Spiritraveller

It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least in India, that all who wish to commence a task and keep it obstacle free need to pray to Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed one. Lord Ganesha is the offspring of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. It is perhaps not as universally familiar in many parts of India that Shiva & Parvati have another son – Murugan, the dynamic warrior, Lord of action and ruler of the planet Mars, Mangal. However, as soon as one crosses southwards past the Aravali’s the legends of Lord Murugan, also known as Skanda, Kumaran, Arumugam and Karthikeya come into their own.  The first time I visited the Swaminathaswami Swamimalai Murugan temple the doors had already closed around midday. Our taxi had navigated the coconut palm tree lined sleepy back streets to deliver me to Swamimalai. Perhaps the Lord had wanted me to rest awhile in the shadow of his abode. I had booked a room for the afternoon just outside the main entrance of the temple, enjoyed a ma...

I have been going to Tirunallar for almost a decade, and every time with the same sense of expectation. It’s a beautiful journey by road whether you approach it from Kumbakonam or Puducherry. The road is dotted with paddy fields, grain heaps, temples and ponds. It’s a peaceful, verdant landscape that urbanites dream of often but seldom get to visit. Streams and small rivulets accompany the road on its journey. On my first visit years ago I paid my respects at Tirunallar, Swamimalai and Thitai over the same day – 3 very different, very blessed shrines. Tirunallar in Karaikal, Puducherry is the shrine of Lord Shiva and one of the famed Navagraha temples in the Kumbakonam region. The shrine at Tirunallar is devoted to the planet Saturn, Lord Shani – the giver, according to the scriptures, of judgements, rewards, and sometimes punishments. We go past a traffic jam of bullock carts [horns painted red and capped in shiny metal], down the lane to the temple, past a lazy elephant to ...