Sri Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Temple, Kancheepuram

Address

Melmaruvathur,

Kancheepuram District – 603319.

Phone: +91 – 44 – 27529217

Amman

Adhi Parasakthi

Introduction

Arulmigu Adhi Parasakthi Siddhar Peetam is situated at Melmaruvathur, 92 km from Chennai in the southern state of Tamilnadu, India. This is the place where 21 Siddhars (saints) men as well as women from different religion, had their Jeeva-Samadhis. Here in Melmaruvathur Adi Parashakti Siddhar Peetam, the divine mother Adhi para Sakthi transmigrates into Arulthiru Bangaru Adigalar thereby promoting spirituality and devotion. Women are the priests of this temple performing pujas and archanas in the very sanctum sanctorum to Mother Adhi Parasakthi.

Puranic Significance

There is a Woman-Siddha in swayambu form in the place where from Mother Adhi Parasakthi emerged. She is head of all Siddhas. It is believed that a huge number of Siddhas are in this holy soil. Fertile lands are on the northern part of the temple. For the convenience of devotees staying during nights, it was suggested that a thatched roof tent may be built. But Bangaru Adigalar says that permission from Mother could be obtained as still many Siddhas exist under this land. Hence, the temple is called Siddhar Peetam.

Where the current temple’s sanctum sanctorum stands today, there was only a neem tree in the 1960s. Unlike every other neem tree, which bear bitter tasting fruit, this tree secreted and dripped a sweet nectar. Residents of that village found that they had an urge in their mind to taste this nectar whenever they passed by this tree. Since many passers reported of curing their illness and diseases after tasting this nectar, the word spread swiftly to entire village and its neighborhood. So it became a customary for these villagers to take a drop of this nectar to ailing friends and relatives. They treated this as a medicinal tree and protected it from grazing cattle and wood cutters.

In 1966, a severe storm uprooted this neem tree, which exposed the Swayambu underneath to the villagers for the first time. Swayambu means a self-emerging, naturally formed oval shaped object. People built a small hut on top of this Swayambu and conducted poojas (prayer rituals) to it. This place is known as Siddhar Peetam (Siddhar in Tamil language means enlightened or evolved souls. Peetam means throne. Thus Siddhar Peetam means The Throne of Evolved Souls or Great Spiritual Masters/Gurus) where 21 Siddhars are laid in Jeeva Samadhi.

Swayambu alone was worshipped for many years. The idol of Mother Adhi para Sakthi was installed later in the sanctum sanctorum on November 25, 1977. The idol of beautiful Mother is three feet tall, seated on thousand-petal lotus seat, with her right leg folded and the left leg resting on the lotus petals. The thousand petal lotus has significance in meditation. In this idol form, she holds the bud of a lotus in her right hand, the mudra (sign) of knowledge in her left hand and with her hair plait and knotted upwards like a crown.

Beliefs

Devotees throng the temple for all prosperity in life. Devotees offer Shakti Mala garlands, carry Irumudi as followed in the Ayyappan prayer model and they do the Anga Pradakshina – rolling around the prakara.

Special Features

Mother Adhi Parasakthi is a swayambumurthy in the temple. Three feet tall Mother Adhi Parasakthi appears in a sitting posture with right leg kneeled, and the left touching the lotus shaped phallus thus indicating that she is all supreme. Mother is holding lotus bud in her right hand. As a tradition, Gods and Goddesses are formed with four hands. But here, as in the Madurai Sri Meenakshi Amman temple, Mother Adhi Parasakthi appears with two hands only. It is said that such forms – with two hands – are adopted in such places where the Goddess functioned in a human form. Her hair is knotted upward indicating high wisdom.

The Lotus phallus on which Mother is sitting indicates that she is in the heart of devotees. It may be recalled that the shape of human heart is also as a lotus bud placed upside down. The petals of the Lotus are both upward and downward indicating higher spiritual efforts and the material leaning of the human mind respectively. The sitting posture of Mother Adhi Parasakthi tells that she is pulling the unwise to enlightenment and that she is all supreme.

It may be recalled that the idol of Mother Adhi Parasakthi was sculpted by Sri Ganapathi Sthapathi, principal of Mahabalipuram Sculpture College. This is probably the only temple in Tamilnadu where women enjoy the right of men-priests performing pujas in the very sanctum sanctorum of the temple. As a rule during the monthly cycle days, women do not go to temples for physical purity reasons. There is no such restriction to them in this temple. As this is a rule of nature in case of women, no debate on the issue is necessary, says Bangaru Adigalar.

THE OM SAKTHI PODIUM: The Om Sakthi Podium, with the Trident in its centre, stands vibrantly at the entrance and in front of the Siddhar Peedam. Since Adhi Parasakthi is the Mother of all Gods and Goddesses, there are no separate structures for the Navagrahas in the Siddhar Peedam. The Mother has strongly ascertained, “Those who surrender to me need not pray to the Planetary Lords. They are just my officers who carry out the work of implementing My Law of Karma. If you go round the Om Sakthi Podium, all the evil effects will be reduced in intensity or fully nullified.”

The Sanctum Sanctorum: In the Sanctum Sanctorum, The Divine mother, Adhi Parasakthi showers her Choicest Blessings from the Lotus Peedam. She showers her Blessings in the ‘sitting’ posture folding her right leg and letting her left leg down. Keeping the left leg down signifies that The Divine Mother Adhi Parasakthi has the highest place in everything. She holds the Lotus Bud in her right hand signifying Gnana (wisdom) and depicts the Chin Mudra (index finger touching the thumb and the other fingers stretched out) in the left hand. The Swayambu is situated right in front of the Adhi Parasakthi statue. Anointments (Abishekam) and Archanas (pooja) are performed to the Adhi Parasakthi statue and Swayambu, every day. The sanctorum is only about 10X10 feet room.

Putrumandapam: The Mother in order to keep blessing people at all times, dwells in the snake pit (Putrumandapam) in the form of a cobra. The Mother appears before the devotees who stay in the mandapam (Hall) at nights, in the form of a snake till this day. It is the Putrumandapam where the Mother gives her Oracle.

Saptha Kanniyar: Saptha Kanniyar Kovil to the right of Putrumandapam. Normally the temple of the virgins will never have a roof. So also this temple of the virgins, with wall on four sides has no roof. To ascertain the fact that all are her children and that She doesn’t differentiate between any of us, the Mother ordained the local Harijans (considered to be low caste people in India) to construct the Saptha Kanniyar (Saptha means seven and Kanni means virgin. Kanniyar is plural for virgins) worship center within the Temple.

In 1974, the Saptha (Seven) Kanni (Virgin Angels) Sannidhi (Temple) was consecrated in Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Siddhar Peetam, Tamilnadu, India. As with everything else in Melmaruvathur, Saptha Kanniyar (Virgin Mothers) and their Temple is also unique, transcends the traditional and emphasizes the fundamental Universal Nature of these Mothers. Seven Angels are Saptha Mathas, Saptha Matrikas, Saptha Kannikas, etc. Also, some of these sources attempt to differentiate between Matrikas, Mathas and Virgin Angels, although in reality, they are one and the same.

In all Hindu scripts and Devi Mahatmayam, one will note that Saptha Kannikas are mentioned as Parivaara Devatas of Aadhi Para Shakti. Among the millions of Parivaara Devatas, these Seven Virgin Mothers carry special place in Aadhi Para Shakti as depicted in Sri Yantra (Sri Chakra). The seven nodes in the middle line of the First Enclosure (Prathama Aavaranaa) are occupied by the Saptha Kannikas, namely Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kowmari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamundi .

The eighth node is occupied by Mahalakshmi. Traditionally, all the Hindu Temples in villages and rural areas of India, these seven virgin mothers are consecrated as seven stones and worshipped as formless. These shrines are often called “Kanni Kovil”

Naga Peedam: Naga Peedam is situated behind the Putrumandapam. Upon worshipping the deity in the Naga Peedam by lighting lemon lamp, the devotees can gain the benefits of worshipping three Goddesses Kanchi Kamakshi, Kasi Visalakshi and Madurai Meenakshi thereby nullifying family related problems and fostering unity within the family members.

Arut Koodam: The divine Arut Koodam is situated in the North-Western corner of the Siddhar Peedam. At Arut Koodam, the devotees perform Paadha Pooja to His Holiness for getting His Divine Blessings and Guidance to get rid of their personal problems.

Atharvana Badrakali Temple: This is a small temple is situated opposite to the Omsakthi Podium of the Siddhar Peedam. People who have been affected and crippled by the negative forces of Witchcraft and Black Magic will be cured if they worship the powerful Goddess of this temple.

Festivals

Thaipoosam – January · His Holiness’ Birthday – 3 March · Telugu New Year’s Day – April · Tamil New Year’s Day – April · Chitra Pournami – April · Adi Pooram – August · Navarathri – October · All Full Moon Days and New Moon days throughout the Calendar Year.

This has been extracted from,

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com