Sri Uchchipillaiyar Temple Malaikkottai, Trichy

Address

Sri Uchchipillaiyar Temple Malaikkottai Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu 620002.

Diety

Uchchipillaiyar

Introduction

Uchchipillaiyar Temple is a temple located in the city of Trichy in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Because the temple is located on top of a rock that is 3 billion years old. Ganesha got the name Uchchipillaiyar Temple. (The rock is also known as the Mountain Fort.) The temple is 273 feet high at the top of the hill fort. To reach the Pillaiyar Sanctuary, one has to climb 437 steps from the groundThe mountain was like a green clay ball on a potter’s wheel while the potter’s boy was playing with his father. Its king Cholan Nalangilli is a 7th century Hindu temple dedicated to Pillaiyar named Ganesha. It is located on the top of a hill fort in the Trichy district of Tamil Nadu. According to the legends, the king built the Aranganathar temple at Thiruvarangam. The hilltop is the place where Ganesha ran away from Vipassana. The hill fort temple is located at a height of 83 meters above the rock. This rock is one of the oldest rocks in the world. This soft rock was first cut by the Pallavas. Holy Water : Cauvery.

Puranic Significance

The most famous landmark of Trichy is the hill fort. It is also known as the Uchchipillaiyar Temple. It is located on top of a 275 feet high mountain. Halfway up the hill is a temple dedicated to the Mother Swami dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Uchi Pillaiyar Temple has a 100foot hall, an vimanam and inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century. Seen from the top of the hill fort, the Aiyarangal sacred hall of the temple, which is beautifully designed all over the city of Trichy, is special. According to an inscription, the Trichy hill fort was built during the reign of Mahendravarma Pallava Kings Gunaparan who lived in the 6th century Rama gifted a statue of Iranganathar to Vipassana for helping him in battle. Although Vipassana helped Rama, the gods, who were unwilling to carry the statue because he was a monster, appealed to Ganesha to stop it. Ganesha accepted their request. Vipassana was on his way to Sri Lanka via Trichy when he wanted to bathe in the river Cauvery. But Iranganathar was stunned at not being able to move the statue once it was placed on the ground as it could not be moved from there. He gave the statue to a boy who was there at the time and begged him to hold it until he came out of the bath. Ganesha, who was in the role of a boy, placed the idol of Iranganathar on the ground. Seeing this, Vipassana angrily chased the boy, grabbed him at the top of the hill and angrily hit him on the head. Then Ganesha revealed his self. Later, the Uchchipillaiyar temple was built on the spot. According to the legend, there is a swelling on the head of the Ganesha statue here.

Beliefs

If you start worshiping sthalam Ganesha no matter what starts, things are sure to succeed.

Special Features

At this temple during Tamil month of Panguni sun rays will directly hit the Linga for 3 days. The Linga here is Suyambu ( self-made) form and it is facing the west direction. This temple is 67th of 274 Shiva temples that are worshipped in the Devaaram. Devaaram is a Tamil spiritual book worshipping Lord Shiva. At Rockfort, three main temples are there at three different levels. At ground level there is a Ganesha temple named Manikka Vinayagar temple and the middle level there is a Shiva temple named Thayumana Swamy Temple. At the peak of Rock fort there is another Ganesha Temple named Uchi Pillayar Temple. Apart from these three main temples there are few Rock cut temples dating back to Pandiyas period and Pallavas Period. The landscape of Trichy is generally flat and it is natural wonder where Rock fort is standing at 83 meter high. As per archeologists this rock is formed around 3400 million years back hence considered to be one of the oldest rocks in the world.