All Through the Way : September 2012

Visited the Biggest Ganesh idol on the Eve of Ganesh Chathurthi

The largest Lord Ganesh Idol in the world is installed at the Khairtabad State Library during the Ganesh Chathurthi festival and is immersed at Hussain Sagar Lake. 2012 festival started from 19th to 29th Sept. The 58th year of Ganesh celebration was organized by installing 58 feet tall Ganesh idol.

During the 11-day festival thousands of people from many places, not only in and around Hyderabad but also throughout India, visit the Idol and get the blessings of the Lord Ganesh. On the 11th day, a big procession takes place and the idol is carried to the Hussain Sagar Lake. After immersing the idol, the festival ends.

2012 Maha Laddu was of 3500Kgs, which will be distributed to the public before immersing the idol.

A fine morning starts with prayer:

ഹരിപ്പാട് ശ്രീ സുബ്രഹ്മണ്യസ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രം :
(Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple)

Haripad is known as 'Town of Temples' ( ക്ഷേത്രങ്ങളുടെ നഗരം).
Haripad Sree Subrmaniya Swami Temple is one of the oldest and most important temple devoted to Lord Subrahmanya. Popularly known as Dakshina Palani ( Palani of south). It is believed that the temple was established even before the advent of ‘Kaliyuga'. The Subrahmanya idol with four arms is the biggest of its kind designed after the sculptural pattern of the Buddhist era.

Front view

Full view

Thiruvona Pookalam

മണണാറശ്ശാല ശ്രീ നാഗരാജാക്ഷേത്രം :
(Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple)

Mannarasala is a very ancient and internationally-known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods (Nagaraja). Uruli Kamazhthu in Nilavara (offering of traditional bronze vessel) is one of the most popular devotee offering in Mannarasala, Known for begetting children to couples. Main specialty here is Pooja is performed by Mannarasala Amma, the chief priestess.

അമ്പലപ്പുഴ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണ ക്ഷേത്രം :

(Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple)

The idol at Ambalapuzha is likened to Parthasarthi with a whip in the right hand and a Shankhu (sacred conch) in the left. Ambalapuzha Palpayasa is famous Nedyam among devotees. It is believed that Guruvayoorappan reaches here daily at the time of Palpayasa Nedyam to have it.

Story behind the Ambalapuzha Palpayasa is -
Lord Krishna once appeared in the form of a sage in the court of the king and challenged him for a game of chess. The king being a chess enthusiast himself gladly accepted the invitation. Before the game the king asked the sage to choose his prize in case he won. The sage told he wish to have few grains of rice. The amount of rice shall be determined using the chess-board ie; every square will have double the number of grains of its predecessor.
So the game of chess started and needless to say the king lost the game. It was time to pay prize. As he started adding grains of rice to the chess board, the king realised the true nature of sage's demands. By the 20th square, the number reached one million grains of rice and go on increasing .The royal grainery soon ran out of grains of rice. The king realised that even if he provides all the rice in his kingdom and his adjacent kingdoms, he will never be able to fulfill the promised reward.
Upon seeing the dilemma, the sage appeared in his true-form, that of lord Krishna. He told the King that he did not have to pay the debt immediately but could pay him over time. The king would serve paal-payasam (made of rice) in the temple freely to the pilgrims every day until the debt was paid off.