Thirunarunkundram--A silent peace scenic Tamil Jain Temple on small hill top.

10th May'17.
Shri Appandainathar Digambar Jain Temple
Thirunarunkundram, Nannaram Post, Ulundurpet Taluk, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India.

I know this place since my childhood, ever since I could remember being brought up in my native, a village 7 kms from the above place. I could see this elegant temple from the terrace and backyard of our house, but never visited it.

View from our terrace taken in 21/04/2008. Forgot to take a recent pic, hence digged my hard drive to find this taken with my old N73 phone. 

When I finally gathered momentum to start this blog and as the time matched with the famous Koovagam festival, it became the obvious first blog post choice. I did attend the main few hours of the festival but I could not spend the time I would like to--thanks to the thunderstorms and powercut. So I decided to visit this place and make use of the time; which I did not know will become by first post then.

FunFact #1: I was told by my grandfather that there existed  a custom among the people surrounding the temple that when a girl gets married she is locked alone inside a room in the temple for a night. I asked him why it is not followed now, he replied "Unna maari oru paiyan ulla poonthu olunji kittan, oru ponnu varum pothu.." ( A guy like you took advantage by hiding in the room and stayed with a girl ). Since then it is not followed, he completed.

I took a two wheeler, kidnapped my little machan (my uncle's son) for my escort, and set off by 5PM. It was a 20 minute ride we reached the steps to enter the temple.

The sun-set offered added-beauty to the vantage point. There was no other hill visible within the vicinity the curvature of earth could present and hence we tried to identify the villages as far as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then as I went inside the temple and neared the main deity, I realised we were alone and we could initiate a conversation with the poosari. I usually don't take interest in history, but it was a different day that day. I am not going to type any of the history, which you can find in the related links at the end of the post, but the facts he said that aroused interests to ask him for more.

 

InterestingFact #2: Samanavars, who worship this deity, Jains, don't eat after sunset.
InterestingFact #3: They don't eat garlic on the day they come to the temple.
InterestingFact #4: Their Five principles--Pancha Seeram:

1. Kollamai--they don't kill any organism.
2. Pollal--they don't eat non-veg.
3. Migaporul Virumbhamai--they don't wish for wealth more than their needs.
4. Kal Unnamai--They don't drink; they don't hit on other's wives(he mentioned this!).
5. Poiyamai--They don't lie.

InterestingFact #5: They don't accept Thiruvalluvar, as the writer of Thirukural. They believe it is Kuntha Kunthar, a man of their origins.

InterestingFact #6: Periyar once said that if he had visited the Gometeshwara temple in Sarvanabelikulam, Karnataka before starting the prominent Dravida Kazhagam party, he would have not started the party at least to respect the beauty of the 52ft statue whose pinky finger is 6'7"!

InterestingFact #7: The god in the above temple is called as Baahubali, and Samanars protested the usage of it's name in the blockbuster high-budget movie. However their case in the courts was over-turned.

InterestingFact #8: There are 32 valuable statues in the temple, of which 8 were stolen on 4/2/86. The thief then returned the statues on the 30th day as his conscience pricked him. He was later sentenced 7 years in jail.

FunFact #9: On asked about the FF #1, he ruled it out as a rumor. Hence FF #1 is false! :)

Then after gazing at the sunset sitting at one top corner of the temple, we left for our home. That was one beautiful evening and I know I am going to make more visits!

History of Thirunarunkundram: http://adhinathsevatrust.com/history-of-thirunarunkundram
Thirunarunkundram Ancient History: http://adhinathsevatrust.com/thirunarunkundram-ancient-history
Sri Appandainathar Mukkudai Poojai- Thirunarunkundram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juw6R3VaXdI
Baahubali temple: https://www.tripadvisor.in/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g304553-d6672306-i245389665-Jain_Temple_Shravana_Belgola-Mysuru_Mysore_Mysore_District_Karnataka.html


Pranams,
Dev
7PM, 11th May.
Anna house, Pallikaranai.