Thiru Sempon Sei Kovil (31/108)
|
Name |
Thiru Sempon Sei Kovil |
|
District |
Nagapattinam |
|
State |
Tamil Nadu |
|
Mangalasasanam |
Thirumangai Azhwar |
|
Position |
Chozha Naadu (31/108) |
|
Presiding deity |
Vishnu |
|
God |
Perarulaalan |
|
Utsavar |
Hema Rangan Sempon Arangan Damodharan Heyramban |
|
Goddess |
Alli Maa Malaraal Alli Maa Malar Naatchiyaar |
|
Vimanam |
Kanaka Vimanam |
|
Speciality |
One of the 11 Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal The only one of the 108 Divya Desangal that was built with the gold donated by The Lord Himself (as Lord Ram) |
|
Theertham |
Nithya Pushkarani |
|
Worshipped by |
Mukundhan, Rishi Drdanethrar |
|
Temple timings |
8AM to 11PM and 5PM to 7PM |
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Contact details |
LORE:
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Perarulaalan and His Devi is Alli Maa Malaraal.
Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Semponsei Kovil”?
Once upon a time in Thretha Yug, there lived a Rishi called Drdanethrar, who had established his hermitage on the banks of the Nithya Pushkarani. He was one of the sons of Rishi Viswamithrar.
The King of Ayodhya, Chakravarthy Thirumagan, Lord Ram had undertaken a pilgrimage upon his return to Ayodhya and his ascension as King. He felt remorseful for being instrumental in a war that had killed crores of warriors and for the entire demon clan of Lord Raavan of Lanka.
Lord Ram’s Yatra had bought him to this shrine and he was welcomed by Rishi Drdanethrar to his hermitage. Lord Ram asked the Rishi about the lore of the shrine and came to know that if “Kho Prasavam” (Birthing through a cow) was done there, it would absolve a person of his karma. Lord Ram made a humungous golden cow, weighing 1000 units, that was hollow inside. He then went into a meditative trance, by sitting inside the golden cow, for four days.
He emerged out of the golden cow on the fifth day and donated the cow to an impecunious man, who had liquidated the gold and built this temple, in such a grand manner, laden with gold and precious stones.
When asked by Lord Ram as to why he did not keep anything for himself, the man replied that he was more than content with the thatched hut he was residing in, present.
Thus, the temple was made of pure gold (Sempon) and derived the name “Thiru Sempon Sei Kovil”
What is the lore of the temple?
The temple shares the common lore of all the 11 Thiru Nangur Shrines and Lord Perarulaalan 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.
Sempon Arangan is pacifying the Rudra of the “Sathyojatha Peedam”, which is now a temple at a place called “Kaathiruppu”, presided by Lord Sornapureeshwarar and His Devi Sornambigai.
The details of the story are elaborated “here”
What is the story of Mukundhan and the 32,000 chants and the mysterious “Narayana Bhootham”?
Once upon a time, there lived a philanthropist called Kashyap, in Kanchipuram. Once prosperous, due to perilous times, his family had now become destitute and penurious. His eldest son, Mukundhan was deeply saddened by the plight of his father and told him that he wanted to go south to the fertile delta of the Kaveri basin to earn riches and restore the family to its former glory. His father conceded to the request and wished a safe trip for his son.
His travels bought him to Thiru Nangur. He reached Sempon Sei Kovil and prayed to The Lord Sempon Arangan. The Lord manifested in front of Him and taught him The Ashtakshara Mantra, “Om Namo Narayanaya”. The Lord asked Mukundhan to stay in the temple for three days and to meditate upon the Mantra, chanting it to a grand total of 32,000 times.
The reverent Mukundhan followed The Lord’s instructions verbatim and completed the chanting. He then resumed his journey south. Dusk fell and he was in a forest in an area now called as “Kurangaputhur”. He could not find any proper shelter to sleep through the night. Hence, he climbed atop the big banyan tree in the centre of the woodland. He fell into a peaceful slumber.
He was woken up by the sound of some commotion below the tree. He saw that there were a band of dacoits, holding flaming torches, carrying sacks and sacks of riches, of gold, of precious stones and gems, stolen from a temple. They then shouted an incantation of sorts, at the huge boulder that was there at the base of the banyan tree, for 10 times – “Narayana Bhoothamey, Vilagikkol” (Oh, Narayana Bhootham, step aside). The boulder seemed to have heard the incantation and dutifully obeyed and slid apart revealing a treasure chamber. The bandits then deposited the stolen goods inside and again invoked the boulder saying “Narayana Bhoothamey, Moodikkol” (Oh, Narayana Bhootham, close off). The boulder closed and hid the treasures dutifully.
Mukundhan was awed on seeing all this. He then heard an “Ashareeree”, A formless voice from the sky, that told him to help himself to the wealth that he needed. The jubilant Mukundhan, climbed down and chanted the same incantation used by the burglars and loaded a bullock-cart full of the needed riches and headed home, to Kanchipuram. His family was overjoyed and prayed in gratitude, to Lord Sempon Arangan for His grace. They then lived happily ever after, aiding the helpless and the needy, duly remembering their own times of insolvent deprivation.
Our Experience:
We had gone to Thiru Sempon Sei Kovil (31/108) twice and both the times, we had a calm and tranquil Darisanam.
The temple was renovated in recent years and is in much better shape than many other temples in the region. This temple too, is a modest shrine and is in the centre of Thiru Nangur. There are no shops nearby and it would be prudent to buy flowers and ghee for offering from the nearby town of Sirkazhi or Mangai Madam.
Lord Sempon Arangan gives us His darisanam in the Nindra Thirukolam, with four arms. He is believed to be The Azhagiya Manavala Perumal from Urayur (02/108), near Trichy. The second time as to how we visited the temple was quite a quirky tale. We had been to the 11 Garuda Sevai around noon and found the all temples closed for the main event at Thiru Mani Maada Kovil (32/108).
Incidentally, we were crossing Thiru Sempon Sei Kovil (31/108) many times and found the doors of the temple (which were previously closed) slightly open, at around 06.00 PM. Apparently, the head priest had come to the temple to take some items for the procession. We ran into the sanctum sanctorum and were overjoyed to see The Lord decked in all His revelries. The priest was polite enough to show us (and a lucky few others) the Aarthi. He then locked the shrine just as we went out. This meandering duo were really blessed to have such a blink-and-miss darisanam. Lord Sempon Arangan and His Devi Alli Maa Malaraal are truly a divine sight to behold.
See you folks at the next temple in the Thiru Nangur Divya Desangal – Thiru Vaigunda Vinnagaram (33/108).
Loads of love,
Karthick and Rahul.