As the pancha bootha sthalam is very important for Shaivites, pancha devata concept is very critical to Shakthas. Pancha Devatas – (1) Ganapathy (2) Bala (3) Raja Mathangi (4) Majha Varahi (5) Lalitha Parameswari.
This time, we were fortunate enough to do a pancha devata yatra. So, we started off with Kanchi Kamakshi (Lalitha) where Ganapathy is there too – Ganapathy is everywhere! I had a great conversation with Sri Suresh, who is the priest at Kamakshi amman temple. He is also from Guhananda mandali, a good friend of mine. He was talking about getting support on sandhanam and saffron for ambal. I will write another post on that after I have one more call with him.
From there we headed to Madurai to have darshan of Meenakshi, who is Raja Mathangi – beautiful darshan. This Raja Mathangi alankaram is done only at 7.30 PM and we couldn’t see until then.
From Meenakshi Amman Kovil, we traveled to a place called Kodimangalam, which is about 30 mts by car. A Sringeri devotee had built a beautiful Bala Temple. Very small but very beautiful temple where Bala is sitting with a beautiful smile and blessing all. A fantastic place for doing mantra japam. This temple is called as Sitalakshmi temple by the villagers. This is a private temple built by Sri Venkataraman (9841019709) on the direction of Sringeri Acharya. He originally went to acharya to ask His blessings to build a sitalakshmi temple as it is their kiula deivam but was asked to build a Bala temple and name her Sitalakshmi! Veda pundits from Sringeri come during Navarathiri days to do chandi homam etc. Here are some photos of that temple. Pl reach out to Sri Venkatraman if you’re planning for a trip to this temple and he will help you on the logistics.
I got the permission from the priest before taking the photo….
There is another Bala Temple near Kanchipuram in a place called Nemili. Although I have heard about it, I have not been there – might go before I return to US.
From there we came to Thiruvanaikaa to conclude our yatra with Maha Varahi (Akilandeswari) and Jagadguru Sri Periyava who was camping at Sri Matam in TV Kovil.
A detailed post on Sri Periyava’s camp in TV Kovil will follow.
My namaskaram to my guru mandalam and our acharyas – without their blessings, this trip wouldn’t have been possible.
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Thank you very much for information.
Jai MA
Pranam
Re: kAshiirA, saffron, at this time Iranian currency is greatly discounted against US dollar. Wholesale saffron used to be available at a good discount in Canada, and excellent quality Iranian saffron at Vanilla Imports, USA. However, recent trade sanctions may have affected prices. My strongest caution is to avoid buying Spanish saffron at ALL COSTS. The quality is exceptionally poor. I am a plant cell and membrane biologist, and have some personal interest in this matter.
Kashmir saffron is overpriced, and the quality is not standardized. They are more than happy to cheat Hindus, which is a shame, since the GOI has spent several hundred crores of Indian taxpayer money on Saffron Improvement over the past several years. Sadly, being handled by incompetents and cheats, rather little has happened other than the same incompetents organizing useless “international” meets and publishing worthless papers, where the major researchers have been noticeably absent. The usual nonsense as per GOI standards, no oversight, no accountability. Please do not support these anti-national elements.
If you are able to, please find wholesale sources of Iranian saffron, by the kilogram. Approximately USD 1800/kg or less at this time for pure stigma heads, pure red, minus any yellow stalk material. Please do not take my word on prices that change according to many, many, variables, and imponderables!!!
I am not a shill for Vanilla Imports company, but I have purchased from that company, and am completely satisfied with their quality and most dissatisfied with supposedly top-quality Spanish saffron purchased at equivalent price.
It is good to learn from their website about quality saffron and then find those in the Indian diaspora with contacts in the food industry who can find wholesale sources for the best Iranian saffron.
Afghanistan also produces high quality saffron with USDA aid, but their production costs are high, and their currency is not as discounted at the present time as the Iranian. Please be aware of Afghanistan as an alternate source. They have a government trading organization for saffron, for which I have the contact information, that is very courteous. You can contact the Afghan Embassy and/or USAID.
A word of caution: there are several Indian vendors of saffron, in Pune and elsewhere, Hindu Brahmans that I know of, who are utterly, dishonest and absolutely ignorant. So PLEASE DO NOT BE FOOLED by names.
A small digression: why are we not interested in producing saffron under controlled conditions? We are absurdly trying to produce lowest quality vinifera grapes and vinifying them at enormous cost in tropical, peninsular India but not willing to try those areas that yield high gains! Saffron, grown under controlled environments by those who know what they are doing, as opposed to the many in India who think they know everything under the sun, is one such exceptionally attractive proposition. The level of bhranti and pramada obscuring our beloved Motherland is beyond easy comprehension.
Pranam
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful temples and the pics. Waiting to read more,learn more. Prostrations forever and ever and then some more at the Holy Feet of our Gurus and Mother Divine.
Please do visit nemili without fail. I had the good fortune of visiting this place during Periyava Jayanthi and you will fall in love with Her for sure.. Chocolates are a must buy as well and I am given to understand that its better to call and initimate prior to the actual visit as it is also a private temple.
Enjoy the visit..
Just thinking of Her makes my heart so, so, so happy. Thank you so much! Feel so blessed and grateful to Her for your words. I pray She will bless me with Her Darshan too. Thank you! 🙂
Excellent. information and trip. Pleas eplain about the other two places that you haven’t visited in this trip.
Thanks for the informative post. Please explain about the other two left our places