Goats

Nagapattinam Diary IV

Kaaraikal Pulambal (Lament from Kaaraikal)

Left Nagapattinam for Karaikaal. Birthplace of Punithavati Ammaiyar a.k.a Karaikaal Ammaiyar. Yesterday they celebrate her marriage to Paramadattar  Chettiar. Today there is a Mango Festival (Mangani Thiruvizha) in Karaikaal. This is in memory of the miracle the lady performed by praying to Shiva and obtaining a divine mango.

Visited the temple of Kaaraikal Ammiyar. The idol was worth the wait in the queue. Beautifully decorated the divine lady is shown with arms cupped together seeking the divine mango from Lord Shiva.

The people of Nagai and environs like Thiruvarur and Karaikaal are outspoken to the point of rudeness. In fact they call themselves modumutti meaning reckless one. They are insensitive to the feelings of others and highly indisciplined. They ride roughshod over others and believe their forceful tone can get anything done.  But they are cowards at heart. As we stood in the queue patiently, many of the worthy citizens of Kaaraikal simply forced themselves in causing a congestion at the small door to the samctorum. This actually impeded people trying to come out and slowed the queue down. Repeated requests to join the queue bore some fruit and we passed into the sanctum sanctorum. May Karaikaal Ammaiyar make these people wise!

Nagapattinam Diary III

For a person who believes in Universal Brotherhood, Naagai has a great example.  All the three major religions of India are represented here.

In the evening I visited Velankanni. It was just a walk away as I stayed at VPN residency at Velankanni. 
It is a cluttered tourist spot; stuffy and hot. The shops cram every corner and shut out the view of the seahore which is a great beauty of Velankanni. 

Rear View of the Cathedral

 Naduthittu church where mother Mary appeared before lame buttermilk vendor boy

Nadduthittu Church

Nagapattinam Diary II

We next visited a series of shiva temples. The Navanitheswarar temple at Sikkal, the Agastheeswarar temple  and Kaayarogana swami temple at Naagai. We were informed that there are in all  twelve shiva templeas in Nagai.

The oldest amonst these is the Kaayarogan swami samedha Neelayadakshi temple.
Highlights:

• has the samaadhi of Aribadha Nayanar a Shivaite saint who was born in Naagai.
• Is one of the Sapthaidanga Shetram (Lit. Seven (holy) places) and has the famous Thyagaraja Swami idols. 

The temple also called Naagai Karonam in the Thirumurai is huge though not in the same league as Thiruvaroor or Chidambaram. 

Sikkal Temple

Kaayarogana Swamy Temple

Agastheeswarar Temple

Nagapattinam Diary - I

Some thoughts  I had and, of course photos taken during a recent visit to Nagapattinam district also known as Nagai.

Visited Nagoor dharga. This is the samaadhi of a muslim saint.

The Entrance to the Darga

The four minarets can be seen

The tower in front of the Darga

Comfort Zone

In Life Own Satisfaction is better than Success because Success is a measure decided by others, while satisfaction is a measure decided by us. 

Thought on this saying:

Can this also not result in complacency and indolence? Sometimes we need to use external benchmarks to evaluate whether we are at peak performance. 

Reliance on them absolutely and becoming frustrated on this account is the reason for stress and despair.

As, usual balance is the key!

Calamity creates Opportunity

14.06 2013

I am in Hydrabad to conduct a one-day public program on Excellence in Negotiation Skills. 

Red alert in Hyderabad. The Telengana rally has girdle-locked the Twin Cities. All main roads are blocked. Hyderabad is under quasi curfew. My Coordinator and I started very early and took a long and circuitous route through Panch Gutta and  Jubilee Hills to reach the Hotel Golconda in the Masab Tank area.

Weather looks like rain. Windy and cloudy with occasional showers. 

The Telengana crisis has made hotels and malls with glass fronts quite wary of stone throwing mobs. So huge nets have been erected shielding these road-fronted, glass-encased,buildings from a random Telengana stone.

The company that makes and sells these nets must have had a windfall out of this if not a tidy fortune!