Uchi Pillayar Temple: A Journey Through Time in Photos

A comparison between the 1800s and today of Rock Fort Ganesh Temple (Uchi Pillaiyar Temple) in Thiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.

Rock Fort Ganesh Temple today.

Once I went to see a great sadhu who lived at Tiruvannamalai on Arunachala Hill named Swami Yogananda. After visiting him and spending a night at his kutir, we told him we had work in Trichy and had to go that evening. He immediately folded his hands and said, “You are so fortunate and blessed. You get to go and see Uchi Pillayar Ganesha temple. Bhagavan is so kind to you.”

The reality was we weren’t going to Trichy to see Ganesha, we just happened to be going to Trichy. But from then on I understood how important his temple was, that sadhus are filled with joy just by hearing about the city he resides in, and consider a trip to that city a rare gift from God.

So when we went to Trichy that day, we arrived late at night, but first went to Rock Fort Ganesh temple to get his blessings. It was already locked but we could go some distance up the stairs and pray for his blessings.

Uchi Pillaiyar Temple: History and Significance

The Uchi Pillaiyar Temple in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu, is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, sitting atop the massive Rock Fort at a height of about 273 feet. The temple is known not only for its religious significance but also for the breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the Cauvery River from the top.

The history of the temple dates back to the 7th century and is closely associated with the Pallava and Nayak dynasties. However, its true significance comes from ancient Hindu lore. According to legend, after the Ramayana war, Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, was gifted a Vishnu deity by Lord Rama. As he was carrying it to Sri Lanka, he stopped at Srirangam to perform his prayers. Ganesha, appearing as a small boy, tricked him by placing the deity on the ground, making it impossible to lift again. When Vibhishana realized what had happened, he chased the boy, who ran up the rock and finally settled at the top as Uchi Pillaiyar, meaning “Ganesha at the summit.”

The temple holds great religious significance as devotees believe that worshipping Uchi Pillaiyar helps remove obstacles and brings success. The climb to the temple involves steep steps, but pilgrims make the journey with devotion, often stopping at the Thayumanavar Temple, a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, on the way up.

The rock itself is estimated to be 3.8 billion years old, making it one of the oldest natural formations in the world, adding to the temple’s uniqueness.

Festivals, especially Ganesh Chaturthi, bring in large crowds, as devotees gather to offer special prayers and seek blessings. The temple is also closely linked to the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, reinforcing its importance in Tamil Nadu’s religious and cultural landscape. Whether for spiritual reasons or just to take in the incredible view, a visit to the Uchi Pillaiyar Temple is an unforgettable experience.

Pictures of Swami Yogananda at Tiruvannamalai:

Swami Yogananda was a great saint who lived in a small hut on the Arunachala hill in Tiruvannamalai. He attained maha samadhi in October of 2018, and has his samadhi located at Yama Lingam on the girivalam route around the mountain.

This is a video of Swami Yogananda blessing us in 2017 about a year before he entered samadhi. He had become very thin compared to prior times I had visited him. At the time he was over 95 years old.

He lived in a small hut on the Arunachala Hill, which was previously made for Ramana Maharshi’s mother to stay in. In olden days, Ramana Maharshi was staying in the nearby Virupaksha cave and his mother wanted to be near to him, so devotees made this hut for her to live in.

Around the time of this video, Swami Yogananda kept telling us that he was leaving soon, and that he had been given some information that his time was over. Still we took it for granted and thought he would be around for a long time.

Any time we came to Tiruvannamalai he would let us stay in his tiny 1 room hut. Usually we were too many people, so some of us would sleep outside around his hut.

The month before entering samadhi he called one of his followers and gave him instructions for how to make his samadhi, what type of shivalinga to keep in it, and how to carry out the worship there.

His samadhi is located next to Yama Linga on the girivalam route.