2 days, 15 temples covered across Tirunelveli, Sri Villiputtur and Madurai. I hope I have absolved my sins, at least the ones committed in 2009 alone :)
We started off visiting the Nava Tirupathi Sthalams in Tirunelveli where each temple is attributed to one of the nine planets that governs us(Suryan, Chandran, Kuja, Budha, Guru, Shukran, Shani, Rahu and Ketu).
The Nava Tirupati form an important part of the 108 Divyadesam the 12 Azhwars have sung about. All the temples are great storehouses of art, sculpture, architecture, bronze work, etc.
After a speedy 1.5 hour car drive to Srivilliputtur from there we made it just in time for the wedding of Rangamannar and Aandal. Every year during the month of Panguni, they get them married in true blue Iyengar style. All the typical rituals, such as Jaanvaasam, Kaasi Yaatra, Oonjal are carried out by the priests.
The wedding was fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even though the place was beyond crowded and a mini stampede broke out I felt truly blessed to have attended God's marriage. Minor sidetrack, there was this old maami who sat on my leg and sweat was dripping from her blouse on to my hand! (I gagged some million times).
The following day we covered 4 more temples in Madurai, by which we had amassed some 4 huge bags of poo maalais and countless packets of kungumam and manjal.
Another sidetrack, if ever any of u go to Madurai, please please eat at this lil joint called Sabari near the railway station. Hands down the best ever masalai dosai I have had in my entire life.
Back home to the grind, well not technically. Thanks to Good Friday and the weekend I managed to give myself a 5 day break from office. Sigh! Come tomorrow, and its Saber time again.
God Save me! :)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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14 comments:
A good read princess...and thanks for the dosa tip !
From vodka to vaikuntam- Niice:)-
Now if you'd had gone to the kitchen and seen this same 'sweating patti' making the masala dosa you'd have a totally different opinion!
(You'd get some masala you din expect)
Anyway, what you don't know cant hurt you. :D
If it wasn't her then God DID save you! :D
I thought Kumbakonam had a similar NavaGraha thingie... and so the name "Kumbakonam"
We manged to collect one full years supply of viboodhi at the end of our temple trip some two years ago :-)
am i still on the same blog !? :)
@satish - danke..and another tip...the kaapi in srivilliputtur is also divine :)
@sharath - LOLLLLLLLLLL!!! i actually laughed out loud :) good catch phrase :)
@vivek - hhehehehe..u betcha...thats why they say "ignorance is bliss" :)
@balu - cost cutting measures aa for recession time...go temple visiting to save on kungumam / viboodhi purchases :)
@analog - im a bigger bhakthikaari then i am a kudikaari!
Nothing like a little temple visit every once in a while to attempt to wash away one's sins and suck up to God. Too bad He's smarter than us. :)
However, the prasadam is typically delicious - big fan of puliyotharai and hanuman vada, especially.
where there's a will, there's a way...
where there's a kovil, there's no other way???
on a totally different note, Road Trip was such a nice "non-temple" kinda movie...
nan piradhu valaradha orula.. sabari-ya... hmm... next time check panren...
'm sure god will send a nice nalla payyan your way now...
;)
where there's a will, there's a way...where there's a kovil, there's no other way???
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA
i'm so gonna tweet this ;)
I told you I smell the M word here...
Temple to temple looking for a tall fair stud of a groom eh? :D
@idling - not sucking up..no need to..i pray every morning and am quite dutiful when it comes to matters regarding Him! :)
@SRk - wah wah..watta line i say...u can extend it to read "Else..He might make you pay!"
@DT - check panni sollu
@trauma & apocalypse - temple visiting and boy hunting have nothin to do with each other! - mutually exclusive :)
Guess you missed out on Tirunelvelli alwa, Sillviputur's Balgova and madurai's giggrithanda unless you are not such a great fan of sweets!
Came across this hilarious yet truthfully said auto-biography on South indian temples called "Smile of Murugan" by Michael Wood (a famous BBC radio presenter of 80's) which recollects his soul-searching journey to all these places. If you haven't read it, give it a shot.
Btw, guess this sojourn would have sharpened your saber!!
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