Day 9 of my very first pilgrimage to India happened to be the pinnacle of my journey.
6 am, 9th September, I left for Thiruvanaikaval temple in Trichy again thinking I could take a dip in the tank. But there was hardly any water in the tanks.
7.15 am, I started for Tiruvannamalai stopping over at Viradeswarar Temple in Tirukovilur at 10.40 am. I continued my journey to Tiruvannamalai 11 am.
I reached Tiruvannamalai temple at 1.15 pm. Deva accompanied me. I was at the temple grounds till 1.50 pm. I had a beautiful darshan, and pretty close one too of Lord Annamalaiyaar and Unna Mulaiyal. I performed prayers here, at the Siva Parvathi Urchavamurthy shrine and at Lord Murugan’s shrine. I saw the patala lingam where Ramana Maharishi had meditated. I left for the hotel at 2.30 pm.
The day was where devotees went around Annamalaiyaar. According to the Nadi I was to circumambulate Annamalaiyaar in the form of this hill on a full moon night. So here I was on 9th September 2003 in Tiruvannamalai. Full moon started at 10.47 pm and lasted till 10.48 pm the next day (10th September 2003).
At 5.30 pm I walked to the temple from the hotel. I joined the long queue to get another darshan of the Lord before embarking on the Girivalam. It was a long queue indeed for I only saw the Lord at 9 pm. At 9.40 pm I started on the Girivalam path finishing back at the temple grounds at 6.30 am on 10th September. I stopped over at the following places of worship:
Tuesday, 9th September
9.45 pm Agni Lingam in the temple grounds
10.40 pm Seshadari ashram, Amman temple, Dhaksanamurthy temple
10.45 pm Kali temple
11.30 pm Ramana ashram
11.40 pm turned back without visiting Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s (Visiri Swami) ashram as it was too far off the Girivalam route
11.55 pm Murugan temple, Sakthi temple, Adi Shankaracharyar Madam, Tank
Wednesday, 10th September
12.10 am Cemetery, Yama Lingam
12.20 am Mrityam Or Jaya Lingam, Ganesar temple
12.35 am Tank, Dhurvasar temple, Nandi temple
12.50 am Tank, Jhoti Vinayagar temple
1.20 am Vallalar temple, Annamalaiyaar temple, Unnamulai temple
1.30 am Anjaneyar temple
1.40 am Palani Andavar temple, Raja Rajeswari temple, Nandi temple
1.50 am Adi Mudi Sidhar Samadhi, Kautamar Rishi temple, Surya Lingam temple, Ramar temple, Varuna Lingam temple, Adi Arunachaleswarer temple
2.45 am Manickavasagar temple, Ganesar temple, Sakthi temple, Sudhananda ashram
3.10 am Vayu Lingam temple
3.20 am Tank, Ramachandra Swami ashram
4.20 am Kubera Lingam temple
4.40 am Eduku Pillaiyaar temple, Panja Muka Darshan temple, Brahma Rishi temple, Esaki temple
5.00 am Arthanathiswarar temple
5.10 am Seenivasa Perumal temple, Cemetery, Ammani Ammal Peedham, Esanya Lingam temple
5.30 am Easanya samadhi, Annamalaiyaar temple
5.55 am Draupadi Amman temple
6 am Durga, Anjaneyar, and Perumal temples
Finally Erathai Vinayagar temple at 6.30 am ending the Girivalam at the eastern gopuram.
I was hoping to come face to face with my guru at this holy event as mentioned in the Nadi, although Agathiyar did not mention the place and time. But I was not destined to meet him until later.
After lunch that day at 12 noon I went back to Ramana Maharishi’s ashram and sat at his samadhi. Later I left for Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s ashram which I did not get to visit earlier during the girivalam. Unfortunately Yogi Ramsuratkumar’s ashram was closed for lunch.
I then decided to go eight kilometers out of Thiruvannamalai to Deva’s uncle’s home. I was told he was an astrologer. I was blessed to meet Supramania Swami that day.
Agathiyar had me go on a pilgrimage of Hindu temples to perform atonement or parikaram. Agathiyar asked that I perform the circumambulation or girivalam last, before returning to Malaysia. I did just that. Later I found my way to Supramania Swami on the pretext, as I found out later, of having my daughters astrological chart written.
Swami told me he had circumambulated Annamalaiyaar the past 30 years but could not do it the day before as he had taken ill. Although he could not make it, he had Annamalaiyaar's darshan right from his home as Annamalaiyaar was fully visible from his home.
He was waiting to deliver my future. I spent 5 enchanting hours with him that I shall cherish forever.
Swami told me he had circumambulated Annamalaiyaar the past 30 years but could not do it the day before as he had taken ill. Although he could not make it, he had Annamalaiyaar's darshan right from his home as Annamalaiyaar was fully visible from his home.
He was waiting to deliver my future. I spent 5 enchanting hours with him that I shall cherish forever.
In 2005, I was back at Thiruvannamalai with my beloved guru. We paid our respects to Annamalaiyaar up close thanks to Vimalan and Suresh who made arrangements with the temple priests. I realized visits to a couple of temples in the vicinity did not captivate him. So I suggested we go over to his guru's samadhi for pradosham, which he readily agreed with a wide grin. And so we were at Yogi Ramsuratkumar's temple. Supramania Swami spent the whole while just staring at the Shivalingam above the Yogi's samadhi, without even moving an inch. I was amazed and wondered what he saw throughout the libation or abhisegam of the Lingam and Nandhi.
Back at his kudil, when I questioned him why he had draped a gunny sack over the open window at his kudil, which was strategically located so that he could always have a view of Annamalaiyaar hill from his bed, he surprised me by answering that he could not look at the hill no more as it appeared as a fiery hill or Analmalai. He also mentioned that he could see all the Siddhas moving on the hill.
Supramania Swami went into samadhi at 10.20 am, on Wednesday, 7th February 2007 at his Kudil in Thiruvannamalai at the age of 65. True enough when I was with him in 2005 he mentioned that his lifespan was only 65. His son Ramajayam tells me he found Swami’s diary after his samadhi. Swami had written the exact date and time of his departure. This entry was dated 23rd May 2005. He had also written down how to attend to his body once he passed away. Although he did not have a following, mysteriously a Swami to whom Ramajayam served as a driver in Thiruvannamalai sent twenty sadhus from his movement to take care of Swami’s last rites. Swami was laid to rest the same day within eight hours of his passing away as requested by him (Supramania Swami). Although he had mentioned that he be laid to rests at the kudil, the Lord and his messengers decided to provide a better place of rest for his deserving disciple.
Agathiyar, on 10th February 2007, told me Swami had gone into samadhi at the right moment. He had been laid at the right spot and that his samadhi shall gain fame. On 24th July 2007, Agathiyar mentions Supramania Swami was the first guru I went searching for and that he was a true guru. Agathiyar asked that I chant Swami’s name and miracles shall take place in my home. And it did take place!
Watch a very informative and concise video on Thiruvannamalai and Annamalaiyaar at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYlemr_ESIk and part 2 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtO_w4DTkMk and more videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/girivalamalert/videos