13. PLACE OF TAPAS
THE temple of Arunachaleswara is 1480 feet long and680 feet broad — the compound wall is said to have
been built by a Vellala king (also known as Bhallala king or
Bhalla king). The eastern tower is 216 feet tall and has
eleven storeys. One could go and sit there. This tower is
said to have been constructed by Praudda Deva Rayar.
As we enter from the east in the first perimeter we
see a hall, in the southeast a flower garden and to the
north a thousand pillared hall. To the southwest is an
underground cellar where there is a linga of Easwara. But
at the time of our story no poojas were performed here
and the place was utterly dark, damp and unkempt. But
as it had been the place of tapas [?] for Ramana, in 1949 a
devotee, Taleyarkhan, got the place cleaned, repaired and
electrified. Here, a picture of Sri Bhagavan is placed and
poojas offered regularly.
To the west of the thousand pillared hall is the hall of
vehicles and behind it is a flower garden which for some
inexplicable reason is called `Vazhaithotam' (plantain garden).
On the southern side of the first compound is a
large tank said to have been constructed by Sri
Krishnadeva Raya. To its north are two shrines — known
as "Kambathilayanar shrine" on the east and "Sivagangai
Pillayar shrine" on the west. "Ilayanar" means the younger
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one — a name of Subrahmanya Swami. "Pillayar" means
Vighneswara.
There is a legend about "Kambathilayanar." Praudda
Deva Raya was the emperor of the Vijayanagara empire
around 1450 AD. He was an admirer of the poet
Arunagirinathar of Arunachala. This was unbearable to
the poet Sambanda Andan. Not being able to bear the
adulation showered on Arunagirinathar he challenged the
king that if the poet was really all that great he should be
able to present before the king, his favourite deity
Subrahmanya. The king, desirous of having a glimpse of
the Deity, pleaded with the poet accordingly. The poet
told him: "These eyes, used as they are to seeing the physical
world would not be able to stand a vision of the Lord.
Anyway, I shall find out from Him and let you know."
He prayed to Subrahmanya who told him, "If the king
beholds me he will become blind. Let him think over this
and decide." The poet conveyed that to the king. "Let me
become blind. I must see the Lord," he insisted.
Arunagirinathar invited the Lord who appeared in the pillar.
The king had His darshan. As the Lord became visible in a
pillar (kambam) he is known as "Kambathilayanar".
To the west of the Sivaganga, along the pathway for
circumambulation, there are huge trees (ippa trees). At
the base of one of the trees a platform was put up.
As we enter the second compound, we first notice the
tower. This was constructed by Ballala. To the north of the
tower is the Subrahmanya shrine. He is known as "Gopura
Subrahmanya Swami." There is a legend about Gopura
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Subrahmanya. Muthu, a devadasi, lived at Arunachala with
her daughter and son. The boy was Arunagirinathar. While
he was quite young the mother passed away leaving him in
his sister's care. She asked her daughter to fulfil every wish
of the boy. As a young man, Arunagirinathar became a
libertine not heeding his sister's advice.
He frittered away not only the money left behind for
him by his mother but even that of his sister. Yet he did not
give up and still demanded money. The sister replied, "I no
longer have any money but mother has asked me to fulfil all
your wishes. Your only wish is to enjoy women. I am prepared
to fulfil that wish of yours. What if our mother is one and the
same, our fathers were different persons. Hence there is
nothing wrong," saying this, she touched him. With this
Arunagirinathar realized the enormity of his degradation and
in a fit of penitence climbed up the Ballala tower and jumped
down to end his life. Lord Subrahmanya held him midway
in his arms, gave him a rosary and initiated him into a mantra.
This is the legend. With this we may end the story of
Arunachaleswara temple. For those desiring to meditate in
solitude and wanting to be inward-minded and absorbed in
the Self there are any number of solitary spots — the temple
towers, the flower gardens, and the thousand pillared hall.
These were frequently used but nobody visited the southern
side of "Sivaganga" during night.