|
After completing the tour of Kumbakonam tourists can proceed to Nagapattinam. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation has a hotel located in this place for the stay of tourists. Nagapattinam is a unique pilgrim centre where the confluence of the three major religions of India (Hinduism, Islam and Christianity) takes place. Nagapattinam provides us an opportunity to appreciate these great religions and it is a tradition for the tourists to visit all the three pilgrim spots.
 The first place of visit, as one reaches Nagapattinam, would be the Catholic Church of sacred Mother Mary at Velankanni. It is one of the rare coastal churches in India. The holy mother Mary, the mother of Christ, is a symbol of love and compassion. The statue of the holy mother is draped in a saree in a typical Indian fashion and she is holding infant Jesus in her hands. For centuries the church has been famous for the miracles experienced by the devotees and seekers who come and pray to the all-giving mother in good faith and sincerity. It is said that anybody who visits the shrine whole-heartedly has always received the benediction of the Mother and has been helped in numerous ways. The church has a museum, which has meticulously documented the miracles, that have taken place with the grace and bounty of the mother and houses the precious gifts of gold, silver and precious stones made to the church by the blessed devotees. Going round the museum one realises that people have been healed from sickness and misfortunes. They have been blessed with a child and have been able to find a suitable life partner for themselves. One does not have to be a Christian to light a candle here. People from all faiths visit the shrine, make a wish and pray to the mother. There is a large beach at Velankanni where people can relax after the prayers.
 The next stop for the tourists would be the Darga at Nagore. The Darga houses the Mausoleum of a famous Muslim Shia Sufi saint who lived and died at Nagapattinam centuries ago. Numerous people cutting across religious lines have received the blessings of the Sufi saint. One can pray at the Darga and pay floral tributes to the saint. It is essential to prostrate at the Darga and to light a joss stick. There is a annual festival called 'Nagore kanduri festival' celebrated to coincide with the birthday of the saint which is attended by a large number of devotees from all over India.
The  third place of halt is the Shani temple at Thirunallar. This is the only temple in India where prayers are offered to Saturn (the 'Shani Dev'). Those suffering from sickness and from adverse Saturn conditions (Shani Dasha) visit this place to propitiate the ruling deity of the temple. In Indian astrology it is believed that the planets rule the life of an individual. Among the planets, Saturn is the most powerful and has a strong effect on the fortune of an individual. It is believed that an adverse Saturn can leave the individual reeling under a series of misfortunes for years. The temple is famous for appeasing Saturn.
During the general elections held in 1991 I was posted on observer duty in the parliamentary constituency of Mayiladuthurai (old name Mayavaram). The temple of Saturn fell within this area. After the polls were over I stopped by the temple and sat down in the temple courtyard to take some rest. I discovered that continuous prayers were being performed since the polling began and would continue till the counting of votes was over two days later. The objective of the pooja was to ensure that violence did not take place during the elections. I thought that hundreds and thousands people were working to complete the election process. However, side-by-side, the Archaka (priests) of this temple had taken upon themselves the onerous task of contributing towards the success of the elections by performing the prayers. The election personnel would have been oblivious of this fact that in a small beautiful temple of Tamil Nadu, prayers were being conducted for their safety and security. On enquiry with the priests I found that prayers were being organised on the behest of TN Seshan, the then Election Commissioner of India. It turned out that Mr. Seshan was a great devotee of the temple of Saturn and was seeking divine blessings for completing a big official task given to him.
After completing the journey of the above three places which are the symbols of unity as well as mutual co-existence of various religions of the world, one could proceed towards 'Tanjavur' the great capital of the Chola kings…
(To be continued next week…)
|
