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Book Review
Pilgrim centres
KANNAN TIRUKKOILKAL:
N. K. Mangala Murugesan; Rs. 90.
NAVAGRAHA VAZHIPAADU: N. K. Mangala Murugesan and Rajam Mangala Murugesan; Rs. 60. Both pub. by Thendral Padippagam, 13/3, Peters Road Colony, Royapettah, Chennai-600014.
OUR COUNTRY has been a great pilgrim centre from time immemorial. Sacred spots, holy rivers and tanks, magnificent temples built on land and on hill tops, dedicated to different gods and goddesses, saints and holy personages are dotting our land. They attract a large number of people belonging to various religious denominations.
The Mahabharata describes many such centres of worship, which Arjuna is said to have visited. These sacred places serve one more important purpose — they bring together people belonging to different areas and make them forget their social distinctions. High and low, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, are all the same in the eyes of God. The holy places are a sure means of effecting cultural, religious and national integration.
In the first book, the author gives a detailed account of about 30 places where Lord Krishna is being worshipped. He has also traced the antiquity of the worship of this most popular God on the basis of literary and grammatical works and also on the basis of stone and other inscriptions.
Each account consists of its place in history, important mystics, saints and writers associated with the place, a brief description of the important deities inside the sanctum sanctorum, the worship-routine and festivals conducted.
The same treatment is meted to the worship of the nine planets (Navagrahas) in the second book, authored by Mangala Murugesan and Rajam Mangala Murugesan.
Navagrahas, though considered subordinate to the chief deity one worships in the Hindu pantheon, viz., Siva or Vishnu, have their own importance in the life of a pious Hindu, depending upon the exact time at which he/she is born in this world. Pacification of these deities is an important aspect of the religious life of an average Hindu.
The book provides useful information about 24 important places of worship, the origin and development of the cult of worship of these planets and the hymns/songs composed by great saints and poets in praise of these planets to ward off evil and grant what is good in life. The authors deserve praise for the interesting and valuable information they have presented in these two books.
M. NARASIMHACHARY
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