Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Tiruchirappalli

Ucchi Pillayar Temple is a 7th-century Hindu temple, one devoted to Lord Ganesha located atop Rockfort, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India. According to legend, this rock is the place where Lord Ganesha ran from King Vibishana, after developing the Ranganathaswamy deity in Srirangam. Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort is also fondly called Malaikottai in Tamil.

History

Vibhishana was the younger brother of the Asura King Ravana who ruled Lanka. Lord Rama in the epic of Ramayana rescues his wife Sita, who was kidnapped and also held by Ravana, with the help of Sugriva and Hanuman defeated him. In this war, the moral and truth-abiding brother of Ravana, Vibishana aids Rama in his battle against his brother. Ultimately Rama wins the war and as a token of love, he provides Vibishana an idol of Lord Ranganatha, a form of Vishnu.
Vibhishana, though he supported Rama, was basically an Asura, hence the Devas (who are arch-rivals to Asuras according to Hindu mythology) wished to stop this idea of an Asura taking Lord’s supreme form to his Kingdom. They request the help of the Remover of Obstacles and God of discovering, Lord Vinayaka, and the Lord accepts the plan. Vibhishana, while on his back to his Kingdom, undergoes Trichi, and wants to take his bath in the river Kaveri and do his everyday rituals. However, he is perplexed as to why the deity, once kept inland, can never be removed and has to be in that place forever.
As a solution, Vibishana tries to find someone to hold the deity while he was taking a bath. He finds Lord Vinayaka under the disguise of a cowherd boy. According to the strategy, when Vibishana is completely into the water, Vinayaka takes the deity and also keeps it firmly in the sand, on the banks of Kaveri. On seeing this, the angry Vibhishana chases the boy, to punish him, and the boy keeps running and climbs over the rock near the Kaveri bank. Vibhishana finally reaches the boy as well as hits him on the forehead.

One can see a pit in the temple of the idol even today. The little boy then reveals himself to be Vinayaka. Vibishana instantly apologizes and the Lord gives him his blessings, reveals that the idol is destined to remain in Srirangam, and sends him off to Lanka. This is similar in many regards to the story of Lord Ganesha in Gokarna with Ravana in the same Ramayana period.
The place in which the Ranganathan deity was maintained was later covered in deep forests, because of disuse, and after a very long time, it was discovered when a Chola king chasing a parrot found the deity accidentally. He then established the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam as the largest temple complex in the world. Meanwhile, the Pallavas developed the Vinayaka temple and the Thayumanaswamy temple, in the rock which Vinayaka used to escape Vibishana.
Uchi Pillayar is always associated with Manicka Vinayagar at the foothills. It is a general worship practice to pray obeisance with Manicak Vinayagar before visiting Uchi Pillayar.
The temple is maintained as well as administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Importance

Lord Brahma in the form of Lord Jureswarar who cures fever. Thayumanaswamy thousands of people visit this temple to provide their prayers for risk-free childbirth.
Any undertaking whether domestic, spiritual, or expert, started after praying Lord Uchi Ganapathy is sure to go progressively, profitably, and happily.
All Saivite saints, Gnanasambandar, Appar, Manickavasagar, and Thayumana Swamigal had actually sung the magnificence of this sacred land.

Architecture

The Rock Fort temple stands 83 meters (272 ft) tall perched atop a rock. The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed both the temples under the Vijayanagara empire.
The temple is located on top of the rock. The temple is mystic in its nature with amazing rock architecture. The Ganesha temple is much smaller with access through steep steps carved on the Rock as well as provides a stunning view of Trichy, Srirangam, and the rivers Kaveri as well as Kollidam. Because of its old and also outstanding architecture developed by the Pallavas, the temple is maintained by the Archaeological Department of India.

Idol

In this temple, there are 4 temples Thayumanavar (Shiva), Manikka Vinayagar (Ganesha), Uchi Pillayar (Ganesha) & Mattuvar Kuzhalammai(Parvathi).

Festival

• Giri valam : During full-moon days
• Annual Brahmotsavam: in the Tamil month of Chithirai.
• Chettipenmaruthuvam
• Thirukalyanam
• Thai Tiruvilla
• Vasantha Utsavam
• Navratri Festival
• Sivarathri
• Vinayagar Chaturthi Festival
• Maargazhi Matha Triuvilla
• Karthigai Deepam

How to Reach

• By Air: Trichy has an airport, 7 km away from the city, and is connected by regular flights with Chennai, Madurai, and Bangalore.
• By Train: Trichy is the Nearest Railway station And It is Well Connected to Chennai, Thanjavur, Madurai, Tuticorin, Tirupati, and Rameswaram 
• By Road: Trichy is connected by road to Chennai (320 km), Madurai (124 km), and to all major towns in South India by regular bus services.

Darshan Timing

06.00 A.M To 08.00 P.M

Temple Video