Guru Shikhar Dattatreya Swami Cave Temple Mount Abu Rajasthan

Name : Guru Shikhar Dattatreya Swami Cave Temple

Location :

Gurushikhar holds the honor of being not only the highest peak of Mount Abu but the whole of Aravali mountain range, Situated at a height of 1722 meters from the sea-level, Gurushikar provides a breathtaking panoramic view of Mount Abu town and green aravali range.

Description :

You will hardly find a place in Mount Abu which does not have a temple or hermitage nearby. Gurushikhar is no exception.

Before you reach the peak, you will find the temple dedicated to Dattatreya. The literal meaning of the name can be explained thus: Atreya means son of Atri, the sage from Hindu mythology. Datta in Sanskrit means given. Dattatreya, according to Hindu belief is the son given to the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya by the trinity, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. The peak is dedicated to Guru Dattatreya and hence the name of the peak, Guru Shikhar.

The temple is believed to house the foot prints of Dattatreya and devotees feel blessed by darshan (sighting) of these footprints.

Within the temple you can also see footprints of Swami Ramnath, the seer who enshrined the statue in the Raghunathji temple in Mount Abu. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is an important pilgrimage place for the Vaishnavites, that is, devotees of Lord Vishnu.

After reaching the peak, at a little distance to the northwest, you will also find a temple dedicated to Ahilya, who was Dattatreya’s mother.

On the peak, there is a huge bell with inscription 1411 A.D. The original bell has had to be replaced with a new bell in recent times because of disintegration of the old one. The sound of the bell is carried to a long distance and is very captivating.

Historically speaking, King Prithviraj Chowhan is believed to have travelled along this peak to meet his bride and consummate his marriage with her. The bride was the princess of Prahladanpur, now known as Palanpur.

Places Near by :

– Mount Abu observatory is located nearby and can be sighted from the peak of Guru Shikhar. The observatory belongs to the physical research laboratory and houses a 1.2 m infra-red telescope which enables people manning it to keep an eye on the nation’s borders with neighbouring countries. Astronomical research is also carried out in this place.
– Achalgarh fort is about 7 km away.
– Peace park is also about the same distance.
– Delwara jain temple is about 10km from here.
Things to do

– Shop for souvenirs.
– Pilgrimage to Dattatreya temple
– Picnic at the top of the peak
– Capture the beauty of the surroundings in photographs.
Additional information

Duration : 1 hour for reaching the top and coming back, all vehicles are reachable.
Parking : Plenty of free parking space available.
Location : It is at a distance of about 15 km from the town centre.
How to reach : Rent a taxi or take a two-wheeler and travel along the Delwara-Achalgadh road to reach the base of the mountain. From here, you need to climb about 300 steps to reach the peak.
Good for : The adventurous as well as the spiritually inclined. Although it is a steep climb, the steps are in good condition throughout and can be negotiated with relative ease unless you have a medical condition. The shops alongside, with their display of a variety of wares, help to distract the mind from the tedium
and rigor of climbing the hill.

Websites :
http://www.abutimes.com/guru-shikhar-mount-abu/ 

Jnana Malai Murugan Temple, Kaverippakkam

Name : Jnana Malai Murugan Temple

Location :

Until recently the celebrated Jñāna Malai (Mount of Wisdom) could not be identified. Lord Jñāna Murugan only recently disclosed His presence at Jñānamalai situated near Kaverippakkam in Vellore district at a small village called Govindacheri 14 kilometres from Kaverippakkam. Though it a small hillock, yet there is no easy way to reach the top of the hill.

Description :

Lord Muruga is the embodiment of jñāna (spiritual insight). He is Jñāna Panditan, Jñānaswaroopan, etc. By worshipping the Lord as Jñāna Panditan, one obtains jñāna.

There is a small Murugan temple on this hill. In 1998 some local people along with Archeological Department officials discovered a worn stone inscription which translated affirms:

"...in the 18th year of King Sambuvarayar's rule, his son Prince Kaligarayan established steps to reach Jnānamalai of this village..."

The period is established as AD 1322-1340. On seeing this news item in the newspaper Dinamani our tiruppugazh thondar Ra. Krishnan, the author of several books including Arunagirinathar Adicchuvattil (In the Footsteps of Arunagirinathar), visited the site, conducted research and established conclusively that this sthalam is indeed Jñāna Malai celebrated in the songs of Saint Arunagirinathar.

Hectic activity followed, and last year some abishekams were performed by our Siruvapuri Murugan Abishega Committee and on 15 September 2000 kumbhabhishekam was performed after moderate renovation by the villagers.

There is a small temple in typical Pallava style on the hill with a small sanctum and a mandapam. The Lord is in the form Brahmasastā having rosary and kamandala in two hands. The other two hands are in abhaya mudra and resting upon the hip. Generally in Thondai Mandalam (north Tamil Nadu) Pallava and early Chola images conform to this Brahmasastā form. About three feet high with Valli and Devasena as consorts, these are beautiful moolasthana vigrahas. He is called Bālasubramanyar by local people.

Near the temple there is a small natural water source from which water is brought for temple abulations. On to the west there is a small Siva temple and behind we can see footsteps in the rock. They appear as footprints on molten lava. Incidentally this is a volcanic mountain from all appearances.

Foot steps of Lord Muruga

These footsteps are considered by the local folks as those of Lord Muruga Himself. There is also a belief that Murugan visited this place after marrying Valli Amman in Vallimalai on way to Tiruttani. Tiruttani and Vallimalai form form a triangle with Jñāna Malai and both can be seen from this hill. Around the hill there is a lake and in rainy season will look like an island.

Arunagirinathar came to Jnanamalai and recalled "his experience of being hated by his wife, own family members and local folks, decides to end his life and at that time Murugan shows His lotus feet and bless him. He wants the same blessing again." This internal evidence of the saint's life is found only in the Tiruppugazh of Jñāna Malai.

This tiruppugazh starts with "Maniaval nagaikka ooril anaivarum nagaikka loka..." There is also another Tiruppugazh for Jnanamalai starting "Soodukolai..."

Help make Jñāna Malai accessible to Murugan devotees

In order to facilitate worship this important Murugan temple we need to provide steps and other basic amenities.

Siruvapuri Murugan Abishega Committee members have decided to construct the steps as well as other facilities. As a first step on 19 August 2001 in the presence of Mr. T.R. Srinivasan (I.A.S.), Special Commissioner for Hindu Religious Charitable Endowments of the Government of Tamil Nadu, a foundation stone was laid and the formal inauguration of this great task was undertaken with the blessings of Lord Jnanamalai Murugan. For about five hours Thiruppugazh Anbargal sang tiruppukazh followed by abhishekam and annadanam. Hundreds of people attended this great event.

Murugan adiyars who wish to contrbute to this great cause are strongly encouraged to make material contributions. The hill needs about 225-250 stone steps to reach the summit. Each stone step costs about Rs. 2,000 (or US$ 42) to construct. In addition we intend to construct a small mandapam for the devotees in front of the sannidi and also other basic facilities (cooked food for annadanam is brought from Chennai currently). There will also be two small stone mandapams for pilgrims to rest on the way up and one at the foot of the hill as well.

Murugan adiyars and Kodaivallals are welcome to contribute liberally to the noble cause of steps. With each step, you will be drawn one step closer to Jñāna Malai Jñāna Panditan.

Websites:

http://murugan.org/temples/jnanamalai.htm