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Hot off the press of Travelogue from Dr. Raja Sankaran!

Kutrallam - Nava Kailasam – Madurai – Thiruchendur Travelogue

Summary of the trip

Total Days: 04
Distance Travelled: 1471 Km
Car: XUV 500
Total People travelled: 04 (with mother & mother-in-law (mil), both octogenarians and wifey)

Our Drive: Bengaluru to Madurai to Kutrallam to Nava Kailasam to Divya Desam to Thiruchendur

Day 1:
1. Meenakshi Temple Madurai (PPS 245)

Day 2:
2. Srivilliputtur (Divya Desam)
3. Thirukuttralanathar (PPS 257)
4. Kalyana Theertham (Agasthiar falls)
5. Pavanasar temple

Day 3:
Nava Kailsam
6. Chandran
7. Chevvai
8. Rahu
9. Guru
10.Sani (closed)
11. SriVaikuntam (Divya Desam)
12. Irrattai Tirupati Ketu
13. Irrattai Tirupati Rahu
Thenthiruperai DD97 stay
14. Thiruchendur
15. Sani
16. Bhuthan
17. Kethu
18. Sukkiran

Day 4:
19. Thenthiruperai (Divya Desam 97)
20. Nellaiappar temple, Tirunelveli (PPS 258)
Back to Bengaluru

Note: PPS-Padal Petra Sthalam (or 278 Shiva Sthalams); DD-Divya Desama (or 108 Vishnu Sthalams)


Prelude of the trip
We had planned for the Nava Kailasam temple trip around a decade ago, during our Divya Desam tour. However, we could not plan this trip earlier as we embarked on completing Divya Desam followed by other 278 Paadal Petra Sthalam temples.

This time of the year was a vacation for me for 10 days. We were a bit doubtful initially, thinking it was peak summer season in India doubled with school vacation, leading to long queues at the temples. As we were contemplating visiting a few temples during the vacation, we avoided going to the very crowded temples. Surprisingly, the weather was also much better during this period. On 23-May (Day 1 of our trip), it rained during our drive from Bengaluru to Madurai. Also, we had to use umbrellas at Kutttralam (day 2 of our trip).


Teasers of our trip

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History of the Nava Kailasam Temple

Nava Kailasam refers to nine individual ancient temples of Lord Shiva in southern districts of Tamil Nadu. These temples are located in the districts Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.

Sage Agasthiyar was performing penance in the Podhikai Hills. One of his prime disciples was Uromacha Munivar. He prayed to Lord Pashupathi to attain liberation. The Lord desired to bestow this blessing upon him through his guru, Agasthiyar. Agasthiyar placed nine flowers in the river and instructed Uromacha Munivar to install a Shiva Lingam as Kailasha Nathar wherever the flowers settled on the riverbank. Finally, Munivar was to bathe and worship the Lord at the spot where the river meets the ocean. By following these instructions, he would attain his desired outcome. Remaining faithful to his guru's words, Munivar worshipped the Lord, with the nine flowers transforming into Shiva Lingams at the nine locations where they came to rest. Ultimately, he bathed at the point where Thamiraparani merged with the ocean and achieved liberation. These nine divine abodes are known as Nava Kayilayam.

These nine Siva temples are located uniquely on the river bed of Thamirabarani river.

S.No Location Planet
1 Papanasam, Tirunelveli Dist Suriyan
2 Cheran Mahadevi Chandran
3 Kodaganallur Chevvai
4 Kunnathur Raghu
5 Murappanadu Guru
6 Thiruvaikundam Sani
7 Thenthirupperai Buthan
8 Raajapathy Kethu
9 Saendha Poomangalam, Tuticorin Sukran


PAPANASAM - 1 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Papanasanathar temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river in Papanasam, near Ambasamudram and Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. Lord Indira got his Brahmmahati dosha cleared by just entering the borders of this place, hence it is known as Papanasam (Papa - Sin, Nasam - Destruction) meaning place where the sins are destroyed.
As per the legend, Romesa Munivar threw lotus flowers as advised by his Guru Sage Agasthiyar on the Thamaraparani river, nine of which reached the banks at various places (Nava Kailasam) and Papanasam was the first among them. Papanasam represents the Surya graha (Sun), known as Surya Kailash. Romesa Munivar worshipped here by installing Shivalinga naturally made of Rudraksha hence the Lord is also known as Rudrakshanathar.

Once at the wedding of Lord Shiva with Mother Parvathy at Kailash, there was heavy crowd of sages due to which earth lost its balance. Lord Shiva asked Sage Agasthiyar to go to Pothigai Hills in South which will equal earth's balance, with a promise that Lord Shiva will give his Wedding Darshan to the Sage whenever asked for. On the first day of Chithirai month (falling almost on April 14 each year), Lord as Kalyanasundarar with Ambal sitting on the Nandi (Bull vahana) grants the Wedding Darshan to Sage Agasthiyar and his wife Lopamudra.

CHERANMAHADEVI - 2 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Cheranmahadevi temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river near Ambasamudram and Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. The presiding deity here is known as Ammainathar. This temple is dedicated to Chandran (Moon). Romesa Munivar threw lotus flowers as advised by his Guru Sage Agasthiyar on the Thamaraparani river, nine of which reached the banks at various places (Nava Kailasam) and Cheranmahadevi was the second among them. As per legend Nandanar, born in a Dalit family was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He came to Ammainathar temple and was not allowed to enter the temple. He prayed from outside and could not get a darshan of the Lord. Lord Shiva ordered his vahana Nandi to move away so that his devotee could have his darshan. Hence, in this temple, Nandi is found slightly moved away from the center. This temple was built by two poor women farmers. Both were labourers and they used to collect rice daily and offer it to the Shiva Linga here. They were worried that the idol did not have a temple. Lord Shiva made them very rich and both of them used their wealth to build this divine temple.

KODAGANALLUR - 3 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Kodaganallur temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river near Cheranmahadevi and Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Mangal (Mars or Chevvai). As per legend, serpent Karkodaga got relieved of his curse after offering prayers here. Hence this place is known as Karkodaganallur and later Kodaganallur. A unique offering is being done here, that is making garland using yellow thread and 58 turmeric pieces and offering it to Nandi deva (vahana of Lord Shiva). Since Mangal graha is associated with marriage, devotees both men and women do this unique worship for their early marriage.

THENTHIRUPERAI - 4 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Thenthiruperai temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river in Thoothukudi, Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Budha (Mercury). Though this temple is where 7th lotus reached the banks (as per legend of Nava Kailasam), have taken this temple as 4th to keep the order of the Navagrahas.

There is a coconut with horn in the temple. It is said that once a British Army officer wanted to have a tender coconut. But nearby there was only one coconut grove and all the tender coconut in it were for anointing the murtis in Thenthiruperai Kailasanathar Temple. So the keeper of the grove denied the officer tender coconut. An angry officer wanted to know what was so special about the coconuts in grove and asked does it have horns. He demanded a tender coconut be plucked from the grove. When the coconut was given to the officer he found horns sprouting from it. The officer soon realized his mistake, made offerings at the shrine, and asked for forgiveness. One of the most interesting things about this temple are the Navagrahas – the nine planets, some of which appear on horse chariots, instead of their own vahanas. While the Sun is shown with his usual 7 horses, Guru (Jupiter) and Sukran (Venus) are seen with 8, and Chandran, the moon, is seen with 10 horses.

MURAPPANADU - 5 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Murappanadu Kailasanathar Temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river near Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Guru (Jupiter). Legend has it that a king had a daughter with the face of a horse. He offered prayers to Lord Shiva to find a relief. Lord Shiva one day appeared in his dream and asked him to take a holy dip in Thamiraparani River at Murappanadu and offer prayers to the Shivalinga there. The king soon performed all that Lord Shiva told in the dream. Soon the princess got back the human face. Murappanadu Kailasanathar Temple was built by the king. The Nandi worshipped in the temple has the face of a horse. It is believed that Lord Shiva asked Nandi to take the face of the horse to cure the princess.

SERNTHAPOOMANGALAM - 6 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Sernthapoomangalam temple is in Thoothukudi to Triruchendur route in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Shukra (Venus). Thamaraparani river merges with the ocean near this temple. Though this temple is where 9th lotus reached the banks (as per legend of Nava Kailasam), have taken this temple as 6th to keep the order of the Navagrahas. The idol of Kubera on an elephant is sculpted on the Vimana above the sanctum sanctorum with his two consorts – Sanganidhi and Padmanidhi. This is the only temple with Kubera-the Lord of Wealth in this posture.

SRIVAIKUNDAM - 7 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Srivaikundam temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river, in Thoothukudi to Triruchendur route in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Shani (Saturn). Though this temple is where 6th lotus reached the banks (as per legend of Nava Kailasam), have taken this temple as 7th to keep the order of the Navagrahas. Lord Bhoothanatha, believed to be a manifestation of Sastha, is the guardian deity in the shrine. His murti is made of wood. Only sacred oil is offered to him. At night the temple is handed over to Lord Bhoothanatha as he is the guardian of the shrine.

Lord Nataraja covered with sandal paste, is worshipped in the temple. This temple has some breathtaking sculptures of deities and characters from Hindu Puranas. Srivaikundam is a very holy place as it has both Nava Kailasam and Nava Tirupathi temples.

KUNNATHUR - 8 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Kunnathur temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river, in Thoothukudi to Triruchendur route in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Rahu (North node). Though this temple is where 4th lotus reached the banks (as per legend of Nava Kailasam), have taken this temple as 8th to keep the order of the Navagrahas. The uniqueness of this temple is that the Lingam (idol) has snake carved on it which is a very rare feature. On the outer prahara there is an idol of Lord Arumuga with sixteen hands which is made out of a single stone.

RAJAPATHY - 9 OF 9 NAVA KAILASAM
Rajapathy temple is on the banks of Thamaraparani river near Kurumbur on Triruchendur road in Tamilnadu. This temple is dedicated to Kethu (South node). Romesa Munivar threw nine lotus flowers as advised by his Guru Sage Agasthiyar on the Thamaraparani river, all flowers reached the banks at various places (Nava Kailasam) and Rajapathy was the 8th among them, have taken this temple as 9th to keep the order of the Navagrahas. The place is named after the palace of Pandya king belonging to the Chandra dynasty – Raja-King, Pathy-Place. The first puja for the consecration of Rajapathy Kailasanathar temple began on the day when the Raja Gopuram of the Kalahasthi temple was damaged. Hence, this place and temple is known as "Then Kalahasthi" – Kalahasthi of South. Uniqueness about this temple is that the Shiva Linga is seen with four chakras on all sides. It is believed that there is a temple buried under this Linga. Devotees undergoing Ragu & Kethu Dosha worship the Lord here for their relief.


References (used for the above write-ups found on the internet)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nava_Kailasam
https://vedapatasala.com/011%20NAVA%20KAILASAM.html
https://kalyangeetha.wordpress.com/t...layam-temples/

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What prompted us to undertake this travel?

Our many years of pilgrimage travel, which is abundant in our country, and our experiences during these travels have given us rich culture, tradition, history, and discipline, thus resulting in a feeling of being cleansed. The minimum conveniences in remote pilgrimage sites, treks to temples, austerity, and discipline in food habits have always had a long lasting impact on our holistic wellbeing. Inspite of hectic schedules, it amazes us how our energy levels have sustained from early mornings to late nights. Definitely, the source of energy has come from the sanctum darshan, holy charanamruth and Prasad.

There are many famous pilgrimage sites commonly visited by most. However, there are so many lesser-known temples in remote locations, less frequented. In our quest along these lines, we have travelled along the length and breadth of India, from J&K (Amarnath, Vaisho Devi) to Kanyakumari and Gujarat (Dwarka) to West Bengal (Ganga sagar). Listening to various discourses brought light to the Divya Desams: Vaishnava tradition and Paadal Petra Sthalams: 275 Shiva Sthalams. This aroused in us a devotion to visit the temples.

Some of the pilgrimages we have undertaken are given below:
• Char Dham of India (Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram)
• Ashtavinayak - The eight Ganesha temples in Maharashtra are Mayureshwar, Siddhivinayak, Ballaleshwar, Varadavinayak, Chintamani, Girijatmaj, Vighneshwar, Mahaganapati
• Aaru padai veedu (6 abodes of Murugan - Thiruthani, Swamimalai, Palani, Pazhamudircholai, Thirupparankunram and Thiruchendur)
• Dwadasa Jyotirlingas (Baidyanath, Bhimashankar, Grushneshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Kedarnath, Mahakaleshwar, Mallikarjun, Nagnath, Omkareshwar, Rameswaram, Somnath, Triambakeshwar)
• Navagraha Sthalams in Tamil Nadu (Sooriyanar Kovil, Thingaloor, Vaitheeswaran Kovil, Thiruvenkadu, Alangudi, Kanjanur, Thirunallar, Thirunageswaram, Keezhperumpallam)
• Panchabhuta Sthalams - Srikalahasti, Thillai Nataraja Temple Chidambaram, Annamalaiyar Temple Tiruvannamalai, Ekambareswarar Temple Kanchi, Jambukeswarar Temple Thiruvanaikaval
• Nava Narasimhan - Ahobila Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha, Jwala Narasimha, Bhargava Narasimha, Chatravata Narasimha, Varaha Narasimha, Malola Narasimha, Paavana Narasimha, Karanja Narasimha
• Gomukh to Ganga sagar. The Bhagirathi rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh and the tributary eventually meets the ocean at Ganga Sagar in West Bengal. Ganga begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers at Devprayag in Uttarakhand.
• Char Dham of Uttarkhand (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath & Badrinath)
• Panch Prayag (Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Devprayag)
• Uttara Kannada District or North Canara temples or temples in Coastal Karnataka district
• 108 Divya Desams: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ravelogue.html (108 Divya Desams: Vishnu Sthalams Travelogue) (108 Divya Desams: Vishnu Sthalams Travelogue)
• 275 Shiva Sthalams: Paadal Petra Sthalam – As of now we have covered 130 out of 275 Shiva Sthalams


Here is the link to some of our travelogue in team-bhp

Our Grandeur of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...telangana.html (The Grandeur of Andhra & Telangana)

Rann-dezvous at Kutch
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ous-kutch.html (Rann-dezvous at Kutch)

Spiti Splendour - Delhi to Spiti in an XUV500
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ti-xuv500.html (Spiti Splendour - Delhi to Spiti in an XUV500)

Travelogue to the Golden City, Jaisalmer
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...jaisalmer.html (To the Golden City, Jaisalmer)

108 Divya Desams: Vishnu Sthalams Travelogue
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ravelogue.html (108 Divya Desams: Vishnu Sthalams Travelogue)

Sabarimala Pilgrimage during March-2022
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...age-march.html (Sabarimala Pilgrimage in March)


Sabarimala Pilgrimage during March-2024
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ch-2024-a.html (Sabarimala Pilgrimage in March 2024)

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Day 1: 23-May-2024 (Thursday)

We had an early start from home at 05:45 am, reached A2B chinar at 06:45 am for breakfast (Pongal vadai and a coffee). We started to drive along the salem - namakkal route, reaching Madurai at 1pm. Madurai city was buzzling with activity, there was no easy parking available at the restaurants enroute, hence we decided to check-in at the Hotel. The hotel offered a sumptuous vegetarian lunch on banana leaf, however, most of the items had a bit of onion and garlic, which we were not used to. However , because the monsoons had just begun, we did not have to experience the scorching sun.

We rested for the afternoon, freshened up, and left for Meenakshi Temple at 4:00 pm. The Meenakshi temple opens at 04:00 pm. There is no parking available near the temple, hence, most pilgrims opt for an auto. The autorickshaw charges were Rs 100 one way for a 1 km distance from the hotel to Madurai Meenakshi temple.

My mother and mother-in-law (mil) are both octogenarians who accompanied us on this trip. We purchased Rs 100 special darshan ticket and discovered that the queue was serpentine. Upon inquiry, we were informed that a special pass can be obtained from the superintendent of the temple, for direct darshan for super senior citizens. We had to wait until 06:00 pm, to get permission for entry. In the meantime, we had darshan of Sri Kalyana Sundrareshwar temple and praharam deities. We opted to wait as both our mother & mil could not stand in the queue for a longer period of time.

We were permitted directly at 06:00 pm, and we had a good darshan. The Goddess Meenakshi’s idol was resplendent, she adorned a 9-yard saree. We could get a quick glimpse of the goddess, and we proceeded towards the exit. Inside the outside praharam, the 1000-pillar mantapam, is now converted into a museum with a Rs5 entry ticket per person. The museum had all antiques, and the main sabha bore a royal look with yazh and sculptures on either side. The museum also had a miniature model of the Meenakshi temple, mural paintings, and bronze idols. Some of the museum pieces, although inside glass, had a lot of dust and cobwebs, indicating more attention was needed to clean and maintain them.

My wife felt blessed to sing “Sarojadalanetri” in ragam Sankarabharanam, a composition of Sri SyamaSastri. Also, she could sing “Meenakshi Me mudam Dehi“ in Ragam Purvi Kalyani, a composition of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar.

We could spot a Jigardhanda or Jigarthanda (a Madurai cold drink made from milk, subja seeds, dry fruits, and ice cream) shop just outside the temple praharam. We generously bought a serving each and relished the cold goodness to beat the humidity of Madurai.

We had an early dinner at Naveen bakery. (This bakery is also a restaurant that serves a variety of vegetarian dishes, including poori, idi dosa and rice too.) This navin bakery is located near pudu mantapam, about 1 km from temple.

We also spotted street food, such as “paruthi kottai pal” a protein drink made out of grinding cotton seeds and mixed with jaggery and ginger powder to make a tasty vegan beverage.

The street also had sellers with healthy options, that included a tangy, spicy salad made out of chickpea, mango, cucumber and fruits.

We took a return autorickshaw to the hotel by 7:30 pm and retired to sleep early.

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Day 2: 24-May-2024 (Friday)
We started early from our Hotel at Madurai, at 05:45 am. We stopped for tea in a village tea stall, and drove towards Kutralam. Enroute we had breakfast at Anugraha, a very nicely located restaurant. Pongal and vadai were fresh and tasty. There were also clean restrooms, for which we were thankful.

As we drove, we realised that the abode of Vadabadra sai and Andal’s birthplace, Srivilliputhur, was enroute. Although we had been here during our 108 Divya desam yatra, we felt blessed to be there again. We decided to give a surprise to both mothers. We had a good darshan of Goddess Godha devi, and Vadabadra Sai perumal. The garland of Andal is brought every day and the same garland is adorned on Vadabadra sai even till today. My wife sang Andal Thirupavai “ Andru ivvulagam “, in ragam Sindhu Bhairavi followed by “Oruthi Maganai “ in ragam Behag. She also offered “ Sri Ranga puravihara “ in ragam Brindavana Sanranga to Lord Vada badra Sai.

We also took blessings from the temple elephant and started to drive towards Kutralam.

We reached Kutralanathar temple at 11:40 am, we had a calm darshan at the temple. It started to rain and we had to escort our super senior citizens carefully till the temple gate with umbrellas. The temple gopuram was too beautiful with the main falls in the background of the temple. This is a Sivasthalam (paadal petra sthalam with padigam sung by Thirugyana Sambandhar). My wife sang a padigam of Manickavasagar “mannagi vinnagi “ followed by the song “Chandrasekhara Isha”

We walked with the umbrella near the falls for some pictures inspite of the rains. At the main falls, there was construction going on and they did not permit anyone to enter the falls or to bathe at the falls.

After quick pictures, we walked towards our car and spotted Jyoti chips and halwa shop. The taste of hot fried nendram chips in coconut oil was a treat to compliment the rains. We also took a spoonful of hot Tirunelveli halwa. We also packed some for home and started to drive by 12:30 pm

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Day 2 (part 2)

Enroute towards Papanasam, we spotted Nongu (ice apple) sellers, who made a neat cup out of palm leaves and sold 10 ice apples for Rs 50. The Nongu were so tender and juicy that we decided to lavishly eat. This led us to skip our lunch as we filled our stomach with Nongu (ice apples). My wife also decided to have a serving of padaneer (palm juice with tender nongu mixed).

We drove to Papansam, to reach our stay enroute. The hotel manager briefed us about the “paana theertham” (Origin of river tamirabharani) that they do not permit anyone to paana theertham. We checked in, freshened up and at 02:30pm decided to ascend to the Agathiar falls which was in the forest region . One had to obtain tickets of Rs30 each to bathe at Agasthiar falls.

The forest officials issue ticket until 03:00 pm and one has to return the ticket token back at the check-post for their records that we have returned safe.

We reached Agasthiar falls at 02:45 pm, the premises had a huge group of Langoor monkeys that roamed around oblivious to the presence of humans, and caused no trouble to the tourists. We parked our car and walked slowly towards the Agastiar falls and seated both mothers at a neat place and started to ascend to Kalyan Theertham at 03:20 pm (the temple where Lord Shiva Kalyanasundareshwara gave the darshan in the kalyana kolam to Sage Agasthiar). The temple was a climb of about 150 steps uphill. We climbed enjoying the scenic mountain view lush green wild life and streams.

We descended and enjoyed a bath filled with kinetic energy under Agasthiar water falls. Bathing in a waterfalls is also supposed to have therapeutic benefits of hydro therapy. They have provided rooms for change of clothes and also a wall that separated the ladies and gents bathing section under the water falls.

After the refreshing water falls, we started to walk towards the parking and the rains started again.

We drove towards the temple “Papanasanathar” the Surya sthalam, which is the 1st of the 9 nava kailasa temples. This temple is situated in the foothills and we had a peaceful darshan. The place of our stay was just a km from the temple. We had our dinner at a nearby village restaurant “chinna laddu Ganeshan Restaurant.”.

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Day 3: 25-May-2024 (Saturday)

We had an early start from the hotel and drove towards Tirunelveli along the banks of the river Tamirabharani. We stopped for tea at a local tea stall near agasthiapatti.

We reached our next destination of kailasanathar “Chandran sthalam" Avudai ambal and ammai nathar at 07:00 am. The temple was remotely situated on the banks of the River Tamirabharani and we waited for the temple to open. We clicked some beautiful pictures at the river bank. We called the Gurukal, and he arrived by 07:30 am. We had darshan, but lost about an hour as per our plan. The temple had a mortar and pestle, which was used in the temple construction started by couple of ladies.

We had breakfast at Om Shakti saiva unavagam – village idli corner, they served us with hot idlis, vada with sambar and chutney.

We drove towards our next destination, the 3rd navakailasam “chevvai kshetram”. This was 8 km from the Chandran kshetram. half km before reaching there was some civil work going on, so we had to take a small off roading detour via the fields, which was fun. We reached here and the temple was open. We drove from Chevvai kshetram at 09:30 am

We had a darshan and proceeded towards “Guru” kshetram kailasanathar. After darshan we drove towards Sri vaikuntham to the shani sthalam Kailasanathar. We reached by 11:00 am and the temple was closed. We decided to revisit the shani sthalam in the evening.

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Day 3 - Part 2

We drove towards Sri Vaikuntham Divyadesam. This temple is the Surya sthalam, one among the Nava tirupathi. My wife sang “Murali dhara” in ragam maand, "Narayana” a Purandaradasa devarnama in ragam Suddha Dhanyasi After the darshan at Sri vaikuntham, we drove towards Irattai Tirupati as the temple is open throughout the day except from 1 pm to 2 pm. We reached the temple in just 5 min to 1:00 pm and to our luck, the temple was open, and we had darshan of Kethu and Rahu sthalam of Nava Tirupati.

We later proceeded towards our stay at the temple Vanamamalai mutt at thirutenperai divya Desam which was the shukran kshetram of navatirupathi. The mutt accommodation was inside the temple premises and had AC rooms. The temple Bhattar’s mother offered to cook home satvik food for us. We had a sumptuous lunch and rested for half an hour before we started for our next destination.

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Day 3 - Part 3

We had initially planned to travel to Tiruchendur the next day (i.e. Sunday morning). But due to the rush at the temple, we decided to visit Tiruchendur that evening itself. Hence, we left for Tiruchendur at 03:00 pm. The distance from thirutenperai to Tiruchendur was 32 km and we reached the parking of Tiruchendur at 03:30 pm. The cars were stopped about a km before the temple, as construction work was on and also the utsavam of Vaikasi visagam drew many pilgrims to the town.

I dropped everyone at a nearby point and walked back. We had a hot cup of filter coffee at the entrance in brass davara tumbler. Both octogenarian parents walked a lot of distance and the yearning for the darshan of Lord Sendil Andavan gave them all the energy. There was a direct entrance for senior citizens and the darshan was quick and peaceful. Lord Sendil Andavan’s glow and aura encapsulated us as we entered the temple premises. The Glory of lord muruga resonated with “Haro Hara” as we approached the sanctum Santorum of the Lord of Tiruchendur. The resplendent Lord and the energy cascaded to all devotees. A very satisfying darshan with very courteous security who managed the queues gave extra time to both the mothers for a darshan that left them very happy.

We finished darshan in 15 minutes and walked towards the sea, that beckoned us with the cool breeze and enthusiastic waves. We let our feet in the sinking sands as the waves washed our feet.

We spent a brief time at the beach. We bought panchamrutham prasadam at the temple counter on our return. The temple facilitated a battery-operated buggy for senior citizens. It drove us to the entrance of the temple and was a great help for our mothers.

We had to walk back towards the parking lot from the temple. We started to drive back by 06:00 pm and enroute stopped over for a cup of tea.

Note: our mobiles were kept in the car, to avoid depositing it at the temple. hence, could not take much photos of Thiruchendur Temple

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Day 3 - Part 4

We drove back to the Shani kshetram kailasanathar temple at Sri vaikuntham and had darshan. The kailasanathar temple at Sri vaikuntam was a huge temple with the Garbha graham almost 500 m from the temple entrance. This was the same temple that was closed at 11:00 am.

We drove towards the Buthan Kshetram and it was open. Here the temple priest led us to the tender coconut that had horns. As per the legend, an English officer ordered to cut the tender coconut and drink it. However, the offering of the tender coconut was only meant for pooja of Lord shiva. When the priest refused, the Englishman commented “What is special about this tender coconut? Does it have horns”. As per the legend, the temple priest mentioned that the tender coconut immediately grew horns.

We felt that we had time so drove towards the Kethu sthalam Kailasanathar. The temple was repainted and bore a bright look. It was Vykasi magam and the priest performed special abhishekam for thirugyana sambandar. Prasadam chkkara Pongal and puliyodharai was distributed to all devotees.

We were told that the next temple of Shukran will close at 8:00 pm and we rushed to see that the temple was already closed. We were also informed that the security guard (when called) could help open the temple premises during the non-availability of the temple priest. We took a chance and immediately called the number provided at the entrance and requested that the caretaker open the temple. Upon learning that we had come from a far-off place, he immediately obliged and opened the temple for our darshan. We considered ourselves very blessed for having completed all Nava Kailasam as per our plan. We had idlis at a local shop near Aathur and returned to the mutt by 10:00 pm. Kudos to the energy and enthusiasm of both octogenarian mothers, who were supportive of us even though we made an extended plan to finish all the remaining temples the same evening.

[vittal]

Day 4: 26-May-2024 (Sunday)

We woke up a bit later than usual as the previous day had a very hectic schedule. We got ready by 07:00 am. The temple Tiruthenpaerai divya desam opened for darshan only at 07:30 am. Hence, we waited at the temple praharam and had darshan of Thirutenperai Divya Desam. My wife sang “Kurai onrum illai “, "Srinivasa thiru Venkata mudaiyan” and few other compositions on Lord Vishnu while we waited. As the temple opened, we were blessed to witness the Gou-pooja (or cow pooja) followed by Aarti to the Lord.

Divya desam-97, (Nava Thirupathi 7) Then Thirupperai

[vittal]

Day 4 - part 2

We had breakfast at Rahul Bhattar’s residence, idli sambar and chutney with coffee.

We checked out from the Vanamamalai mutt accommodation and drove towards Tirunelveli to have Darshan of Sri Nellai appar and Sri kanthimathi Ambal. This is one of the paadal petra sthalam. The temple’s grandeur left us in awe. The Shiva lingam was a swayambu and different from usual Siva Lingams.

The parking was a bit difficult around the temple, but managed to find a place. We had a splendid darshan of the Lord and his consort and, started our drive for Bengaluru at 10:45 am.

[vittal]

Day 4 - Part 3

We drove along and reached Madurai around 01:00 pm and enroute we had thayir chadam (curd rice) for lunch. We reached Salem at 04:00 pm. We decided to have some snacks at Asai Dosai Saravana bhavan Salem. All of us enjoyed the masala dosai with filter coffee.

We drove along, filled fuel at Mahendranagar COCO BP ghar (just after the Thoppur toll gate). We drove comfortably and reached home by 9:30 pm.

A very contented trip with many unplanned temples enroute by the will of the Lord. Indeed, blessed to have been able to have darshan at 18 temples in this trip.
- Nava Kailasam – 9 temples
- Divya Desams – 4 temples
- Paadam petra sthalams – 3 temples
- Thiruchendur Murugan Temple (an Aaru Padai Veedu)
- Kalyana Theertham (Agasthiar falls)

[vittal]

Summary

It was a fulfilling pilgrimage trip for 4 days, and we all enjoyed this trip.

Below is a day-wise screenshot of the Google Route Map for fellow travelers. I hope this will help you all plan your trip to Nava Kailasam & other nearby temples (as per your convenience).


Day 1:
1. Meenakshi Temple Madurai (PPS 245)




Day 2:
2. Srivilliputtur (Divya Desam)
3. Thirukuttralanathar (PPS 257)
4. Kalyana Theertham (Agasthiar falls)
5. Pavanasar temple





Day 3:
Nava Kailsam
6. Chandran
7. Chevvai
8. Rahu
9. Guru
10.Sani (closed)





11. SriVaikuntam (Divya Desam)
12. Irrattai Tirupati Ketu
13. Irrattai Tirupati Rahu
Thenthiruperai DD97 stay









14. Thiruchendur




15. Sani
16. Bhuthan
17. Kethu
18. Sukkiran







Day 4:
19. Thenthiruperai (Divya Desam 97)
20. Nellaiappar temple, Tirunelveli (PPS 258)
Back to Bengaluru

[RGK]

Crisp write up Sir. Your spiritual trip shows that you are patient enough to take senior people and have a great darshan.

When planning to visit the temple and even when driving myself, the annoying thing for me is that you have to locate a safe place to park your car, lock it, remove your footwear, carry a prasadham bag, etc. I think you have enough forbearance to do many temples a day.

What is the cost of the "nongu" there ? .