Annual Events: Sri Ganesha, Murugan, Thripurasundari Amman, Bhaktavatsaleswarar and Chandikeswarar were brought out on the seventh day of Chithirai Thiruvizha in Vedagireeswarar Temple in Thirukazhukukundram. |Picture source: Special arrangement
It is said that the four hills of Thirukazhukundram representing the four Vedas are ringing ”Namasivaya Vazhga‘This month. The annual 10-day Chithirai Thiruvizha of Vedagireeswarar Temple attracts thousands of devotees from nearby villages.
On a full moon day, thousands of people took Girivalam to the hills and crossed the 4km route.
“Though the full moon lit the path beautifully, we had arranged additional lighting. Anticipating the crowds, we had taken up the usual preparations for the festival since the girivalam is done at night. After several years, we got a new chariots for Chandikeswarar. It was gutted in 1986. A local resident, Anbu Chezhiyan, gave the money for the new one. Five chariots carrying the idols of Sri Ganesha, Murugan, Thripurasundari Amman, Bhaktavatsaleswarar and Chandikeswarar were brought out on the seventh day. “S. Puviarasan, the temple executive, said.
Devote K. Sivaraman said he has been attending the monthly Girivalam at the temple since 2004.
“The crowd is very manageable because most of them are local people,” he said.
Famous for vultures
The Hilltop Temple of Vedagireeswarar can be accessed by climbing 565 steps. At the bottom, there is a temple for Bhaktavatsaleswarar and Thripurasundari Amman. This temple town is famous for its vultures that visit it every day. It is said that there are two Rishis who want to obtain Moksha and pray to the Lord, who tells them to lead the lives of the residents and continue to pray. But when they refused to do so, they were cursed as vultures and visited Rameshwaram, Kasi and Thirukazhukundram Daily, four Yugas per day. The vulture no longer visits Thirukazhukundram. The reason is not yet clear.
In the western suburbs, the Kodi Idai Nayaki Sametha Maasilamaneeswarar temple in Thirumullaivoyal celebrates Chitirai Sadhayam. On the day when Sadhayam stars are about to rise, sandalwood sauce coated on Lingam is removed and people can have the Darshan of ordinary idols. Temple executive Prabhakar said the sandalwood paste was removed and distributed to devotees. “The fresh ground sandalwood sauce for the whole year will be applied year-round. The idol’s tailoring is cut like the sword applied and can be seen on Sadhayam that day,” he said.
Unique features
According to Temple Expert R. Raghunathan, the temple, which has been around for more than a thousand years, has several unique features, including the idol of Nandi, which is far away from Shiva Lingam. Two pillars made of calcium milk nucleic acid or erukkam. “This is a Paadal Petra Sthalamwhich means it is honored to be sung by one of the four Tamil saints. Sundarar sang it in a song – paasu padha param chudare. The temple’s Sthala Vrukshamor temple trees are Mulai Crawlers or Arabic Jasmine,” he said.
publishing – May 18, 2025 at 10:45 pm IST
