Temple in Pondicherry

We had been to Pondicherry for the Dharshan day in Sri Aurobindo Ashram on 24th Nov for the Siddhi day or The Day of Victory. We completed a peaceful dharshan and meditation in the ashram and then started off to visit some new temples around. I plan to cover my experiences as a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother in a separate Blog.

Sri Prithyangara Devi temple

Our first visit was to the Viswaroopa Sri Prithyangara Devi temple in the Pondicherry-Tindivanam route at about 5 kms from Pondicherry at a place called Morattandi. About 2-3 kms after the JIPMER hospital, you have to take a right turn and go further in village road for about 2 km. There are autos available at this junction also. The sudai sculpture of Prithyangara Devi is about 40 feet high and is visible from a km itself. Under this sudai sculpture is present the main temple. The temple entrance is completely covered up with sudai sculptures on both sides and you have to enter the temple through a narrow gate after getting the ticket for, I think Rs 3. First of all, I didn’t like this concept itself – covering the temple entrance completely and admitting people only with an entrance ticket like an exhibition. Anyway, after entering we were pleased to see a beautiful Sri Prithyangara devi deity. I was surprised that a scaring deity has been sculptured so beautifully. The sculpturer might have enjoyed doing every bit of it, otherwise it would not have come so beautifully. There were many other shrines like Guberar, a beautiful shiva lingam etc.,. but the temple in its current form looks as an exhibitive commercial place for me. Photos were not allowed and you have to pay for taking photos!!.

Navagraha Temple

The next was the Navagraha temple, a km from the Prithyangara devi temple, in a 2 acre farm land. Surrounded by 108 trees for different years, navagrahas, stars etc., this is still being built but has become popular already. All the deities here also are very huge. When we entered, first we were promptly guided by the temple guard to a Sani theertha kulam and when we went there, oh God, it was an ultra modern Swimming pool!!. People throw coins in the pool and laready so many coins were visible under the water. I understood the promptness of the security guard, commercialization has reached its heights.

At the entrance, Vinayahar with his consorts welcome us. The main deity Saniswara Bhagwan is about 27 feet tall and each Navagraha idol is 15 feet tall. There was also a huge vinayahar (under construction), a Vasthu Bhagwan, Lord Shiva as Kalyana Sundareswarar. Again here, the place didn’t really look like a temple for me but just as a beautiful farm wth cool air meant to visit as a toursit.

Location

This very ancient Shiva temple is one of the 275 Thevara Padal Petra Sthalangals and is located at Irumbai village in the vicinity of Auroville International Township. Just after a km from Morattandi enroute to Tindivanam, there is a road going to right (east) to Auroville. Take this road and at one point you will encounter a T junction in front of a village temple. Here take left to Auroville Information Centre/ Matrimandhir and you will encounter another T junction where the road at the right goes to Auroville Information Centre and Matrimandhir. Here you have to go straight further for about 3-4 kms to reach the Irumbai village. At the village, there is a X crossing and you have to take the left road for another 1 km to reach the temple.

The Temple

Just before reaching the temple, you will be passing through a beautiful path with coconut trees on both sides. The temple is in a nice and serene atmosphere with giant banyan trees, many coconut trees and the temple tank in front.

The temple is being renovated beautifully with nice flooring and beautiful paintings. As we entered the temple, a big, vibrant and stunningly beautiful painting of the Lord Shiva in dancing pose (temple legend) welcomed us. The style of the paintings is very different and I learnt that a team from Kerala is doing the job with some expensive paint materials. It is very much visible in the rich look of the paintings indeed. I am not sure which style of painting they are – Kerala or Tanjore?.

The inner walls of the praharam (It’s a small temple and there is only one praharam) is being beautified with some cement sculptures depicting the temple history. They are painted black currently and it’s half way. I understood they are going to be painted in Golden colour and I can imagine how beautiful it would be.

The Kumbabhisheham is being planned in Jan 2008 (Tamil month of Thai) and I’m sure the temple is going to become popular with its new painitings once it is completed.

The speciality of the temple being that the main deity Maakaaleswarar in the form of a Shiva lingam is broken in pieces and tied together with a copper string (more information in Legend below). Lord Subramanyar shrine is of significance here but it was closed due to the renovation.

We were in Pondicherry during 1984-2000 and my daughter’s dance Arangetram was first planned in this temple in 2000 but due to the transporting difficulties, we had conducted it in Pondicherry town itself. Even when the temple was in a dilapidated condition during that time, I have seen the Aurovillians decorating the temple with oil deepams and Rangoli everywhere giving a grand look during the festivals. Now, in the current atmosphere it should be even more beautiful and one would love to have his/her cultural programs here.