 In a town like Tiruvannamalai, where the hill and the Arunachaleswarar temple dwarf everything else, not many people would have noticed the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple within the
agraharam.
Run by the Sri Sundaresananda Sabha for the past 80 years and situated in the Ayyankulam Agraharam, the temple is being renovated with contributions from locals and other devotees and blessings of the Kanchi
Sankaracharyas.
The Indra Theertham (now known as Ayyankulam), that is part of the temple, has great religious significance as Annamalaiyar is brought from the main temple there for a dip every year.
And, it was in this tank that Sri Ramana Maharishi threw away his sacred thread and gave up his worldly identity.
The tank is part of a very intricate waterway network: The spillover from the Tiruvannamalai tank flows to Ayyankulam and then from there to two more tanks before being used for irrigation purposes by the surrounding villages. The underground channels, luckily, are still in tact and contribute to the ecology of the hill town.
The temple has shrines for Sri Vinayakar, Sri Subramaniar, Sri Dakshinamurthy, Sri Chandikeswarar and the Navagrahas. But it is more famous for the elaborate celebration of Sri Rama Navami, Seetha Kalyanam, Sri Sri Jayanthi and Rukmani and Meenakshi
Kalyanam.
“As my friends lived near the temple, I remember running to the temple as a boy everytime they celebrated one of these festivals. I still remember the bhajans and that they used to do poor feeding,” says Suryanarayanan, a native of Tiruvannamalai who now works in
Chennai.
“I remember Dr Ramalingam, a local medical practitioner, who used to dance with a lighted lamp (kuthuvilakku), to the accompaniment of bhajans, during Seetha Kalayanam,” says Ganesan, another Tiruvannamalai youth who works in
Chennai.
During Navarathri, there is laksharchana for Meenakshi Amman, and Maha Annabhishekam for Sri Sundareswarar during the Full Moon day in the month of Aippasi. Sri Sankara Jayanti is celebrated for 10 days with great
fervour.
The ‘tulasi maadam’ in the brindavanam is huge and a separate day has been designated for its worship.
It is believed that Sri Hari Swamy lived on the temple premises and at one time helped some devotees “experience” bathing in the Ganga with his powers. His ‘jeeva samadhi’ is found in the temple and draws a lot of people who believe he will fulfil their wishes.
 The temple trust just manages to run the temple with the help of contributions from devotees as it does not come under the government. The renovation is expected to cost Rs 10 lakh, according to trust president N
Venkatachalam.
A devoted group of youths in the area has agreed to organise for a Somaskandar (Siva and Parvathi with tiny Subramaniar perched naughtily between His parents) idol in panchaloha for the temple. The idols, totally about 2 feet high, have been cast at Swamimalai and embellishment work is on.
The total cost of the idols is Rs 1.5 lakh and the silver kavacham (crown, ear, feet and hands) would cost an additional Rs 15,000. The youths have been able to generate all the money from/through friends in India and abroad. But they are still running short and appeal for contributions.
Cheques and DDs may be sent to Sri Sundaresananda Sabha, Tiruvannamalai, and addressed to
R Sankaran,
Treasurer,
48, North Ayyankulam Agraharam, Tiruvannamalai - 606 601.
The kumbhabhishekam, being held only now after 1979, is scheduled for July 6.
S Chitra
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