Thiru Paarthan Palli (40/108)
|
Name |
Thiru Paarthan Palli |
|
Other Name |
Paarthan Palli |
|
District |
Nagapattinam |
|
State |
Tamil Nadu |
|
Mangalasasanam |
Thirumangai Azhwar Poigai Azhwar |
|
Position |
Chozha Naadu (40/108) |
|
Presiding deity |
Vishnu |
|
God |
Thaamarayaal Kelvan |
|
Utsavar |
Parthasarathy |
|
Goddess |
Shengamala Valli Rakthaabja Valli Thamarai Nayagi |
|
Vimanam |
Narayana Vimanam |
|
Speciality |
One of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal The visage of the arising Kolavilli Raman with Sridevi and Bhu Devi Arjunan standing with the sword given by Lord Krishna |
|
Theertham |
Katka Theertham Shankara Saras Sanga Saras Vishnu Paadha Theertham Ganga Theertham |
|
Worshipped by |
Varuna Dev Agathiyar Arjunan Rudran of the Agora Peedam |
|
Temple timings |
8AM to 12PM 5PM to 8PM |
|
Contact details |
V.Seshadri Bhattachar 94422 26413 98410 56697 |
LORE:
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan and His Devi is Thamarai Nayagi.
Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Paarthan Palli”?
“Paarthan” is the epithet given to Arjuna, one of the five Pandavas. Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas was called as “Pritha” and Lord Krishna fondly addressed Arjuna as “Paarthan” – the son of Kunti, signifying that among all the epithets of Arjuna, Krishna identified him as a dear cousin, more than anything else.
This is the shrine where Paarthan (Arjuna) was quenched of his thirst and had received knowledge of self-realisation from Lord Krishna who appeared as Parthasarathy and enlightened him.
Paarthan Palli – The place where Paarthan was taught and edified by The Lord. (Paarthan – Arjunan; Palli – To school)
What is the connection of the temple to the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal?
The temple shares the common lore of all the 11 Thiru Nangur Shrines and Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan is said to have manifested to quell the anger of one of the Ekadasha Rudras, who emanated from the locks of the grief-stricken Lord Shiva, who danced the Pralaya Thandavam upon knowing the untimely demise of his then wife, Devi Sati.
Thamarayaal Kelvan is pacifying the Rudra of the “Agora Peedam”, which is now a temple at a place called “Keezhai Thiru Kaatupalli”, presided by Lord Aaranya Sundareshwarar and His Devi Akilandeshwari.
The details of the story are elaborated “here”
What is the lore of the temple?
After the Kurukshetra war, Arjunan undertook a pilgrimage, visiting various shrines of The Lord, all over the country. He sought knowledge and salvation and wanted the liberating enlightenment from The Lord.
This serene locale was the abode of Sage Agathiyar, who lived in a hermitage here. Arjunan came across to this place as a part of his holy expedition. He saw the Sage in deep meditation. Suddenly he developed intense thirst. He searched high and low for water to quench his thirst, yet he could not find a drop of water in the otherwise seemingly fertile land.
He aroused the Sage Agathiyar out of his meditative trance and beseeched him to offer the holy water from his Kamandalam. The Sage obliged (albeit a bit surprised) and tilted his Kamandalam. Alas, the kamandalam was also dry.
The Sage realised that this was all part of the cosmic play of The Lord and instructed Arjunan to do penance and pray to Lord Krishna, as only The Almighty can quench his thirst.
Arjuna sat in meditation and prayed earnestly and The Lord appeared as Parthasarathy, the form of the charioteer of Arjunan during the Kurukshetra war. He was as incandescent as a thousand suns and was flanked by His consorts, Sridevi and Bhu Devi.
He gave Arjunan a knife (Katkam) and asked him to dig anywhere and assured that water would flow from there. Arjunan who was parched, promptly dug at a nearby land and water from the Ganges flowed from the site. He drank till his heart’s content and the remaining water pooled into the “Katka Theertham”.
Following this, The Lord Parthasarathy educated Arjunan and imparted the knowledge of enlightenment and blessed him.
Arjunan is still seen, worshipping The Lord, with folded hands, with the knife held under his arms.
What is the speciality of “Kolavilli Raman” at this shrine?
Lord Parthasarathy and Lord Kolavilli Raman are the two Utsava Moorthies of this shrine. Lord Kolavilli Raman is an exceptionally unique sight to behold as He has His heels slightly upwards as though He is arising from somewhere.
He is seen with four arms, holding the Sudarshan Chakra, Panchajanyam Conch, Kaumodaki Mace, Saranga Bow and arrow. He is accompanied by Sridevi and Bhu Devi and has his heels lifted upwards, signifying the arrival from the sacrificial fire of the Puthra Kaameshti Yaagam conducted by King Dasarathan, who had prayed to The Lord for want of a child.
King Dasarathan was blessed that The Lord Vishnu, Himself would be born as his son. During the Yaagam, the childless king wanted to have a glimpse of how The Lord would look when he grows up as his son.
Lord Kolavilli Raman appeared along with two of his consorts and alighted from the sacrificial fires. As the Rama Avatar was destined to have only one consort, this form of Kolavilli Raman with two Devis by His side is an exquisitely unparalleled sight for sore eyes.
What are the other specialities of the shrine?
- This is the only shrine among the Nangur 11 Divya Desams that has Mangalasasanam by two Azhwars.
- Thirumangai Azhwar assumes the “Naayika” Bhaavam in his paasurams about this shrine and is hopelessly in love with the Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan.
- The verses are constructed in such a way that it is spoken by the mother of the love-struck damsel, who is worried about the sanity of her daughter as she is deeply smitten by The Lord of this shrine.
- Poigai Azhwar makes a mention of The Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan in one of his Paasruams.
- This is the shrine where Varuna Dev gets absolved of his sins, incurred as a result of stealing the pachyderm which served as a mount to his guru, Brihaspathi.
- The shrine is a testimony to the unique friendship between Arjuna and Krishna.
- The Lord Parthasarathy goes to Thiru Mani Maada Koil (32/108) during the Thai Amavasya and takes part in the “Eleven Garuda Sevai” every year.
- This is the shrine where the Krishna Charama Shloka was given to Arjunan
A small anecdote from the Mahabharata to show the camaraderie between Lord Krishna and Arjuna:
Once, Lord Balarama asked Lord Krishna as to why He considered Arjunan as dearer to him than anybody else in the world. Lord Krishna told that he will get the answer in the afternoon and asked Lord Balarama to come to his chambers after having lunch.
Lord Balarama went to Lord Krishna’s chambers after his lunch and saw that Arjunan was sleeping on Lord Krishna’s lap. Not wanting to wake Arjunan up, Lord Krishna signalled Lord Balarama to come close to them.
He then indicated Arjunan’s head and asked Lord Balarama to stoop down and listen carefully. Lord Balarama, sceptical initially, nonetheless obliged and bent down near the sleeping Arjunan’s head and listened intently.
To His surprise, He heard each and every one of the hair follicles on the scalp of Arjuna were chanting “Om Namo Narayana” mantra. Lord Balarama got the answer to his question and understood the delicately pure nature of the love between Arjuna and Krishna, and realised the bond of the friendship they shared.
The Krishna Charama Shloka:
“Sarva Dharman Paityajya Maam Ekam Saranma Vraja I
Aham Tva Sarva Papebhyo Mokshayishyami Masuchaha II”
Meaning: Abandoning all duties, surrender unto Me only. I shall deliver you from all sins. Do not lament.
This is what Lord Krishna told Arjuna and hence called ‘Charama sloka’ (meaning as a last resort Verse). Lord Krishna himself has suggested that Saranagathy is the easiest and best approach to Salvation. Charama shloka brings out the fruits of Saranagathy.
Poigai Azhwar Paasuram:
“Peyarum Karum Kadaley Nokkum Aaru Onn Poo
Uyarum Kadhiravaney Nokkum Uyirum
Dharumanaiye Nokkum Onn Thaamarayaal Kelvan
Oruvanayey Nokkum Unarvu”
“The river seeks the see
The flower seeks the sun
The life seeks righteousness
My feelings seek Thaamarayaal Kelvan!”
Our experience:
This was the first temple from which we had started our pilgrimage. Ironically, we did not even know about this temple till we had gone there. Neither did we know it was one of the Thiru Nangur 11 Divya Desams, nor had we planned to cover this temple.
We were on our way to Thiruvenkadu (/276), the Budhan parihara sthalam. One of our dearest friends, Harish (who we fondly call as “Captain”) heralded this trip, to woo the Lords on a very personal request. We had happily tagged along.
We had reached Thiruvenkadu (11/276) quite early and were checking out the google maps which incidentally showed this shrine and two more Divya Desams, quite close to Thiruvenkadu (11/276). We also spotted a sign board that led us to the temple and we were surprised when we reached the temple.
The temple is in pristine shape and feels very new. The renovation was done hardly 5 years ago. The pictures of the temple before the face-lift are quite sad. It feels so refreshing to see the pristine corridors and the shining pillars now.
The lore of the temple is painted in portraits in the mandapam outside the sanctum sanctorum. We had a deeply satisfying darisanam of The Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan and His Devi Thamarai Nayagi, who is housed in a separate shrine (Thani Koil Natchiyaar).
Arjunan holding the knife is seen outside the sanctum sanctorum. There is also a shrine for Sage Agathiyar.
This is the last of the Thiru Nangur 11 Divya Desams, but it was our first. We had two more visits to the temple during our other tours as well. It is one of the better maintained temples in the area. The priest was a very sweet person who patiently elaborated upon the lore of the land and The Deity.
Stay tuned for Our next temple, which is also one of the Thiru Nangur 11 Divya Desams – Thiru Mani Koodam (38/108)
Loads of love,
Karthick and Rahul.
Addendum (07-02-2020) – Our third dharshan of Thaamarayaal Kelvan:
We had gone to Thiru Paarthan Palli, in the hopes of taking a few pictures for this post. We were greeted by the sound of the Ashtaakshara Manthram – Om Namo Naarayana, even as we entered the village. The otherwise unassuming and quiet hamlet was brilliantly lit with additional lamps.
As we neared the temple, there was a lot of buzz and commotion caused by a larger than usual crowd. The sanctum sanctorum was closed and we turned right and walked towards the Katka Pushkarani (Temple Tank), which was open and being readied for the Theppa Utsavam.
The festival of carrying the lord, in a Theppam (make-shift boat) which wades the water of the Pushkarani, had been practiced many centuries before. Somewhere down the road, this particular festival was abandoned, presumably due to lack of funds. We were overjoyed to hear that today was the day, it is being restarted, thanks to a few wealthy patrons of the temple. After seeing the Pushkarani up close, we walked towards the Sanctum Sanctorum being mentally prepared to wait till the alankaram was over.
Our joy knew no bounds, when the screens opened just as we stepped foot into the temple giving our eyes a visual feast, which we greedily soaked in. Paarthasaarathy and His two consorts were decked beautifully in all revelries and were being readied for the procession and the Theppa Utsavam. We also saw The Moolavar, Thaamarayaal Kelvan in His full stride with an unobstructed view. Kolavilli Raman is housed in a separate shrine in the Sanctum Sanctorum and we were able to see him up close.
Call us prejudiced, but Kolavilli Raman was much more handsome than Paarthasarathy, presumably because, the former appears to us as Chakravarthy Thirumagan – The Royal Prince lavishing in dazzling ornaments while the latter is in the midst of waging a war assisting his favourite cousin as a charioteer. We were also excited to know that a Moola Moorthy for Kolavilli Raman was being readied, mandating a fourth visit to Thiru Paarthan Palli in the future.
Addendum 2 – Our fourth visit to Thiru Paarthan Palli on 12.02.2020
We were lucky bandicoots because we made it to Thiru Paarthan Palli at 2028 Hrs, just two minutes before the sanctum sanctorum was scheduled to be closed. This was the fourth time we came here. This time, it was unique as we had undertaken the daunting task of completing all the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal in one evening (and we actually succeeded in visiting all of them because of the blessings of The Lord).
We started at Thiru Kaavalam Paadi (27/108) at 1748 Hrs and finished at Thiru Paarthan Palli (40/108) at 2028 Hrs. We had a splendid darisanam of Lord Thaamarayaal Kelvan and His Devi, Thamarai Nayagi for the fourth time too.