Journeying through The Ramayana Day 18 @ Tirukurungudi

THIRUKURUNGUDI

Apart from its significance in the Ramayana as the Mahendra Parvatham from where Hanuman jumped towards Lanka, Tirukurungudi has many important events linked to it.  It is one of the most important of 108 Vaishnava Divyadesams. Based in Tirunelveli district, the Lord here is in 4 forms - Nindra (standing), Amarndha (sitting), Nadandha (walking) and Kidandha (lying) positions. There is also a temple atop the Mahendra Parvatam where the Lord is known as Malaimel Nambi.The main deity is of course the Nindra nambi also called as  Paripoorna nambi or Vaishnava nambi. Ramanujar is supposed to have made the Lord his sishya and given him upadesam here, which is why he is called by this name. This place is also famous for the fact that it is with the blessings of the Lord here, that Udaya Nangai gave birth to Nammazhwar.  Also Thirumangai azhwar attained moksham at this place. This is also the Vamana avatar sthalam and hence one can see the head of Mahabali at the feet of the Nindra Nambi idol.

All through the yatra, Varad  & I had been looking forward with great excitement to being able to get the darshan of the Lord here. It is after all where Varad's family comes from. We reached the town of Tirukurungudi at around 2 pm very tired of the long bus ride and quite hungry. Our bus drove straight to the bottom of the hill on top of which was Malaimel Nambi. We were told that considering the dense forests and wild animals, nobody was allowed to travel up the hill after 5 pm during the winter months and probably a little later during the summer months. We got down quickly, grabbed a few quick bites and began our trudge up the hill. Many of the yatrikas took the special jeep that ferried people up and down the hill. We chose to climb up since the pathway had huge boulders on which the jeeps moved and tossed its passengers around! Our long climb up was guided beautifully by the sound of the gurgling brook called Nambi Aar.  It was small but forceful. The trees, small wooden bridges, birds twittering away made the walk less tiring than it would have been as the thought that the climb was a good 5 km long kept pushing into my thoughts.

As I climbed up the hill, I pondered on the fact that this was the haloed Mahendra Parvath. It is from this point on the hill that Hanuman stood, grew gigantic in size, and jumped up into the sky to fly and reach the other side of the ocean at Lanka. I imagined Hanuman on the top of the hill waiting for me to come up and visit the Lord! 

We reached the top of the hill tired slightly, but exhilarated. The temple steps invited us and we suddenly found that the steps broke off halfway up, on the side, to lead to the banks of the Nambi Aar.  I had a quick dip in the cold gushing waters of the shallow but wonderfully refreshing waters of Nambi Aar. Feeling greatly elevated by the waters of the brook, I rushed up to the temple as we found we had barely about an hour before the temple closed for the day. The temple atop the hill is quite small really and  Malaimel Nambi himself is not that very big. The sanctum is lit only by the natural light of an oil lamp and hence the form of the Lord is not very clear. But it moved me to think that the Lord here waited in isolation for his devotees to come up and seek  his darshan and blessings. If not for the care of the archaka, who came up to tend to him, who would look after him in this thick jungle? With a quick darshan done, we were asked to hurry back to the foot of the hills  as it was beginning to get dark and the way was infested with wild animals and was not safe for lone trekkers. Varad & I rushed down hill along with others. The beauty of the evening sky and the jungle sights and sounds overtook my good sense and I lagged behind and soon lost contact with my group. I found suddenly,  that I was all alone in a quickly darkening sky with very little light left. Luckily I had the torch with me and I quickened my pace.  A young man joined me from behind as a godsend, and refused to go ahead leaving me alone. He walked with me till  we reached my bus and then joined his group. His presence gave me a strange sense of strength and peace - quite possible it was my nambi himself who sent him. Who knows the way of God?

Reaching the foothills, we rushed into the bus to the lower temple of Tirukurungudi. As I entered the temple, I imagined my father-in-law roaming these streets as a young lad. The temple gopuram stood tall and brought in a strange sense of nostalgia over me as if I belonged here and had been here before. I entered the temple to find most of the yatrikas there already. I moved ahead to seek the darshan of Nindra nambi - As I stood in front of him, I was just blown away by his beauty!!! The green form, red lips with a light smile, dark coral eyes with kohl in them, the pink lotus hands seeking me to come closer and seek his blessings and then his beautiful feet! Oh what bliss, what beauty!! I could stand there all day and not have experienced this beauty enough! I thought of Nambaduvan who couldn't keep away from him even if his life was threatened! Such beauty could only bring madness in any bhaktha's mind! The perumals in other 4 sannidhis also were equally beautiful! But I kept coming back to the Nindra Nambi whom I fell in love with at first sight! Wish I could have stayed back with him!

Reluctantly, we moved on after a short upanyasam on the mahatyam of this holy town and its significance in the Ramayana.