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| Girivalam, Thruvannamalai, India tvmalai.in |
Going round the prakara - space surrounding the sanctum in any Hindu temple in a clock-wise direction is part of the prayer ritual and devotees never fail to do it on their visit to the temple. In many big temples such long prakaras (prathakshana path) round the shrines have covered roof made of a series of thick granite slabs or arched roof made of light bricks and lime-mortar and flat smooth floors. So, going round the prakara barefoot is not a tough one as you do it in the comforts of cool environment that gives you protection from the hot sun and rain. Examples: Rameswaram Ramanathaswami temple, Srirangam Ranganathar temple, etc. Some temples like Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple have open prakara with no roof over it.
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| Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswarar temple, TN. epuja.co.in |
As for Girivalam (in Tamil 'Giri' means a hill and Valam means going round clock-wise) or Giri Pradhashna (in Sanskrit Giri meaning hill, Pradhakhana means going round) it is altogether a different religious task that has both spiritual and religious connotations combined into one. It is more or less a religious pilgrimage consisting of circumambulating a huge hill at the bottom
Among Hindu temples in south India, the Arunachaleswarar temple is famously associated with Girivalam. Doing Girivalam round the holy Arunachala hill (ht. 2668 ft) here has been a tradition and is considered an important holy religious custom, which has been in vogue for several decades, may be more than a century. Geologically speaking, this hill is roughly 3.5 billion years old consisting of the oldest hard rocks (called Archaean group) and has been around since the formation of the ''earth.'' The hard rocks of Ucchipilliyar temple atop Malaikottai (hill) in Tiruchirappalli, TN also come under Archaean group)
Year round lakhs of people do Girivalam preferably on the 'Pournami day' (full moon day) that comes once a month. Particularly, in the days, preceding or following Karthigai deepam, going round the holy hill, where the kathigai Deepam (Maha Deepam) is lit, is an auspicious one. The hill was (and is) the abode of numerous Siddha Purushas (Siddars) - mystic sages who did lots of unexplainable wonders through certain mystic powers, it is believed. Besides, in and around this hill in this temple town, there are numerous ashrams where people, including westerners learn yoga and meditation.
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| Annamalaiyar Temple. holy hill in the back drop .en.wikipedia.org. |
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| Girivalam, Thiruvannamalai, TN 10tv.in |
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| Arunachala hill, Thiruvannamalai, TN quora.com/ |
Certain norms and rules have to be followed before starting Girivalam. Adherence to them will benefit the devotees. They are as follows:
01. Early morning bath and wearing proper dress are important. Avoid lungies or shorts or pajamas.
02. It is advisable to take Girivalam during full moon night or else in normal nights. However, one can do it on any day preferably in the early morning or after 3 pm.
03. It is not advisable to wear footwear; devotees are advised to walk barefoot till they complete it. Walking barefoot improves blood circulation.
04. During Girivalam, chanting of the namam of ''Om Arunachala'' is advisable and devotees won't feel fatigued.
05. Viewing the top of the giri and focusing the mind on God all through the Girivalam will give mental satisfaction and fulfilment.
06. Taking plenty of water during pretty long walk is a good idea to avoid fatigue and dehydration.
07. There are eight lingams around the Girivalam Path; each facing a particular direction and a star. Praying all the lingams is advisable.
08. Giri Pradakshina / Girivalam must be done with the hill on the right side.- that is clock wise.
09. According to great sage Sri Ramana, Pradakshina gives you the following: removal of sin, fulfillment of desires, free from future births (next janma); simply salvation.
10. Sage Sri Ramana also says every stride we make gives us salvation, happiness in heaven and eternal bliss of Satyaloka. While doing Girivalam or Pradakshina, get engaged in either in mouna (silence) or dhyana (meditation) or japa (repetition of Lord's name) or sankeertana (bhajan - singing devotional songs). This way till we complete this holy task, our attention will be on the all pervading, omnipresent Arunachala - Lord Shiva who represents Agni (column of fire) here; The 'Shiva's column of fire' clearly implies the Hindu concept of god having no end and no beginning (no Aathi and no Antham).
In many holy places the deity is atop the hill. But here the hill (2668 feet high) itself is holy (Lord Annamalaiyar). "Arunam" means sun and denotes the red color of fire. "Asalam" means "Giri" or "malai" (mountain). Thus "Arunachalam" means the holy hill which is red in color. The religious ramification is that God Shiva, being all pervasive in physical embodiment, is confined himself into a holy hill (Arunachlam) for the benefit of his devotees so that devotees could go round the holy hill. In his physical status with no end and beginning the God is not approachable.
For the convenience of devotees the ''Grivalam path'' has shops that sell bottled water, etc ., besides there are bore-well pumps to take care of water needs. and the well paved road is well lit with sodium lamps.
Such a religious act will give us peace of mind and respite from this ever-increasing materialistic life and, of course, from the madding crowd, mad traffic and air pollution that haunt the big Indian cities.
Personally, a break from the mundane life means we learn to calm ourselves down and be free from anxieties. The net result is contentment and blissful life.
Ref:
http://www.arunachaleswarartemple.tnhrce.in/girivalam.html
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