Mataji wanted us to leave for the Mulasthaanam in the late morning hours when the sun was way up in the sky and the wildlife would have retreated back into the woods. After a short prayer at the
peedham, Simbu and Prabha took the lead while Kartik, my wife, my two children, Mataji's grandchild Agatheeswari and I followed behind. Both our guides took all the precautions so as not to meet up with the wild elephants and other creatures of the jungle. They had all their senses awakened to the slightest noise or sound in these jungles. We made a few stops on the way. It was an educational adventure and a slightly scary one too. They alerted us often of certain smells and sounds, cautioning us, silencing us, and at times freezing us only to continue again once they felt all was clear, safe and sound. Finally, we took sight of Agathiyar perched majestically on the rocks at the Mulasthaanam.
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| Simbhu follows us closely |
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| The surrounding hills |
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| The surrounding hills |
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| The 14 petals Vilvam leaf |
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| The 14 petals Vilvam leaf |
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| Simbhu performing the bathing ritual on Agathiyar watched by Kartik (far left) and Agatheeswari (far right) while Prabha snaps photos |
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| The vegetation |
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| Performing the bathing ritual or Abhisegam |
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| Simbhu adorns the sacred ash or vibhuti on Agathiyar |
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| Agathiyar is adorned with vibhuti |
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| We take a moment to sing the praise of the Sidhas lead by Prabha |
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| The jungle vegetation |
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| Prabha leads the prayers |
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| Simbhu finding the space and time to meditate |
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| The vegetation on the way back |
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| Taking a quick break |
Simbu and Prabha gave Agathiyar a bath with the water they had collected in a vessel some distance away from the Mulasthaanam. Then they dressed him up. We gathered together to sing some hymns and the praises to the Sidhas (Sidhar Potri). It was a beautiful moment for all of us. At 12.15 noon we made our way down the hill back to the ashram. Just then Tavayogi and Mataji too returned from Methupalaiyam. The Seth who was to take us on the next leg of our pilgrimage too arrived at that moment.
Tavayogi had earlier wanted to take us to
Uthiyur some distance from Kangeyam where Konganar had meditated in the caves, that afternoon. But along came the Seth who offered to bring Tavayogi to the
Nattadreeswarar Temple at Kangeyampalayam near Erode. Tavayogi took us along too. Tavayogi told us it has been 25 years now since he visited this temple while Mataji added that it has been 10 years now since she was there last.
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| Location of Othimalai |
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| Othimalai in the distance |
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| Othimalai |
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| Othimalai |
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| Othimalai |
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| Othimalai |
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| Othimalai |
The Seth who was based in Erode was a gracious soul involved in many charitable activities. Besides being a publisher of religious and spiritual books, he had built a vast ashram in Rishikesh and he manages a trust, with other partners that run a Goshala ( Cattle care center) in Erode, where he saves the cattle from the slaughterhouses.
It was already nearing dusk as we arrived at Kangeyampalayam on the banks of Kaveri. There we saw the Nattadreeswarar Temple majestically standing in the middle of the Kaveri river with water on all sides. It was indeed a beautiful sight. Seth went to fetch the priest from his home while we waited at the banks.
The Seth arrived shortly with the junior priests who informs us his father, the senior priest was at the temple. Just then the senior priest boards a coracle or parisal on the 'island temple'.
"Indian coracles (Tamil:பரிசல்) are commonly found on the rivers Kaveri and Tungabhadra in Southern India. Coracles are primitive, light, bowl-shaped boats with a frame of woven grasses, reeds, or saplings covered with hides. Indian coracles are considered to have been in existence since prehistoric times, and are a major tourist attraction at the Hogenakkal falls on the Kaveri river. Although these boats were originally designed for general transport, they have recently been used mostly for giving tourists rides." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_coracles
As we saw the senior priest approach us in the coracle we were saddened that we would not be able to have the Darshan of Agathiyar and Lord Shiva. He had already locked up the temple for the day and was returning home. But our spirit was uplifted when the junior priest told us that he would bring us over. He calls for another coracle and we leave in two coracles. We take leave of the senior priest and make our way to the temple. The junior priest, Deva, Mataji, Agatheeswari, and my family board one coracle while Tavayogi, Sellapan, Kartikeyan, Prabhakaran and Seth board the other. We were glad that the priests shared the story of the origin of the temple or Stala Puranam and its significance with us while we were paddled over the waters of Kaveri. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we would have an opportunity and experience of traveling in a coracle.
It was now dark as we walked up to the temple and took a flight of steps to the first floor. There was housed Lord Shiva in the inner sanctum looking amazingly beautiful. Agathiyar faces him directly, his gaze falling on Lord Shiva. We were told that Agathiyar had gathered the sands of the Kaveri river and made the form of this Shivalingam that he worshiped later. The priests add that the bathing ritual is done regularly and amazingly the Lingam is intact, never having lost its shape or eroded.
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| The Seth leads the way to Kangeyampalayam in the other vehicle |
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| Making our way through rice fields and vegetable plots |
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| The scenery was indeed beautiful to behold |
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| More of the rice fields and vegetable farms |
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| We pass through cornfields |
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| A typical coracle |
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| The Nattadreeswarar temple in the distance |
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| Waiting to board the coracle. From left to right: My wife, Prabha, my daughter and me, the Seth in the foreground, Sellapan, Karthigeyan, and Tavayogi in the background |
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| Tavayogi sharing a light moment with my family |
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| The locals having their bath in the Kaveri river with Mataji exchanging a few words |
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| The coracle that can ferry 25 person |
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| The Nattadreeswarar Temple in the distance |
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| A panoramic view of the Kaveri river |
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| The Nattadreeswarar Temple in the middle of the quiet and calm waters of the Kaveri |
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| Waiting patiently for the coracle |
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| Eagerly waiting to take a ride in the coracle |
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| The senior priest arrives from the temple and is received by his son |
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| The senior priest exchanges a few words with the Seth |
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| View of the bank of Kaveri from onboard the coracle |
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| Disembarking on the 'island' |
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| Tavayogi and his team arrive on the 'island' |
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| Watching the sunset beyond the opposite banks of Kaveri. View from the temple |
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| The Nattadreeswarar Temple entrance or Gopuram |
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| Nandhi greets us on arrival |
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| The sunsets and the sky adorns new clothing |
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| A beautiful view of the sunset |
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| Darkness envelopes the sky |
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| The history of the temple depicted in stone |
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| Nadarajah |
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| A proposal to link the 'island' with the mainland |
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| After an exceptionally beautiful Darshan, we make our way back to the banks of Kaveri |
As we return from the temple to the banks of Kaveri, the junior priest invites us over to his home to have coffee. We are served hot coffee which was refreshing. We get the blessings of the senior priest and his wife before we bid farewell and make our way to the next destination - the Goshala. Here my children have a field day feeding the cows. It is close to midnight as we arrive back at Kallar.
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| Sellapan, Simbu, me, Tavayogi, a disciple of Tavayogi who joined us just as we were about to leave, my daughters, Saravanan, Mataji, Jeganathan and my wife |
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| Deva joins us (third from left) |
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| Saravanan (in the background) and Jeganathan (in the foreground) help me carry 38 kg of books and clothing down the hill to the vehicle |
Read Karthikeyan's posts regarding Kallar at
http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/10/blog-post_18.html,
http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/10/blog-post.html,
http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/09/blog-post.html,
http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/08/blog-post_19.html, and
http://siththanarul.blogspot.com/2013/07/blog-post.html
To be continued ...
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