Wonders of Universe

I finished watching this four part series presented by Brian Cox in BBC 2 (Sundays at 21:00). Who are we? Where do we come from? For thousands of years humanity has turned to religion and myth for answers to these enduring questions. But in this series, Brian presents a different set of answers - answers provided by science.

This was one of the finest science programmes I have watched on the relationship between 'time-space-matter-light-nature'.

1. Destiny

In this episode, Brian Cox considers the nature of time. He explores the cycles of time that define the lives of humans on the earth, and compares them to the cycles of time on a cosmic scale. Cox also discusses the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy- eg: many ways of reaaranging the sand grains with out changing the structure) and its effect on time, and the Heat Death theory concerning the end of the Universe.

Brian seeks to understand the nature of time and its role in creating both the universe and ourselves. From an extraordinary calendar built into the landscape of Peru (The 2,500-year-old solar calendar in Chankillo was built by a civilization of which very little is known), he travels through the beaches of Costa Rica where Sea tutles come and lay eggs at night in the beach- something that has been happening for the last 100 million years. He explores the cycles of time which define our experience of life on Earth. But even the most epic cycles of life can't begin to compare to the vast expanse of cosmic time. For instance, just as the Earth orbits the Sun, the solar system orbits the entire Milky Way galaxy. This orbit takes a staggering 250 million years to complete. We have probably travelled 1% of that time (humans I mean!)

Arrow of time; as each moment passes, things change and these are irreversible. Is this an illusion?

Ultimately, Brian discovers that time is not characterised by repetition but by irreversible change. From the relentless march of a glacier, to the decay of an old mining town, the ravaging effects of time are all around us. The vast universe is subject to these same laws of change.

As we look out to the cosmos, we can see the story of its evolution unfold, from the death of the first stars to the birth of the youngest. How giant stars explodes rather implodes and death/ birth of stars. ie the explosive death of one of the first stars in the universe.This journey from birth to death will ultimately lead to the destruction not just of our planet, but also the entire universe, and with it the end of time itself.

Yet without this inevitable destruction, the universe would be without what is perhaps the greatest wonder of all; the brief moment in time in which life can exist.

2.Stardust

In this episode, Brian discusses the elements of which all living things, including humans, are made. He explains how these elements are related to the life cycles of the stars and the recycling of matter in the Universe.

In the second stop in his exploration of the wonders of the universe, Professor Brian Cox goes in search of humanity's very essence to answer the biggest questions of all: what are we? And where do we come from? This film is the story of matter - the stuff of which we are all made.

Brian reveals how our origins are entwined with the life cycle of the stars. But he begins his journey here on Earth. In Nepal, he observes a Hindu cremation. Hindu philosophy is based on an eternal cycle of creation and destruction, where the physical elements of the body are recycled on to the next stage. Brian draws a parallel with the life cycle of the stars that led to our own creation.

Next, he explains how the Earth's resources have been recycled through the ages. How every atom that makes up everything we see, was at some time a part of something else. Our world is made up of just 92 elements, and these same 92 elements are found throughout the entire universe. We are part of the universe because we are made of the same stuff as the universe.

3. Falling

This episode documents how gravity has an effect across the Universe, and how the relatively weak force creates an orbit. We also see how a neutron star's gravity works. Finally, there is a look back at how research on gravity has enabled us to better understand the cosmos.

Gravity seems so familiar, and yet it is one of the strangest and most surprising forces in the universe. Starting with a zero gravity flight, Brian experiences the feeling of total weightlessness, and considers how much of an effect gravity has had on the world around us.

But gravity also acts over much greater distances. It is the great orchestrator of the cosmos. It dictates our orbit around the sun, our relationship with the other planets in our solar system, and even the way in which our solar system orbits our galaxy.

Yet the paradox of gravity is that it is actually a relatively weak force. Brian takes a face distorting trip in a centrifuge to explain how it is that gravity achieves its great power, before looking at the role it plays in one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the universe - a neutron star. Although it is just a few kilometres across, it is so dense that its gravity is 100, 000 million times as strong as on Earth.

Over the centuries our quest to understand gravity has allowed us to understand some of the true wonders of the universe, and Brian reveals that it is scientists' continuing search for answers that inspires his own sense of wonder

4. Messengers

The final episode shows how the unique properties of light provide an insight into the origins and development of mankind and the Universe. We also see how the speed of light is both a measure of time and distance. This leads on to pinpoint one of the early events in the evolution of life.He travels from the fossils of the Burgess Shale to the sands of the oldest desert in the world to show how light holds the key to our understanding of the whole universe, including our own deepest origins.

To understand how light holds the key to the story of the universe, we first have to understand its peculiar properties. Brian considers how the properties of light that lend colour to desert sands and the spectrum of a rainbow can lead to profound insights into the history and evolution of our universe. Finally, with some of the world's most fascinating fossils in hand, Brian considers how but for an apparently obscure moment in the early evolutionary history of life, all the secrets of light may have remained hidden. Because although the universe is bathed in light that carries extraordinary amounts of information about where we come from, it would have remained invisible without a crucial evolutionary development that allowed us to see. Only because of that development, i.e. the observation that Light travels with a finite speed through space at a rate of 299 792 458 metre/second or 10 million million km in one year or 1 light year; So a light year is not just a measure of distance but also a measure of time! Because of this we can we now observe, capture and contemplate the incredible wonders of the universe that we inhabit.

I seemed to understand some of the meaning of Universe and birth of it when I was watching the programme, but now it feels to have gone out of my mind with a big bang!

I think it is interesting to note the similarities and differences in this programme and the views expressed in Indian Philosophy. The Hindu cosmology and time lines in a way is the closest to modern scientific time lines and even more, which might indicate that the big bang is not the beginning of everything but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes and to be followed by another infinite number of universes. The Rig Veda questions the origin of the cosmos in:

Neither being (sat) nor non-being was as yet. What was concealed? And where? And in whose protection?…Who really knows? Who can declare it? Whence was it born, and whence came this creation? The devas were born later than this world's creation, so who knows from where it came into existence? None can know from where creation has arisen, and whether he has or has not produced it. He who surveys it in the highest heavens, he alone knows-or perhaps does not know. (Rig Veda 10. 129)

The later puranic view asserts that the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, a universe endures for about 4,320,000,000 years (one day of Brahma, the creator or kalpa) and is then destroyed by fire or water elements. At this point, Brahma rests for one night, just as long as the day. This process, named pralaya (Cataclysm), repeats for 100 Brahma years (311 trillion, 40 billion human years) that represents Brahma's lifespan.

According to Bhagavad Gita "sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduh", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 mahayugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years.

1000 Mahayugas = 1 kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma
(Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma)
30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years)
12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years)
50 years of Brahma = 1 Pararddha
2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahakalpa (the lifespan of Brahma)(311.04 trillion human years)
One day of Brahma is divided into 10,000 parts called charanas. The charanas are divided as follows:
The Four Yugas
4 charanas (1,728,000 solar years) Satya Yuga
3 charanas (1,296,000 solar years) Treta Yuga
2 charanas (864,000 solar years) Dwapar Yuga
1 charanas (432,000 solar years) Kali Yuga

The current Kali Yuga began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC (Julian calendar)

According to Carl Sagan and Fritjof Capra, similarities between what they consider the latest scientific understanding of the age of the universe, and the Hindu concept of a "day and night of Brahma", is much closer to the current assumed age of the universe than other creation myths (when taken literally). The days and nights of Brahma postulate a view of the universe that is divinely created, and is not strictly evolutionary, but an ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of the universe.

According to Sagan: Hinduism is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which time scales correspond, no doubt by accident, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long, longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang. And there are much longer time scale still.

Some believe that with the "AUM" sound, known as "pranava manthra", the Universe was started, similar to the big bang theory. "Omkara", the sound of 'Ohm', is very important in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

Capra, in his popular book, The Tao of Physics, wrote that: This idea of a periodically expanding and contracting universe, which involves a scale of time and space of vast proportions, has arisen not only in modern cosmology, but also in ancient Indian mythology. Experiencing the universe as an organic and rhythmically moving cosmos, the Hindus were able to develop evolutionary cosmologies which come very close to our modern scientific models. One of these cosmologies is based on the Hindu myth of lila—the divine play—in which Brahman transforms himself into the world.

I like the statement made by Swami Vivekananda who interpreted the Adhvaitha Vedantic understanding of evolution to be in harmony with Darwinian theory. In his commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he writes:

"There seems to be a great difference between modern science and all religions at this point. Every religion has the idea that the universe comes out of intelligence. The theory of God, taking it in its psychological significance, apart from all ideas of personality, is that intelligence is first in the order of creation, and that out of intelligence comes what we call gross matter. Modern philosophers say that intelligence is the last to come. They say that unintelligent things slowly evolve into animals, and from animals into men. They claim that instead of everything coming out of intelligence, intelligence itself is the last to come. Both the religious and the scientific statements, though seeming directly opposed to each other are true. Take an infinite series, A—B—A—B —A—B. etc. The question is — which is first, A or B? If you take the series as A—B. you will say that A is first, but if you take it as B—A, you will say that B is first. It depends upon the way we look at it. Intelligence undergoes modification and becomes the gross matter, this again merges into intelligence, and thus the process goes on. The Sankhyas, and other religionists, put intelligence first, and the series becomes intelligence, then matter. The scientific man puts his finger on matter, and says matter, then intelligence. They both indicate the same chain. Indian philosophy, however, goes beyond both intelligence and matter, and finds a Purusha, or Self, which is beyond intelligence, of which intelligence is but the borrowed light."

Raavanayanam

The new Mani Ratnam movie Raavanan (Tamil version) or Raavan (Hindi version) has brought the major epic 'Ramayana' again as a hot debate topic.This epic as told by Valmiki is the story of the 'perfect man' Rama and his accomplishments. But shouldn't it be called 'Raaavanayanam' as this epic is as much the story of Raavana as is it of Rama based on the perspective, how we look at it? Perhaps if there was another 'Valmiki' and if he had made Raavana as the central character, the whole aspect of this struggle between good and evil and moral and immoral would be viewed completely differently.

Ravana's characterization is open to interpretations.The name Ravana is from 'ra' meaning the sun and 'vana' signifying generation. He is the great grandson of Lord Brahma. A metaphorical interpretation of Ravana's 10 heads is that the heads are a symbolic way to show the world about his knowledge of the six Shastras as well as four Vedas, ten Holy Scriptures in all.

Even though Ravana is portrayed as the villain in Ramayana, this view is open to question due to lack of any overt instances, and is so questioned by a considerable number of believers. It can be argued, for example, that Ravana’s abduction of Sita was not driven by lust for her, but instead it was done to punish Ram for attacking his sister Shurpanakha. What Lakshmana did to her ie cutting of her nose for proposing to him after Rama rejected her was a reaction out of proportion to what Shurpanakha did. It may be that Lakshmana did this for fear of Sita's safety. The extreme nature of the act upon his unarmed sister enraged Ravana (as a brother) and he abducted Sita to avenge the insult- if Ravana would not avenge his own sister - then no one would look up to him as a protector of his subjects/ dependents. Nevertheless Ravana never ever touched Sita while she was being held as his hostage. He visited her regularly and asked her consent to marry him. Every time Sita declined, but there is not a single instance when Ravana misbehaved with Sita. He plays the role of a gentleman to the core, (though this could have been due to a curse from Kubera's son that he would lose all his 10 heads if he forced himself on any woman).

Ravana also authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma. Pleased with his resilience and devotion, Shiva gave to him the divine sword 'Chandrahasa'. Ravana was a lifelong devotee of Lord Shiva and is said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra.

Mani Ratnam's movie, Raavan (Hindi) and Raavanan(Tamil), clearly inspired by this epic was a movie I had been waiting for some time since I heard of it a couple of years ago.

I went to watch the Tamil version first and had to go all the way to Birmingham to watch it. But the trip was worth it as the movie was simply wonderful. It was stimulating and entertaining...a great treat- the photography, music, script, location, direction and above all the performances of Vikram (as Raavanan), Prithviraj(as Rama) and Aishwariya (as sita).

Vikram was amazing and I felt he brought out the various expressions and emotions of the tribal leader Veera to all its glory.He acted as though he had 'ten heads' with varying facial expressions. Prithviraj as Dev (the police officer) and Aishwarya (as his wife) also had a chemistry together and did well. Aishwarya's transformational change of feelings towards both men were enacted superbly. This would probably stand out as one of her best performances possibly after her debut movie 'Iruvar'.

I then watched the Hindi version (in Leicester) and I must say that it was disappointing! Though the back ground artists were all the same, the central character Beera (Raavana) by Abhishek Bachchan was at the best average, especially if we compare it with the performance of Vikram in the Tamil version. I will not be surprised, if in the future Raavanan (Tamil) would be considered a huge hit among Mani Ratnam's movies and Raavan(Hindi) as an average film.

I was also impressed by the interviews given by the artists at the London Premiere of the movie. These interviews in the 'you tube' are also a good hit! Prithviraj was quite eloquent and articulate in his comments. Vikram and Suhasini(who wrote the script) were also quite impressive. But both Mr and Mrs Junior Bachchans were depressing in their words especially if you see that the crowds were cheering almost just for them. They could have been a bit more prepared to face the interviews at such a landmark venue.

After reading Ramayana, two questions, every firm believer of Lord Rama would love to avoid are
1.How could the divine person hide behind the trees and murder Bali/ Vali (brother of Sugreeva) behind his back?
2.Why did he suspect Sita and later ditched her?

In this film these two aspects are brought up in a sublime manner. Dev, the inspector is hiding in crowd of women and shoots Veera from behind when he is actively taking part in his sisters marriage ceremony. Also later to accomplish his mission of destroying Veera, Dev starts questioning his wife about her chastity and asks why she could not take a lie-detector test!

I have never found any convincing answers for these actions of Lord Rama. It might be that he wanted to give an impression that even the 'perfect human being' can never be perfect and will have some negative connotations left to ones own interpretation.

Tail piece: I hope in the future some one will make a movie on Mahabharata with Karna (my favourite person in the epic) as the central character.

53 temples in 2 weeks

Continuing with my title 'Lack of planning'...I went to Kerala this time in August for 2 weeks. The main reason to bring back Manikutty who has been there for the last 8 weeks and also to attend the 'Aryans of Kerala' meeting (School reunion) which we had arranged. Manikutty (though on holiday) was admitted to Sanathana School (as she loves going to school!) and its amazing how much the kids are taught at this age. 3 languages( Malayalam, Hindi, English), science, maths etc etc...

I also planned to visit a few temples (But never 50!). I went to Kannur to visit Chinthu's parents. Karunakaran uncle took me to 7 temples in Kannur..then it was a journey through the whole length of Kerala from north to south..Literally from Gokarnum (almost) to Kanyakumari. By the time I was at Kanyakumari district visiting the Shivalaya temples, I realised the count was in to the forties....by the time I flew back to UK it was 53 to be precise...:-)

These are the temples I covered; will write on each temple in detail later.....

1. Madayilpara Shiva
   
2. Devi temple
3. Hanuman temple
4. Parasshinikadavu
5. Thrichambaram
6. Raja Rajeshwara
   
7. Vaidyanatha
8. Perillasherry..then to Thrissur
9. Vadakumnathan
10. Paramekkavu
11. Thiruvambady
12. Navagraha temple (Chinmaya)
13. Mahavishnu temple
14. Guruvayoor
15. Mammiyoor..then to Ernakulam
16. Peruvaarum Naalambalam ie Shiva temple
17. Rama and Hanuman temple
    
18. Sreekrishna temple
19. Vettakkoru makan
20. Dakshina Mookambika
21. Ganapathy temple
22. Kodungalloor Devi temple...then to Trivandrum
23. Gowreeshapattom Shiva temple
24. Padmanabhaswamy temple
25. Mahaganapathy temple( MC)
26. Kumarapuram Ganapathy temple
27. Pampa temples
28. Shabarimala
29. Malikapuratthamma
30. Bhagavathy Kavu temple(MC)
31. Attukal Devi temple
32. Thozhuvancode Devi temple
33. Althara Bhagavathy
34. Hanuman temple(PMG)
35. Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple
36. Gandhariamman Kovil
37. Thampanoor Ganapathy temple
38. Ulloor Sree Balasubramanya temple
39. Cheruvakkal Sreekrishnaswamy temple
40. Ambalamukku SreeKrishna swamy temple...to Kanyakumari
41. Thirumalai
42. Thikkurissi
43. Thrupparappu
44. Thirunandikkara
45. Ponmanai
46. Pannipakam
47. Padhmanabhapuram (Kalkulam)
48. Melangodu
49. Thriuvidaikkodu
50. Thiruvithankkodu
51. Thriupannikkodu
52. Thirunattalam and
    
53. Kumarakovil

So hows that? Not bad to accommodate 53 temples in a 2 week holiday......

Hanuman Temple

"manojapam marutha thulyavegam

jithendriyam budhimaatham varishtam

vaathatmajam vanaraayutha mukhyam

srirama dhuutham shirasa namami"

I first went to the PMG Hanuman temple (near Vikas Bhavan and Kerala Legislative Assembly building) during my school days. I used to offer my prayers at the temple, every Thursday during my Pre-degree and MBBS days. The temple used to be a small one during those days; but it has expanded and changed tremendously over the last 10 years and has grown into one of the most important places of worship in Trivandrum.

The Temple was consecrated for the benefit of the soldiers (of Travancore army)to offer prayers in the 1850's. The main offerings are 'vadamala', 'vettamala' and cheese. Pushpabhishekham is also a "nercha" (an offering).

Palayam- yet another 'kerala model'

Palayam in Trivandrum extends from the cantonment house in the north up to the present A.K.G. Centre in the south, including areas now occupied by the University Stadium and Chandrasekharan Nair stadium. It was the camping area of the former Travancore state army and cavalry. That place, therefore, came to be known as Palayam/Cantonment – meaning military area.......

A church, a mosque and a temple were consecrated side by side, with their compound walls touching each other near the Palayam junction for the personnel of the State Forces and their family members to perform their religious duties. The peaceful co-existence of these three centres of worship of different religions is a shining example of the religious tolerance, secularism and harmony in the state.

Palayam Shakthi Vinayaka Temple. Note that part of the
Mosque is visible on the right side and both share the same
compound wall .....

Palayam St Josephs Church

Palayam Mosque (Juma Masjid)...P K Ahmed Kutty Moulavi,
imam of the Palayam mosque, opened the doors of the
mosque for women for the first time in south Kerala.
More than 250 women attend the prayers at the Palayam Mosque
on ordinary days, whereas on Fridays their numbers increase
to around 1,000. The imam is of the opinion that there is nothing
unIslamic in women offering prayers in mosques.

The western media always finds it difficult to understand and 'digest' how India can survive as a nation and usually try to portray India as a place where communities and religions fight each other. These media should come and report from Kerala, where about half of the population is either a christian or a muslim,living peacefully and fully integrated for many centuries along with the hindu population.....

Attukal

Attukal devi temple is one of my favourite temples in Trivandrum. My parents used to take us all to the temple on Fridays during our school days. The divine feeling you get when you enter the temple is difficult to describe in words. The prasadam especially the chandanam is very special. This year visited the temple after dropping Mash and teacher at the Railway station.

Pongala

"Attukal Pongala" is the main festival of this temple. Millions of women gather every year in February (Malayalam month Kumbham) around this temple and prepare "Pongala" (Rice cooked with the ingredients: Jaggery, coconut, ghee etc) in the open in small pots to please the Goddess Kannaki. At the time of festival nearly five kilometers around the temple becomes covered with smoke from the temporary 'aduppu's (temporary hearths made of 3 to 9 bricks). A holiday is declared in the city on that day. Tourists from other countries also join in "Attukal Pongala". The temple is also called "Women's Sabarimala" . It was reported in the media that in 2008, more than 2 million women offered pongala.

Legend:

Goddess kannaki is the Main Diety. Events related to Goddess Kannaki have high influence in the culture,traditions and belief in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is belived that after setting fire to Madurai city in retaliation of punishing her innocent Husband, Kannaki left for Kodungaloor in Kerala. On the way to Kodungaloor, Devi took rest for a while at Attukal and gave 'Darsan' (appeared) to the natives there. Finally Bhagavathy settled at Kodungaloor sree Bhagavathi temple. Attukal Temple is more popularly known as the Sabarimala of the Women. The reason is that most of the devotees are women in this temple. The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of temple. Pongala festival has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest attendance of women.

Guinness record:

The temple over the years has acquired international importance as it was listed by the Guinness Book of world Records as "the largest gathering of women in the world". The record was based on the number of pilgrims on 23 February 1997, when 1.5 million assembled to offer 'pongala'

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Shivalayottam

The best expert to write and comment on Shivalaya temples is അഞ്ഞു (Praveen)

Praveen completed the ottam in 2007 and 2008 Shivarathri. Amazing 'feet' and devotion. I am proud of my brother. He has taken Prasanth and myself for a 'Shivalaya-car-ottam' in 2007 when we were in Kerala. He knows the ways,the routes, the roads, bridges, fields and in fact, the whole geography of that 100 sq km area is like the back of his palm. I dedicate this blog to Praveen.....

I first heard about 'Shivalaya-ottam' or 'Sivalaya-ottam' (literally means running from one shiva temple to another) in February 2007 from Praveen. Its a pigrimage undertaken by Shiva worshippers after taking vratham (penance) for atleast three days and sometimes "weeks" on shivarathri day. In 24 hours the pilgrims cover 12 Shiva temples over a distance of about 80 km by foot in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu (used to be part of Travancore before the formation of Kerala state in 1956)......

The temples are located in and around Kalkulam the former capital of Venad. The devotees after the ritualistic bath smear the holy ash of the fore head and chant "Govinda Gopala" and visit the 12 temples which are Thirumalai, Thikkurissi, Thrupparappu, Thirunandikkarai, Ponmanai, Pannipakam, Kalkulam, Melangodu, Thriuvidaikkodu, Thiruvithankkodu, Thriupannikkodu, and Thirunattalam.

Praveen has told me a lot, of his experiences and how this pilgrimage has made him stronger as a person. He has met a lot of people during these 2 years; some are regulars who have been doing the ottam for 37 years!. First time Praveen was accompaned by Biju, who followed him from one temple to another in a bike. Biju used to wait for Praveen at each temple and then go on to the next one.

Mr. Vasu, who is 70, on his 38th Sivalaya ottam. he hails from a village near Parassala. Praveen is behind him with the സഞ്ചി (The traditional kerala bag; that contains some water to drink, towel and holy ash or ഭസ്മം that is collected from the 12 temples) and വീശറി (a traditional hand fan). Praveen also mentioned about a "one Mr. Murukan", a rock-quarry worker, who is on his 4th year in 2007. He hails from Payanam, 2 kms off Marthandam. Praveen was with him till the 7th temple Padmanabhapuram aka Kalkulam. Praveen describes him as an amazing guy whose speed is directly proportinal to distance. While Praveen's legs drag even halfway down, his legs get him to stride double fold.

Recently the Kanyakumari District Devasom Board Trust announced a monthly circuit tour connecting all these temples in order to facilitate the devotees to have a darshan of Lord Shiva. As the devotees were put to hardship owing to the lack of infrastructure facilities such as toilets, roads and drinking water, it was decided to develop basic amenities in all the 12 temples.

Some photographs from Praveen during his first successful Ottam in 2007.

Legend (There are many versions in mythology regarding the origin of this pilgrimage, a couple are as follows)

1.For a yajña the Pandavas were going to perform, Yudhistira required the milk of the purushamriga. The mighty human-beast was deeply devoted to Lord Shiva. And held a deep dislike towards Lord Vishnu, and all Vishnu devotees. Bhima took upon himself to bring the milk for the yajña, Lord Krishna wished to show that Shiva and Vishnu are One, and also restrain the overconfidence of Bhima. Krishna therefore gave Bhima 12 Shivalinga images, and told him he should drop one whenever he needed help.

Bhima traveled to the jungle where the purushamriga was in deep meditation, he uttered the words “Govinda, Gopala” , (names of Lord Krishna often chanted by his devotees as a form of worship), while he tried to get milk from the purushamriga. Hearing the names of Vishnu disturbed its mediation on Shiva, and it saw Vishnu appearing in the Shiva Linga it was worshipping. The purushamriga was enraged, and grabbed Bhima. To escape from its claws, Bhima dropped one Shivalinga, which turned into a Shiva shrine. The purushamriga let go of Bhima in order to worship Shiva.

A little later Bhima once again tried to obtain the milk, and again called “Govinda, Gopala”. Again the human-beast chased Bhima and caught him. Once again he dropped one of the Shivalingas Krishna had given him, and another Shiva shrine appeared. In this way the 12 stones created the 12 temples that are known as the Shivalayas.

In the end Bhima was again caught by the purushamriga, when he still had one foot in the territory of the sphinx-purushamriga. Because of this Bhima disputed that he was rightfully free. But Yudhistira judged that the half of Bhima’s body that was still within the territory of the purushamriga belonged to it. Much impressed with Yudhistira’s great justice, the purushamriga gave the milk for the completing of the yajña. And Bhima’s pride was thus subdued.


2.Vyakrapadan, son of Doumaya Maharshi, was a staunch believer of Siva. Lord Krishna engaged Bhima to invite Vyakrapadan for an Aswamedayagam. Lord Krishna handed over 12 Siva Lingams to Bhima and directed him to chant the names of Vishnu while he meets Vyakrapadan. Hearing the names ‘Govinda, Gopala’, irritated Vyakrapadan chased Bhima. Bhima dropped the Lingams one by one on his way, and it is believed that they later became the above-mentioned temples. The idol of the Thirunattalam, the temple where the ottam concluded, is Sankara Narayana-suggesting that Hari and Haran are one and the same.

The twelve Siva temples are:

1.Munchiarai - Thirumalai Siva Temple:


Shivalaya ottam starts here. We started from our home around 4:00am. It was a nice feeling. I drove till this temple.

Legend says that Sri Rama worshipped here. History records the association of Thirumalai Nayyakkar's birth with this temple. Top of a small hillock (where Purusha Mirugham originally worshipped Siva) twin temples in one temple complex reside - one for Siva and the left one for Vishnu. There are beautiful carvings and sculptures.

Praveen took over driving from here

2.Thickkurichi Mahadeva Temple:

The temple is by the side of Thamparaburuni river of Kanyakumari district. There is no bull here and is believed to exist within the river stream. The pillar carvings have scenes from Sundara Kanda of Sri Ramayana. The temple also has a Patanjali sculpture.

3.Thirparappu Temple:


Thiruparappu is the third temple for the Sivalaya Ottam. This temple is surrounded by natural beauty and spiritual richness.The perennial river Kodayar and the waterfalls add beauty to the place



It seems, Adisankara stayed in the temple In Sanskrit this place was called Sreevisalapuram and later named as Thiruparappu in Tamil and it became Thirparappu.
The temple is atleast 1000 to 900 years old if not more. A 1232 CE stone inscription is in the temple. A stone Mandapam and a marker for a secret passage are the other important attractions. This temple for Lord Siva faces the West. The deity is in a wrathful posture as Veerabahu. Probably, after defeating Thaksha he stayed here to ease his wrath. The Nandhi, in this temple, faces the north. At the entrance, on both sides, there are sanctorums for the Ambal and Vinayagar facing the east. On the outside of the temple there are statues of Lord Krishna with ghee and Lord Murugan with Vel. The gold statue in the temple was kept in the Adikesava Perumal Temple as they were afraid of Islam attack. According to a Sanskrit carving, the god was safe- guarding the whole Thiruparappu with his abundant blessings


4.Thirunanthi Karai:

We reached this temple and was disappointed to note that the sreekovil hadn't been opened as the Poojari(Priest) hadn't turned up (07:00am!). It seems that there is a shortage of priests in this area and one person has to cover a few temples single handedly. But it was like a blessing in one way because we could visit the rock-cut temple on the southern side of this temple in scenic natural beauty; eventhough we knew that we will not be able to cover all the 12 temples before 10:00 am.

The Nanthikeeswarar temple is also built in Kerala style amidst a rich forest like vegetation. The temple dates back to Imperial Cholas. Surrounding the sanctum sanctorum are the exquisite wooden depictions of Dashavathara episodes.

On the southern side there is a rock-cut temple (Photos attached including "thripadam's")

5.Ponmanai:


The Deity here was discovered by a Dalit called Dimbilan. Hence the Lord is called Dimbilanrar. Here the roof contains the NavaGrahas (Nine planets). The temple received grants and was served by Pandya kings. There is a dam bulit by Pandyas called Pandya Dam near the temple.

6.Pannipaham:


Here the Lord is in the form of Sri Kirathaka Murthi - Tribal Lord. The related legend speaks of MahaDeva blessing Arjuna with Pasupathasastra (missile of the Lord of the animals) and also slaying a demon who took the form of wildboar. The name of the village itself means pig (Panni=Pantri). True enough wild boar menace is a problem farmers in this part of Kanyakumari district face. The temple is surrounded by lush green fields of not only rice but also different varieties of greens and tubers.

7. Kalkulam/ Padmanabhapuram:




Five storeyed Gopuram with a gold flag pole and a 1000 year history are just some of the important features of the seventh temple in the pilgrms' progress. This temple is the only temple of all 12 temples of the Siva Temple Marathon in which the Gopuram is in Tamil Architecture as against conical Gopurams seen so far. Here the Chief Diety is Sri Neelakanda Swami and His consort is Shakthi as Ananthavalli.

8.Melangodu:


The Chief Deity here is Sri Kalakala. This temple is by the side of an ancient fort called Puliyoor fort. Near the Siva temple is the famous temple on the mountain for Lord Subramanya where He is said to have married Valli.In the Siva temple the Chief Deity is Swayambu Lingam (Self emergent Lingam). This was the last of the temples that we could visit in the morning......4 more to go......

9.Thiruvidaikodu:


This temple is by the side of a stream that runs in a bridge above the road. The Lord with matted hair - Jadaiappan is the name of the Chief Deity. The Deity was later discoverd by a Muslim. To this day the members of the Muslim family have special honours. The Lord is Swayambu Lingam. Legend says the bull of Shiva was tied here.

10.Sri Neelakanda Swami Temple, Thiruvithancodu:


This temple has a campus three acres wide and accomodates both Siva temple at North and Vishnu temple at the South. There are separate circumambular paths for Deities and separate flag poles.

11.Thirupantricodu:


Sri Bhakthavatsala Swami is the chief Deity. This temple has a place in the history of Kanyakumari district. In 1680 CE a Mughal army was defeated by Venad forces after the Mughal General ordered that the Siva Lingam be cut by the sword. This infuriated the retreating Venad forces initially and they charged at the Mughal forces defeating them and chasing them away.

12.ThiruNattalam:

Here the pilgrimage ends. We reached here around 19:00 hours. The Deity is Sri Neelakanda SankaraNarayana Swami - a Swayambu Lingam. Physically exhausted pilgrims in spiritual ecstasy have the Darshan of the Lord here. Legend says that the Purusha Mirugham was given the Divine Cosmic vision of Siva with Vishnu as His part - a vision of Harmony and Unity



The natural beauty in this area is just astounding and out of the world... Should we be settling down here, brothers?

Koodalmanikyam temple

I have visited Triprayar many times before; But this was my first visit to Koodalmanikyam temple

I was on my way to Thrissur in November 2007 from Peruvaram with Vava and Manikutty, when suddenly I felt like visiting the temple. Great temple with a lot of history. Koodalmanikyam Temple has many unique features/ legends:
1. It holds the image of only one deity and there are no 'chuttambalam'/sub deities in this temple.
2. It is the only temple in India dedicated to the worship of Bharata.

3. There is a view that this temple belonged to the Jains.

4.There is another view that the deity is the incarnation of “Dhanvanthara moorthi” or the saint of healing.

5. The idol of this temple radiated bright light like 'manikyam' (a mythological precious stone) A 'manikyam' kept in Kayamkulam palace was brought to this temple to compare which is brighter. It seems that the palace manikyam when brought near the idol merged with the idol! (koodal manikyam means merger of manikyams)

6. Thetchi and thulasi flowers are not grown in the temple premises.

7. Incense sticks and camphor are not used for the pooja.

People had to wait for sometime before the temple opened for evening poojas on that day as there was some 'shuddhikalasham' ceremony taking place inside the temple. One of the temple persons was not very happy with Vava's dresscode ( She was wearing a Kavi Mundu, that was perfectly alright for entering the temple) , but another person said its fine. I Could feel the power and aura surrounding the temple......This feeling was very strong when I did the pradakshinam around the temple and also when we went around the temple pond.

I would like to do the Nalambala yatra some day in the future; ie starting with Triprayar (Sree Raman), then Koodalmanikyam and Moozhikkulam (Lakshmanan) and ending at Shatrughna temple at Payammel.
There is also a Sreekrishna temple called Elambalakkattu at Edakulam while going to the Shathrugna temple.

Gowreeshapattom temple

One of my favorite Shiva temples in Trivandrum . I used to go to the temple quite regularly during my Medical College days. There are lots of nice memories for me surrounding this temple......

Padmanabhapuram Palace November 2007

Visited Palace on 23rd of November 2007 with Anju (my younger bro). We were visiting the shivalaya temples in the morning and came to Padmanabhapuram in between to visit Thampi uncle and family. He suggested going to the palace which was a brilliant idea.

Padamanabhapuram Palace complex is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District that was part of old Travancore. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil, and about 50 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram. The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills which form a part of the Western Ghats The river Valli flows nearby


Thampi uncle kindly came with us and showed us around the palace

The palace was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravipillai Iravivarma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. In the late 18th century, the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Trivandrum, and the place lost its former glory. However, the palace complex continue to be the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hall mark of traditional Kerala style building art. The palace I beleive is still under the governance of Kerala state.

The backyard


Thai Kottaram, literal meaning, Mother's Palace - believed to have been constructed before 1550. There is a secret passagehere through which the king, his immediate family members, and their entourage could escape to another palace, located several kilometers away in the event of any emergency.

Nataksala, literal meaning, the Hall of Performance, or of Performing Arts

Cot made with about 64 medicinal woods

Old style tea making outside the palace...V. Nostalgic

Will write on all about Shivalaya ottam soon......