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Hanuman Sannadhi, Lord Ayyappan and Vayu Moola Ganapathi

   Hanuman Sannadhi

   We are already aware that the main deity Kalyana Bagavathi is another form of Chothanikkara Bagavathi of Kerala. It was the month of February, magam nakshatram (star) in the Hindu calendar. Chothanikkara Devi appeared to Vilvamangala Maharishi in his divine vision. In the peetam, Vilvamangala Maharishi is embodied in the idol of Lord Hanuman. Many of us have heard about this great sage who, in deep meditation, had received divya darshanam from Chothanikkara Devi, Lord Vadakkunathar of Trichur, Lord Krishna of Guruvayur and Kodungalloor Bagavathi of Kerala.

   Once, Vilvamangala Maharishi appeared in Swami's vision. He told Swami that he had come to the temple premises in the form of Vayu (the element air) and would like to remain there in the form of Hanuman with folded hands, holding a mace and a bell on his tail. He also indicated the reason for his presence at the temple. After a few days, when Swami went to Chothanikkara, as per divine command, he went into a nearby cave and there, he found an idol of Hanuman with the exact descriptions as revealed earlier to him by Sri Vilvamangala Maharishi. He brought the idol to the peetam. Earlier, in one of the Devi poojas, Devi had instructed Swami to ask all his devotees to write Sri Ramajayam on sheets of paper. The more, the better. By the year 1992, more than a crore of Ramanama sheets had accumulated at the temple. As per the divine direction, a small sannadhi was constructed and when the idol of Hanuman was to be installed on top of the Ramanamams, from seemingly nowhere, an horoscope of Lord Rama inscribed in a palm leaf came flying in and fell inside the sanctum. Swami did the prathishta of the idol on top of the horoscope and the crores of Ramanamams. Everyone was overwhelmed and felt blessed to be part of such divinity. According to Swami, Vilvamangala Maharishi in disguise moves around the temple between midnight and three in the morning and does the deva poojas to the deities. Those who stay in the temple often hear the sound of a bell ring or anklets, if they are attuned to the divine presence.

   Lord Ayyappan and Vayu Moola Ganapathi

   Lord Ayyappan is one of the most worshipped and loved deities in South India, especially in Kerala. Going to Sabarimalai to worship Lord Ayyappa is a pilgrimage that involves strict penance of forty-one days and has great significance in the hearts of many. There were many malayalees in the vicinity of the peetam and they approached Swami and requested him to consecrate an idol of Lord Ayyappa at the peetam. Though Swami used to materialize idols of Ayyappa and Ayyappan malais (worn during the pilgrimage to Sabarimalai) and had sent many devotees to worship the Lord, he had never visited the sacred abode of Lord Ayyappa in the Sabari hills. When Swami had installed an Ayyappan idol in Kandivili in the year 1990, the Lord had appeared before him and said that He would come and get installed in the peetam at a later date.

   Later, when Swami went to Chothanikkara, Lord Ayyappan told him that he would definitely come with him to the peetam provided Swami would visit Sabarimalai at least once. As per the divine command, a few months later, Swami went to Sabarimalai with a group of devotees. On his way back, he was instructed by Devi to go to a particular spot where he located an age old idol of Lord Ayyappan and an idol of Ganapathi. He brought the idols to the peetam. A temple with the sacred eighteen steps was constructed for Lord Ayyappan and the Ganapathi idol was anointed as Vayu Moola Ganapathi. This Ganapathi idol was installed in the upper premises behind Lord Ayyappan facing the side steps that any one can climb and have darshan. The Lord Vayumoola Ganapathi is actually Sadguru Gnananandar who has taken up the role of Guruswami (who guides & directs the devotees during the period leading upto their climbing the holy eighteen steps to have darshan of Lord Ayyappan). Swami did the prana prathishta of the sacred eighteen steps with eighteen yanthras as per tanthric rites. During the pratishta, the temple echoed with the divine chanting of 'Swamiyai Saranam Ayyappa' by the huge devout gathering.

   Normally, to climb the Sabari hills to get the darshan of the Lord, one has to practice strict penance and austerity for forty one days. But for worshipping Lord Ayyappan in the peetam, as per Swami's divine direction, only fourteen days of penance and restriction are needed. Moreover, to get a mere glimpse of the divine jyothi seen in the sky during the Hindu month of Maharam, on the fourteenth of January, millions of devotees throng to Sabarimalai from all over India and even other parts of the globe. Because of the heavy rush and unimaginable crowd, there is are always stampedes and many causalities on this day at the holy site. Most devotees don't even get a chance to have the glimpse of the divine Makara jyothi and they get barely a fraction of a minute for the Lord Ayyappan's darshan after undergoing great hardship, penance and gruelling travel.

   Swami's compassion for his devotees is limitless. With Devi's grace and Sadguru Gnananandar's help, he installed the sacred idol of Lord Ayyappan on December 17, 1992, at the peetam, where one and all can worship the Lord peacefully and get great mental solace. Moreover he has thus enabled aged and ailing devotees to fulfill their desire of climbing the sacred steps. With his divine powers, he makes the divine jyothi appear in the Tambaram evening sky at the same time as in the Sabarimalai sky, an amazing phenomenon indeed. Blessed devotees at the peetam have volumes to tell others about their divine experience, and share the immense joy they experienced. If one really wants to enjoy that blissful moment, one should visit the peetam, sing and dance with ecstasy while chanting Swamiyai Saranam Ayyappa.

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