Avudayar Koil – Chaturmasya
Swamigal took his Chaturmasya vratha at Avudayar Koil and stayed there for two months. Avudayar Koil also known as Thiruperuthurai was one of the famous Saivite temples. King Arimartha Pandian had given crores of gold coins to his minister Vadavur alias Manickavachakar, assigning him the task of acquiring horses. When
Manickavachakar stayed in this place, he was immersed in his devotion for Atmanadar.
Lord Siva showed himself as a thirteen year old Brahmin boy in the temple corridor and bestowed the knowledge of Sivajnana under the kurundha tree. Manickavachakar spent all the money that the king gave him in renovating this temple. The temple has unique and beautiful sculptures and is administered by Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam. Swamigal visited the temple almost daily and had darshan of Athmanadhar, Yogambika, Manickavachakar and the kurundha tree. One person who toiled very hard during Swamigal’s stay here was Neikuppai Ekambra Servaikarar. When Swamigal completed his Chaturmasya here and started on Vijya Yatra, the Adheenam officials and religious head paid their respects to Swamigal with Bikshavandanam etc.
First Visit to Rameswaram
Swamigal reached Rameswaram, traveling via Uppur, Devipatnam etc., on the way. The railway authorities made all the arrangements and facilitated Swamigal to cross the Pamban on the railway track. Pamban Marakkayar helped to transport all of his entourage via boat to Rameswaram. Marakkayar personally met Swamigal and obtained his blessing. The authorities of the temple, priests and hereditary pandas gave a grand welcome to Swamigal. After bating in the sea and the teerthams ( wells) inside the temple, Swamigal had darshan of Sri Ramanatha and Devi Parvatavardhani in the temple.
He celebrated Navarathri puja in Dhanushkodi. On completion of Navarathri, he took bath in the sea where two seas ( Mahothadhi and Ratnakaram) meet, as per tradition for three days in a row. He also donated various materials to Vedic Brahmins on this occasion. On the full moon day of the Kanya month of the cyclic year Dundubi ( 1922), Swamigal collected sand from the sea at Rameswaram according to tradition, for
depositing in the Ganges on reaching Triveni Sangam alias Allahabad. He came back to Rameswaram to accept Bikshavandanam and pada puja of the various devotees gathered there.
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