Talking about my Native Place-Sholinghur or CholaSimhapuram

View of both Hill temples in Sholinghur

I am glad to post this 150th article in my blog about my native place "Sholinghur" and about the famous temples in the town. 


Just like anyone, I have very sweet memories of the place where I was born and spent my school days in Goodlet High School managed by Church of South India. 

                                        Goodlet High School
( I left the place in 1966 and came to Chennai where all important events in my life like Graduation,Employment,Marriage etc took place. I am at present settled in Chennai in my own house.)


Now let me take you to my native place.


Sholinghur which is also called as Chozha Lingapuram (in short Sholingapuram ) and also called as  CholaSimhapuram is located in Vellore District. It is a famous Vaishnavite pilgrim place with two hill temples.


Sholinghur was ruled by the Chola Empire, Nawabs of Arcot and Tippu Sultan.Sholinghur also has a historical significance. It was here that Sir Eyre Coote fought against Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali in the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Transport:
It is just 27 K.m. away from Arakkonam on the Bangalore-ChennaiTrain Route. Easy transport facility is also available from Chennai, Vellore,Chittor, Tiruttani, Arakkonam and Arcot. People alight at Arakkonam junction and come to this place. 

1. Distance from Chennai 110 K.M 2. Distance from Vellor 50 K.M 3. Distance from Tiruttani 27 K.M 4. Distance from Arakonam 27 K.M 5. Distance from Arcot 31 K.M

There is Railway Station in the name of Sholinghur, but it is not in Sholinghur town proper. The station is in a place called Banavaram which is 13 kms from Sholinghur.


 There are direct buses from Chennai to Sholinghur. Or you can take a direct bus from Chennai to Thiruthani ( famous Murugan temple town) and from there you can get plenty of buses to Sholinghur.


You have to take an auto from Sholingur bus stand to go to Kondapalayam where the both Narasimhar and Anjaneya temple hills are situated.

The town is famous for the hill temples at its outskirts i)Sri Yoga Narasimhar (1305 steps) located on the top of the hill Ghatikachala and Sri Yoga Anjaneya Swamy hill temple (406 steps). It is one of the 108 Divya Desams - sacred places in Hinduism. The temples are located on two hillocks. 


The Thakkan Kulam located on the way to the hills, is a big pond with 45 feet Anjaneyar statue & temple. Also, the town has war monument built by Tippu sultan at 1784 A.D during Second Anglo-Mysore War. 

Thakkan kulam

Anjaneyar statue

Temple of Yoga Narasimhar (Big Hill Temple):

                                        View of Big Hill


The Big  hill which is the abode of Lord Yoga Narasimha Swami 
is of 750 feet height with steps  of 1305.

           

                                                  ShriYoga Narasimhar 




Lord Narasimha with Sangu Chakram, Salakirama Haram,yoga peetam, korai teeth, long nails and strong hair gives darshan to the people as santhamurthi.

The Lord is praised by Thirumangai Alvar, Peyalvar and Nammalvar.  They praise him as Ilangkumaran and Akkarakani.

 

                                        Shri Amirdhavalli thayar

There was a separate temple for Amirthavalli Thayar on the Big  Hill  Previously. Now the Thayar  Shrine  has  been consider nearer to the Santum Sanctorum of Perumal. Procession Deity of Thayar is also kept there.

Yoga Anjaneya Temple(Small Hill Temple):

The Small Hill which is the abode of Yoga Anjeneya Swami is of 350 feet height with 406 steps.

                                                    Yoga Anjeneya
  It is a pleasant sight to see the Lord in the  Yoga form with  Sanguchakram. This form is the unique  one  in our country.

There are lots of monkeys on both the hills.The best way to stay safe from the monkeys is by not teasing them and not carrying anything in the hands that is visible..preferably dont carry anything.There are shops  midway that sell juices and snacks. Also different types of prasadam are available in the temple premises. So one need not carry any food item with them.

Temple in the Town: Bakthavatsala Perumal Temple


There is another temple in the town which is near the Bus stand.

Moolavar - Not present
Uthsavar - Bakthavatsala Perumal (Thakkaan)

One can have Darshan of Adikesava perumal at the rear end  of  this  temple only on  certain  occasions.  There  are  separate  sannathis  for  Andaal, Azhwaars, Erumbiyappa, and Thottaachaarya.


Accommodation:


There are many private cottages and chatrams where one can get accommodation at reasonable rents.

(Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholinghur
http://www.sholinghurnarasimhar.com/eSholinghurhistory.html)

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World's second-tallest Shiva statue, Murudeshwara Temple

                                                              Gopura of Murudeshwara Temple and Statue of Lord Shiva


Murudeshwara (Kannada: ಮುರುಡೇಶ್ವರ) is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Famous for the world's second-tallest Shiva statue, Murudeshwara beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

Major attractions

• Murudeshwara Temple and Raja Gopura: This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is constructed at the temple. Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. The entire temple and temple complex, including the 237.5 feet tall Raja Gopura, is one among the tallest, was constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist Mr R. N. Shetty.

The temple is entirely modernised with exception of the Sanctum Sanctorum which is still dark and retains its composure. The Main deity is Sri Mridesa Linga, also called Murudeswara. The linga is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga and is about 2feet below ground level. The devotees performing special sevas like Abhisheka, Rudrabhisheka, Rathotsava etc. can view the deity by standing before the threshold of the Sanctum and the Lingam is illuminated by oil lamps held close by the priests. The Lingam is essentially a rough rock inside a hollowed spot in the ground. Entry into the Sanctum is banned for all devotees.

• Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the SECOND tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world as the first tallest is located in (Nepal)and is made by Mr.Kamal Jain,this is 143 ft.high and the statue is called ( Kailashnath Mahadev ).
• The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million Rs. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling. Originally, the statue had four arms, and was adorned in gold paint. However, large wind gusts blew the arm off (the one that held a small drum), and rains dissolved the paint.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murudeshwara

Some Pictures of the Temple and the Shiva Idol:

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Twelve Jyotirlinga Shrines in India

A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam (Hindi: ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग) is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam (pillar) of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_12_Jyotirlingas-Map.jpg

The following slogam explains the twelve points in India where the Jyotir Lingams are situated

Saurashtre Somanaatham Cha Sree Saile Mallikarjunam
Ujjayinyaam Mahaakaalam Omkaare Mamaleswaram
Himalaye to Kedaram Daakinyaam Bhimashankaram
Vaaranaasyaam cha Viswesam Trayambakam Gowtameethate
Paralyaam Vaidyanaatham cha Naagesam Daarukaavane
Setubandhe Ramesham Grushnesam cha Shivaalaye || 

Source:http://www.vedarahasya.net/jyotir.htm

The Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines or the 12 shrines enshrining Shiva in the form of a Jyotirlingam, have been held in reverence since time immemorial in the Indian system of beliefs. The southernmost of these is located at Rameswaram, while the northernmost is located in the snowy heights of the Himalayas at Kedarnath. These temples are closely linked with legends from the puranas and are rich in history and tradition.

1.Somnath is the foremost of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shrines of Shiva, held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, traditions and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

2. Ujjain - Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga shrine The ancient and historic city of Ujjain or Avanti in Madhya Pradesh  is home to the Jyotirlinga shrine ofMahakaleshwar.

3. Omkareshwar: an island in the course of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh  is home to theOmkareshwar Jyotirlinga shrine and the Amareshwar temple.

4. Kedarnath - the Northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow clad Himalayas is an ancient shrine rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only on foot, six months in a year.

5.Sree Sailam - Sree Sailam near Kurnool enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple rich in architectural and sculptural wealth. Aadi Sankaracharya composed his Sivanandalahiri here.

6.Bhimashankar - Jyotirlinga Shrine is associated with the legend of Shiva destroying the demon Tripurasura. Bhimashankar is located in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, accessed from Pune.

7.Varanasi - The most celebrated pilgrimage site in India TheVishwanath temple in Benares in Uttar Pradesh  is the goal of the thousands of pilgrims that visit this ancient city. The Vishwanath shrine is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

8.Tryambakeshwar -  The origin of the river Godavari is intimately linked with thisJyotirlinga shrine near Nasik in Maharashtra.Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Shrineis a temple located in the vicinity of the tourist town of Ellora, which has several rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium CE.

9.Vaidyanath temple at DeogarhThe ancient pilgrimage town ofDeogarh in the Santal Parganas area of Bihar is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

10.Nageshwar near Dwarka in Gujarat  is one of the 12Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

11.Rameswaram: This vast temple in the island of Rameswaram, in Southern Tamilnadu enshrines Ramalingeswarar, and is revered as the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.

12.Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Shrineis a temple located in the vicinity of the tourist town of Ellora, which has several rock cut monuments from the 1st millennium CE.

Source:http://www.templenet.com/jyotir.html

Other links:http://www.jyotirlingatemples.com/

http://www.nivalink.com/pilgrimage/jyotirlinga.html

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World's Biggest Hindu Temple - 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a 100-acre Hindu temple complex in New Delhi, India. It aims to showcase Hinduism's ancient art, culture and spiritual heritage.

Since its opening in November 2005, Swaminarayan Akshardham has become a popular landmark of India's cultural and religious landscape, attracting more than five million visitors a year. It featured in the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records book for being the largest Hindu temple in the world.

Lotus garden

Over 60 acres of the complex comprise various forms of landscaping. One part is the Lotus Garden, a lotus-shaped sunken garden with messages from great world thinkers sharing their faith in God and humanity.

Largest Hindu temple in the world

The central feature of the complex is the ornately hand-carved stone temple, ormandir. Built according to ancient Vedic texts, and measuring 356 ft (109 m) long, 316 ft (96 m) wide and 141 ft (43 m) high, it is the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple.

It was built within five years by 11,000 artisans and volunteers of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international socio-religious organisation. ..

Exterior carvings

The outer wall of the temple is profusely covered with 200 stone figures of India's sages and intricate depictions of nature.

Temple sanctum

Enshrined in the temple's inner sanctum is an 11 ft.-high gilded murti (sacred image) of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the deity to whom the temple and complex are dedicated. Other images include those of popular Hindu deities and spiritual leaders of the Swaminarayan tradition.

Interior carvings

The temple is a fusion of pink sandstone on the outside and white marble on the inside, but with no structural steel used anywhere. The interior is filled with 234 ornately carved pillars, 9 ornate domes, and intricately designed ceilings. In total, there are more than 20,000 carved figures.

Elephant plinth

The temple stands on a 1,070 ft..-long plinth of 148 full-sized elephants carved entirely from stone. Together, they weigh 3,000 tonnes.

Stone colonnade

The temple and its surrounding area are garlanded by a 3,000 ft (214 m)-long two-tiered stone colonnade. It features 1,152 pillars, 145 windows and 154 cupolas.

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