Kshetradanam (Temple Visits)
Happy Travel days are here!
This is the first travel of mine during this year. During the first quarter I was busy in disposing off my flat in Mumbai and in second quarter due to health reasons I could not travel. However in this quarter my friend Moorthy (he moved to Hyderabad from Coimbatore) decided to start our travel and we planned to visit Padal Petra and Divyam Desham temples in and around Trichy plus nearby temples. Hence we reached Trichy on 10th night at Trichy and checked in at Hotel Royal JT (Contact +91 431 246 0455) is a very decent hotel without a restaurant and the tariff is Rs. 2000 inclusive of all taxes. This hotel is located close to Trichy Rail Junction. There are several good restaurants in and around this hotel. Hence non-availability of a restaurant is not an issue.
Our plan was to visit around 14 Padal Petra and 6 Divya Desam temples in four days. All these temples are situated in and around 30 to 40 kms of Trichy city.
First day (11-7-2026)
Exactly at 6 am our driver Ramesh reported in the hotel to start our Kshetradanam trip.
First we decided to visit Adhimooleswar Temple, one of the Padal Petra temples, which is in Thirupalathurai and 19 kms from our hotel. This temple is a Syambu ( self-born) sthalam.
Legend
This temple is revered in the 7th century and has several inscriptions dating back to the Chola period. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar. The annual Brahmotsavam (prime festival) is attended by many pilgrims. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
As per Hindu legend, a Chola king was chasing a bird, on a hunting expedition in the region. The bird hid inside a bush. The king shot an arrow, towards the bush. Instead of the bird, he found an ant hill, oozing milk when the arrow hit. The frightened king returned to his palace. That night, the god Shiva appeared in the king's dream and informed about his divine presence in the anthill. Consequently, the king established a temple in the place of the anthill.
Temple Timings:
7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The temple hosts six daily rituals (poojas) starting from 5:30 AM to 8:00 PM.
Contact details: +91 431 246 0455.
Photo of the gopuram of this temple is attached.
(To be continued)
