From Muladhara to Kailasam: A Journey Within the Shiva Lingam

 

Our Visit to the Maheswaram Sri Shiva Parvathi Temple, Chenkal

Some temple visits stay with us because of the deity, some because of the architecture, and some because of the atmosphere.

Our visit to the Maheswaram Sri Shiva Parvathi Temple at Chenkal, near Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram, stayed with me for a different reason. It brought together, in a remarkable physical form, several ideas that have fascinated me for years - the chakras, meditation, the inner journey and the symbolism of Shiva.

Asha, Pratibha and I travelled to Chenkal by road from Tirunelveli, a journey of about three hours. It was raining heavily for almost the entire drive, and by the time we approached the temple, all three of us were a little tired.

And then, almost as if nature had decided to give us a small window, the rain paused as we reached the temple.

What had particularly attracted me to this temple was its enormous 111-foot Shiva Lingam. But its height was not really what drew me there.

I had heard that one could actually enter the Shiva Lingam, and that inside it was a tower structured around the chakras.

That immediately aroused my curiosity.

Entering the Shiva Lingam

From outside, the Mahalingam is impressive simply because of its scale. But the real experience begins when we step inside.

The interior has been conceived around the ancient idea of Shadadharam - the six principal energy centres leading upward in the inner journey. There are six meditation levels associated with Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha and Ajna, along with a prayer level below and the symbolic Kailasam at the top.

The journey upward is through a spiral, cave-like passage.

And slowly, it begins to feel less like climbing a tower and more like moving through a symbolic representation of the human energy system.

At each level, the atmosphere changes. Large chakra symbols, the characteristic lotus petals, colours and other symbolic elements create an ambience corresponding to that particular energy centre.

For someone who has spent years exploring the chakras, seeing these concepts translated into an architectural and experiential space was fascinating.

But for me, something more personal was happening.

As I ascended from one chakra level to the next, I found myself consciously connecting with the corresponding chakra within me.

Muladhara was no longer merely a symbol on a floor. Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata and the other chakras were not simply concepts to be observed. At each level, I paused inwardly and allowed myself to resonate with the quality of that chakra.

The physical climb was gradually becoming an inner journey.

There was another interesting experience. We had arrived feeling somewhat tired after the long, rainy drive. Yet as we climbed, Asha and Pratibha too felt that, rather than becoming more tired with each floor, they seemed to be gaining energy.

Whether it was the movement, the atmosphere, the excitement of discovery or something subtler, I cannot say.

But the experience was unmistakable: we had entered tired, and as we climbed, we felt increasingly energised.

108 Shiva Lingams

Another striking feature is the presence of 108 Shiva Lingams within the structure, distributed across the chakra levels.

The number 108 carries deep significance in Indian spiritual traditions. Here, the Lingams also recall the traditional account of the 108 Shiva temples associated with Parashurama in Kerala.

Along the journey are also representations of 64 forms of Shiva, together with figures and imagery connected with sages, meditation and the spiritual tradition.

There is something to discover almost everywhere one looks.

Yet, for me, the individual sculptures were not the most impressive part.

What impressed me much more was the thought behind the whole creation.

Ancient Knowledge Made Visible

As I moved from one level to another, I kept thinking about the enormous effort that must have gone into this project.

Someone had to go back into the traditions and scriptures, gather the different strands of knowledge, understand their symbolism and then ask:

How can all this be represented in a form that an ordinary visitor can actually experience?

That, for me, was the real beauty of the Chakra Tower.

Concepts such as chakras, energy centres, meditation and the ascent of consciousness can remain abstract. We can read about them, discuss them and meditate upon them.

Here, an attempt has been made to give those ideas space, form, colour and movement.

You don't merely read about an ascent through the chakras.

You physically climb.

You move from one level to another.

You pause.

You observe.

And, if you choose to, you turn your attention inward and experience what each level evokes within you.

Finally, you reach Kailasam at the top.

From Muladhara to Kailasam

There is something beautiful about that symbolism.

The journey begins at the lower energy centres - the dimensions of our existence connected with physical life, security, relationships, emotions and personal identity.

As we move upward, the symbolism gradually takes us towards love, expression, awareness and finally transcendence.

At the highest level is Kailasam, represented by Shiva and Parvathi beneath the Sahasrara symbolism.

For me, having consciously connected with each chakra during the ascent, arriving at Kailasam had a special significance. What began as curiosity about an unusual temple structure had quietly transformed into a meditative experience.

Whether one interprets the chakras literally, energetically, psychologically or simply as a profound spiritual metaphor, the message is powerful:

The journey towards Shiva is also a journey within ourselves.

Perhaps that is why the experience touched me so deeply.

Shiva, Shakti and the Journey Within

In Chakra Dhyanam, we often explore the relationship between Shakti and Shiva - energy and awareness.

Shakti is the movement of life within us: our thoughts, emotions, desires, actions and energies.

Shiva represents the silent awareness in which all these movements are experienced.

Standing inside that enormous Shiva Lingam and moving upward through the chakra levels gave this familiar idea another dimension.

The outer structure was a Shiva Lingam.

But the journey was happening inside it.

And, in a curious way, another journey was happening inside us.

Perhaps that itself carries a message.

We spend much of our lives searching outside for experiences, answers, fulfilment and even spirituality. Yet our ancient traditions repeatedly turn our attention in the opposite direction.

Look within.

The chakras themselves can be viewed as milestones in that exploration—not merely as coloured symbols or energy centres, but as mirrors through which we can understand different dimensions of ourselves.

More Than a Monument

I went to Chenkal curious to see a 111-foot Shiva Lingam and its Chakra Tower.

I came away appreciating something much deeper.

Certainly, the scale of the structure is impressive. The 108 Shiva Lingams distributed across the chakra levels, the different forms of Shiva, the enormous chakra symbols and the ascent to Kailasam all make it a unique experience.

But what delighted me most was the effort to bring together ancient spiritual knowledge and transform it into an experiential journey.

For me, that was the real achievement.

A scripture can explain.

A teacher can interpret.

A meditation can help us experience.

And sometimes, architecture can make an invisible idea visible.

Our visit to Chenkal was one such experience.

We arrived after a long journey through the rain, somewhat tired.

We entered a Shiva Lingam.

We climbed through the chakras.

Somewhere along the way, the tiredness seemed to give way to energy.

And we reached a symbolic Kailasam.

What began as a visit to an extraordinary temple became, for me, a gentle reminder:

The distance from Muladhara to Sahasrara may be measured in floors inside a tower.
The real journey, however, is measured in awareness.

And that journey is within.