Thennangur – Legends
Avathara Sthalam of Madurai Meenakshi:
According
to Hindu mythology, the Hindu goddess Meenakshi was found as a three-year-old child by the Pandya king here. To support this hypothesis, a temple
was also built for Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar at Thennangur.
Dakshina Halasyam:
Thennangur
was previously known as Dakshina Halasyam, meaning “a place where the wise
drink nectar.”
Shadaranya Kshetra:
As this
place was full of forests, it was also known as Shadaranya Kshetra (six
forests).
Gnananandagiri Swamigal & Shri Haridas Giri
Swamigal:
Thennangur
Village was given rebirth when Shri Haridas Giri Swamigal, a chief disciple of
Swami Gnanananda Giri, who decided on Dakshina Halasyam as the home for
spreading Sanathana Dharma through Namasankeerthanam because he strongly
believed that one can easily reach the feet of God through music.
Sadguru
Sri Gnanananda Giri:
Gnananandagiri
Swamigal was born at Mangalapuri near Gokarna on the west coast in Karnataka to
an orthodox Brahmin couple. At his young age, he was driven to Pandharpur with
an urge to know the self. It is in this historic place, that Swami was guided
to meet his Guru, Swami Sivaratna Giri of Jyotirmutt, one of the four mutts
established by His Holiness Sri Adisankaracharya himself.
Swami
Sivaratna Giri accepted this young boy as his disciple and swami then followed
his Guru like a shadow and derived great delight in serving him. After Swami
attained proficiency in Ashtanga Yoga, Hindu Scriptures, Upanishad truths etc.,
Swami was given holy order of Sanyasa by his Guru and was named ‘Sri Gnanananda
Giri’ into the ‘Giri’ order of Jyotir Mutt.
Later,
after Mahasamadhi of his Guru, Swami adorned the Peetam of Jyotir Mutt for some
time before relinquishing the same for undertaking intense penance at
Himalayas. After long period of seclusion, swami travelled extensively on foot,
spanning the whole of India, Tibet, Nepal, Burma and Srilanka. Finally swami is
believed to have returned to Southern India and from around 1966, Swami
permanently stayed at Tapovanam at Tirukkovilur, near Thiruvannamalai.
Guruji
Sri Haridas Giri:
The
chief disciple of Sri Gnanananda Giri Swamigal was Swami Haridas Giri known
familiarly as “Guruji”. Swami Haridas Giri (Guruji) was born in the sacred
month of Margazhi under the auspicious star of Uthirattaadhi. He was born in
the sacred land of Arunachala Shetram (Thiruvannamalai). His father, Sri Nott
Annaji Rao, was an ardent Bhagavatha and a devotee of Swami Gnanananda Giri.
Sri Nott Annaji Rao was an expert in the field of Sampradaya Bhajan.
His
mother was very pious soul. Haridas Giri even while he was youth was attracted
to Namasankeerthanam, the inspiration emanating from his father. Every Bhajan
held in any part of the town he happened to live in, found him with eager eyes
and throbbing enthusiasm. He gradually experienced in his own self a desire
overflowing in his heart to take up this as his walk of life. Thus, the seed
for a change in him was sown early in his teens.
In 1954,
One day when Guruji was sitting on top of a hill enjoying the nature around
him, Guruji saw a small fire about 200 yards away, he asked some of his workers
at the tea plantation, where Guruji was working at that time to check it out.
The workers went down the hill to check and told Guruji that they could not see
any fire around that area.
For one
week Guruji saw that fire. Then one night Guruji heard a knocking at his door,
as Guruji opened the door, Guruji again saw the fire there and suddenly it
disappeared and his Master appeared before him. The Master told Guruji that his
place is not here and that Guruji is for the world. The next day Guruji told
his boss about the fire and the appearance of His Master. His boss said that it
is only an illusion and gave him 15 days leave.
Guruji
went back to Madras see his father Sri Nott Annaji Rao, who took him to see a
saint in a temple outside the city. When Guruji saw him again, Guruji burst out
crying. He was the Master that appeared from the fire. After many trials and
tests on Haridas Giri, Swami Gnanananda Giri appointed Swami Haridas Giri (Guruji)
and told him to spread and sing in the praise of the Lord known as Nama Sankeerthanam,
as the only pathway to salvation.
Swami
Gnanananda Giri gave Guruji His Paduka, blessed him with the hidden treasures
of our great scriptures and commanded him to undertake a life of renunciation
and the mission of spreading the great cult of Namasankeerthanam with a musical
discourses on saints and sages who had tread this soil in a similar manner. In
the course of his mission, Guruji established many Mandalis, Seva Samajams and
other Philanthropic institutions throughout the world.
Sri
Swami Haridas Giri shed his mortal coil on 4th September 1994 at Koteeswar near
Rudraprayag in the Himalayas by entering into Jalasamadhi but spiritually
showering his Bountiful Blessings to all. The Namasankeerthanam mission started
by Guruji is now being carried forward by his close disciple Sri Namananda Giri
Swamigal.