SRI
KALLUKUZI ANJANEYA SWAMI TEMPLE, TRICHY, T NADU
sri jaya shanker, new delhi
Trichirapallai
When you think of undertaking a pilgrimage to holy temples in South India,
the first thing that will come across your mind is the Thanjavur District of
Tamil Nadu. There are many pleasant old temples around this district one will
have to wonder whether the time is sufficient to see and enjoy them all.
Adjacent to this district is the Trichirapallai district with Trichirapallai
as district headquarters. Trichirapallai is more popularly known as Trichy.
When any devotee hears the name Trichy he will remember the place, which is
also famous for “Malai Kotai Uchi Pillair Kovil” and also Srirangam and
Tiruannaikaval two suburban towns famous for Sri Ranganatha Swami and Sri
Jambunatha Swami.
Nayaks, were the founders of the Trichy city, it was
one of the main centres, around which, the wars of the Carnatic were fought
in the 18th century, during the British - French struggle for supremacy in
India.
Trichy is built with Malai Kotai (Fort on the mountain) as the center of the
town. From any corner of the town you can see this rock, which soars 83
meters upwards. Half way up the mountain there is a beautifully built temple.
The temple is the abode of the “Thayumanavar”, a form of Lord Siva who had
taken the role of the mother to attend to the delivery of his devotee. Since
Lord Siva had performed the duty of a mother, here He is called
“Thayumanavar” meaning ‘who is also the mother’. It is said that Lord Brihma,
Vibishana and Hanuman the Anjaneya had worshiped Lord Thayumanavar.
Trichy Railway Junction Anjaneyar Temple
 When
under British rule, there was lot of developmental activity like building of
new railway lines for the commercial reasons etc., In one of these the
Southern India Railway Co., had developed Trichy as one of the main junction
for connecting the entire South with Madras the present Chennai. Choice for
building the junction was narrowed down the place adjacent to the small
beautiful old temple of Anjaneya. The small beautiful temple for Anjaneya
near the then proposed Trichy railway junction was so old that no body knows
how old it was. The construction works for lying up of rails were started
without disturbing the existing Anjaneya temple. When the Trichy junction was
initially completed it was found that this temple of Anjaneya was in the
Eastern end of the second platform of the junction.
Importance of Trichy Railway Junction
There are two routes that connect Trichy with Chennai. One is known as main
line running through Thanjavur and the other known as cord line running via
Arriyalur. The Trichy was made one of the main junctions of South. The
Thanjavur that was the granary of the entire South was to be well connected
by train if the food grains are to be moved easily out of Thanjavur District.
The main granary of entire Thanjavur District was Saliamangalam near
Thanjavur. People who were so sell the granary will either have to move there
rice to Salimangalam for local market or to Nagapattanam the coastal town if
they want to export rice to Burma (Rangoon) or Malaysia (Pinang). The Railway
Company saw the potential commercial aspect of this and wanted to build a new
line between Trichy and Nagapattanam.
Expansion of Railway Junction
In the year 1928 the project for expanding the Trichy junction, for lying of
new rail routes and construction of new platforms were undertaken. It was
then felt that without removing the Anjaneya temple from the second platform
the expansion was not possible. The Engineer in-charge of the construction
had order demolishion of Anjaneya temple in the eastern end of the second
platform. The laborers were employed and the work for demolishion was
undertaken, but the laborers found it hard to do the job. They were not able
to progress in the job.
Anjaneya' move
That very same night the Railway Agent (presently known as Station
Superintended) had a dream as if two rail engines were derailed in the
junction. Next day morning to the astonishment of the Engineer in-charge and
the Railway Agent, they saw that there was two engines had derailed. It was
then decided that the temple for Anjaneya would be rebuilt in an alternative
site near the Trichy Junction itself. An amount of Rs.800/- was also allotted
from the Railway co., towards the cost of construction. Once this decision
was taken then removal of the statue from the original place had become easy,
and the idol was reestablished (“punar pradeshta”) in the new temple site
known as kallukuzi, the present site where you find the temple.
Present Anjaneya Temple
The Kalukuzai Anjaneya temple is now very near the Trichy railway junction.
The temple is even now very simple looking and in a calm serene atmosphere.
The east facing three-tire rajagoburam welcomes you from the distance. One
can see the main deity of Anjaneya from the entrance itself. As you enter the
temple, you will step into the big hall that adores many paintings of the
Lord depicting the forms He had taken in different kshethras.
Kalukuzai Anjaneya Swamy
From the hall itself the devotees can have darshan of the Lord Anjaneya who
is in the form of ‘arthachitra shila’. Lords right hand is shown giving ‘abaya’,
and on His lift hand he is holding the ‘meru’. While the deity is facing
east, Anjaneya is seen facing North, indicating the situation where Lord was
returning the ‘meru’ to its original position in Himalayas after having
revived the breath of Laxmana in the Lanka war field.
Devotees who visits this temple
have lot of incidents to tell how Lord Anjaneya Swami of this kshethra had
helped them in solving their woos, while narrating we could feel their
reverences to the Lord.
The Lord who had brought the
Laxmana back to us, and returning the ‘meru’ to its place, is awaiting in
this kshethra to fulfill the wishes of His devotees as He is abya varadhan.
| 
.
