PULIYAKULAM VINAYAGAR TEMPLE - PULIYA KULAM

PULIYAKULAM VINAYAGAR TEMPLE – THIS IS THE ASIA’S BIGGEST GANESHA TEMPLE, THIS TEMPLE IS SITUATED IN PULIYAKULAM MAIN ROAD. LORD SRI VINAYAGAR, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS GANESHA, PILLAYAR IN SOUTH INDIA, GANAPATHI OR VIGNESWARAR, IS THE FOREMOST GOD FOR HINDUS. VINAYAGAR REPRESENTS KNOWLEDGE AND HE IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE REMOVER AND THE DESTROYER OF OBSTACLES. ALSO KNOWN AS THE ELEPHANT GOD, HE IS THE ELDEST SON OF LORD SHIVA AND HIS CONSORT, PARVATHI (SHAKTI). HIS YOUNGER BROTHER IS LORD MURGAN.

HINDUS LOOK UPON THE COUNTENANCE OF VINAYAGAR WITH GREAT AFFECTION. HE HAS THE HEAD OF AN ELEPHANT, COMPLETE WITH CURVED TRUNK AND BIG EARS. AS THE ELEPHANT IS THE SYMBOL OF EXTREME INTELLIGENCE, LIKEWISE, VINAYAGAR IS THE EMBODIMENT OF WISDOM AND INTELLIGENCE. THERE ARE FOUR PODGY HANDS JOINED TO HUMAN POT-BELLIED BODY. ONE HAND HOLDS A TRISHUL OR TRIDENT, THE SECOND AN ANKUSH OR GOAD MADE FROM HIS OWN BROKEN TOOTH; THE THIRD HOLDS A LOTUS AND THE FOURTH A ROSARY OR, A MODAK OR MODAKAM, HIS FAVOURITE SWEET. SOMETIMES, THERE IS A TRAY OF MODAKAM [KOLIKATTAI] IN FRONT OF HIM OR HELD BY HIS TRUNK. VINAYAGAR IS BOTH THE LORD OF OBSTACLES AS WELL AS THE REMOVER OF OBSTACLES. WHEN WE DO EVIL THINGS OR WHEN THE TIME IS NOT RIGHT, HE PLACES OBSTACLES IN OUR PATH. WHEN WE TAKE THE CORRECT PATH, HE REMOVES THE ROOT OF OUR TROUBLES.