Today (17th Dec 2017) is celebrated at Hanuman
Jayanthi, the birthday of Lord Aanjaneya.
At Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam, it is celebrated on chathurthasi /
Pournami and would fall on 4th
day of Irapathu Uthsavam which is 1st Jan 2018. Think about Hanuman,
what strikes immediately is his unparallelled devotion for Lord Rama and his
unrivalled physical strength. Hanumar, by various names Aanjaneyar,
Chiranjeevi, Vayu Puthirar, Anjani Mainthan is associated with celibary,
wrestling, physical power, intense concentration, mental toughness, single
minded devotion and more. Hanumar is remembered for his spirit of
‘selfless service’; and is believed to be present wherever, whenever there is
recitation of the name of Lord Rama. Hanumath Jayanthi is celebrated in
various time of year in various places.
There are many famous
temples of Hanuman including divyadesam Sholinghur – chinnamalai of Sri
Anjaneyar, Sankatmochan temple in
Benares, Namakkal Viswaroopa anjaneyar, Suseendram Hanumar and lakhs of sannathies
in every temple especially those of Lord Rama.
This is a post is about another famous one situate at an altitude of 7,200 ft; more uniquely, the
Priest here is uniformed personnel of the Indian Army who give us the holy
Theerth and Prasad.
In Periyazhwar
Thirumozhi, in the hymns celebrating the power of Govardhana Giri, Azhwar says
that in the Greatly reverred hill, female monkeys in singing lullabies to
their kids, mention the heroic deeds of Hanuman, whose valour completely
destroyed the city of demons – the Lanka.
அடங்கச்சென்று இலங்கையையீடழித்த அனுமன் புகழ்பாடித் தம்குட்டன்களை* குடங்கைக்
கொண்டு மந்திகள் கண் வளர்த்தும் கோவர்த்தனமென்னும் கொற்றக் குடையே.
India
is uniquely diverse and Sikkim is far different and more strategic ~ the only
Organic State is a beautiful tourist location and one has to see the
cleanliness to believe that a place could be so neat and tidy. Besides beautiful scenic spots, it also has –
‘Nathula Pass’ located around 56 kms from Gangtok at an altitude of 14450 ft,
the road to Nathula passes through the Tsomgo lake. It is one of the highest
motorable roads in the world and is richly surrounded by alpine flora. Sikkim,
the Organic State, borders China in its north and east, Bhutan in its east,
Nepal in its west and West Bengal in its south. Sikkim is also located close to
the Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh. Sikkim is the least populous and second
smallest among the Indian states. A part of the Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is
notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and subtropical climates, as
well as being a host to Kanchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third
highest on Earth.
The
Kingdom of Sikkim was founded on the Silk Road by the Namgyal dynasty in the 17th
century. It was ruled by a Buddhist
priest-king known as the Chogyal. It became a princely state of British India
in 1890. After 1947, Sikkim continued its protectorate status with the republic
of India. Gangtok, Sikkim’s capital is
located in the eastern Himalayan range, at an elevation of 1,650 m (5,410 ft).
Up over
there at 7200 ft is a small, beautiful, scenic, famous temple of Lord
Hanuman. It is believed that Lord Hanuman took rest for a moment at
this place when he was on his way to Lanka from the Himalayas, carrying sanjeevani herbs to cure Lakshman.
The temple is popularly ‘wish fulfilling’ temple.
A
temple has stood here on the mountains for centuries. A few decades ago, an officer named Appaji Pant completed the modern
structure. This temple is fondly known
as the Hanuma Tok. It is now maintained
by the Units of 17 Mountain Division of the Army. Uniformed personnel of the
Indian Army greet those making the trek, guiding them around the temple,
distribute Prasad and holy water.
Here
are some photos of the Temple at Gangtok taken during our visit there in June
2017.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
17th
Dec 2017.
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