Thiru Manikoodam (37/108)
|
Name |
Thiru Manikoodam |
|
District |
Nagapattinam |
|
State |
Tamil Nadu |
|
Mangalasasanam |
Thirumangai Azhwar |
|
Position |
Chozha Naadu (37/108) |
|
Presiding deity |
Vishnu |
|
God |
Varadharaja Perumal |
|
Utsavar |
Manikooda Nayagan |
|
Goddess |
Thiru Maa Magal Naachiyaar |
|
Vimanam |
Kanaka Vimanam |
|
Speciality |
One of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal |
|
Theertham |
Chandra Pushkarani |
|
Worshipped by |
Chandran, Garudan |
|
Temple timings |
8AM to 12PM and 5PM to 8PM |
|
Contact details |
LORE:
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Varadharaja Perumal and His Devi is Thiru Maa Magal Naachiyaar.
Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Mani Koodam”?
The Lord of this shrine, Varadharaja Perumal is said to have blessed Chandra Dev. He adorns the Moon as a jewel on His crest, akin to Lord Shiva in His Chandrashekara form. The rays of the Moon beam are as delicately incandescent as the glow of precious gems such as rubies and pearls. The shrine is said to glow with the luminance of the moon. Hence the shrine is called as “Thiru Mani Koodam”.
What is the lore of the temple?
The lore of the temple is related to the curses incurred by Chandra Dev. The shrine is said to be the one of the abodes of The Lord where Chandra Dev prayed to be absolved of his curse. The redemption for the curse was done by Chandra Dev in three shrines. The first temple he prayed for atonement was Thiruvarangam (01/108), followed by Thiru Indalur (26/108) and finally he came here to Thalaichanga Naan Madhiyam (25/108) and was finally freed from the curse.
Chandra Dev incurred the wrath of both his guru and his father-in-law. The two-fold curse was almost irredeemable. Yet, he prayed to Lord Vishnu for mercy and he was asked to go and pray at three shrines in sequence as atonement.
Chandra Dev’s guru was Brihaspathi, the Deva guru. Brihaspati’s wife was a fair woman called as Tara. Chandra Dev was smitten by Tara and inspite of knowing her marital status, he did the unthinkable. He seduced Tara with his mesmerising beauty and eloped with her. He had a clandestine affair with her which ended up in Tara becoming pregnant. Tara birthed the illegitimate child. It was a son and he was named as Budhan. Ashamed of the circumstances of his birth, Budhan prayed to Lord Shiva and attained Graha Padhavi (Planetary Status) as Gnana Kaaragan (The Deity of Knowledge) and became one of the Navagrahas.
Brihaspathi was furious on knowing Chandra Dev’s debauchery and he cursed Chandra Dev that he will become a Kuroopi (Hideous one) and lose all his charismatic charm with which he had seduced Tara.
Chandra Dev is also said to have incurred a second curse. Daksha Prajapati had 62 daughters including Devi Sati (Dakshayani), the mortal incarnation of Aadhi Shakthi, who married Lord Shiva. Daksha Prajapati married 27 of his daughters to Chandra Dev and had asked him to take care of his daughters well and to treat all of them equally well.
Chandra Dev was enamoured with Rohini (one of his 27 wives) and started to spend time exclusively with her and ignored the other 26 wives. They got upset about their husband’s indifference with them and complained to Daksha Prajapati.
The infuriated father-in-law then cursed Chandra Dev to be afflicted with Leprosy and that he would lose his Chandrakala (Moon Beam) and the ability to shine, as a punishment for his misconduct. The wives were grief stricken. They pleaded with Daksha Prajapati to take back the curse. Chandra Dev was remorseful as well. He too begged for forgiveness.
Daksha Prajapati told that the curse cannot be undone and that the only way for him to seek atonement is to pray to Lord Mahavishnu. Chandra Dev prayed to Lord Mahavishnu and sought his mercy.
Lord Mahavishnu then instructed Chandra Dev to pray at three shrines viz Thiruvarangam (01/108), Thiru Indalur (26/108) and finally at Thiru Thalaichanga Naan Madhiyam (25/108). Chandra Dev got his curse lessened in each of the shrines as he prayed and bathed in the temple tank Chandra Pushkarani.
Lord Naan Madhiya Perumal finally appeared in front of Chandra Dev and blessed him with a boon. He restored Chandra Dev’s beauty, curing him of Leprosy and also accepted him as an ornament on His head. Though the curse of Daksha Prajapati cannot be completely undone and Chandra Dev waxes during the Krishna Paksham, by the grace of Lord Naan Madhiya Perumal, he wanes into completeness, gaining back one Chandrakala every day, during the Shukla Paksham and becomes a full moon once again. This pattern of waxing and waning is repeated every month and is called as the lunar cycle.
Lord Varadharaja Perumal of Thiru Mani Koodam is said to have blessed Chandra Dev and aided in the relief of His curse.
What are the alternate renderings of the tale?
In Shaivism, the tale is exactly the same. But the curse is lifted by Lord Shiva at Somnath temple, Gujarat. Somnath is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Sthalangal. And according to Shaivite traditions, it is here that Chandra Dev gets relieved of the dual curse of Daksha Prajapati and Deva guru Brihaspathi.
According to the Brahma Vivartha Purana, Chandra Dev gets cursed by Lord Ganesha for making fun of Him. Once upon a time, Lord Ganesha was carrying sweets offered to Him by his devotee. He accidentally tripped on a stone and fell, scattering the sweets inadvertently. Chandra Dev laughed at Him for being so clumsy. Lord Ganesh cursed Chandra Dev that he will lose his Moon beams and will never be whole again.
Chandra Dev repented his folly and realised his vanity. He asked forgiveness from Lord Ganesha. The Lord blessed him that he will wane in the second half of the month and thus established the lunar cycle.
These events happened on a Chaturthi thidhi, and thus whenever someone looks at the moon on Ganesha Chaturthi, they will be falsely accused and will have to recite/listen to the lore of the Syamantaka Jewel to be acquitted.
What is the association of the Samudra Mandhan to the Chandra Pushkarani in the shrine?
Chandra Dev is said to have bathed in this Pushkarani and got the blessings of The Lord of this shrine, Varadharaja Perumal. The story traces back to the events that transpired during the Samudra Mandhan (the details are given here in brief and all the other side-stories and anecdotal details will be given in a separate post and/or along with the respective temple posts)
Eons ago, due to the insolence of Indra Dev, he had incurred the wrath of Rishi Durvasa as he had insulted the offering given by the sage, who is known for his labile temperament. In his arrogance, he had unwittingly given the garland which had adorned Adhi Shakthi herself to his pachyderm, Airavat. The foolhardy elephant, not realizing the sanctity of the garland, threw it on the ground and stomped it. As if waiting for something untoward like this to happen, Rishi Durvasa, cursed the entire cosmos for Indra Dev’s misdemeanour, that the whole world will be bereft of wealth and prosperity. The Devas thus became Shree Heen (impoverished) and Shakthi Heen (flaccid). Indra Dev soon realized his folly and pleaded for redemption. The Rishi told that the curse would be undone when Goddess Lakshmi is evoked from the abyss of Ksheer Sagar (the great white ocean – Thirupaarkadal).
Thus, began the daunting task of the Samudra Mandhan, the churning of the great milky white ocean. Mandhara Parvatham was asked to be the pestle. The king of serpents, Lord Shiva’s Shakarabaranam, Vasuki was deigned to be the rope to churn the pestle. The Devas took the tail end of the snake. The Asuras were also asked to take part in the Samudra Mandhan with the promise of a share in the wealth that was buried under the great ocean. The Asuras took over the head end of the snake.
The churning began and slowly the hidden treasures of the great white ocean manifested amidst the Devas and Asuras. Sequentially, the wealth of the ocean was shared between the two factions. The pestle got destabilized by the incessant churning and started to sink into the ocean. Lord Vishnu took the form of a giant turtle and lifted the sinking mountain on his back, to ensure that the churning continues uninterrupted.
The moon emerges from the ocean and joins the faction of the Devas as Chandra Dev. Then arrives Chandra Sahodhari, The Goddess of wealth and prosperity aka Ramaa-Vaani, Devi Lakshmi. She chooses the preserver of the cosmos, Lord Vishnu as Her consort.
At the end, Lord Dhanvanthri emerges with a pot of Ambrosia, marking the end of the Samudra Mandhan. As decided earlier, the Devas and Asuras are seated facing each other. Given the volatile nature and inherent disregard for rules, the Asuras were considered to be unworthy of the blanket clause of immortality. Hence Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Devi Mohini, the seductive enchantress. She deftly splits the entire Ambrosia among the Devas, hoodwinking all the Asuras but one.
Anticipating trickery, treachery and debauchery, one of the Asuras, Rahu shapeshifts into a Deva and sits in between Surya Dev and Chandra Dev. Just as Mohini fills his goblet with Ambrosia, he is identified as an asura by Surya Dev and Chandra Dev. The panicky Rahu gulps the nectar of immortality immediately. Mohini summons the Sudarshan Chakra and beheads Rahu just as the Ambrosia crosses his throat. Rahu, though immortal is split into two beings. By the grace of Devi Durga, both his halves are given a complete form. Rahu and Ketu, by virtue of their devotion to Devi attains celestial status as one among the Navagrahas.
Rahu and Ketu relentlessly pursued Surya Dev and Chandra Dev for being instrumental in this peculiar twist of fate. The two Devas run to each nook and corner of the Brahmaand (universe) seeking solace.
A weary and tired Chandra Dev eventually comes to Thiru Mani Koodam and hides in the Chandra Pushkarani praying for peace. Manikooda Naayagan, Lord Varadharaja Perumal appears and blesses Chandra Dev and reduces the dominion of Rahu and Ketu over him restricting their victory to only twice a year, thus giving birth to the Solar and Lunar Eclipses respectively.
Our experience:
We had offered our obeisance to Mani Kooda Naayagan twice, during our pilgrimages. The first visit was with Harish (Captain, as you might remember) and the second one was during the 11 Garuda Sevai.
It is the smallest of the Nangur Divya Desangal and is bereft of the pomp and grandeur of the more affluent shrines. Thirumanikoodam is a kilometre away from Thirunangur and is marked by ample and easily visible signages despite the poor condition of the connecting roads. Akin to Thiru Paarthan Palli, there are no stalls, petty shops or facilities for rest rooms in Thirumanikoodam. Lesser known than Thiru Paarthan Palli, the temple attracts very few pilgrims, save the festive occasions, and is often closed, precluding unprepared pilgrims from seeking a glimpse of The Lord (When we tried to visit Thiru Mani Koodam for the third time, we found it closed, as we had gone in the evening around 7PM).
The Moolavar, Lord Varadharaja Perumal graces the sanctum sanctorum in Nindra Thirukolam, with four arms, the upper two wielding the celestial discuss and conch, one of the lower arms in Abhaya (Protection) Mudra and the other poised artistically, in his hip. He is flanked by Sridevi and Bhoodevi. The Utsava Moorthy, Mani Kooda Naayagan, is glorified by Thirumangai Azhwar, in his paasurams, as Gajendra Varadhan. There is no separate shrine for Thaayar. Devi Lakshmi seated in His Srivatsam, is praised and revered as Thiru Maa Magal Naachiyaar, the Thaayar of the Shrine.
We had a hearty dharshan (rather quick one) given the size of the temple, and were on our way to the next temple. Stay tuned for Our next post, which will also be one of the Thiru Nangur 11 Divya Desams – Thiru Sem Pon Sei Kovil (31/108).
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 upclose, 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.