Lord Iyappa

VENKAT -SRIKANTH-VINOD

SABARIMALA 2015

AT THE TOP OF SABARIMALA

Sabarimala - It is one of the 18teen hills at western ghats in kerala.The temple is situated at the
hill top among dense forest called Poonkavanam.  

 

Our group consisting of 14teen adults and 2 children left on 28th from Bangalore and walked along the `periyapathai - long path, of about 42kms to reach Pampa by 1st. They were met there by three of us self , Bala mama and Shantha mami who had travelled to Pampa from Bangalore and met the rest of the party on 1st. We started our climb at Pampa at 6.00 p.m and had our Dharshan by 9.00 p.m after climbing the Sabarimala hills of about 6km and climbing up the sacred `pathinettam padi.

We stayed back after dharshan at `Shyadri guest house that night and next night doing once more `dharshan and nei abishekam from the kattunaerai and did Bhagawat sevai within the temple premises, next day evening and on 3rd morning started from Sabarimalai our journey down to `Nilakkkal - 16teen kms off Pampa to continue our pilgrimage of temples around .

Pampa river

Down the Sabri hills.




WALKING TOWARDS NILAKKAL

At ETTUMANOOR SHIVA TEMPLE

                                                                                        THE KULAM

 

 The Ettumanoor temple in Kottayam district 60km off Cochin was our first halt. A very ancient temple, it is supposed to have been visited by Pandavas and sage Vyas. It is one of the three Shiva temples to be visited on the same day all not very far from one another.

KADUTHURUTHY SHIVA TEMPLE

KADUTHURUTHY SHIVA TEMPLE

Our next halt was at Kaduthuruthy Shiva temple, an hrs drive from Ettumanoor, As the name implies the story goes in Ramayana period, an asura called `Khara worshipped Shiva at Chidambaram and obtained from Him 3 Shivalingas. He flew from their with one in the mouth and two in both the hand. One he kept at Ettumanoor, the one in the mouth he placed it Kaduthuruthy whihc actually should be Kadchuiruthy and the third one he laid it in Vaikom. This temple is still closer to Cochin

Vaikom Shiva temple

It was  dusk by the time we started from Kaduthuruthy, but we were determined to see Vaikom too . But to her our dismay we found a stupendous crowd in Vaikom - as it was `ashtami that day and Vaikathu Astami generally draws a stupendous amount people from the neighborhood villages, now with their vehicles in line a km long and we could park our van only that far. All of us had to literally sprint Km and half to reach the temple and wade through the festive and crowded temple to get the auspicious dharshan of Lord Shiva the third of the Shiva temple to be visited on the same day .
Mama and mami opted out of this visit as they felt it will be very taxing to walk to and froth.

After Vaikom visit around 8.00 p.m left the place to and drove to Chottanikara, an hrs drive and reached the temple past dinner time. We were booked in rooms inside the temple praharam itself. Hence after unloading our goods, went for scouting a good place to have food. For past experiance had taught us after 9.30 p.m its difficult to get decent food in that temple town. Finally in out old place joint `Ganesha we got our meals of dosha etc and close the night with a hot cup of milk.
However it was a bit diss pointing we could witness the `Kuruthi puja at 10.30 as that day's puja was conducted at a diff time. 

CHOTTANIKARA BHAGAWATHY

AMME NARAYANI

Chotanikara Bhagawathy Kshetram is beleived to be one of the most powerful Devi especially for people having mental afflictions. It has an old part called `Kizkovil where kurudhi puja takes place and new one at the upper level.
We had a fresh early morning darshan of boht the places and after a quick breakfast were off to `Kaladi to
`ADI SHANKARA TEMPLE.

AT KALADI - ADI SHANKARA TEMPLE

KRISHNA TEMPLE AT KALADI

Place where Adi Shankara was caught by a crocodile.next to Poorna river.

  Reached Kaladi by 11.00 a.m A serene place where we could still feel the vibrations of Adi Shankara in the temple, in the samadhi of His mother, the poorni river in the background where Adi Shankara spent his childhood.

Leaving Adi Shankara we moved from Cochin towards Palghat. Our first halt was at Vinayaka joint where we had excellent food. Then left for Alathur - bought chips at the famous joint and drove directly to Mangotu Kavu . Reached thier by 4.30 in good time for Dharshan by 5.00 p.m
From Mangotu Kavu it was drive to Kavuseri Bhagawathy kshetram.

VINAYAKA EATING JOINT

The evenings saw us visiting the two kavus - Mangotu Bhagawathy kavu and Kavuseri Kavu

Mangotu Bhagawathy

KAVUSERI KAVU


Leaving Kavuseriwe moved to Pazani, a straight 3 hr drive and reached Pazani by night 9.00 clock

                                                             PAZANI TEMPLE



       AT PAZANI AFTER DHARSHAN  

Pazani temple we reached in the night and stayed in well appointed guest house of the devasthanam called Dhandapani guest house.
Morning saw us walking in the rains up the hill to get the dharshan of the lord. We finished a very good Abhishekam dharshan of the lord, awhere he was decorated as vedan- hunter.

After Pazani we moved in our `SASTHA van to Marudhamalai - another Murugar temple .
Built in picturesque mountains of Marudhamalai at western ghats, it involved another climb, with beautiful views of the surroundings.


                                 MARUDHAMALAI MURUGAR TEMPLE






After Marudhamalai we went to Coimbatore, had food their straight drove to ISHA FOUNDATION.
An unbelievably modern and spiritual centre , having unique architecture and meditation halls which was quite a surprise element in our otherwise tour package of many ancient temple





After Isha it was time to head to the station - Coimbatore.
But we had some time left. Hence we could see the old magnificient temple of Lord Shiva enroute -
THE PATTIEASWARAN TEMPLE

 

AT PATTESWARAN TEMPLE.

Then we headed to the station to catch the 10.30 p.m train to Bangalore. However the train was 2 hrs late and arrived only by 1.00 clock at night. and we literally had to cool ourselves in the open platform waiting for the train. Early morning saw us back to Bangalore with many valuable lessons learned in the roller coaster Sabarimala temple visit with eleven more important temples enroute .