Information of Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Rockfort, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu

The temple of Ucchi Pillayar is an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Ganesh. The temple is situated on the summit of a Rockfort hill in Tiruchirapally in the state of Tamil Nadu. The temple is positioned at an elevation of 273 feet and one need to climb a flight of more than 400 steps in order to reach to the top.

Ucchi Pillayar Temple Religious Significance

The Ucchi Pillayar Temple is also commonly known as the Rockfort Temple and is considered to be the home of Lord Ganesha as well as Lord Shiva. The Rockfort complex houses three temples and they are the Ucchi Pillayar Koil which is at the peak of the hill, Manikka Vinayaka temple which is situated at the foot hill and Taayumaanava Koil which is supposed to be amongst one of the Shivastalams and is situated on the mentioned hill. The Shivatslam or Taayumaanava Koil temple is supposed to be a temple which was constructed out of a rock and is identified to be quite a well-known landmark in the city and one can catch a glimpse of the temple while climbing to the popular Ucchi Pillaya temple. The city that is Tiruchirapally was previously known by the name of Tirisirapuram as Lord Shiva was adored here by a Rakshasa in the name of Thirisiran. It is believed that the three different peaks of the Rockfort are o home to the famous three Hindu Gods and they are Parvathi, Shiva and Vinayakar.

Ucchi Pillayar Temple Mythology & History

The Hindu mythology states that on one occasion, the Ravana who was a demon kidnapped Lord Rama's wife Sita. Lord Rama in his quest to free and get back Sita went into a war with Ravana who was slayed down by Lord Rama himself with the help of Vibhishana, Ravana's brother. Rama's victory against the demon was celebrated and Lord Rama presented Vibhishina a Vigraham or a statue of Lord Vishnu as a gesture of appreciation and love. The Devas or the Gods were annoyed with Rama's gesture of gifting the statue as Vibhishana was after all a demon. The Gods prayed to Lord Ganesha for his assistance. Lord Ganesha camouflaged as a cowboy paid a visit to Vibhishana. However, the demon that is Vibhishana intended to take a dip in the sacred river Kaveri and while he was engaged in the act of bathing, Lord Ganesha placed the statue strongly on the ground so that it could not be moved even an inch. This act of Lord Ganesha irritated Vibhishana and chased the Lord. Lord Ganesha then appeared before Vibhishana in his real form on the hill top and the demon right away asked for forgiveness and left for Lanka. It is said that the particular place where Lord Ganesha appeared in his real form is today known as the Rockfort Temple or Ucchi Pillayar Temple.

Ucchi Pillayar Temple Architectural Significance

The Ucchi Pillayar Temple has been planned in a Dravidian pattern and has been cut out from a hill. The flat and soft rock was initially cut out by the Pallavas however, it was actually the Nayakas of Madurai who finally finished the construction of the shrines under the banner of Vijayanagara Empire. This particular temple is supposed to be quite mystical in its character accompanied with a magnificent and stunning form of rock architecture. The temple was most probably constructed during the period of 7th century. The Ucchi Pillayar Temple is comparatively smaller in terms of size along with a way in through a steep flight of steps made out of the same rock and offers a spectacular sight of the rivers Kollidam and Kaveri as well as of Srirangam and Trichy.