Tsunami miracles

The horrific and historic tsunami that devastated 11 nations in South East Asia left thousands dead in its wake. The year 2004 ended on a lugubrious note, as sounds of collective lamentation rent the air. One observer noted “Perhaps no event in living memory has confronted so many of the world’s great religions with such a basic test of faith as this week’s tsunami, which indiscriminately slaughtered Indonesian Muslims, Indian Hindus, Thai and Sri Lankan Buddhists and tourists who were Christians and Jews.” Yet despite the devastation there have been slowly emerging miraculous examples of divine intervention. A few of these examples are recounted here and should be used as a symbol of hope in a situation that appears to be hopeless.

(1) While thousands lost their lives in the Cuddalore coast to the tsunami, close to 4000 fishermen belonging to some 20 villages like Killai, Pichavaram, Kavarapattu neighbouring the Chidambaram region escaped. They had left their villages to attend the annual ritual of “Arudra Darshan” at the world famous Nataraja Mandir in Chidambaram. As has been their practice for generations, they were involved in the pulling of the Mandir Car. When they returned to their villages post-tsunami, they found their entire villages ravaged beyond recognition. Sri Srinivasakumar a member of the fishermen community told us that they were saved because of the grace of Nataraja. He stated that inside the Chidambaram Mandir, they did not find any impact at all. He concluded “all of us owe our lives to Him.”

(2) While all parts of coastal Tamil Nadu was hit by the tsunami sea waves, (the Christian shrine of Velankanni and a church in Kanchipuram being no exceptions). People arrived for evening prayers at the Velankanni church on Tuesday. The killer waves spared the 17th century “minor basilica” to the Lady of Health at Velankanni but not the faithful who had turned up at its door on Sunday.

(3) Tiruchendur, one of the famous six holy shrines of Lord Karthikeya was totally unaffected. Usually, sea water comes very close to this shore temple. However,while the tsunami waves were attacking the shores across Tamil Nadu, the sea receded away from this shore temple by 0.75 mile revealing the rocks which are usually submerged! The sea came back to its usual position in the afternoon by around 1 pm only. This event was photographed/videographed by many devotees who were visiting the temple at that time. People are not able to assign any other reason other than devine intervention and the power of the shrine.

(4) A report from S V Chandraa-mogan of Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu stated that the Hindu holy temple of Rameshwaram was undamaged after the tsunami struck. He said, the sea water drew back a kilometre from the shoreline, but there was no wave, and no casualties.

(5) The Kannikaparameshwari temple stands within 500 metres from the sea at Kovalam and can be termed a huge temple. When the waves hit the land with all its fury, Sri Jaishankar of AIM for SEVA was conducting moral classes to the fishermen and the children. Children were rendering their bhajans inside the temple. Everyone of them was saved by the grace of Kannikaparameshwari, their Ishta Devatha. Sri Jaishankar is a witness to the devastation that took place around him, while all in the temple were safe. His car was tossed up and down, yet when they started it, it came to life instantly and could be used to ferry people out. It is indeed Kannikaparameshwari’s grace that there was not a single dent on Her temple and more importantly, she protected hundreds of children and adults inside Her premises.

(6) Bravery of fishermen in Kanyakumari helped to save the lives of over 500 people at the Vivekananda rock memorial. Undeterred by the menacingly high tides, fishermen put their boats out into the sea and went to rescue the stranded tourists after the deadly tsunami waves hit India’s southeast coast. They made several trips to the rock memorial to bring the stranded tourists to safety. The boats, which took the tourists to the rock did not return, as several hundred people died at Kanyakumai in the tsunami. “We just could not watch people helplessly waving at us from the rock memorial for help. We took the initiative first and police and others came after that,” said Lenin, a local fisherman. The Vivekananda rock is located in the middle of the sea. Had it not been for the Vivekananda statue, behind which they all stood, the death toll in India could have been higher by hundreds. “The huge wave hit the statue and went back.”

(7) Nearly all residents of an orphanage supported by Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, miraculously survived the December 26 tsunami. This small orphanage with 75 boys, ages six to 15, was founded twenty years ago and Kauai’s Hindu monastery has provided financial support and spiritual guidance for the orphanage. Unfortunately, the 75 orphans were right in the centre of the worst and most deadly tsunami to hit the shores of Lanka. A massive 30-foot wave swept over the entire Batticaloa region, which is right on the shore and only a few feet in elevation. The monastery was told two days back that the boys’ village had been swept away, with no known survivors. On December 30 they heard, through a Canadian relative of a cell-phone equipped resident in the boy’s town, that most of the boys had indeed escaped, their swift, young feet taking most of them inland to higher ground just in time.