Pilgrimage Places Suggestions?

[Ram11]

Namaste,

Many years have passed since my last Teertha Yatra.I am thinking of going on a short pilgrimage in some time.I am not sure which places I should visit.

-Chidambaram is number one on my wish list but my family members have already been there.Are there any interesting places close-by so that we can visit Chidambaram as well as go to new places?

(Four other temples are a part of the Pancha Bhuta Sthala Lingas.)
-Has anyone visited Tiruvannamalai Sri Arunachaleshwara temple?Travel agencies tend to include only famous tourist attractions and rush but I don't want to miss any thing and also would it better to go by self rather than through a travel agency?How many days would be required to have a perfect Arunachalam trip?
-I've been to SriKalahasteeshwara Vayu Lingam temple in my childhood but I hardly remember anything about the temple visit.Should I go there again?

-Sri Rameshwaram Jyotirlingam.Since its at the tip of India,I'm assuming rainy season would start early there.I don't want to get stranded there in a cyclone.Does anyone know the safe time to go?

Some more:
-Mayiladuthurai/Mayavaram Sri Mayuranatha Swamy temple
-Madurai Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple
-Mylapore Sri Kapaleeshwara Swamy temple
-Thanjavur Sri Brihadeeshwarar Temple(Periya Kovil-Big Temple)
-Thiruvarur Sri Tygaraja/Vanmikanatha Swamy Temple

The above are some places that came into my mind,has any one been to any of the above places?I am very confused and don't know where to go!If members would like to suggest any other temples in Tamil Nadu,please do.

[devotee]

Namaste Ram,

I have been to Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleshwara Temples. One day should be enough for this temple which would include a short trip to Ramna Maharishi Aashram which is nearby. I have been to Rameshwaram and it would require minimum two days of stay to fully enjoy the spiritual vibrations there. Meenakshi Amman temple will require a day tour there. You can combine tour to Rameshwaram with Meenakshi temple if you go to Rameshwaram via Madurai. Kapaleeshwara temple is in Chennai and will take a day tour only.

If you are planning to visit Rameshwaram and you have a choice for the timing, I would advise you to go there in winter. It is beautiful place to be unless you are not during rains and storms.

OM

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: I've been to some of those as well. There are two interesting things to do at Tiruvanamalai besides the temple, and they are to climb the hill, and to circumambulate the hill. At Sivalaya Deepam there are huge crowds, and the devotees start a huge fire on the peak.

There are so many temples in TN within half a day of each other. Besides all the Sivan temples, there are many Murugan temples. The last time I went, we did the arapadaveedu pilgrimage. Many would be on the routes. For example, on the road from Chidambaram to Tanjore/Trichy, Swamimalai is just 1 km off the road. Then, on the way south from Trichy to Rameswaram, a few kilometres off is the famous Pillaiyarpatti Ganesha temple.
Palani isn't far from Madurai, and Tiruparankandram is even closer.

So the choices are abundant.

It depends what type of pilgrim you are as well. Many people I've observed just go for darshan, and then jump in the car to go again. I personally prefer minimum of a day at each main temple, and I like to go 2 or 3 times. Slower, to soak it all in. But whatever works for you.

Once you get a better itinerary planned, maybe post again.

PS.. I chronicled my first trip to India here ... http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...%2B+pilgrimage not sure if it would help or if you've read it.

Aum Namasivaya

[satay]

namaste,
Thanks for posting the thread. I have been yearning to go to south for many years now but have never had the courage to actually do it. This thread might inspire me to take action.

[Ram11]

Namaste Devotee Ji,

I am thinking whether to go to Rameshwaram now or later as some say the complete Kasi Rameshwaram Yatra starts at Rameshwaram,to Kasi and back to Rameshwaram in one trip.Still thinking what to do.Thanks for the valuable advice.

Namaste EM Ji,

I read your Yatra travelogue before and I am going through it carefully again.Yes,there are so many temples in TN!I will try to visit some of the temples of Sri Ganesha and Lord Subrahmanya.

I prefer to know as much as possible about a single temple and spend more time there rather than hopping from one to other.I agree with you that multiple visits to the same temple is better than a nominal visit.I am browsing the net and I am making a tentative plan initially.Thanks a lot.

Namaste Satay Ji,

I hope you will go on a Yatra soon.It requires some planning to have a successful trip and luckily we have members here to guide us.It would be good if you can list some places in the South you wish to visit.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Ram11ji: That's actually great to hear ... that I'm not the only person who likes to go slowly. That other method is too tiring, and you spend way too much time hustling from place to place.

Ganga and I have thought about going again, and we'd pick 5 spots for 4 days each ... like that. Since we're not Indian we get sick really easily so it's a must we stay in higher end hotels by Indian standards.

So it would be .. a few days in Chennai ... day trips to Kanchipuram, SriKalahasthi in Andra, and Tiruttani, Mahabalipuram.

Then several days at Tiruvanamalai, try top really soak it up.

Then Swamimalai area, day trips to Chidambaram, Tanjore, etc.

Then Karakudi, day trips to Rameswaram, and lots of time over in Pillaiyarpatti,
and finally a week in Madurai, several day trips ... Palani, Tiruchendur.

So like that. Go slow and enjoy it.

Some of my greatest moments were also ... 'Just stop here,' to the driver. It's more intuitive that way.

My Guru explained that when you're on your own like that, the Gods can work better with you as an individual, then when you're travelling with a group. So you try to let them (Ganesha, most likely) give you the pilgrimage that is best suited to your karma at this time. For that, it is a must to use your intuition.

Enjoy, the planning, the trip itself, and then the aftereffects of the experience. I believe we don't emphasize pilgrimage nearly enough some days.

Aum Namasivaya

[devotee]

Namaste Ram,

Namaste Devotee Ji,
I am thinking whether to go to Rameshwaram now or later as some say the complete Kasi Rameshwaram Yatra starts at Rameshwaram,to Kasi and back to Rameshwaram in one trip.Still thinking what to do.Thanks for the valuable advice.

I have just one suggestion. Don't go by what people say ... like, completing the yatra from Rameshwaram to Kashi and back in one go. In my humble opinion, such yatras are just that i.e. Yatras (journey). I consider doing pilgrimage as a means to soak in spiritual vibrations of the sacred place. Unless you are mentally and physically (if possible) fresh ... it will be difficult to enjoy the nectar of love for God in those places ... you will be fighting hard with your schedule.

Once I went to Vaishno Devi in Jammu with my wife and children. My plan included just one day and night for Vaishno Devi shrine and I was to catch train the next night. We reached Katara in the morning, took our tickets and started our journey. We decided to go all on foot. I found that we had no time for even touching water of Ramganga as we had to reach Ardhakumari before evening. When we reached there ... there were thousands of pilgrims already in queue and we were told that we will be getting time-slot may be by 9:00 to 10: 00 pm at night. By nearly 1:00 am were through Ardhakumari Darshan and everyone was tired but we had to reach Vaishno Devi by early in the morning as per our plan and so we started just by 2:30 am or so climbing up the hill in dim light of moon. We reached vaishno Devi by 4: 00 or so and we found that there was again a long queue and our time was not going to come before 6:00 am. So, we slept somewhere till that time and had darshan in the morning by 9:00 hrs or so. Vaishno Devi is such a beautiful ... so lovely place and I could feel the spiritual vibrations of this sacred shrine ... and I tell you very truthfully that I badly wanted to stay at least for the day ... just to be with Divine Mother away from the noise of my daily life. But I didn't had time. We had to reach Katara well in time to catch train by 9:30 pm or so. So, again we moved and kept going ... we did caught the train in time and slept after that like dead due to this very very tiring pilgrimage ... but I still feel that I would had kept at least one more day and night in hand to stay at Vaishno Devi !

Recently I went to Mathura Vrindavan and it was much better managed this time. I cut down on Nandagram (didn't go there) but had a very very satisfying time in Barsane, Nidhivan, Mathura, temples of Vrindavan and places where still the monks do tapasya ! So, have sufficient time in your hand with you for pilgrimage. It will be highly rewarding.

OM

[Ram11]

Namaste Ram,


I have just one suggestion. Don't go by what people say ... like, completing the yatra from Rameshwaram to Kashi and back in one go. In my humble opinion, such yatras are just that i.e. Yatras (journey). I consider doing pilgrimage as a means to soak in spiritual vibrations of the sacred place. Unless you are mentally and physically (if possible) fresh ... it will be difficult to enjoy the nectar of love for God in those places ... you will be fighting hard with your schedule.

OM
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Namaste Devotee Ji,

I thought about what you said and I agree with it.
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Does any member know about famous/powerful Ganesha temples in TN?
EM Ji mentioned a notable shrine called Pillayarpatti in his Yatra posts.

I like big Ganesha Murthies,there is a big Ganapati in Sri Madurai Meenakshi temple known as Mukkuruni Vinayaka.Are there any similar shrines?

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Ram: In my tradition, the arapadaveedu pilgrimage starts at that Ganapati, so I'm a bit familiar with Him. There are three more worth a mention from my travels ... Rajaganapati in Salem, the Uchi Pillaiyar shrine in Trichi, and there is a large Ganesha temple on the way into Swamimalai off the main road. I'm sure there are dozens more.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ram11]

Namaste,

After discussion,we decided to go to 3 Kshetras.

Initially,the plan to was to visit many shrines but some of the places I mentioned in previous posts are hundreds of kilometers apart from each other which means hectic travelling.Instead of hurrying we thought it would be better to spend quality time at few places.

1.Tiruvannamalai Sri Arunachaleshwara Temple(maximum days of the Yatra here)
2.Chidambaram Sri Ananda Nataraja Swamy Temple(My choice)
3.Mayiladuthurai/Mayavaram Sri Mayuranatha Swamy Temple(It seems to be close to Chidambaram)

I want to plan very carefully because I feel that I should have spent more time at Chidambaram during my last visit there.I am surfing the net to include other important and tourist places close to the above three to make a tentative plan.