Showing posts with label Dasha Lingams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dasha Lingams. Show all posts

Sunday, August 28, 2016

The Dasha Lingams: Surya Lingam



The arrangement of the Asta Lingams around the octagonal perimeter of Arunachala reflects the geometry of a Cosmogram. The octagonal shape is surrounded by a total of eight Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their eight cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life in relation to specific fields of energy and influence. 

For more information about the asta lingams, go to this link here



The guardians of the four cardinal directions are called the Lokapalas and are the deities who rule the specific directions of space. The name for the eight deities, four of the cardinal and four of the intercardinal directions is 'Asta-Dikpalas.’ 


Asta Lingams

Indra Lingam (East) 
Agni Lingam (South East) 
Yama Lingam (South) 
Niruthi Lingam (South West) 
Varuna Lingam (West) 
Vayu Lingam (North West) 
Kubera Lingam (North) 
Esanya Lingam (North East) 

The Lingams have the dominant Navagraha of the God to whom they are associated. It is believed that placating a specific Lingam will bring various benefits that are associated with the respective Navagraha. 

As well as the Asta Lingams which I have given details of in the above link, there are two additional Lingams on the girivalam roadway which according to the oral tradition of the region are part of what is considered the “Dasha Lingams” of Arunachala. 

Those two additional Lingams are the Chandra Lingam and the Surya Lingam. My previous post gave information and photographs of the Chandra Lingam, and this posting is about the Surya Lingam located on the Arunachala Girivalam Roadway.


Surya-Arunachala Mythology 

There is a vast amount of mythology in connection with Lord Surya at Arunachala which I have written about in my Arunachala Grace Blog. In ths regard to view a fascinating post of the Surya-Arunachala mythology, go to this link here

Surya and Chandra Lingams at gateway of Arunachala Lingam


Its interesting to note the juxtaposition of Chandra and Surya Lingams in the map (above) of the Pradakshina Shrines to the map (below) of Arunachaleswarar Temple’s Moolasthanam, where the lingams are next to the Pradosha Nandi at the entrance to the inner shrine. 

Oral tradition reports that the similarity of the juxtaposition of Surya and Chandra Lingams at the gateway of the Lingam of Arunachala Hill and the Shiva Lingam at Arunachaleswarar Temple’s Moolasthanam, was created intentionally.
 Surya and Chandra Lingams at gateway of Shiva Moolasthanam


Lord Surya 


Surya, the Sun, is God incarnate in solar form, a glorious, shining golden visible every day. He is Astamurthi, one of the eight forms of Shiva. The Sun alone is the pivot of the entire Universe, the dispeller of darkness, and root cause of the three worlds. He is the deity of great brilliance and is considered the Supreme Soul. There are many names of Lord Surya and each name refers to a quality of consciousness; Aditya, Savita, Surya, Mihira, Arka, Prabhakara, Martanda, Bhaskara, Bhanu, Chitrabhanu, Divakara and Ravi. 

Surya is the chief of the Navagrahas and is often depicted riding a chariot harnessed by seven horses which represent the seven solar rays, the seven chakras of the body and the seven days of the week. 


Lord Surya on his Chariot

Surya's sons, Shani and Yama are responsible for the judgment of human life. Shani provides the results of one's deeds during one's life through appropriate punishments and rewards while Yama grants the results of one's deeds after death. 

In Vedic astrology Surya is considered a malefic on account of His hot, dry nature. Surya represents soul, will-power, fame, the eyes, general vitality, courage, kingship, father, authority figures, benevolence, generosity, grandeur, dignity, and friendliness. 

Surya has the following associations

Animals: Deer, Tiger, Lion 
Bird: Goose 
Gem: Ruby 
Metals: Copper and Gold 
Direction: East 
Food: Wheat 
Sign: Leo 
Day: Sunday 




In Tantra yoga, Surya, the planetary deity of the Sun, represents the universal male principal, while Chandra, the Moon, represents the universal female or shakti principle. Surya is also associated with Agni, the god of fire. 



The Surya Lingam 


Darshan of Arunachala from Lingam

Entrance to Surya Lingam

Moopanar Swamigal who was responsible for the restoration of the Ashta Lingams at Arunachala, did not have anything to do with restoration work at either the Surya or Chandra Lingams. 


Ancient carvings inside doorway to Lingam compound

Number of carvings at doorway

Surya Lingam in newly renovated compound

Surya Lingam is located after Gautama Ashram and before Varuna Lingam on the leftside of the Girivalam Roadway. Including two buildings connected to Lingam priests, the area on which Surya Lingam is situated on less than 1/2 an acre. In 2016 renovation work financed by a family in Chennai, was completed at the Lingam. 


Surya Lingam with Nandi in front

I hope to post more information about this Lingam shortly on my Arunachala Samudra website.

Friday, August 19, 2016

The Dasha Lingams: Chandra Lingam


By the turn of the Twentieth Century many of the shrines, temples and theertams at Arunachala were in a state of neglect and decay. In the case of the Asta Lingams the areas around the shrines were filled with squatters and encroachments and the Asta Lingams shrines themselves were unmaintained and their worship ignored. 

It is believed by many that the work done by I.S.V. Arunachala Moopanar (Moopanar Swamigal) renovating and restoring the Asta Lingams and their adjacent land, was responsible for helping to re-establish the energetic power of the sacred geometry of Arunachala. To read about the life of Moopanar Swamigal and his work with the restoration of the Asta Lingams go to this link here

The arrangement of the Asta Lingams around the octagonal perimeter of Arunachala reflects the geometry of a Cosmogram. The octagonal shape is surrounded by a total of eight Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their eight cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life in relation to specific fields of energy and influence. 

The guardians of the four cardinal directions are called the Lokapalas and are the deities who rule the specific directions of space. The name for the eight deities, four of the cardinal and four of the intercardinal directions is 'Asta-Dikpalas.’ 

To read more details about the Asta Lingams and their sacred geometry as it pertains to the Arunachala energy field, visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here


Right-click on all below diagrams and photographs to view enlargements 


The lingams underlined on above map


Asta lingams

Indra Lingam (East) 
Agni Lingam (South East) 
Yama Lingam (South) 
Niruthi Lingam (South West) 
Varuna Lingam (West) 
Vayu Lingam (North West) 
Kubera Lingam (North) 
Esanya Lingam (North East) 

The Lingams have the dominant Navagraha of the God to whom they are associated. It is believed that placating a specific Lingam will bring various benefits that are associated with the respective Navagraha. 

As well as the Asta Lingams which I have given details of above, there are two additional Lingams on the girivalam roadway which according to the oral tradition of the region are part of what is considered the “Dasha Lingams” of Arunachala. 

Those two additional Lingams are the Chandra Lingam and the Surya Lingam. This post gives information and photographs about the Chandra Lingam on the Arunachala Hillroad. I hope to make a posting on the Surya Lingam soon. 


Chandra Lingam Kanji Road 

A Temple dedicated to Chandra Lingam has been located at the same spot on Kanji Road for what is believed to be hundreds of years. However as was the case with the Asta Lingams, the Chandra Lingam in the same way lapsed into a neglected and dilapidated condition due to lack of maintenance. In addition the Compound was also taken over by squatters. 

A devotee working as Village Administrative Officer persuaded the Municipality to evict all squatters, take back control of the Temple Compound and lands and thereupon start work on a reconstruction programme of the Shrine at the very same spot. This work which was undertaken some 10 years ago, has  been completed and the actual Chandra Lingam which was moved to the Indra Lingam Shrine on Car Street for safe keeping during Temple reconstruction, is now installed in the newly renovated Chandra Lingam’s Garbagriha. 


Chandra Lingam, Kanji Road

There are a number of interesting facts about the Chandra Lingam Shrine. One is that underneath the Lingam is an ancient magnetic rock which originates from the Himalayas. Another aspect is the statue of the White Nandi which does not face the Chandra Lingam and instead faces directly towards Arunachala—was purposely created at Kasi with horns specifically shaped in the form of moon crescents.


Newly rebuilt (in the same spot) Chandra Lingam Shrine


Chandra has the following associations: 

Colour: white 
Gender: female 
Metal: silver 
Gemstones: pearl and moonstone 
Element: water 
Direction: north-west 
Season: Winter 
Body part: blood 
Food: rice 
Taste: salt 
Day: Monday 
Guna: Sattwa 

The Sun is the indicator of the soul and the Moon is the vehicle of the mind that receives the light of the soul. Even though all the Navagrahas are represented at Arunachala, the Moon with its particular association with Lord Shiva (Chandrasekhara) has an extraordinary influence. 


Black Nandi facing the Chandra Lingam


There are a number of statues of Lord Shiva at the Shrine showing him wearing the crescent moon. Lord Shiva is also known as Chandrasekhara, which literally refers to the 'Person who wears the moon'. In some cultures the appearance of the new crescent moon has been celebrated as a return of the moon from the dead. This celestial body is a powerful influence on the human psyche. Its influence which is always available at Arunachala is celebrated in disparate ways during Sivaratri and Poornima. It is also recognised in all Pradoshams that fall on Mondays. 

Lord Chandrasekhara with crescent moon

Lord Shiva wears on his head the crescent of the fifth-day moon. Placed near his fiery third eye this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of Moon and signifies that Shiva possesses the power of procreation co-existent with that of destruction. 


Statues of Lord Chandrasekhara throughout Temple

Lord Chandrasekhara over doorway leading to Garbagriha

In one legend, Chandra is considered the son of the ocean as he was one of the fourteen ratnas (Jewels) that emerged from the ocean during its churning and was gifted, by the Gods and Demons to Lord Shiva, who wore the crescent moon on his head. 


Unique White Nandi created in Kasi at Shrine


Chandra is a lovable God; pleasing to children as well as elders. Sages and devotees invoke the Goddess in Chandra. A benefic Moon is often found in the charts of doctors, healers or psychologists, as well as good mothers and wives. A strong Moon can give power and creates a good administrator or leader open to the needs of his people and indicates relationship, interchange, and communication. A strong Moon also shows sensitivity, receptivity, caring for others and a nurturing attitude in life. It gives emotional maturity, responsibility and the capacity to have a beneficial effect upon society. 


White Nandi's horns shaped to look like Crescent Moons


The moon has two stages; one from new moon day to full moon day i.e. the waxing period of the moon. During this period it is considered to be particularly auspicious to undertake new ventures and celebrate functions. Conversely the period from the full moon day to the new moon day, the waning period of the moon it is considered to be best to avoid undertaking new ventures and enterprises.
White Nandi faces Arunachala not the Lingam