Rathinagiri Tavatiru Balamurugan Adimai

Arulmigu Balamurugan Tirukkovil, Rathinagiri

On the 24th of January 1941 (in the Vikrama year of the Tamil calendar on the 11th day of the month of Thai) in the small village of Kilminnal adjacent to Rathinagiri, a son was born to Śrī Kandaswami Mudaliar and Smt. Sinagarammal. He was named Dakshinamurthy and Sachidanandan, both being names of Lord Shiva. On completion of his schooling he entered the services of the Electricity Department. Soon after, he entered into holy matrimony with Sivakami and was blessed with two daughters and a son.

One day in his 27th year, while on his way to work as a clerk in the Electricity Department, he climbed the Rathinagiri Hill to offer his prayers. There was neither camphor nor incense available at the poor and delapitated temple.

He walked around the shrine with a heavy heart and was suddenly overcome with divine awakening. He fell in a faint to the ground and on waking up was unable to remember his own self. He dressed himself in a loincloth. He took a sacred vow not to leave until the temple was restored to its former glory.

This memorable event of Swami's spiritual awakening took place on 20th March 1968. Ever since then Swami's spiritual well being of his devotees has continued unabated. Swami maintains maunam all these years, but he agreed to give the following written account on 27 October 2001.