Installation of statues at new Shirdi Sai Baba Shrine

The upcoming Shirdi Sai Baba Shrine is planning to install statues of Ganesha, Murgan and White Nandi on September 10, 2021 the day of Ganesha Chaturthi. The Nandi statue has been created in the same white marble stone as the statue of Shirdi Sai Baba.

The photographs below were taken on August 23. First the statues are immersed in water, next the statues will be kept in individual boxes and fully covered in 9 types of grain. Finally the statues will be immersed in milk.

Facing the Shrine, Ganesha will be installed at left, Murugan at right and White Nandi on plinth in front of Shrine 

Lord Ganesha immersed in water

Lord Ganesha and Lord Murugan

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.

Mouna Swamigal, Girivalam Roadway

Yesterday I posted a narrative on my Arunachala Grace blog about Mottayan Swami (also known as Mookupodi Swami = "snuff Swami") and Kottankuchi Swamigal (the silent Swami). 

Mottayan Swami (Mookupodi Swami)

On my quest yesterday to find Kottankuchi Swamigal, (who a reader of Arunachala Grace had asked about a long time ago) I spent some time with Mouna Swamigal, a Swami living off the Girivalam roadway and who has dedicated his life to sadhana and service at various Shrines. 

Kottankuchi Swamigal

Mouna Swamigal was born in 1926 in Burma. Coincidentally Swami Ramananda who lives near the Varuna Asta Lingam (on the side of the Girivalam Roadway and near Adiannamalai) and was responsible for the renovation of Adi Annamalai Temple: 

Swami Ramananda centre in Ochre

of whom you can read about at this link here: 

Mouna Swamigal

was also born in Burma and of Tamil antecedents. On mentioning Swami Ramananda to Mouni Swamigal he told me that they knew each other very well. 

Swami at his Home off the Girivalam Roadway

Mouna Swamigal came to Tiruvannamalai 15 years ago. When he came he performed girivalam 108 times on 108 consecutive days and it was after competion of that vrata (i.e. vow) that he decided to remain at Tiruvannamalai. Due to his health and advanced years (he is 87 years old) he has not performed girivalam for about 2 years. 

Side of Compound adjacent to Trust's old Gokulam

Previously he stayed for sometime at the Vallalar Temple (off Girivalam Roadway). Later when Mouna Swamigal used to perform pujas at the Kannapar Temple he made a connection with Shantimalai Trust (who renovated that Temple) and is now living in property and land owned by Shantimalai Trust (next to the old Gokalum on Girivalam Roadway). 

Nandi near Simha Tank where Mouna Swamigal performs Puja

He currently regularly performs puja on the Nandi statue opposite his house and in front of a Simha Lion Tank. 

Panchamukhi Gayatri Shrine, Girivalam Road

On the 29th of January, 2008 the Panchamukhi Gayatri Manthralyam was inaugurated on the Arunachala girivalam roadway, next to the Annamalai Erdiner and Unnamulai Erdiner Temples. The Goddess Gayatri is considered Veda Mata (Mother of all Vedas) and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. 

Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna said of the Gayatri, that if all the truths of the Vedas were condensed into one, it would be encapsulated in the Bhagavad Gita, and if all the truth in the Gita were represented by one Universal Prayer, it would be the Gayatri Mantra. 

Gayatri is the name of one of the most important Vedic hymns consisting of twenty four syllables. The hymn is addressed to Lord Surya (Sun) as the supreme generative source. 

Shrine on Arunachala Girivalam Roadway

According to the sacred texts: Gayatri is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Gayatri is the Vedas. It was only later that Gayatri came to be personified as a Goddess. The five-faced Gayatri (Panchamukhi) is usually seated on a red lotus signifying wealth. She represents in her five faces the five pranas (life forces) and is the protector of the five pranas in man. 

"Gayantham thrayathe ithi Gaytri (Because it protects the one who recites it, it is called Gayatri)." When Gayatri acts as protector of the life-forces, she is known as Savitri. Savitri is known in a story from the Puranas, as the devoted wife who brought back to life her husband, Sathyavan. Savitri is the presiding deity of the five pranas. She protects those who lead a life of Truth. 

Gayatri Panchmukhi

Panchamukhi Gayatri wears crowns on all her five heads, and the crowns bear nine types of gems, which signify the lustre of Divine Light flowing into the heart of the aspirant. The four heads of Gayatri represent the four Vedas and the fifth head represents God. In Gayatri Amman’s ten hands she holds the symbols of Lord Vishnu. The weapons held by the ten hands of this Goddess give divine protection and the desired boon of the aspirant, at the same time all enemies who are working unfavourably against the devotee are destroyed. 

Poster Shrine Wall, showing Sri Panchamukhi Gayatri's form

It is believed that darshan of the five faces of the Gayatri idol is capable of removing any great sin we have committed and also grants Divine Grace from Lord Shiva. The eyes of the five-faced Gayatri are watching in ten directions (four cardinal points, four inter-cardinal points, plus the Sky and Earth) for the purpose of destroying the bad and protecting the good. 

The significance of the ten hands of Gayatri Amman represents five types of Sukhas (comforts) obtainable from earth and the other five hands signify five types of Divine bliss obtainable from the Divine and Spiritual lokas. 

Recitation of Gayatri Mantra:

Om 

Bhur Bhuva Suvaha 

Tat Savitur Varenyam 

Bhargo Devasaya Dheemahi 

Dhiyo yonah Prachodayat 

Translation of the mantra: 

Om We meditate upon the spiritual Effulgence of that Adorable supreme Divine Reality, the Source of the physical, the Astral and the Heavenly Spheres of Existence. May that Supreme Divine Being enlighten our intellect so that we may realise the Supreme Truth. 

Rajarajeshwari Puja

The Rajarajeshwari Temple which is set on the Girivalam Hillround Roadway at Parvati Hill, is undeniably one of my favourite Tiruvannamalai Temples. To learn more about the history of this shakti and love-filled Temple and the family who have developed it, go to this link here.








The Temple although small has several fascinating and unique features, one being the presence of the powerful Sri Meru Yantra in the inner sanctum sanctorum at the feet of the Goddess Rajarajeshwari.







Another interesting aspect of this Temple, is the presence of statue representations of the Dasa Mahavidyas which are worshipped independently to the Goddess in the Temple's Shrine room.

”The feminine aspect of the Divine represents knowledge (wisdom) and also what is hidden, secret, subtle and sensitive, what has to be searched out and discovered. The Goddess who represents both the teaching and its comprehension, is thus the inner guiding power. She represents creation on all levels, expressed through her Ten Wisdom Forms (Dasa Mahavidyas) and their different functions.”

For more information and to view photographs of the Dasa Mahavidyas go to this link here.







The puja photographs accompanying this posting are of a puja dedicated to the Goddess and included sutras such as Sri Sukta, Rajarajeshwari Stotram and the Lalita Sahasranama. The Homam lasted nearly five hours, and was performed by five priests and included abhiskeham of the Goddess and the Sri Meru Yantra.








This particular Temple specialises in performing pujas dedicated to the auspicious aspect of the Goddess. To view photographs of an even more elaborate puja go to this link here.































To learn more about how to arrange a homam to be performed at the Rajarajeshwari Temple please use the 'contact me' at the top left of this page.