Thiru Vaigundha Vinnagaram

Thiru Vaigunda Vinnagaram (33/108)

Name	Thiru Vaigunda Vinnagaram
District	Nagapattinam
State	Tamil Nadu
Mangalasasanam	Thirumangai Azhwar
Position	Chozha Naadu (33/108)
Presiding deity	Vishnu
God	Vaigunda Naadha
Utsavar	Vaigunda Naadhan Thaamarai Kann Nediya Piraan
Goddess	Vaigunda Valli
Vimanam	Anantha Sathya Varthaka Vimanam
Speciality	One of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal Structed to emulate The Celestial Vaigundham No shrine for Periya Thiruvadi, No Kodi Maram Both Moolavar and Utsavar are in the seated posture on Adhi Seshan
Theertham	Lakshmi Pushkarani Uthanga Pushkarani Viraja Theertham
Worshipped by	Airavateshwarar (8^th Rudran – Praana Peedam) Airavatham – the mount of Indra Dev Sage Uthangar King Uparaisaravasu King Swethakethu and his wife
Temple timings	8AM to 11PM and 5PM to 7PM
Contact details

LORE:

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Vaigunda Naadha and His Devi is Vaigunda Valli.

What are the five “Vinnagaram”s among the 108 Divya Desangal?

“Vinnagaram” means “The Abode in the sky” (Vinn – Sky, Nagaram – City) and it represents the earthen manifestation of the celestial “Shri Vaigundam”. There are five “Vinnagaram”s among the 108 Divya Desangal.

Thiru Nandhipura Vinnagaram – 21/108
Thiru Kaazhicheerama Vinnagaram – 28/108
Thiru Arimeya Vinnagaram – 29/108
Thiru Vaigunda Vinnagaram – 33/108
Thiru Parameshwara Vinnagaram – 56/108

Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Vaigunda Vinnagaram”?

Once upon a time, there was a king called Swethakethu, of the Ikshvaku clan (The Ragu Vamsam). He was the ancestor of Lord Ram. His reign was a prosperous and bountiful one. His subjects lived in peace and harmony. After he handed over the crown to his successors, his wife and himself had the desire to get a darisanam of Vaigunda Naadhan in the celestial Vaigundam.

Hence, his wife and himself did severe penance and austerities to please the Lord. They mediated upon the Lord in the midst of a raging pyre of flames. They shed their mortal body and by virtue of their karma, they crossed the heavenly Viraja River and reached the place called “Kaariya Vaigundam”. To their dismay, they could not find the Lord there and were deeply saddened. Devarishi Naradhar came their way and asked them the reason for their woes. The noble king and his wife explained their plight. The Devarishi told them that although they did their karma as was expected out of a king and queen, they did not do the one deed that would earn them the blessing of seeing The Lord as Vaigunda Naadhan in His celestial abode, Sri Vaigundam. He advised them to return to earth and generously do “Dhaanam” and then head to The Naangai Nagaram in Palasa Vanam, where The Lord would soon appear as “Vaigunda Naadhan” in The “Vaigunda Vinnagaram” along with his consorts and all the Nithya Soorigal.

The devout king and his wife followed the sage’s instructions and reached Palasa Vanam. Heeding to their prayers, The Lord appeared in Vaigunda Vinnagaram as Vaigunda Naadhan.

What is the lore of the temple?

The temple shares the common lore of all the 11 Thiru Nangur Shrines and Lord Vaigunda Naadhan 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.

Vaigunda Naadhan is pacifying the Rudra of the “Praana Peedam”, which is now a temple at a place called “Perunthottam – Atheeswaram”, presided by Lord Airavateshwarar and His Devi Athulya Gujaambal.

The details of the story are elaborated “here”

What is the story of Uthanga Rishi?

Uthanga Rishi is closely associated with many of the Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal.

Check out his lore “Here”

How is The Celestial Vaigundam described to be?

Vaigundam is located 26,200,000 Yojanas above Sathya Lokam (the abode of Lord Brahma)
It is beyond Darkness (Agnanam) and the cycle of life and death (Samsara)
Vaigundam is a divine palace which has infinite crystal walls
There are infinite parks with wish-fulfilling trees at full bloom which dance in a fragrant breeze
There are vast bodies of sparkling and pure water which are flanked by creepers dripping nectar and honey
Stupendously beautiful flowers are surrounded by the cries of exotic birds which mingle with the mildly intoxicating humming of the bumbling golden bees
It transcends beyond the Kaala-Chakra (the grinding wheels of time)
There is no discrimination or prejudice in Vaigundam. Both the demons and the Devas worship The Lord with timeless devotion.
The residents of Vaigundam have glowing sky-blue skin, with eyes like the red Lotus, with eternal youth, with robes of yellow and adornments of pearls and medallions of corals.

What are the other specialities of the temple?

As this shrine is said to be the replica of the celestial Vaigundam, there is no shrine for Garuda Azhwar. He is believed to be in the “Paadhuka” of the Lord.
There is also no Kodi Maram (Dwaja Sthambham) similar to the heavenly Sri Vaigundam.
The Lord is said to have appeared to bless Airavatham, the mount of Indra Dev
This is the only shrine in the world where both the Moolavar and the Utsavar are in the same seated posture.
The Lord is seated on Adhi Seshan with all His three consorts, Sri Devi, Bhu Devi and Neela Devi. Hence there is no separate shrine for Thaayaar.

What are the four types of Mukthi Yogam attained in Vaigundam?

Salokyam – reaching the abode of The Lord
Sameepyam – Nearing The Lord through servitude
Saarupyam – Becoming like the Lord
Saayujyam – Finally merging with The Lord

Our Experience:

Vaigunda Vinnagaram remains as one of our favourite temples. It’s a very beautiful edifice. We had the blessing to visit the shrine three times.

We got acquainted with the gate-keeper of the temple, on our first visit. He is a very pleasant man and shared the contact details of the temple priest to us and also told us the timings of the temple.

The temple is also renovated, less than a decade ago and it shudders to think about the older dilapidated state of such a divine shrine. There is a beautiful garden which houses many flowering plants, a few of them which were in full bloom. The flowers had attracted another equally chirpy and ebullient ‘Meandering duo’ – (A pair of happy and carefree parrots)

All three times, we had the blessing to see both the Moolavar and the Utsavar in the Kanakangi Sevai (Golden Kavasam). He is seated in such an effortless posture on Adhi Seshan, with one leg folded and on leg hanging down. Along with Him are His three consorts, Sri Devi, Bhu Devi and Neela Devi.

The second visit was during the 11 Garuda Sevai festival. This is one of the three temples which is kept open during the festival time in the evenings. In all the other eight temples, once the procession deity leaves to Thiru Mani Maada Kovil (32/108) for the 11 Garuda Sevai at around the noon time, the main sanctum is closed for the rest of the day.

We slept peacefully in the garden of Vaigunda Vinnagaram in the noon time and had a special darisanam of The Moolavar. As the Utsavar had gone to grace the 11 Garuda Sevai, we could relish the glorious sight of The Moolavar with an unobstructed view.

The third visit was also equally unplanned and unexpected. We had been desperately trying to see the only temple in the Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal – Thiru Kaavalam Paadi (27/108). Raja Gopalan of Thiru Kaavalam Paadi (27/108) toyed with us for four times, by shutting the door of his divine orchard, each time we attempted to seek His Darisanam.

We had accosted two of Karthick’s “friends” from Chennai to Thiru Nangur with the hopes of seeing as many as possible shrines of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal. Our first was to Thiru Kaavalam Paadi (27/108). Raja Gopalan finally relented and gave us a scintillatingly brilliant darisanam. Not only that, but he blessed us with enough grace that we were able to cover all the 11temples in a very short span of time (1748 Hrs to 2028 Hrs – 2 hours 40 minutes)

The head priest of the Thiru Vann Purshotthamam (30/108) is in-charge of seven temples out of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal. And he was gracious enough to guide us properly and enabled us to see 7 out of the 11 Divya Desangal, by giving us the order in which they could be covered within the limited time-frame.

Our third visit to Vaigunda Vinnagaram (33/108) was a Blitzkrieg, but seeing the serenely relaxed posture and the utterly-buttery delicious visage of Lord Vaigunda Naadhan makes us melt like butter, due to unparalleled ecstasy.

See you folks at the next temple in the Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal – Thiru Vann Purushothaman (30/108).

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

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