur’.
The primary deities in the temple are Lord Siva, bearing the name ‘Adipureeshwarar’ and his consort, Vadivudai Amman alias Tripura Sundari. The Lord is said to have performed in this sthalam, the ‘pradosa’ dance that He performs at Kailasam, for the benefit of Nandi, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and the sage Romacha. He dances the divine ‘koothu’ here too, set to perfect rhythm and melody (‘pann’- as per the early tamil music system) much to the glee of all His hordes (the bhoota ganas). This temple is associated with the Thyagaraja cult of Saivism with Lord Somaskanda being the iconic form of the Lord.
Goddess Vadivudai Amman is said to be extremely powerful and for the shaktam aficionados and the religiously inclined, it is best to have a darshan of this Goddess at Thiruvotriyur, followed by Goddess Verkanniamman of Tiruverkadu and Goddess Jagadambikai of Thiruvadiyam on the same day.
In addition to the main shrine, there are shrines dedicated to Vattapparai Amman (Durga), an ‘Adi lingam’ shrine to the north of the main temple and separate temples dedicated to Saint Appar and Saint Pattinattar Pillaiyar, with the latter believed to have attained his divine abode (Samadhi) right in Thiruvotriyur. Kaliyanayanar, who was steadfastly performing the ‘lamp service’ is also said to have attained mukti in this sthalam.
Saint Sundarar has a very special significance in the temple of Thiruvotriyur. He got married to Sangiliyar here under a magizham tree, considered the sthala vruksham (temple tree). Even today, people celebrate a ‘magizham utsavam’ in the tamil month of Masi (February to March) and there are also utsava idols in the wedding attire (kalyana kolam) dedicated to the saint couple in the temple.
Saint Appar describes the consummate beauty of Thiruvottriyur and mentions the several pearls and conches deposited on the shore by the sea amidst a green setting comprising groves and fields of sugarcane and paddy. He talks about the large ships that sail into the port town contrasted with the presence of demure swans and peacocks.
Thiru- valmiki- oor: the land of the ‘madhavi’ flower
Thiruvanmiyur was a land graced by Saint Valmiki, with a temple dedicated to the saint making its presence felt (literally!) bang on the middle of the East Coast Road till date!
The main deity in this temple is Lord Siva as Marundeeswarar, worshipped in a self- formed (swayambhu) lingam slightly tilted to the north that is said to be made of nectar by the Devas (Gods) themselves. Interestingly, marks of a cow, the Divine Kamadhenu, having poured milk over it are still said to be discernible over the lingam. Reference to the Kamadhenu can be found in the song “Thaaye Tripura Sundari’ in Ragam Suddha Saveri composed by renowned musician and composer Late Sri Papanasam Sivan. Known to be adept at curing diseases and health issues, the Lord is also known as Oushadheeswarar or Vedapureeshwarar.
The consort of the Lord is Goddess Tripura Sundari, She who is saluted as the ruler of all the 3 worlds of physical and metaphysical reality.
The temple has shrines for three forms of Lord Siva- Lord Thyagaraja, Lord Nataraja and Lord Marundeeswara- and also shrines for Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga.
If you think real estate rates in this part of Chennai are sky-rocketing today, think about this and tell us how much more you would pay for this ambience:
“The land of coastal groves, trees laden with fruits and flowers, made redolent with the smell of the Madhavi flower. Beautiful gardens, fertile soil supporting different varieties of crops and broad streets with resplendent chariots plying. The humming of bees and forceful crashing of waves providing the right ambience to enjoy the beach laden with rich treasures including oysters and fish. The elitists’ paradise with several educated men and women and the constant chanting of the Vedas testifying to the scholastic superiority of the dwellers of the suburb”- thus spoke Saint Appar and Saint Thirugnanasambandar about this beautiful sthalam, centuries ago!
The coastal Sivan, in Saint Sambandar’s eyes
Besides both temples housing the Goddess in her form as Tripura Sundari, the ‘beautiful One ruling all the three worlds’, Lord Siva in the temples of Thiruvottriyur and Thiruvanmiyur have a lot of similarity, as per the descriptions of Saint Sambandar.
He is described as the powerful Adi Murti, representing justice and fairness and as the majestic One draped in an aura of pride and peace. He dons the Ganga and the crescent moon in His matted hair and wears a sacred thread on his mountain- like chest. He has the divine ash (vibhuti) smeared on His forehead and a blue hue in His throat, given that He swallowed the poison that was released during the Samudra Manthan, the cosmic churning of the ocean by the Devas and Asuras.
He wields a white gleaming axe and is said to have destroyed the Tripurasura. He is in the form of a ‘bhikshatanar’ in both these temples and is worshipped with beautiful flowers, especially the ‘konrai’ blossom and bathed with the purest of waters as part of His Abhishekam. The Lord in both these sthalams is said to have performed the ‘koothu’, His cosmic dance, set to brilliant melody and rhythm and is himself said to enjoy the Sama Veda and the music emanating from various musical instruments including the mondai, the talam and the tagunichham.
Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati in both these ancient temples are believed to be extremely powerful and yet very benevolent. Anyone looking for boons and also a nice cultural ride along the bay may consider this coast- to- coast weekend getaway soon!
