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| Uchi Pillayar Temple [Rockfort]- Trichy |
Architecture
The Rock Fort temple stands 83m tall perched atop the rock. The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed both the temples under the Vijayanagara Empire.
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| Beautiful Architecture of the Temple |
The temple is situated at the top of the rock. The temple is mystic in its nature with an awe-inspiring rock architecture. The Ganesh temple is much smaller with an access through steep steps carved on the rock and provides a stunning view of Trichy, Srirangam and the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam. Due to its ancient and impressive architecture created by the Pallavas, the temple is maintained by the Archaeological department of India.
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| View of the Temple |
Mythology of Uchi Pillayar Temple
Vibhishana, was the younger brother of the Asura King Ravana who ruled Lanka. Lord Rama in the epic of Ramayana rescues his wife Sita, who was kidnapped and held by Ravana, with the help of Sugriva and Hanuman defeated him. In this war, the moral and truth-abiding brother of Ravana, Vibishana aids Rama in his battle against his brother. Ultimately Rama wins the war and as a token of love, He gifts Vibishana a vigraham [idol for worship] of Lord Ranganatha, a form of Vishnu.
Vibhishana, though he supported Rama, was basically an Asura, hence the Devas [who are arch rivals to Asuras as per Hindu mythology] wanted to stop this idea of an Asura taking Lord's supreme form to his Kingdom. They request the help of the Remover of obstacles and God of learning, Lord Vinayaka and the Lord accepts the plan. Vibhishana, while on his back to his Kingdom, goes through Trichi, and wanted to take his bath in the river Kaveri and do his daily rituals. However, he is perplexed as the deity, once kept in land, can never be removed and has to be in that place forever.
As a solution, Vibishana tries to find someone to hold the deity while he was taking bath. He finds the Lord Vianayaka 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 fore-head of little boy who then reveals himself to be Vinayaga. Vibishana immediately apologizes and the Lord gives him his blessings and sends him off to Lanka. This is similar to the story Of Lord Ganesh in Gokarna with Ravana in the same Ramayana period.
The place on which the Ranganathan deity was kept was later covered in deep forests, due to disuse and after a very long time, it is discovered when a Chola king chasing a parrot finds the deity accidentally. He then establishes the Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam as one of the largest temple complexes in the world. Meanwhile, the Pallavas built the Vinayaka temple and the Thayumanaswamy temple, in the rock which Vinayaka uses to escape Vibishana.
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| The Temple Tank View |
Six worship services are offered each day here. This well endowed temple celebrates the annual Brahmotsavam in Chithirai. Aadi Pooram and the float festival in Panguni are also of significance here.
Rock Fort Temple Timings: 6.00am to 8.00pm.
How to Get There
Air : Trichy has an airport, 7-km away from the city and is connected by regular flights with Chennai, Madurai, and Bangalore.
Rail : Trichy is an important junction on the Southern Railway. It connects Chennai, Thanjavur, Madurai, Tuticorin, Tirupati and Rameswaram on the metre gauge, and Bangalore, Coimbatore, Cochin and Mangalore on the broad gauge.
Road : Trichy is connected by road to Chennai [320-km], Madurai [124-km] and to all major towns in South India by regular bus services.
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