Bhavani- பவானி மூக்கூடல்
Mukkoodal- another Prayag that I visited by the end of this year
is Bhavani, where the rivers Kauvery and Bhavani merge. It is said that the
river amudha Nadhi also flows invisible in this region, making it as Mukkoodal (Merge
of 3 rivers). This city is also called the carpet city, the leading business of
the city is carpet industry.
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| Wonderful sculptures on the pillars of the temple |
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| Southern Triveni Sangamam or Mukkoodal |
We booked a cab from Erode railway junction, and we reached
the temple at the junction of this prayag, Lord shiva seated as Sangameshwarar
and Goddess Parvathi as Vedha Nayagi. We
reached the temple at 4 PM and had the darshan of the God & Goddess
offering Bilva & Arali for them respectively. God Shiva is in his usual
form- Linga and Devi is cute tiny little girl with a glowing Mookuthi, an
ornament worn in the nose, hence she is also called “NasikaBhushani”.
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| Temple Gopuram |
The temple is simple & beautiful. The sculptures in the
Mandapam before entering the sanctum of goddess stands proof of yet another
sample for Vijayanagar art & architecture. There are sculptures of soldiers
on Horse and Yazhi, it may be portrayed as part lion, part elephant and part
horse, and in similar shapes in many temples. It is a mythical creature seen in
many temples, might have become extinct, who knows?? These soldiers on every
pillar are at the entrance of the mandapam. There are girls in the side. One
among who is named “Smiling damsel” (Sirikkum Paavai). From wherever you look
at this statue, she will smile at you.
The tails and the ropes of the horses are beautifully carved
and are evidence of the ancient architecture & cultural back ground and the
meticulous work of the artists. The ceiling of the mandapam is yet another
thing that will attract the attention of the art lovers. Me & my uncle
couldn’t take our eyes of it for a long time. It is a square structure with
Gods or the devathas playing Indian classical instruments like veena,
Mirdhangam, Tambura & few dancing. Goddess with several hands, a women
giving dance poses are seen carved in the ceiling.
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| The ceiling of the Mandapam leading to Ambal Sannadhi |
The sanctum of Goddess vedha nayagi is simple & the
praharam has the pictures of Parvathi in various forms in tamil nadu– Akilandeswari, raja rajeshwari,
Bhuvaneshwari, Abirami, lalithambal, Meenakshi, kamakshi, brahan nayaki, and
many more.
The Palli arai or the bed room of the God & goddess have
a cradle made of Ivory. This Ivory cradle had been signed & donated to the
temple by then British collector of the Coimbatore district, William Garrow in
1804. It is said that he was staying in the inspection bungalow near the
temple. It was raining heavily. The collector was sleeping in the hall.Lord
vedha nayagi came in the form of young girl and woke up the collector at mid
night and brought him out of the bungalow.As soon as the collector came out the
bungalow, the roof of the bungalow fell down. The girl ran in to the temple
& disappeared. The temple aacharya told the collector that the girl who
saved his life was actually Lord Vedhanayagi ambal.The collector wished to see the
ambal deity. Hence three holes were made in the eastern side compound wall
viewing the sanctum sanctorium.The collector offered his prayer to Ambal
through the holes. On seeing the Ambal, collector confirmed that the girl who
saved his life was none but vedha nayagi herself and presented a cradle made of
ivory as his gift to the temple on 11-01-1804 as a mark of his respect with his
official signature engraved on it. The ivory cradle is kept in tact in the
Palli arai or sayana Alayam. The three holes through which the collector
worshipped the goddess are seen still in the compound wall of the temple. This
is the greatness of the Goddess Lord vedhanayagi Amman who is also called
Bhavani Amman.
We can still find the ivory cradle in the praharam of the
Ambal sannadhi.
Another speciality of this temple is you can also see
special Sannadhi for Lord Vishnu in the form of Adhi varaha perumal, Lakshmi narasimhar,
Santhana Gopala krishnar and Bama Rukmini samaetha Krishnar within the temple.
This is the second place nect to Chidambaram where I saw special sannadhi for
Lord Vishnu within the temple premises of Lord Shiva.
To enjoy the architecture one must definitely visit this
temple. The outer Mandapam of Vishnu sannadhi has satatues of Dasavatharam, the
10 avatharas of lord Vishnu, Gaja Lakshmi, The Naalvar (Appar, Sundarar,
Manikkavasagar, Thirunavukkarasar), The statue of Kannapa nayanar piercing his
eyes to place on the shiva linga which is bleeding on which he has placed his
leg, Chidambaram Natarajar
There is special sannadhi for Kala Bhairavar in the outer premesis of the temple.
Going to bhavani during the tamil month of Aadi will be
a visual treat as one can also enjoy the beauty of the river full of water. The
time we went was off the season & there was little water stagnant in few
places.
Visitors & devotees of the temple are requested to keep the temple clean.Temples of tamilnadu are the evidence of the greatness of our ancestors and tamil people who have been versatile and had a rich cultural taste. Every pillar and statute tell us the time spent and skill of the artists of those days. It also tells us the interest of the people and the more religious alignment of the people. When we understand the scientific reason behind the engineering & architecture, it really makes me open my mouth with awe. How great our ancestors have been and we can proudly state that we are one among the richest civilization. So, may be in the years that follow, where our growth is more technology driven, we must at least take some time and effort saving all these treasures our ancestors have left us making us wonder after several centuries.
For more details refer the links below
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