Recently I went to Thirunelveli on Sep 25th and 26th on a two day expedition trip.
I started from Bangalore and reached Thiruneveli on Sep 25th Morning. I had hired a taxi for 2 day package. The purpose was basically to explore unknown temples, bit of trekking, roaming in dense forest and observe whatever I could of the village life of Tirunelveli.
The temples I covered are as below: I will guide the visitors on each one of this temples for its background, why picked up etc. (only for those of rare nature, I will provide more details because famous temples people will figure out one way or other).
Day 1:
- Seevalaperi Sudalai Madan Samy temple .(சீவலபேரி in tamil)
- Papapansam -- Agasthiar Falls Cave Temple for Shiva.
- Sori Muthu ayyanar temple, karaiyar Forest Area.
- Papanasam Shivan temple.
Day 2:
- Karisulndamangalam Kanaka Sabapathy Temple.
- Kodaganallur Kalaisanathar temple
- karisulndamangalam Aatru karai Sudalai Madaswamy Temple
- Karadimadaswamy temple ( with a bull face)
- Palaveskaran temple.
- Kazhugumalai Jain Sculptures and Ayyanar Temple.
Let me start with
Seevalaperi Sudalai Madan temple .
Sudalai Madan is one of the shiva bhutas belonging to Ghost category. In Srimad Bhagavatam, while describing Shiva's Veerabharda destroying the Daskha sacrifice, many type of vedhalas, predhas, ganas, ghosts , vinayaka ganas are described.
Sudalai Madan is a one such Bhuta deity. He is very ferocious looking and accepts animal sacrifices.
Infact Sudalai Madan lives near graveyards, eats the remnants of corpses and is a faithful servant of Lord Shiva. The village folk history says that this deity has come down from Shiva's original Abode Kailasam as he frequently visited graveyards and started eating corpses and hence quite not fit to continue as a gana in Kailasa. But while coming down to earth, he has got special boons from Shiva that his prasad which is graveyard
sand should cure many diseases and certain prayers be granted to the
devotees of him.
Seevelaperi is the principal and original place where Sudalai Madan first came and established himself after he descended down from Kailasam.
But the yearly rituals of Sudalai Madan is very secret and of ferocious nature. In fact not all are suited to participate or conduct such rituals and it comes genetically as inherent ability to those few who inherits the worship rituals and art from their ancestors.
Why I chose this temple?
I dont know why, for whatever reasons, there was urge to visit this temple once. Has been there in my mind to visit this place for an year or so now.
Later I realized somewhat instinctively that it has been written in my scripts to visit this place in my lifetime. That it is part of my running prarabhdha to go there and have a look around the deity and his surroundings.
And these type of Shiva's Ghostly Ganas are famous to stick to their promises and fulfill committed prayers. Well deites like Sudalai Madan may not really interested in a bhaktha -- God relationship, but quite committed to fulfill the particular prayer, sort of a committed focus on only one aspect of that particular prayer you put.
The Temple encounter
I started from my Hotel on Sep 25, Friday morning around 9 AM IST. The assumption was that the drivers here will know how to locate this temple. But it was not so. The driver did not know Seevalaperi or this deity. I have a good friend whose native is near Thirunelveli, so with his help I managed to reach there.
There will be a newly built Durgaiamman temple once you reach Seevalaperi. From there, you have to take a left, right round about and reach this spot.
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| Main Deity and Pusari |
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Main deity
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| Youngsters coming for a Friday noon puja |
The Real Holy Ash
In this Sudalai Madan temple, instead of Vibhuthi, they give the graveyard sand as the prasad. They have added a mild scent to this sand I believe. It is the holiest thing the pusari considers in this temple. This graveyard sand has powerful effects, helps to cure diseases and overcome fear of death.
Rudra Bhoomi -- is graveyard. Rudhraa Adhi Bhoomyaam. So this belief is not without a base.
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| Graveyard Holy Ash (not a vibhuthi) |
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| a cock waiting to get sacrificed |
There are also associated deities of Sudalai Madan like Munda Swamy. Note the sharp spear decorated in black and gold colour.
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| Munda Samy Associate deity |
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opposite the main deity
A small Ganapathi altar in front of the temple.
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Any restrictions inside this temple?
There is no real restriction and any person can visit this rather aloof temple. But take good care and don't offend their faith, ask for permission to take pictures before you take out your camera for shots. The people are good hearted and supportive of tourist visitors , but I sense they also judge your personality and behaviour before they would allow for snaps.
Generally Brahmins don't not visit this temple but there are no restrictions, for I had a smooth darshan.
If you are a passionate animal lover and PETA oriented person, please don't visit this temple because every day there will be sacrifices of animals. Once gone there, they may not wait for you to leave before they sacrifice.
Razor's edge
Sudalai Madan is very vibrant deity. I could sense that this deity will really be faithful in implementing your deep thoughts and wishes you present before the graveyard shrine.
So take good care that you ask for Good things and not otherwise.
Reasoning mind!!!!
The reasoning mind cannot grasp what is good or not good. You cannot judge a book by its cover. No matter how much you analyze, you will never come near to understand deities like Sudalai Madan using your reasoning mind. But it is there as a fact. They do justice to their assigned jobs of protecting Shiva's sincere devotees. Be it a Thunderstorm or a fear of snake or thief, they come to rescue but yet keep a distance from the devotees.
The advaitic Bliss
In advaita philosophy, there is really no two, it is all One.
Sudalai Madan is in the other extreme -- compared to the sastric Vedic worship.
The extremes meet each other -- in fact it is somewhat paradoxical that Sudalai Madan and such deity worship may be closer to the Advaitic Oneness because extremes meet each other fastly.
The vibrated bell used in their folk songs create a resonating effect in our brains.
The graveyard soil given us prasadam re-enforces the Sudalai's strong connection with Lord Shiva.
The whole சீவலபேரி itself is full of remoteness, aloofness, withdrawn from the usual world and very apt for a graveyard shrine. After all, Graveyard is where you should dissolve your desires.
But once dissolved, you have to Drop even that attachment to move to the Transcendental Advaitic Oneness.
This is definitely having a very strong genetic origin running for ages.
The worshipper must disappear in the vast ocean of the chosen ideal.
Certain places and certain vibrations are more conductive for fast advaitic progress, Sudalai Madan and his place Seevalaperi are definitely one such.
Circumambulation around the shrine -- A Lady's devotion
Before closing, let me share what I observed in the short 20 minutes moments I spent in the temple.
There was an old aged lady ( Pattimma) with a light blue sari. She was coming around the shrine in
Circumambulation many times. I was observing her from the time I came. She would have at least performed 20 rounds as I was there. That should be real devotion. She must be dissipating her sins by way of this devotional act.
Seeing her, I got the feeling that 'who are we to judge others and their level of maturity?' We say we are learned in advaita and sastras but never know the focus such people get. Why such focus?
Because they don't roam around the world. They just stay put at one place. So there is only time dimension for them. No space dimension.
So all their focus is one pointed. In fact such simple rural people are more fit to jump transcendentally into the advaitic Moksha than we learned people. Because we easily get bored but not they.
So Give it a Try!!!
Good Luck and check it out for yourself by a personal visit rather than bending upon others experiences.
