No trip of ours to Pollachi is complete without a visit to the family deity - Tirumurthy Hills, 60 km away in Udumalpet district. They worship here,not an idol,but a massive boulder that is believed to have rolled down the hill, as Lord Bramha, flanked by Vishnu and Shiva, stumbled on the boulder while on a stroll on top of the hill.
Pilgrims go around the boulder in pradhakshna, offerng prayers. The stream flowing around the rock originates from the hill-top panchalinga,a hallowed spot where the faithfuls can spot a set of five idols embedded under running water in the stream.
My earliest recollection of Tirumurthy hills was when, as a schoolboy, I used to visit the place with Pollachi family. My parents performed my punal ceremony here.We travelled in a convoy of bullock carts.It was an overnight journey from Pollachi, with a few hours halt at Dhali; from where we set out at the crack of dawn for the seven km journey to the temple.
No one dared spend the night at the temple complex those days. Devotees believed that the gods frequented the area after dusk. The temple priests commuted from Dhali.The temple is closed around 6.30 p m even today, though people live around the temple nowadays.
During a recent visit we made it to the temple arund 6 p m. As we hurried in to pray an elderly person came up seeking alms. When I told him that we need to do the puja first, the man let it be known that he needed to catch a bus back. I ignored his plea and moved on. On our return from prayer the man was still there. Presumably, the bus was late in coming.
Our alms-seeking commuter seen walking into the dusk to catch the last bus from Tirumurthy temple.
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