Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Rockfort
Ucchi Pillayar Temple | |
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Tiruchirapalli, (Tamil Nadu) | |
Geographic coordinates | 10°49′42.7″N 78°41′49.4″E / 10.828528°N 78.697056°E[1] |
Architecture | |
Type | Dravidian architecture |
Completed | 20th century AD |
Elevation | 126.17 m (414 ft) |
Website | |
trichyrockfort |
Part of a series on |
Hinduism |
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Ucchi Pillayar Temple is a 7th-century
Architecture
The Rock Fort temple stands 83 metres (272 ft) tall perched atop a rock. The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the
The temple is situated at the top of the rock. The Ganesha temple is much smaller with an access through steep steps carved on the rock and provides views of Trichy, Srirangam and the rivers Kaveri and
History of the Vinayaka temple
Vibhishana, was the younger brother of the
Vibhishana, though he supported Rama, was basically an Asura, hence the
As a solution, Vibishana tries to find someone to hold the deity while he was taking bath. He finds the Lord Vinayaka under disguise of a cowherd boy. As per the plan, when Vibishana is fully into water, Vinayaka takes the deity and keeps it firmly in sand, in the banks of Kaveri. On seeing this, the angry Vibhishana chases the boy, to punish him, and boy keeps running and climbs over the rock near the Kaveri bank. Vibhishana finally reaches the boy and hits him on the forehead. One can see a pit in the forehead of the idol even today.[2] The little boy then reveals himself to be Vinayaka. Vibishana immediately apologizes and the Lord gives him his blessings, reveals that the idol is destined to remain in Srirangam and sends him off to Lanka. This is similar in many regards to the story of Lord Ganesha in Gokarna[3] with Ravana in the same Ramayana period.
The place in which the Ranganathan deity was kept was later covered in deep forests, due to disuse and after a very long time, it was discovered when a Chola king chasing a parrot found the deity accidentally. He then established the
Uchi Pillayar is always associated with Manicka Vinayagar at the foothills. It is a general worship practise to pray obeisance with Manicak Vinayagar before visiting Uchi Pillayar.[4]
The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[5]
Gallery
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Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly (1847)[6]
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Rockfort as viewed fromLourdes Church
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Main entrance to the temple
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View from the east side of the temple
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View from atop the temple
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Gopuram of the Temple
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Trichy at night, as viewed from the Uchchi Pillayar Temple, Rockfort
See also
- Tiruchirapalli
- Srirangam
- Ranganathaswamy templeat Srirangam
- Thiruvanaikaval
References
- ^ India By Sarina Singh, Joe Bindloss, Paul Clammer, Janine Eberle
- ^ "Uchi Pillayar kovil".
- ^ Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna
- ^ V., Meena (1974). Temples in South India (1st ed.). Kanniyakumari: Harikumar Arts. p. 21.
- ^ Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959
- ^ "Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly". Wesleyan Juvenile Offering. IV: Vignette. January 1847. Retrieved 17 November 2015.