The Dasha Lingams: Surya Lingam

The arrangement of the Asta Lingams around the octagonal perimeter of Arunachala reflects the geometry of a Cosmogram. The octagonal shape is surrounded by a total of eight Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their eight cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life in relation to specific fields of energy and influence. 

For more information about the asta lingams, go to this link here: 

The guardians of the four cardinal directions are called the Lokapalas and are the deities who rule the specific directions of space. The name for the eight deities, four of the cardinal and four of the intercardinal directions is 'Asta-Dikpalas.’ 

Asta Lingams: 

Indra Lingam (East) 

Agni Lingam (South East) 

Yama Lingam (South) 

Niruthi Lingam (South West) 

Varuna Lingam (West) 

Vayu Lingam (North West) 

Kubera Lingam (North) 

Esanya Lingam (North East) 

The Lingams have the dominant Navagraha of the God to whom they are associated. It is believed that placating a specific Lingam will bring various benefits that are associated with the respective Navagraha. 

As well as the Asta Lingams which I have given details of in the above link, there are two additional Lingams on the girivalam roadway which according to the oral tradition of the region are part of what is considered the “Dasha Lingams” of Arunachala. 

Those two additional Lingams are the Chandra Lingam and the Surya Lingam. My previous post gave information and photographs of the Chandra Lingam, and this posting is about the Surya Lingam located on the Arunachala Girivalam Roadway.

Surya-Arunachala Mythology 

There is a vast amount of mythology in connection with Lord Surya at Arunachala which I have written about in my Arunachala Grace Blog. In ths regard to view a fascinating post of the Surya-Arunachala mythology, go to this link here. 

Surya and Chandra Lingams at gateway of Arunachala Lingam

Its interesting to note the juxtaposition of Chandra and Surya Lingams in the map (above) of the Pradakshina Shrines to the map (below) of Arunachaleswarar Temple’s Moolasthanam, where the lingams are next to the Pradosha Nandi at the entrance to the inner shrine. 

Oral tradition reports that the similarity of the juxtaposition of Surya and Chandra Lingams at the gateway of the Lingam of Arunachala Hill and the Shiva Lingam at Arunachaleswarar Temple’s Moolasthanam, was created intentionally.

 Surya and Chandra Lingams at gateway of Shiva Moolasthanam

Lord Surya 

Surya, the Sun, is God incarnate in solar form, a glorious, shining golden visible every day. He is Astamurthi, one of the eight forms of Shiva. The Sun alone is the pivot of the entire Universe, the dispeller of darkness, and root cause of the three worlds. He is the deity of great brilliance and is considered the Supreme Soul. There are many names of Lord Surya and each name refers to a quality of consciousness; Aditya, Savita, Surya, Mihira, Arka, Prabhakara, Martanda, Bhaskara, Bhanu, Chitrabhanu, Divakara and Ravi. 

Surya is the chief of the Navagrahas and is often depicted riding a chariot harnessed by seven horses which represent the seven solar rays, the seven chakras of the body and the seven days of the week. 

Lord Surya on his Chariot

Surya's sons, Shani and Yama are responsible for the judgment of human life. Shani provides the results of one's deeds during one's life through appropriate punishments and rewards while Yama grants the results of one's deeds after death. 

In Vedic astrology Surya is considered a malefic on account of His hot, dry nature. Surya represents soul, will-power, fame, the eyes, general vitality, courage, kingship, father, authority figures, benevolence, generosity, grandeur, dignity, and friendliness. 

Surya has the following associations: 

Animals: Deer, Tiger, Lion 

Bird: Goose 

Gem: Ruby 

Metals: Copper and Gold 

Direction: East 

Food: Wheat 

Sign: Leo 

Day: Sunday 

In Tantra yoga, Surya, the planetary deity of the Sun, represents the universal male principal, while Chandra, the Moon, represents the universal female or shakti principle. Surya is also associated with Agni, the god of fire. 

The Surya Lingam 

Darshan of Arunachala from Lingam

Entrance to Surya Lingam

Moopanar Swamigal who was responsible for the restoration of the Ashta Lingams at Arunachala, did not have anything to do with restoration work at either the Surya or Chandra Lingams. 

Ancient carvings inside doorway to Lingam compound

Number of carvings at doorway

Surya Lingam in newly renovated compound

Surya Lingam is located after Gautama Ashram and before Varuna Lingam on the leftside of the Girivalam Roadway. Including two buildings connected to Lingam priests, the area on which Surya Lingam is situated on less than 1/2 an acre. In 2016 renovation work financed by a family in Chennai, was completed at the Lingam. 

Surya Lingam with Nandi in front

I hope to post more information about this Lingam shortly on my Arunachala Samudra website.

The Dasha Lingams: Chandra Lingam

By the turn of the Twentieth Century many of the shrines, temples and theertams at Arunachala were in a state of neglect and decay. In the case of the Asta Lingams the areas around the shrines were filled with squatters and encroachments and the Asta Lingams shrines themselves were unmaintained and their worship ignored. 

It is believed by many that the work done by I.S.V. Arunachala Moopanar (Moopanar Swamigal) renovating and restoring the Asta Lingams and their adjacent land, was responsible for helping to re-establish the energetic power of the sacred geometry of Arunachala. To read about the life of Moopanar Swamigal and his work with the restoration of the Asta Lingams go to this link here. 

The arrangement of the Asta Lingams around the octagonal perimeter of Arunachala reflects the geometry of a Cosmogram. The octagonal shape is surrounded by a total of eight Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their eight cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life in relation to specific fields of energy and influence. 

The guardians of the four cardinal directions are called the Lokapalas and are the deities who rule the specific directions of space. The name for the eight deities, four of the cardinal and four of the intercardinal directions is 'Asta-Dikpalas.’ 

To read more details about the Asta Lingams and their sacred geometry as it pertains to the Arunachala energy field, visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here. 

Right-click on all below diagrams and photographs to view enlargements 

The lingams underlined on above map

Asta lingams: 

Indra Lingam (East) 

Agni Lingam (South East) 

Yama Lingam (South) 

Niruthi Lingam (South West) 

Varuna Lingam (West) 

Vayu Lingam (North West) 

Kubera Lingam (North) 

Esanya Lingam (North East) 

The Lingams have the dominant Navagraha of the God to whom they are associated. It is believed that placating a specific Lingam will bring various benefits that are associated with the respective Navagraha. 

As well as the Asta Lingams which I have given details of above, there are two additional Lingams on the girivalam roadway which according to the oral tradition of the region are part of what is considered the “Dasha Lingams” of Arunachala. 

Those two additional Lingams are the Chandra Lingam and the Surya Lingam. This post gives information and photographs about the Chandra Lingam on the Arunachala Hillroad. I hope to make a posting on the Surya Lingam soon. 

Chandra Lingam Kanji Road 

A Temple dedicated to Chandra Lingam has been located at the same spot on Kanji Road for what is believed to be hundreds of years. However as was the case with the Asta Lingams, the Chandra Lingam in the same way lapsed into a neglected and dilapidated condition due to lack of maintenance. In addition the Compound was also taken over by squatters. 

A devotee working as Village Administrative Officer persuaded the Municipality to evict all squatters, take back control of the Temple Compound and lands and thereupon start work on a reconstruction programme of the Shrine at the very same spot. This work which was undertaken some 10 years ago, has  been completed and the actual Chandra Lingam which was moved to the Indra Lingam Shrine on Car Street for safe keeping during Temple reconstruction, is now installed in the newly renovated Chandra Lingam’s Garbagriha. 

Chandra Lingam, Kanji Road

There are a number of interesting facts about the Chandra Lingam Shrine. One is that underneath the Lingam is an ancient magnetic rock which originates from the Himalayas. Another aspect is the statue of the White Nandi which does not face the Chandra Lingam and instead faces directly towards Arunachala—was purposely created at Kasi with horns specifically shaped in the form of moon crescents.

Newly rebuilt (in the same spot) Chandra Lingam Shrine

Chandra has the following associations: 

Colour: white 

Gender: female 

Metal: silver 

Gemstones: pearl and moonstone 

Element: water 

Direction: north-west 

Season: Winter 

Body part: blood 

Food: rice 

Taste: salt 

Day: Monday 

Guna: Sattwa 

The Sun is the indicator of the soul and the Moon is the vehicle of the mind that receives the light of the soul. Even though all the Navagrahas are represented at Arunachala, the Moon with its particular association with Lord Shiva (Chandrasekhara) has an extraordinary influence. 

Black Nandi facing the Chandra Lingam

There are a number of statues of Lord Shiva at the Shrine showing him wearing the crescent moon. Lord Shiva is also known as Chandrasekhara, which literally refers to the 'Person who wears the moon'. In some cultures the appearance of the new crescent moon has been celebrated as a return of the moon from the dead. This celestial body is a powerful influence on the human psyche. Its influence which is always available at Arunachala is celebrated in disparate ways during Sivaratri and Poornima. It is also recognised in all Pradoshams that fall on Mondays. 

Lord Chandrasekhara with crescent moon

Lord Shiva wears on his head the crescent of the fifth-day moon. Placed near his fiery third eye this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of Moon and signifies that Shiva possesses the power of procreation co-existent with that of destruction. 

Statues of Lord Chandrasekhara throughout Temple

Lord Chandrasekhara over doorway leading to Garbagriha

In one legend, Chandra is considered the son of the ocean as he was one of the fourteen ratnas (Jewels) that emerged from the ocean during its churning and was gifted, by the Gods and Demons to Lord Shiva, who wore the crescent moon on his head. 

Unique White Nandi created in Kasi at Shrine

Chandra is a lovable God; pleasing to children as well as elders. Sages and devotees invoke the Goddess in Chandra. A benefic Moon is often found in the charts of doctors, healers or psychologists, as well as good mothers and wives. A strong Moon can give power and creates a good administrator or leader open to the needs of his people and indicates relationship, interchange, and communication. A strong Moon also shows sensitivity, receptivity, caring for others and a nurturing attitude in life. It gives emotional maturity, responsibility and the capacity to have a beneficial effect upon society. 

White Nandi's horns shaped to look like Crescent Moons

The moon has two stages; one from new moon day to full moon day i.e. the waxing period of the moon. During this period it is considered to be particularly auspicious to undertake new ventures and celebrate functions. Conversely the period from the full moon day to the new moon day, the waning period of the moon it is considered to be best to avoid undertaking new ventures and enterprises.

White Nandi faces Arunachala not the Lingam

Significance of Arunachala Girivalam Asta Lingams

Mooppanar Swami came to Arunachala from Tiruveneli around 1968 and became very well known throughout the Arunachala area. He was a devout, spiritual man who placed great emphasis on spiritual service. When he arrived at Arunachala, things were rather different to the present time and what particularly distressed Mooppanar Swami was the dreadful, neglected condition of the Asta Lingams (8 Lingams) that surrounded Arunachala. Mooppanar Swami used to spend a lot of time meditating and praying at the big Temple and he eventually came to believe that his mission directly imposed by Arunachaleswarar was to renovate the Asta Lingams. 

He was convinced that the restoration of the Lingam Shrines was essential to the revitalisation of specific fields of energy and influence surrounding the Hill. Through a combination of various social reasons, over the last few centuries Temples and Shrines throughout India had fallen into disuse and decay. This certainly occurred at Tiruvannamalai where the situation had become so bad that The Asta Lingams were even taken over by squatters and homesteaders. It is said that Mooppanar Swami would even resort to driving the squatters off the Lingam premises with a stick! 

The Hill which is octagonal in shape is surrounded by a total of 8 Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their 8 cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life, namely: 

East, Indra Lingam, Sun 

South East, Agni Lingam, Fire 

South, Yama Lingam, Death 

South West, Niruthi Lingam, Growth 

West, Varuna Lingam, Rain 

Northwest, Vayu Lingam, Air 

North, Kubera Lingam, Wealth 

North East, Easanya Lingam, Peace 

Restoration of the actual Asta Lingams is now complete; although development of land attached to the Lingams still continues. Many people believe that the revitalisation of the Lingams is in some way responsible to the sudden revival of interest in Arunachala. 

Map of Asta Lingams at Niruddhi Lingam

Life and Work of Arunachala Mooppanar (I.S.V. Arunachala Mooppanar) 

It was late evening, Saturday, April 10, 1999, when I.S.V. Arunachala Mooppanar (lovingly referred to as Mooppanar Swamigal), shed his mortal coil to reach the Feet of Lord Annamalaiyar, as Lord Siva is known in Tiruvannamalai. He was 76. It was a great loss to all those who had come to know and love him for his selfless life as a sivathondan, servant of Siva. In Tiruvannamalai, where he had spent the last 35 years, he was referred to as the 64th Nayanar (the saints of Tamil Saivism)--a place he richly deserved. 

Mooppanar led a married life for 22 years. Having no children, he adopted his elder brother's son and daughter when the former remarried on the demise of his first wife. When the daughter reached marriageable age, she died suddenly through illness. This was traumatic for Mooppanar. The son was then in the 8th standard, and Mooppanar viewed his own life to date. He questioned, "Is this all there is to life? There has been no real happiness so far. Am I going to spend the rest of my life looking after the boy?" Dispassion set in, and soon he felt the need for a more meaningful life. It was then that he made the momentous decision to leave everything behind and come to Tiruvannamalai to serve Lord Siva by offering sambrani dhupam, a traditional temple incense, to the Lord. 

Thus it was that, having made provisions for his family, he arrived in Tiruvannamalai around 1965. On his arrival he met the chief priest, Ramalinga Sivachariar. The priest told him that what he had in mind would neither provide a roof over his head nor food for his hungry stomach. Ramalinga Sivachariar offered him a job selling panchamritam, a sacred blend of five fruits, at the temple shop jointly run by him and another priest. He also encouraged Mooppanar to carry on with his Siva puja (his puja items, now stored in the premises of the Kubera Lingam, are worth not less than Rs. 30,000). For the next five years he ran the panchamritam shop. There was neither gain nor loss. This too, he felt, was not his destiny. The opportunity to do thirupani, temple renovation, came when the owner of Udupi Brindhavan Lodge offered him free board and lodging. Freed from the burden of earning a living, he embarked on his ashtalinga thirupani in earnest. In the beginning he was given encouragement and help by one Ramanananda Swami. 

The 14-kilometer circumference of the holy Arunachala Hill is dotted with several small shrines, including the Ashtalingams (eight Siva icons). Neglected over the years, these shrines had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Mooppanar felt it was his destiny to restore them to their original glory. With this in mind, he approached the temple authorities, as all these shrines belong to the temple. The officer asked, "How are you going to carry out your renovation?" 

Mooppanar replied, "There will be no committee. Siva is the boss, and I am the servant." The officer told him to carry on, if he had that much faith in himself. The temple would not interfere as long as he did not seek financial assistance from them. Thus began the arduous task of restoration. He first started on a small scale, doing minor repairs. 

Later, as more money came in, he undertook restoration on a grander scale--providing electricity, drilling bore wells and building tanks for water storage. Cottages for the devotees have been built at Yama Lingam, Nirudhi Lingam, Palani Aandavar Koil, Surya Lingam, Varuna Lingam, Vayu Lingam and Kubera Lingam. 

Mooppanar told devotees, "I am not doing this out of desire. I am a sivanadiyar, slave of Siva, born a human and a Saivite, and doing Siva puja (worship rite) for more than 25 years. If I do not carry out the repairs and restoration, there is no point in having taken birth. I have come for that purpose." 

Toward the end of 1998 he had to discontinue his elaborate Siva puja due to ill health--diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart attack--brought on by stress caused by opposition from certain quarters that stood to lose when Mooppanar went to court to repossess property that rightfully belonged to the Ashtalingams. Over the years he had successfully gone to court more than once to reclaim Ashtalingam property. At the time of his death, there was a court case pending for Isanya Lingam, the eighth Ashtalingam, where work is currently in progress. From memory, he could give the actual acreage of each shrine. 

On the first of every Tamil calendar month, he would walk around the hill at night, performing abhishekam, ritual bathing, and puja at every shrine. In the early days, barrels of water and items for abhishekam would be carried in a push cart from shrine to shrine by a devoted band of followers. This went on for many years. Following his heart attack at the end of 1998, he was unable to walk around the hill. 

Swamiji had great compassion for cows. Every morning, on the way to the temple, he would stop at the cowshed to feed the cows and calves tidbits that he would pick up from the hotel. Through his devotees, he had contributed a few animals to the temple. At his request one devotee built a permanent shelter for the animals. On a regular basis he would have agathi leaves bought for the cows, a treat for them. Only after darshan of Lord Annamalaiyar and Unnamulai Amman would he have breakfast himself.

A man of discipline and self-control, he never imposed himself on anyone. Though he had free lodging, whenever the hotel was full, he would sleep in the corridor. He never visited old people or young children without taking some food for them. He would buy loose flowers for the Lord on his way to the temple every morning. 

When Mooppannar was hospitalized following a heart attack in early April, 1999, his devotees wanted to take him to Chennai for treatment. He refused. If he should die, it had to be in Tiruvannamalai. He was adamant about this and he breathed his last in this sanctified place. 

He was well-read and could recount stories from the Puranas. His stories would be interspersed with plaintive refrains from songs in praise of Lord Siva. In the early days he had accompanied the chief priest when the latter conducted temple consecrations in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Mooppanar was assistant in charge of everything. 

Mooppanar appointed five trustees to carry on the work after him. He also put some money in fixed deposit, the interest from which was to help to maintain the shrines he had restored. 

A large crowd gathered for his funeral. Garlands were in abundance, so much so that the path to the cremation site was lined with them. No one would accept money for services rendered during the funeral. Even the hospital where he received treatment refused to accept any form of payment from the trustees. Though small in stature, he was a giant among men. He feared no one. There are plans afoot to have a statue of Mooppanar erected in the grounds of Kubera Lingam. Palms together, he will be facing the hill. It is hoped that the trustees fulfill Mooppanar's dream by completing the restorations he dedicated his life to. 

[By Rajeswari Nagalingam] 

For more information about the Asta Lingams, and to learn about their esoteric significance visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here.