Significance:
Tiruvannamalai the home of Annamalayaar or
Arunachaleswarar (Shiva worshipped as a Shiva Lingam) and
Unnamulaiyaal (Apitakuchambaal - Parvati), is one of the
largest temples in India. It occupies a special place in
the Saivite realm and is regarded as one of the Pancha
Bhoota Stalams (one of the five grand temples associated
with the five basic elements) – associated with the
element Fire, the other four being Tiruvanaikkaval
(Water), Chidambaram (Space), Kanchipuram (Earth) and Sri
Kalahasti (Wind) respectively.
Shiva
is said to have manifested himself in the form of a
massive column of fire, whose crown and feet, Bhramma and
Vishnu attempted in vain to reach. A celebration of this
manifestation is seen today in the age old traditions
observed in the Shivaratri and the Kartikai Deepam
Utsavams held here.
There is an air of deep mysticism around the temple, the
hill and its environs and the town itself has been known
for its long association with Yogis, Siddhas, the well
known spiritual savant Ramana Maharishi and several
others. The origin of this temple dates way back in time,
although much of the temple structure as seen today, is a
result of building activity over the last one thousand
years. Seventh century Tamil poetry glorifies this
temple. All of the four Saivite Saints Appar, Sambandar,
Manikkavacakar and Sundarar have sung the glory of this
temple and it was at this temple that Arunagirinathar
began composing his immortal work Tiruppugazh. Muthuswamy
Deekshitar’s kriti Arunachalanatham pays tribute to
the presiding deity of Tiruvannamalai.
The ancient and vast Arunachaleswarar Temple as it stands
today is the result of several centuries of building,
alteration and extension. A Nandi faces the main shrine
in each of its five prakarams. The outermost prakaram
houses the thousand pillared hall and the Shiva Ganga
tank and is pierced on four sides with colossal Gopurams.
. The fourth prakaram includes the Bhramma Tirtham, and
its eastern gateway Vallala Gopuram holds a statue of
King Ballala. The third prakaram which dates back to the
12th century AD has several Linga Shrines, and
the Kili Gopura Entrance. In the East side of the
prakaram stands the Flag Staff while the Northern side is
home to the massive shrine of Unnamulai Amman. The 3rd
prakaram surrounds the roofed 2nd prakaram
which houses the pantheon of deities associated with
Shiva, which in turn surrounds the shrine of
Annamalaiyar.
An elaborate protocol of worship services
marks each day at the Tiruvannamalai temple where about a
hundred and fifty people are attached to the temple
including priests, musicians, singers, carpenters,
potters, washermen, palanquin bearers, garland makers,
administrators, guards etc.
The day begins with the ceremonial
arrival of Ganga to the shrine, from a tank in the
Southern part of the town on an elephant through the
Southern, Tirumanjana Gopuram. This water cleanses the
entrance to the second prakaram, and then the next ritual
involving the waking up of Shiva and Parvati in the
bedchamber. The Shiva-Meru returns to the Annamalaiyaar
shrine while the image of Parvati returns to the
Unnamulaiamman shrine.
Six other pujas are offered at the
temple, the first one at 6 am, and the last one at night
where the Shiva Meru and the image of Parvati are
processionally brought into the bed chamber. Each service
is accompanied by chants of invocation, dedication and
praise. In the south west corner of the prakaram, the
sacrificial fire ritual takes place, ending with the
consecration of vessels of water which are used in the
ablution of Annamalaiyaar and Unnamulai Amman.
Several festivals dot the Tiruvannamalai
temple town's calendar. IEach occurrence of the full moon
is a celebration in itself, as hundreds of thousands
throng to circumambulate the Annamalai Hill, considered
to be a reperesentationof Annamalaiyar himself. The
festivals of the temple are remarkably intertwined with
the life of the locals, marking the so called subtle
transcendence between the human and the divine states. In
addition to the various festivals, Tiruvannamalai
celebrates four annual Bhrammotsavams (10 day festivals)
the most famous of which is the Kartikai Bhrammotsavam
(in the Tamil month of Kartikai Nov 15 - Dec 15).
The Arudra Darisanam in the month of
Margazhi (Dec 15 through Jan 15) is a celebration of the
cosmic dance of Shiva. The Tai Poosam festival which
occurs in the month of Tai (Jan 15 through Feb 15) is
also of great significance. The Tiruvoodal festival,
enacting a mock quarrel between Annamalaiyaar and
Unnamulai Amman is enacted in the presence of
Sundaramoorthy Nayanaar in the Tiruvoodal Street, a
street that has been earmarked for this annual event.
During this quarrel, Parvati enters the temple alone by
herself, leaving Shiva outside, and Shiva (Annamalaiyaar)
circumambulates the Annamalai hill (himself), and during
his trip, grants liberation to the rishi Bhringi. His
jewels get stolen in the West side of the town and he
then recovers stolen jewellery in the eastern side of the
town, and then returns to the temple the folowing
morning.
In the month of Maasi, (Feb 15 through
March 15) Shiva is crowned as the King in the absence of
a royal heir to King Ballala of the Hoysala dynasty (an
early 14th century ruler) whose statue adorns the Vallala
Gopuram. Interestingly Ballala's death is announced as an
element of the festival tradition during the Tai Poosam
celebration season. Associated with these events,
Annamalaiyaar visits Pallikondapattu, one of the villages
to the east of Tiruvannamalai, where the King's palace is
said to have stood.
The Parivettai (Royal Hunt) festival is a
part of the two Bhrammotsavams celebrated during the
winter and summer solstices. This festival represents a
royal hunt on the borders of the town.
The celebration of
Kartikai Deepam
marks the conclusion of the ten day Bhrammotsavam in the
month of Kartikai (Scorpio , Nov 15 through December 15).
Each of these festival days is marked by the procession
of the Pancha Murthys (Somaskandar (Annamalayar),
Unnamulaiyaal, Ganapati, Subramanyar and Chandikeswarar)
in gaily decorated mounts. Most noteworthy among these
are the Rishabha Vahana Utsavam celebrated on the fifth
evening of the festival and the Rathotsavam, celebrated
on the seventh day of the festival.
Kartikai Deepam is preceeded by the Bharani Deepam
celebration when a lamp is lit in the main shrine of the
temple following a fire sacrifice before the shrine of
Surya. A small bowl of ghee lighted at this fire is used
to light five other lamps representing the five aspects
of Shiva. Preparations begin for the Kartikai Deepam
which is to be celebrated in the afternoon. A group of
fishermen carry a portion of this fire inside a container
of baked earth to the summit of the mountain where a
large copper utensil filled with offerings of ghee and
pieces of cloth has been placed.
Crowds begin to throng the temple complex, and a
discernible order prevails among the crowd as the tens of
thousands gathered begin their patient wait for the
auspicious moment when the Deepam celebration would reach
its peak.
In the meanwhile, preparations go on for the
afternoon’s climax. Four of the five decorated
Pancha Murthys are are brought out from the main shrine
of the temple and housed in Vimanams in the 3rd
prakaram of the temple, facing the flag staff and the
Annamalai Hill. The last to arrive is Annamalaiyar who
comes out of the second prakaram, dancing with his
consort.
The crowd waits to catch a glimpse of the deepam which
is then brought out of the inner shrine towards the
Utsavar Annamalayaar. The anticipation of the lakhs
gathered there can only be experienced, not described in
words. The deepam is brought out in a gait by the bearers
and a deeparadanai is offered to the Utsavar, and at this
very instant, the lamp on the hill is lighted as the
crowd breaks into a frenzied devout cheer, yet retaining
the order that was there when it was just beginning to
assemble. The human mass gathered within and around the
precincts of the temple, along with the residents of the
town and neighboring towns catch sight of the flame atop
the Annamalai hill, cherishing the age old belief that it
is a representation of Shiva himself, who appeared in the
form of a flame whose origins could not be deciphered by
the other two of the Trinity namely Bhramma and Vishnu.
Keeping with tradition, the inner sanctum doors close,
with the arrival of the deepam outside, and it is
believed Annamalaiyaar is to be worshipped only as the
beacon until the next morning when the shrine is
reopened.
Tiruvannamali
(located in the erstwhile North Arcot district of
Tamilnadu) has several hotels and ashrams and it attracts
visitors from all over the world Ramanashramam and
Seshadri Swami ashram being examples. Each occurrence of
a full moon attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
The Kartikai Deepam celebration also attracts lakhs
(hundreds of thousands) to the extent that all incoming
traffic is halted at the boundary of the town on the day
of the festival. The government of Tamilnadu runs special
bus and train services during the occasion. By car, it is
a four to five hour drive from Chennai, and there are
several 'point to point' non-stop bus services.
Tiruvannamalai is located on the railway line linking
Villuppuram and Katpadi, and is therefore connected
conveniently by rail to centers such as Tirupati and
Thanjavur. Tirukkoilur with the Trivikrama temple and the
Veeratteswarar temple, Saathanur Dam, and Vellore with
its Jalakanteswarar Fort Temple are some of the nearby
attractions.
