NAGAMALAI ALAYAM

I am grateful to the divine Mother Naga Amma for her grace in letting me share about the miracle that is Nagamalai Alaiyam...

TEMPLE OF MALAYSIA
A CAVE OF NATURAL STATUES

    By Govindan Menon (Son of Swamiji Gopala Menon) 

THE LATE SWAMIJI GOPALA MENON 

       

Nestled in lush, green tropical rainforest in rural Malaysia, sits a miraculous little-known “secret”. The locals have long told tales of interesting phenomena, often reporting celestial singing heard deep within the recesses of this forest. They revere it as being the abode of angels.

In the year 1974, when my late father (Swamiji Gopala Menon) first found a Cave Of Natural Statues within this forest, I was informed immediately of this holy place. He invited me to come and see it for myself. At first, I was a little reluctant as spiritualism was not high on my priority list given that I was serving the Royal Malaysian Navy at that time which left me with little time to pursue interests. On his insistence, I travelled after week to see my father. The following day, he took me to see the Cave of Natural Statues. Upon offering our prayers at this holy place, we sat down and he related this story to me.

My father deserves full credit for the discovery of this cave of natural wonders and served as its caretaker till his demise. Read on to discover how this holy cave was revealed in the most miraculous way and much more.

It all started on fateful day of 14^th April, the year 1974. It was about midnight. My father was fast asleep, when suddenly in his dream, he envisioned 'VISHNU CHAKRA'. A voice seemingly was coming out of the 'VISHNU CHAKRA' said that there was a holy place somewhere near and that he had been chosen to take care for the place. The dream ended abruptly leaving my father fully awake in the middle of the night. He was dumbfounded having just experienced the most perplexing dream of his life. The next day, he related this incident to my mother and to all at home. We were all equally perplexed not knowing what to make out of it.

Father being the easy-going person that he is, let it pass given that he had no idea what to make of his dream and what action to take. It was my mum who finally urged him to reach out to someone for clarity. But to whom could he direct his queries?

FATHER AND MOTHER

Two days later, still troubled by his dream and his calling, my father directed his plea to the universe asking it for a clear directive as to what it was he is supposed to do? Strangely enough, that night, a serene looking young lady with a child appeared in his dream. She repeated the same message that he heard two days ago about there being a holy place nearby and he being identified as the person to take care of the place. Finally, he had an opportunity to gain clarity and queried as to the location of this said place. The lady replied “My son, I will reveal the location to you later but remember you have been chosen by the Gods to be the caretaker of this holy place”. When my father woke up the following day, he told my mother about the strange dream and she advised him to proceed to a nearby estate. To this date, I am not sure what made my mother suggest this venue as such but certainly, it was somewhere to start. Next day, father and two of his friends went to the Pagoh Estate (formerly known as Craigilea Estate). It seemed like there was a force guiding them towards a specific location. They could feel some presence with them which seemed to be guiding them deeper and deeper into the estate. Considering that they were in the middle of nowhere, deep in the thick jungle in a rather hilly region, the first ripples of fear finally hit them.

They prayed for guidance since there were no signs on how they should proceed. But to their dismay, they had to halt as they could not make out how to proceed further. Though my father felt that they should stay a little longer to await for some form of guidance, his companions felt otherwise. It was at that confused moment that a voice ringed out to my father, he was elated only to learn with instant disappointment, that the message was to retreat and go home.

               With bitter disappointment in their hearts, they made their way home. He related the incident to all of us. Still, my mother encouraged him saying that there would be an answer.

True enough, the next night, in my father’s dream, the young Lady appeared again. She identified herself as NAGA AMMA, the Mother of all serpents. This time, she told him to go to the same spot again where they found themselves to be lost the last time and promised that she would guide him up the hill. He was also told by NAGA AMMA to look out for some signs, although she was not specific as to what they were.

The following morning my parents and few members of my family proceeded to the mentioned spot. My father instructed everyone to look out for signs that will guide them to a holy cave. They searched all around for signs till they almost gave up on the search. Suddenly, my brother, Krishnan Menon, shouted frantically and showed a place where kemenyan (some kind of incense) was placed. The kemenyan was pointing upwards.

My father than said, “This is the sign and I am sure the cave is located up there”. Again here, it is quite difficult to explain why this kemenyan seemed to suggest directional guidance but I guess in times of distress, we often look to any sign or ray of hope for relief. And in this context, I think this is what happened.

They cautiously climbed up the hill, which was covered with thick, thorny undergrowth and shrubs. As they climbed higher and higher, they could feel that a supernatural force was greeting them. “There is no doubt that the cave is up there”, said my father. “I feel that 'NAGA AMMA' is guiding us now”, he continued. They prayed as they climbed slowly up the hill. After about half an hour, they finally saw a cave appearing majestically in front of them. “This is it!”, my father shouted. They held their breath and knelt down and prayed, asking permission to enter the cave.

When they entered the cave they saw rocks with various shapes and sizes. Although ‘NAGA AMMA’ had told my father that there were various Hindu deities inside the cave, he did not know for certain which rock represented which deity. “If this is the place where the gods stay, they should at least reveal to you who they are”, said my mother. “Don’t worry about that, ‘NAGA AMMA’ will reveal all these to me in good time”, my father replied happily. As the place was quite dirty due to lack of care over the years, they began to clean up the area and started performing ‘Pooja’ (Prayers) there. My dad prayed to 'NAGA AMMA' to reveal to him who the gods in the cave were. All of a sudden, my father heard a voice telling him, “My son, we are pleased about what you have done for us thus far. We will reveal our identities to you later.” My father was filled with tremendous joy that 'NAGA AMMA' had spoken to him.

That night, my father dreamt that he was back in the cave. The familiar sight greeted him and he could see joss sticks burning. Then, as soon as he looked at those rocks, they began to move. Before he could understand what it is all about, he saw Hindu deities appearing from each rock and they told him their names. “It was a spectacular sight to see all these Hindu deities manifesting themselves in front of him. He was awestruck and just stared with his wide eyes open. They told him not to be afraid, saying that they wanted him to take care of the cave. After revealing their true identities to my father, they disappeared into the rocks. From that day onwards, whenever my father looked at those rocks, he could see the images of the deities clearly. He was truly amazed!

Following the revelations, my father took it upon himself, the task of looking after the cave as requested by the deities. The deities told him in subsequent dreams that they had been staying in the cave for many, many years and they really needed someone to look after the cave. They also told my father that they had been looking for a suitable person to be the caretaker and that they finally chose my father because they said that my father had led a pious life. They said that they had been observing him for many years before finally revealing the holy cave to him. My father once said, “In retrospection, I realized that even though I used to pray to the various Hindu deities since childhood, the deities did not appear in front of me because I was engaged in my own business in the nearby town Bukit Pasir. Finally, I have decided to wind up my business, and devote my life to praying and doing ‘Pooja’ for them”, And it was on that fateful day in 1974 that 'NAGA AMMA' finally appeared in his dream and directly guided him to take care of the cave temple.

Since the discovery of this holy cave, my father became a vegetarian and he would spend many hours at the cave. We were a little concerned about his health. We were afraid that the hectic climbs up to the caves might be too taxing on him given his advance age. But he told us that the supernatural force is constantly with him and that he would not be in danger, health or otherwise. Following the revelation, he used to go to the cave daily to clean up the place and perform ‘Pooja’ there. The deities told him to remove his shoes before he goes up the hill leading to the cave. They also told him to wash his face, hands and legs before climbing up the hill. “Dear Mother, where am I going to get the water to wash myself at the foot of the hill?” my father asked. “Do not worry my son, just go to the left side of the foot of the hill and start digging there. Water will be flowing down from the nearby waterfalls", 'NAGA AMMA' said.

So the following morning, my father went to the left side of the hill and started digging for water. To his surprise, he saw water flowing out from there. He realized than that he could actually build a pond there to collect the water from the waterfall. From his savings and donations from the devotees, he built a pool to trap the water from the waterfalls. The water was pure and fresh and it gave the devotees a refreshing feeling as they washed their faces, hands and feet before they climbed up the hill.

News of the holy cave spread like wildfire. Many devotees came to visit and offer their prayers to the various gods there. Although there were six principle gods, the six most popular ones were SUPREME MOTHER NAGA AMMA, LORD GANESHA, LORD SHIVA, LORD MAHA VISHNU, LORD MUNISWARAN & SEVEN KANNIGAL who are also known as the Seven Fairies to take care of 'NAGA AMMA'. Our 'NAGA AMMA' is the MOTHER and Queen of all the Snake GODS. Many people with incurable sickness and diseases or personal problems have come to the temple to seek cures or solutions to their problems. There are numerous miracles attributed to the help of the Hindu Gods here. Many childless couples have come here to pray for a child, and returned later to share that they have, indeed, been blessed with one. They would later, bring their babies to the cave to thank 'NAGA AMMA'. There have been miraculous cures experienced by many devotees after their visits here, but, my father, rather than being stressed when so many devotees came to the cave to pray for something, always advised that they must come with faith and belief, otherwise they may find their prayers unanswered.

As more and more devotees came to the cave to pray, they also made donations to clean up the place and to build steps leading up the hill. Although, some devotees suggested that a temple be built inside the cave, the Gods expressly forbade my father in his dreams saying that they would not allow it. They want the cave to be as natural as possible. Other than the cave, the surrounding environment was also cleaned up and steps were constructed to make an easy passage for the devotees. Sheds were built at the foot of the hill to accommodate the big crowds that turned up, especially during festivals and weekends.

Various names were suggested for the cave, but my father found it rather unsuitable to reflect the identity of the cave. Finally 'NAGA AMMA' appeared in my father’s dream and told him that the cave should be named NAGAMALAI ALAIYAM (loosely translated it means Snake Hill temple).

Many a time, my father had come across snakes appearing on the rocks which was identified as 'NAGA AMMA'. And in my father’s dreams, he saw 'NAGA AMMA' appearing to him in a white & shinning saree. She always granted the wishes of devotees. There were even devotees who prayed to her for a matrimonial partner. There have been numerous cases of devotees prayers being answered.

The rock which was devoted to 'NAGA AMMA' has gradually grown in size. He once quipped, “It has almost doubled its size since the first time I saw it about eleven years ago”. As 'NAGA AMMA'  is the Queen of the Snake, my father covered the worshiped rock with a piece of cloth. However, after a year or two, he saw that the cloth could no longer cover it and so he had to change the cloth to a bigger piece. The same phenomenon was observed in the case of the rock devoted to Lord Muniswaran. It had grown in height over the years. As for the canopy rock, which is devoted to Mother Naga Amma, it too has extended outwards.

“I strongly believe that there are Hindu deities residing in the cave and over the years the rocks within the cave have evolved into the shapes resembling the deities. This is evident when we compare the shapes of these rocks with pictures of the respective Hindu deities placed at the foot of the rocks”, explained my father. “I intend to let this holy cave be as it is and try not to spoil its natural habitat. I will carry out the instruction as told by the deities who share this holy cave. The deities always assure me that they will be with me and see that the cave is developed naturally”, my father added and continued his prayers. Daily, there are devotees going to the cave to pray to the six principle Hindu deities, either for favours or to seek good health. Devotees come from as far as Penang and Singapore on chartered buses to visit the cave especially during the weekends. Many miracles were reported to have happened after the devotees prayed to the Hindu deities who essence are believed to be residing in the various rocks found in the cave. 

The miracles of nature never cease to amaze or thrill us. Especially those mysterious and supernatural works or creations of nature which exist as testimony to the power of Gods (or superbeings), testimony that is mind-boggling as well as unbelievable unless we personally experience or witness it. Such mysterious creations of nature, however do exist in our midst, without our knowledge and beyond our senses. 

The temple is situated in Pagoh Estate (formally known as Craigelea Estate) is within the district of Bukit Pasir about 18km from Muar, in Johor. The easiest and the fastest way is to take the north-south high way and to get down off at the Pagoh exit. Go past the Muar Tol and turn left. Proceed a further 2 km and you will see the signboard of Pagoh Estate and Nagamalai Temple.

MAY THE GRACE OF NAGA AMMA BE ON ALL OF YOU!

SEE YOU AT THE TEMPLE!