Magnificence in stone


 A temple visit to Tiruvaur this weekend was a revelation to me in many ways.

The mamooth entrance gopuram dwarfed me as I stood there humbled . Though wikipedia says it was built during the chola period , the writings in the temple claim that it is one of the oldest temples in the world. In the 6 th century BC, Appar ( one of the nayanmars) has sung in the glory of this temple deity, exclaiming that no one knows when the temple was built. This temple is older than chidambaram temple. This temple was the inspiration for Rajaraja cholan to build the Tanjore temple. The temple complex is close to 30 acres and it is  built in stones. For almost 200 kms in the surrounding area, granite stones are not found. Where did they transport it from? And how? It remains a wonder.
Normally,  when we travel, we  would visit a couple of temples at a stretch. This time, we decided to experience all the poojas in this one temple. The evening " ucchakala" pooja went on for 45 minutes, a purely meditative healing experience. The prasad in pure ghee wqs simply out of the world. Felt full. And the need for dinner disappeared! Bhakthi nourishes the mind and body.
Next day, at sunrise we went again and spent close to three hours in the temple. Just sitting there amidst the chirping of the birds close to the nandhavanam was a soulful journey. As I walked around the temple with mindfulness, I could feel great  calm in the mind.
So much of science is embedded in our religious practises.Our ancestors have built these temples based on scientific principles( aagama shastras). It is a welcome sign that many of the younger generation today are curious to understand the science behind spirituality.
The huge temple pond is also maintained well. The temple Chariot is one of the biggest in the world and  I heard that the temple festival draws lakhs of people.
Faith is very personal. Faith heals. Ultimately that is what matters. When we
Surrender ( to any divine form), we are  empowered. We find ourselves. It's something that can only be experienced and felt deep within.
All the saints and thinkers like Swami Vivekanandha,  Ramana Maharishi, subramania Bharathiar evoked this divinity within them only after connecting to the external divine form. It is important that we expose our children at very young age to experience the wonders of various temples.

Comments

  1. Azlenali7 April 2024 at 23:59

    Fantastic blog post! Your insights are truly valuable. I enjoyed reading it. If you're interested, I've also written a piece on a related subject. Feel free to check it out Here Keep up the great work

    ReplyDelete

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