SRI KALLUKUZI ANJANEYA SWAMI TEMPLE, TRICHY, TAMIL NADU...
dr. sri jaya shanker, new delhi
Trichirapallai
When you think of undertaking a pilgrimage to holy temples in South India,
the first thing that will come across your mind is the Thanjavur District of
Tamil Nadu. There are many pleasant old temples around this district one will
have to wonder whether the time is sufficient to see and enjoy them all.
Adjacent to this district is the Trichirapallai district with Trichirapallai as
district headquarters. Trichirapallai is more popularly known as Trichy. When
any devotee hears the name Trichy he will remember the place, which is also
famous for “Malai Kotai Uchi Pillair Kovil” and also Srirangam and
Tiruannaikaval two suburban towns famous for Sri Ranganatha Swami and Sri
Jambunatha Swami.
Nayaks, were the founders of the Trichy city, it was one of the main centres,
around which, the wars of the Carnatic were fought in the 18th century, during
the British - French struggle for supremacy in India.
Trichy is built with Malai Kotai (Fort on the mountain) as the center of the
town. From any corner of the town you can see this rock, which soars 83 meters
upwards. Half way up the mountain there is a beautifully built temple. The
temple is the abode of the “Thayumanavar”, a form of Lord Siva who had taken the
role of the mother to attend to the delivery of his devotee. Since Lord Siva had
performed the duty of a mother, here He is called “Thayumanavar” meaning ‘who is
also the mother’. It is said that Lord Brihma, Vibishana and Hanuman the
Anjaneya had worshiped Lord Thayumanavar.
Trichy Railway Junction Anjaneyar Temple
When under British rule, there was lot of developmental activity like
building of new railway lines for the commercial reasons etc., In one of these
the Southern India Railway Co., had developed Trichy as one of the main junction
for connecting the entire South with Madras the present Chennai. Choice for
building the junction was narrowed down the place adjacent to the small
beautiful old temple of Anjaneya. The small beautiful temple for Anjaneya near
the then proposed Trichy railway junction was so old that no body knows how old
it was. The construction works for lying up of rails were started without
disturbing the existing Anjaneya temple. When the Trichy junction was initially
completed it was found that this temple of Anjaneya was in the Eastern end of
the second platform of the junction.
Importance of Trichy Railway Junction
There are two routes that connect Trichy with Chennai. One is known as main
line running through Thanjavur and the other known as cord line running via
Arriyalur. The Trichy was made one of the main junctions of South. The Thanjavur
that was the granary of the entire South was to be well connected by train if
the food grains are to be moved easily out of Thanjavur District. The main
granary of entire Thanjavur District was Saliamangalam near Thanjavur. People
who were so sell the granary will either have to move there rice to Salimangalam
for local market or to Nagapattanam the coastal town if they want to export rice
to Burma (Rangoon) or Malaysia (Pinang). The Railway Company saw the potential
commercial aspect of this and wanted to build a new line between Trichy and
Nagapattanam.
Expansion of Railway Junction
In the year 1928 the project for expanding the Trichy junction, for lying of
new rail routes and construction of new platforms were undertaken. It was then
felt that without removing the Anjaneya temple from the second platform the
expansion was not possible. The Engineer in-charge of the construction had order
demolishion of Anjaneya temple in the eastern end of the second platform. The
laborers were employed and the work for demolishion was undertaken, but the
laborers found it hard to do the job. They were not able to progress in the job.
Anjaneya' move
That very same night the Railway Agent (presently known as Station
Superintended) had a dream as if two rail engines were derailed in the junction.
Next day morning to the astonishment of the Engineer in-charge and the Railway
Agent, they saw that there was two engines had derailed. It was then decided
that the temple for Anjaneya would be rebuilt in an alternative site near the
Trichy Junction itself. An amount of Rs.800/- was also allotted from the Railway
co., towards the cost of construction. Once this decision was taken then removal
of the statue from the original place had become easy, and the idol was
reestablished (“punar pradeshta”) in the new temple site known as kallukuzi, the
present site where you find the temple.
Present Anjaneya Temple
The Kalukuzai Anjaneya temple is now very near the Trichy railway junction.
The temple is even now very simple looking and in a calm serene atmosphere. The
east facing three-tire rajagoburam welcomes you from the distance. One can see
the main deity of Anjaneya from the entrance itself. As you enter the temple,
you will step into the big hall that adores many paintings of the Lord depicting
the forms He had taken in different kshethras.
Kalukuzai Anjaneya Swamy
From the hall itself the devotees can have darshan of the Lord Anjaneya who
is in the form of ‘arthachitra shila’. Lords right hand is shown giving ‘abaya’,
and on His lift hand he is holding the ‘meru’. While the deity is facing east,
Anjaneya is seen facing North, indicating the situation where Lord was returning
the ‘meru’ to its original position in Himalayas after having revived the breath
of Laxmana in the Lanka war field.
Devotees who visits this temple have lot of incidents to tell how Lord Anjaneya
Swami of this kshethra had helped them in solving their woos, while narrating we
could feel their reverences to the Lord.
The Lord who had brought the Laxmana back to us, and returning the ‘meru’ to its place, is awaiting in this kshethra to fulfill the wishes of His devotees as He is abya varadhan.
[ed. 12.10.02]