Written by London swaminathan

Date: 5 September 2016

Time uploaded in London: 18-25

Post No.3125

Pictures are taken from various sources; thanks.

One of the oldest or the oldest of Ganesh temples in Tamil Nadu is Pillayarpatti. Pillayar is the Tamil name for Lord Ganesh. Pillayar patti is in between Karaikkudi and Tiruppattur, very near Kundrakkudi. The small town itself is named after Ganesh. It is a cave temple, probably older than the Pallava cave temples of Tamil Nadu. Scholars who studied the inscriptions around the temple came to the conclusion that Pandyas made it before the Pallava Temples.

Other clues come from the statue carved out of the rock. It is six-foot-tall and the trunk turns towards right hand side. Most of the Ganesh statues will have the trunk turning towards left.

Apart from this, the big statue has got only two arms unlike other statues which have four arms. This Ganesh sits in Ardha Padma asana and the tusks are long and short. No ankusam and Pasam (weapons); modakam in right hand. This Ganesh is known as Karpaka Vinayakar and Desi Vinayakar Pillayar in the inscriptions. Ganesh shrine here is the main shrine and bigger than other shrines.

image of Pillayarpatti Vinayaka

Ganesh Temples in North Arcot Area

In the Northern Tamil Nadu we have three important Ganapathy temples. One of them is at Senpakkam near Vellore. Two hundred years ago a minister by name Tukoji Rao was travelling in a cart which hit a stone protruding from the ground. The stone was bleeding and the cart couldn’t move any further. Tukoji  Rao had to spend his night there. He had a dream of Ganesh asking him to build a temple.  Actually the bleeding stone was a Ganesh statue. He got grant from the king and built a temple over Ganesh that was dug out of the ground.

Another miracle happened some decades ago. When Kanchi Paramacharya (Senior Shankaracharya of Kamakoti Mutt) visited Vellore he asked the Mutt staff to break 108 coconuts for the Ganesh. It is a tradition followed in Ganesh temples. Somehow the staff forgot it. When he was coming towards Vellore his junior came behind him, on the elephant in a procession. The elephant refused to move in to Senpakkam road when it came to the junction and was goiing circles in the same junction. Suddenly the staff remembered Senior Shankaracharya’s instruction. Immediately they broke 108 coconuts for Senpakkam  Ganesh. The elephant moved and made their journey smooth.

Ganesh shaped in ginger and capsicum

Tiruvalam is another place where Vinayaka has a small shrine. It is believed that Vinayaka went around his father and mother to get the mango fruit (please see the story in the first part). Ganesh statue is on the banks of the River Ponnai. Famous Saivaite saint Nambi Andar Nambi praised this Ganesh in his hymn.

Another Ganapathy is called Mayapillayar (Magical Ganesh). It is said that he appeared there magically. He came out of nothing. He is in Tiruppattur (North Arcot).

To be continued…………………………..