Guide to 275 SIVA STHALAMS Glorified by Thevaram Hymns (Pathigams) of Nayanmars -****- by Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran About the Author: Mr T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer. He regularly contributes articles on Management, Business, Ancient Temples and Temple Architecture to many leading Dailies and Magazines. His articles for the young is very popular in “The Young World section” of THE HINDU. He was associated in the production of two Documentary films on Nava Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi Temple in Tamilnadu. His book on “The Path of Ramanuja”, and “The Guide to 108 Divya Desams” in book form on the CD, has been well received in the religious circle. Preface: Tirth Yatras or pilgrimages have been an integral part of Hinduism. Pilgrimages are considered quite important by the ritualistic followers of Sanathana dharma. There are a few centers of sacredness, which are held at high esteem by the ardent devotees who dream to travel and worship God in these holy places. All these holy sites have some mythological significance attached to them. When people go to a temple, they say they go for Darsan – of the image of the presiding deity. The pinnacle act of Hindu worship is to stand in the presence of the deity and to look upon the image so as to see and be seen by the deity and to gain the blessings. There are thousands of Siva sthalams- pilgrimage sites - renowned for their divine images. And it is for the Darsan of these divine images as well the pilgrimage places themselves - which are believed to be the natural places where Gods have dwelled - the pilgrimage is made. Notable of these are 275 Siva Sthalams, of whom Nayanmars have compiled Hymns – the Pathigams. Though there are several reference books of these sthalams, this book of mine is brought out as a consolidated reference guide to the visiting pilgrims to these Siva sthalams, and dedicated to Lord Siva, our beloved God. An attempt is also made to develop this into a comprehensive source of information on Saivism, by presenting here some of the Basic Teachings, which form the core of Saivism - an important sect of Hinduism. The information is compiled from several authentic sources, as well from learned scholars, Sivacharyas and priests at each shetram. Since several authors have translated the original text, a certain degree of coincidence is likely to occur in my presentation with regard to the choice of words and phrases, which is not intentional. “Om Namah Sivaya” Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran Siva and Saivism: Of all the Hindu Gods none appealed to the emotions of a Hindu mind as much as Lord Siva, who dwells in the mountains bearing the trident. His third eye symbolizes, the all-knowing awareness of the very Brahman. Although acknowledged as one of the Trinity Gods of Hinduism, He is Maheswara, to His followers representing the Trinity all by Himself, and His different aspects manifest themselves as the creator, preserver and destroyer of the worlds He create. Symbolically He is worshipped as Lingeswara, which name stands more for His creative prowess. Siva is believed as a pre-Vedic God who was admitted into the Vedic Pantheon because of His immense popularity among many non-Aryan tribes. In the Svetavatara Upanishad He was elevated to the status of Brahman, by the sage who composed it, after he had a vision of Lord Siva as the Absolute and Supreme Brahman. As the perfect Yogi, He is credited with the source of all knowledge concerning the various yogas. Such was His prowess and divinity, that Lord Vishnu in His incarnation as Rama and Krishna, worshipped Him with great reverence. Siva and His different Titles: Siva is known by many names and titles. He is Rudra, the Red One, as the God of anger, feared by one and all. Since He dwells in Kailash, in the Himalayas, He is referred to as Kailaspathi. As Purusha, He is Iswara Himself. As the Lord of the beings, He is known as Pasupathinath. As the husband of Uma, the Mother Goddess, He is known as Umapathi and Parvathipathi. As the bearer of the sacred river Ganges, He is known as Gangadhar. And because of His matted hair, He is called as Jatadhari. As a perfect being He is Siddheshwara. With His Trident in His hands, He became popular as heroic and fearless Trisuladhari. As the world teacher, He is referred to as Dakhshinamurthi by Adi Shankara in his famous book, "Hymns to Dakhshinamurthi". Siva as Dakshinamurti is another beautiful concept. He becomes the cosmic preceptor. His chinmudra where the right thumb and first finger meet while the other three stand away has great philosophical significance. The thumb represents God; the forefinger the individual self, and the other fingers are delusion, toil and egoism. The meaning is that the individual self unites with the Cosmic self, if relieved of these three doshas. Lord Siva is popularly known as Sankara. The word Sankara is made up of two words, namely "sanka" and "hara". Sanka means doubt and hara means dispeller or destroyer -He who dispels or destroys all doubts. He rules over our disbeliefs and hesitations and establishes firm faith in us through his compelling nature. By dispelling our doubts and establishing faith, He destroys all our bondages. To the connoisseurs of art, He is well known as Nataraja, the master of all dance forms. He was dearer not only to Gods but also to demons like Ravana and Bhasmasura. He gave several boons to His ardent followers out of His unbound love and in the process invited great trouble for Himself and for others. Ever willing to help those who are in distress, He saved the worlds and all the Gods by partaking Halahal, the poison that emanated during the churning of the ocean by Devas and Asuras in their efforts to obtain Amrita. Combining in Himself both the male and female aspects of creation, He earned the popular name of Ardhanariswara. As rider of the Bull Nandi, He is known to the world as Nandiswara. His names are endless. So does His popularity. “OM Nama Sivaya”: according to some is the same as Panchakshara. Siva is believed to reside high up on snowy mountain ranges. Image of Siva in his physical form presents him as a soothing meditative figure. His ornaments are not gold and precious stones. He wears a necklace made of skulls signifying his role as destructor. He has snakes coiling all over his body and his hair is matted and long extending over the whole sky and space. The crescent moon adorns his crown, signifying his control on the time cycle. (Amavasya and Pournami). He smears his body with ashes and wears a tiger skin and elephant skin. He has a third eye on his forehead, which is the source of knowledge and wisdom. The holy Ganges is imprisoned in his flowing locks. In his two arms he holds the Trisulam (the three prongs representing the three gunas of sattva, tamas and rajas) in one and Damaru in the other. His vahana is Nandi, who is also his chief disciple to whom Siva passed on all his immense knowledge in arts. Siva worship in temples: In temples Siva is worshiped as Siva-linga, which are mostly made of stone, consisting of three parts. The lowest portion in the shape of a square symbolises Brahma (Creation). The middle part in the shape of an octagon symbolises Vishnu (Maintenance). These two portions are embedded inside a pedestal. The cylindrical portion projecting from the pedestal symbolises Siva (Destruction). In Siva-linga, God is sought to be represented as having “a form” as well as “without” form - “Saguna” as well as “nirguna”. The three- fold principle of creation, protection and destruction is conveyed in this form. The linga may either be carved or natural. The natural lingas are usually collected from the riverbed. A Siva-linga is bathed, offered flower garlands, covered with milk, and offered food as part of the worship. A Siva-linga may be chala (movable) or achala (immovable). A chala linga may be in a house, carried, or sometimes worn around the neck. The achala lingas are installed in temples. Siva in his human form is worshipped as the Utsava murthi, and taken out of the temple in processions. The Vrishabha or the bull Nandi that Siva rides is Dharma. The Nandi before Siva temples signifies that we are all “Pasus” and Siva “Pati”; hence the name “Pasupati” for Siva. The presentation of Nandi, in the temples, looking towards Siva indicates Pasu i.e. “Jiva” should seek union with “Pati” i.e. Paramatman. Pradhosha pooja Is one of the most important among the poojas performed to the Graceful Lord Siva. The evening of the trayodasi (thirteenth moon day) between 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. is called Pradhosha and praying Lord Siva during this time is believed to free us from our sins and finally gives us moksha - hence the name Pradhosha Pradhosha Purana Once Devas and Asuras using the serpent Vasuki and Mandhara hill were trying to get Amrutham, from Ksheerabthi – the milky ocean. While churning, Halahalam - the terrible poison came up. Frightened by this, they pleaded to Lord Siva for rescue. Being the peak of mercy Lord Shiva consumed the poison. As a result Siva turned Blue and gained the name Neelakantan. Later as per His orders they resumed their effort to get Amrutham and got it on the Dhwadhasi day (twelfth moon day). Without praying and thanking the Lord, Devas started celebrating their victory. On the thrayodhasi day (thirteenth moon day) they realised their sin of not expressing their gratitude to Lord Siva, pleaded for forgiveness. The pleased graceful Lord Siva forgave them and believed to have danced between the horns of Nandhi (the holy bull). That time is called Pradhosham. It is believed that whoever prays Lord Siva at that time, will have their wishes fulfilled. Offering Vilvam and flowers to Lord Shiva and chanting “shivAya namaOm bhavAya namaH bhavAya namaOm namaH shivAya” will bring salvation. During Prodhosha time anointing (Abhishekam) the deity with the following is considered fruitful. Milk - gives long life Ghee - gives Moksha state Curd - gives good children Honey - gives melodious voice Rice powder - frees from debts Sugar cane juice - gives good health Panjamrutham - gives wealth Lemon - removes fear of death Sugar - removes enmity Tender coconut - gives enjoyment Cooked Rice(Annam) - gives majestic life Sandal - gives Lakshmi's grace The five elements of Siva: Lord Siva is worshipped as five element lingas at five major temples in South India: 1. Akash-linga - Sky or space (ether) - in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. 2. Appu-linga – Water - at the Jambu-keswaram temple near Tiruchinappalli, Tamil Nadu. 3. Agni-linga – Fire - at the Arunachaleswar Temple, in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. 4. Prithvi linga – Earth - in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, (some claim it in Gokarna, Karnataka). 5. Vayu-linga – Air - in Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. The Trident The trident is the weapon of Siva with which he destroys evil and restores order. The trident stands for the triple qualities of nature, namely - sattva, rajas and tamas. Siva is the master of maya and thereby master of these three qualities with which he controls the worlds. The trident symbolically represents the fact that Siva is the controller of the worlds and controller of all illusion. The trident also represents the three aspects of time, the past, the present and the future. Siva is considered as the master of Time - Kala Bhairav - who determines the progress of the worlds according to His will. Maheshwara murtis According to Saiva Sidhdhaantha God is formless (Arupa). But for the salvation of lives He took the form of lingam - meaning symbol (arupa rupa). Lingam can be considered both as form as well as the formless symbol. This murti is called Sadashiva murti or Maheshwara murti. There are twentyfive Maheshwara murtis. 1. Bhikshtanar 2. Kamar i 3. Kalar i 4. Kalyana Sundarar 5. Rishabharudhar 6. Chandra Shekharar 7. Uma Maheshvarar 8. Natarajar 9. Tripurantakar 10. Jalandharar i 11. Gajasamhara murt i 12. KaraLlr (Virabhadrar) 13. Shankara Narayanar 14. Ardha Narishvarar 15. Kiratar 16. Kankalar 17. Chandeshanugrahar 18. Chakra pradar 19. Saha uma skandar (Somaska.ndhar) 20. Eka padar 21. Gajamukhanugrahar (Vighneshanugrahar) 22. Dakshina murt i 23. Nilakanthar 24. Lingodbhavar 25. Sukasanar Significance of Nataraja Siva, particularly as Nataraja or Dancing Siva, has won international esteem. In that image, Siva is conceived as the embodiment of Eternal Energy, engaged in the five-fold activity (Pancha-Kritya) of creation, preservation, destruction, obscuration and salvation. It indicates cosmic activity. Siva dances on the body of Apasmara purusha who represents ego, ignorance and the original sin or soul's illusion. By trampling upon him Siva points out that wisdom consists in destroying the same. In one of his upper arms, Siva holds the kettledrum whose sound symbolises creative energy. The other upper arm holds the fire pot of destruction. The lower right hand shows abhaya (protection) mudra. The lower left-hand points to the Lord's lifted foot believed to be saying: "Your salvation lies in worshipping my feet". Sometimes a deer is shown in one of his hands, equating to mind; thereby the control of the mind in us is taught. The framework with lighted lamps, at the back of the idol, represents the dance of Prakriti or Nature, reflecting the dance of wisdom. At the base of the crown of hair on Siva's head is a skull. It is symbolic of Siva's destroying energy. River Ganga on his head denotes fertility. The crescent-moon on his head (Siva is Chandra- sekhara) signifies Siva's grace and also Time. The Cobra on his head indicates Kundalinishakti at Sahasrara-chakra. His third eye stands