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Thursday, January 25, 2018

Bala Murugan Temple, Rathnagiri – The Temple

Bala Murugan Temple, Rathnagiri – The Temple
As Ratnagiri Bala Murugan temple is located on top of a small hill, there is flight of steps to reach the hilltop. However, nowadays the vehicles go right upto the temple. The very first shrine that would welcome the devotee is Karpaga Vinayaka. After that there is a shrine that enshrines Lord Murugan along with his consorts Valli and Devasena as metal (procession/Utsava) idols. Adjacent to that, there is another shrine of Shanmukha (Murugan with six heads) along with Valli and Devasena. These are also metal processional idols. The rare depiction in this shrine is that you can find Brahma on top of elephant in front of Murugan.






The sanctum enshrines Bala Murugan along with his consorts Valli and Devasena. The idol of the presiding deity Bala Murugan is very beautiful. The wall surrounding the shrine has the small niche images of Ganesha, Dhakshinamoorthi, Murugan, Brahma and Durga. Chandikeswara is found near Brahma. Separate pathways were laid to ascend and descend the hill. A chariot made of granite was made and the main deity was installed there to facilitate renovation of the sanctum sanctorum. Two temples for Lord Ganesha were built at the foothill and uphill. A golden chariot was made for the Lord Murugan to circumambulate the shrine. Ornaments of gold, silver and precious stones were made to decorate the idol.





The entire Temple is covered by 3 storey high ceilings with Hugh pillars which ensure that pilgrims are protected from the heat\Sun and at the same time have sufficient air circulation. The sannidhis are well spaced out and should accommodate a decent enough crowd. The granite floors ensure a soothing walking surface. The temple is also maintained clean and spotless. One of the special feature of this temple is that the prayers and archanai or holy verses are recited in the local language Tamil.





It is believed that the divine power in the temple manifests its blessings in three forms
1. In the form of the Lord Murugan idol in the shrine
2. In the form of the guru Swami Balamurugan Adimai
3. In the form of the devotee.