Meandering Duo

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
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.

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.

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.

Thiru Nangur

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eleven Vainava Divya Desangal
• Twelve Shiva Temples (two Devara Paadal Petra Sthalangal)
• Pancha Narasimha Kshetrangal
• Eleven Garuda Sevai Festival
• Twelve Rishabha Sevai Festival

Thiru Nangur is located in Nagapattinam District, near the town of Sirkazhi. It houses eleven of the 108 Vainava Divya Desangal.

All the eleven of them were done Mangalasasanam by Thirumangai Azhwar, who was born and lived in this region. His life story is closely linked to Thiru Nangur.

ETYMOLOGY:

Thiru Nangur might have got its name from the fact that it is a conglomeration of four villages. (Nangur = Naangu + Oor)

EPITHETS:

• Maraiyor Vananga Pugazh Nangur
• Manam Malgum Nangur
• Mangayar Mugam Kaatidum Nangur
• Kayal Odi Vilayadu Nangur
• Settralayil Ven Mutham Sindhum Nangur
• Kali Muralum Nangur
• Theengani Nugarum Nangur
• Mannu Pugazh Nangur
• Nindru Arulum Idam Ezhil Naangai
• Pural Tharan Seidha Naangai
• Thvala Maada Needu Naangai

HISTORICAL FACTS:

• In the days of ancient glory, the border of Thiru Nangur had extended up to Poompuhar.
• Equivalent to Varanasi in fame
• Bodyguards to the Tanjore Brihadeeshwara temple were despatched from Thiru Nangur
• Sendhanaar, the clerk of Pattinathar, was from Thiru Nangur
• Pattinapaalai and Porunaraatru Padai are the literary works that mention the grandeur of Thiru Nangur

FESTIVALS:

• The Eleven Garuda Sevai festival
• The Twelve Rishabha Sevai festival
• Kali Katti Utsavam

THE ELEVEN GARUDA SEVAI:

The elven Garuda Sevai is a festival that happens annually, during the Thai Amavaasai. All the eleven Utsava Moorthies of the eleven Thiru Nangur Vainava Divya Desangal are brought to The Thiru Mani Maada Koil (32/108) and are taken as a procession on Garuda Vahanam, after being sung the Mangalasasanam by Thirumangai Azhwar. Then Manavaala Maa Munigal sings Mangalasasanam for Thirumangai Azhwar.

Thirumangai Azhwar from Thiru Nagari (34/108) is taken to all the eleven temples where he sings for The Deities there and then all the eleven Utsava Moorthies are led by Thirumangai Azhwar and his wife, Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar on Hamsa Vahanam and Manavaala Maa Munigal on Sesha Peedam.

The next day, Thirumangai Azhwar returns to Thiru Nagari and does Mangalasasanam for both Thiruvaali and Thiru Nagari (35/108), which are together considered as a single Divya Desam.

THE TWELVE RISHABHA SEVAI:

The twelve Rishabha Sevai festival happens annually in Thiru Nangur during the month of Vaigasi during the Rohini Nakshathram. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this festival was abandoned for the past 100 years. The tradition has been renewed and the twelve Rishabha Sevai is happening since the year 2016.

Mathanga Maharishi was born out of the Matangam, the elephantine form which Brahma Dev took to meditate on Lord Shiva. He undertook severe austerities seeking The Lord’s blessings.

Devi Parvathy was born as a baby in the pond and was raised by Matanga Maharishi as his own daughter. He named Her as Matangi. Lord Shiva came as Matangeshwarar and married Raja Matangi and showed His “Kalyana Kolam” to Matanga Maharishi.

This temple is situated near the Thiru Mani Maada Koil (32/108).

There are 11 more temples of Lord Shiva in Thiru Nangur. And during this festival, all of them arrive here and are taken as a procession along with their consorts on their bull mounts.

THE LORE OF THIRU NANGUR:

The story takes us back to the time of creation. Shiva is Mahadeva. His Shakthi, His half, His Devi is Prakriti. The personification of creation itself. Being the essence of energy itself, She had to get detached from Shiva for the benefit of the cosmos to pervade in each and every atom. Thus, Shiva became a hermit, an ascetic. A Vairagi, who had renounced all worldly pleasure and abhorred companionship.

But the union of Shiva/Shakthi was inevitable. The essence of Aadhishakti was drawn to Her Shiva. So, she decided to attain Him. She was born as the eldest daughter to Daksha Prajapati who named Her as Sati. She was always daddy’s-little-princess and hence also revered as Dakshayani (She who follows Daksh)

Daksha was the son of Brahma Dev. He was the Prajapati who laid down the rules and norms of living a dutiful and productive life for all human beings. He had two wives, Prasuthi and Veerini. Together they had 62 daughters, of which Sati was the eldest.

As the days passed, Sati was drawn to the pull of Shiva and fell in love with Him. Daksha who was a staunch devotee of Mahavishnu, strongly disapproved of the love Sati had for Shiva. He was under the impression that a nomad, a crematorium inhabitant, a serpentine lover, an ash smeared aloof abomination like Shiva didn’t deserve his respect.

His hatred also stemmed from the fact that Shiva in his first act of valour, had beheaded one of the five heads of Brahma, Daksha’s father, in Thirukandiyur.

He arranged a swayamvara for Sati. He had invited all eligible suitors except Shiva. When the learned elders questioned this, Daksha made a statue of Shiva and kept it in the palace courtyard. Sati instinctively garlanded the statue and to her delight, Shiva materialised out of the statue and whisked her away to Kailash.

Daksha was so enraged that he renounced his daughter and ordered her funeral rites to be done. He was in no mood to accept Her. But Shiva and Sati were in their own blissful bubble. But the wheels of fate turned slowly, and trouble brewed.

Brahma Dev had arranged for a Maha yaagam and had called everyone to attend it. Shiva and Sati were specially honoured as they were the Divine Couple of the hour. Daksha came late to the altar and everyone rose to greet him obeisance. Shiva dint rise as He was present there as Mahadeva, The presiding God of the Yaagam and not as Daksha’s son-in-law. This infuriated Daksha a lot and he vowed to take revenge.

Daksha too organised a Maha yaagam, for the welfare of the world, just like Brahma did. He invited everyone, high and low. But he deliberately didn’t send an invite to Shiva ad Sati. When Sati came to know of this, she felt heart broken. She was upset two-fold because Her dearest father still hated Her, and Her husband was being insulted by being deliberately uninvited.

She decided to go to the Maha yaagam and convince her father to invite Shiva and to make amends to their broken relationship. Shiva refused to let Her go. He cited that it is never polite to go anywhere without being invited. Sati is in no mood to listen. She is adamant that She will go.

Shiva tried to reason with Her. He tells Her that she was no ordinary human princess and that She is Prakriti, Aadhi Shakthi Herself. And that she had to realise that and waken Her aura. He promised to accompany Her to the Maha yaagam if She did that. Shiva also told that if Sati doesn’t go to the Maha yaagam as Aadhi Shakthi, then a great calamity will befall on Her.

Sati could not bear this any longer. In a fit of rage, She shrieked at Him and said that if any harm would befall on a daughter who went to her father’s home, then let it happen. She also bound Shiva with Her words and said that He could come only after the impeding Catastrophe He predicted had happened.

Shiva sent Nandi and his entourage of Shiva-ganas as protection and went into meditation fearing the consequences of Sati’s action for Her own sake.

Sati reached the venue of the Maha Yaagam and called out to Her Father who insults Her for coming without an invitation. She tried to reason with Him and pacify Him, but to no avail. Her efforts as Dakshayani failed to rationalise with Daksha. Sati, as the wife of Shiva, tried to demand respect for her husband.

Daksha seized the opportunity and continuously flung a flurry of poisoned words at hapless Sati and hurled abuses on Her about Shiva. Sati begged him to stop. But Daksha, in his arrogance continued to speak humiliatingly about Shiva in derogatory terms.

Out of despair, Sati reached out to the elders at the altar and questions them on their silence to the injustice meted out by Daksha and his vile words against Shiva. All she received was a meek silence in reply.

An enraged Sati erupted as Aadhi Shakthi and in Her Viswaroopa, She told Daksha that She is Prakriti Herself and was born as Her daughter with the sole intention of Marrying Shiva. But in his arrogance, Daksha had insulted Her and Her husband. She felt saddened because She came blindly ignoring all the warnings of Shiva only to hear the derogatory words by Daksha.

She then decided that She is unfit to be Shiva’s wife as Dakshayani. She summoned Her own Yoga Agni and self-immolates Herself. Before incinerating Her mortal body, She warned Daksha about the consequences of his dastardly deeds. As Shiva has lost His wife, Daksha and the whole world will have to suffer. With that, the essence of Aadhi Shakthi again returns to Prakriti (Nature) and the cindered charred body of Sati falls into the altar in a conflagrated heap.

Nandi and the Shiv-ganas rushed to Shiva to tell Him of the diabolical vindictiveness of Daksha and the untimely demise of Sati. Shiva wakes up from his meditative trance and performs the pralaya Thandava. He is so enraged that the entire cosmos feels the ripples of His anger. He then unwinds his matted locks and tears a tuft of hair and creates a fierce eight-armed Avatar of Himself, Veera Bhadra. From another tuft of hair, He creates the fierce and gruesome to behold Bhadrakali. Shiva then tells them to go and decimate the Maha yaagam of fool-hardy Daksha and to kill him.

Veerabhadrar and Bhadrakali arrive at the altar and weave a storm of destruction raining blows to everyone who stood still during Daksha’s Shiva nindhanai and Sati’s self-immolation. A covering Daksha tried to escape but is caught by Veer Bhadra who trampled him beneath his feet, snatched all the beneficial boons bestowed on Daksha. In a single slice, He then proceeds to behead Daksha and flings the head into the same sacrificial altar that Sati chose to burn Herself. The Shiva-ganas and their leaders Veera Bhadrar and Bhadrakali returned victoriously to Mount Kailash after avenging the death of Devi Sati.

A heart-broken Shiva came to the altar and weeps for the loss of His wife, Sati. The whole world wept with Him. He carried the charred body of Sati and roams around the world in a gloomy misery. He forgot that He is Mahadeva. He aimlessly wandered the cosmos with the ashen burnt body of Sati.

Mahavishnu decided that the only way to make Shiva come to His senses was by releasing the remains of Sati from Him. So, Mahavishnu flings his discus at the body of Sati which gets cut into 51 pieces. The pieces (pindam) fall on 51 places all over the land. Being the essence of Sakthi, they get consecrated at places of Devi worship and are venerated as Shakthi Peedangal today.

Shiva was distraught with anger at the loss of his wife and started to dance. The cosmic dance of fury happened at Thiru Nangur. As the rage of the dance increased, hair from Shiva’s locks started to fall on the ground.

Wherever his hair fell, it became a Rudra and started to dance. This happened for elven times. Thus, eleven Rudras were created from the Hair of Shiva. All the eleven Rudras started to dance in fury. The entire universe trembled at their fury. Lord Vishnu decided to intervene and appeared in front of Shiva to pacify Him. On seeing Lord Vishnu, Shiva’s anger fizzled off and his fury relented. Likewise, Lord Vishnu took a total of eleven forms and stood in front of all the eleven Rudras to pacify them. And that is how the eleven Divya Desams of Thiru Nangur came into existence

THE ELEVEN DIVYA DESAM OF THIRU NANGUR:

Temple	Divya Desam	Lord	Consort
Thiru Kaavalam Paadi	27/108	Gopala Krishnan	Rukmini/ Sathyabama
Thiru Arimeya Vinnagaram	29/108	Kudamaadu Koothan	Amruthakda Valli
Thiru Vann Purshotthamam	30/108	Purushothaman	Purushothama Nayaki
Thiru Sem Pon Sei Koil	31/108	Sem Pon Arangan	Alli Maa Malaraal
Thiru Mani Maada Koil	32/108	Badri Narayana Perumal	Pundareeka Valli
Vaigunda Vinnagaram	33/108	Vaigunda Perumal	Vaigunda Valli
Thiru Mani Koodam	34/108	Varadharaja Perumal	Thiru Maa Magal Naatchiyaar
Thiru Devanaar Thogai	36/108	Madhava Perumal	Madhava Nayaki
Thiru Thetri Ambalam	37/108	Palli Konda Perumal	Sengamala Valli
Thiru Vella Kulam	39/108	Annan Perumal	Alar Mel Mangai
Thiru Paarthan Palli	40/108	Thaamarayaal Kelvan	Thamarai Naayaki

THE TWELVE SHIVA TEMPLES OF THIRU NANGUR:

Temple	Peedam	Lord	Consort
Thiru Nangur	Thathpurusha Peedam	Mathangeshwarar	Raja Mathangi
Keezhai Thiru Kaatupalli	Agora Peedam	Aaranya Sundareshwarar	Akilandeshwari
Keezh Sattanadhapuram – Thiru Yogeeswaram	Vaama Deva Peedam	Yoga Naadhar	Yogambaal
Kaathiruppu	Sathyjatha Peedam	Sornapureeshwarar	Sornambigai
Thiru Nangur	Soma Peedam	Amrudhapureeshwarar	Chandrakshi
Alli Vilaagam	Saarva Peedam	Naaga Naadha Swamy	Nattrunai Nayaki
Thiru Nangur	Mahadeva Peedam	Nambuvaarku Anbar	Anbirpiriyaal
Thiru Nangur	Bheema Peedam	Kailasa Naadhar	Kamakshi
Thiru Nangur	Bhava Peedam	Sundershwarar	Soundara Nayaki
Perunthottam – Atheeswaram	Praana Peedam	Airavatheshwarar	Athulya Gujaambal
Annapan Pettai	Rudra Peedam	Sundershwarar	Sundaraambaal
Mel Nangur	Paasupadha Peedam	Nayana Varadeshwarar	Nalinambigai

THE PANCHA NARASIMHA KSHETRAM:

There are five Narasimha Temples in the vicinity of Thiru Nangur, which were worshipped by Thirumangai Azhwar.

Temple	Deity
Thiru Kurayalur	Ugra Narasimhar
Mangai Madam	Veera Narasimhar
Thiru Nagari	Yoga Narasimhar
Thiru Nagari	Hiranya Narasimhar
Thiruvaali	Lakshmi Narasimhar

EKADASHA RUDRA – THE ELEVEN FORMS OF LORD SHIVA ACROSS LITERATURE:

Number	Matsya Purana	Vishnu Purana	Mahabharata	As Sons of Tvastsr
1	Nirriti	Manyu	Mrgavedha	Vishva Rupa
2	Shambu	Manu	SArpa	Ajaikapadh
3	Aparajitha	Mahamasa	Niritti	Ahi Budhnya
4	Mriga Vyadha	Mahan	Ajaikapadh	Virpaksha
5	Kapardhi	Siva	Ahi	Raivata
6	Dahana	Rtudjwaja	Budhnya	Hara
7	Khara	Ugraretas	Pinakin	Bahurupa
8	Ahir Abradhya	Bhava	Dahana	Tryambhaka
9	Kapali	Kama	Ishvara	Savitra
10	Pingala	Vamadeva	Kapali	Jayanta
11	Senaani	Dhrtavarta	Sthanu	Pinakin

OUR EXPERIENCE:

We decided to postpone the written updates of the other temples and jump to Thiru Nangur because we had been there recently for the eleven Garuda Sevai and were overwhelmed by the splendid and amazing festival.

The post above will give you an idea about Thiru Nangur. We will be covering the 11 Vainava Divya Desams, 2 Devara Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalangal and the 5 Pancha Narasimha Kshetrangal in the days to come.

Thiru Nangur needs a solid week to cover all the temples in the are at leisure. And the two major festivals that happen annually are a must-see event. We are looking forward to the twelve Rishabha Sevai festival in May and will update about it when it happens.

We will be writing our accounts of the eleven Vainava Divya Desangal and also Thiruvaali/Thiru Nagari (35/108), which is very close to Thiru Nangur and then follow them up with a pose on the eleven Garuda Sevai festival that happened this year.

Thirumangai Azhwar has a very intimate connection with Thiru Nangur. He was a vigilante, an anti-hero, a Robin Hood of sorts and the events that transpired here led him to become the most prolific composer of Paasruams and the most travelled Azhwar among the twelve. We will be writing a separate post dedicated to him as his story cannot be condensed and written along with anything else.

Daunting tasks ahead, but we are SO looking forward to it. Stay tuned for more interesting updates. See you folks at the beginning of an amazing journey of scribing our pilgrimage – Thiru Paarthan Palli (40/108)

Loads of Love,

Karthick and Rahul.

Thiruvadhigai (218/276)

Name	Thiru Adhigai
Other Name	Adhigai Veerattam Adhigaapuri Aadhiraya Mangalam Adhi Raja Mangalam Adhi Raja Mangaliya Puram
District	Cuddalore
State	Tamilnadu
Devaram	Appar Thiru Gnana Sambandhar Sundarar
Position	Nadu Naadu
Presiding deity	Shiva
God	Veerataaneswarar
Utsava Moorthy	Tripuraari Tripuranthagar
Goddess	Periya Nayagi Tripura Sundari
Speciality	One of the Atta Veerataanangal
Sthala Vriksham	Sara Kondrai
Theertham	Soola Theertham Chakra Theertham Kedilam River
Worshipped by	Indra Dev Yama Raj Pandavas Thilagavathy Ammai Appar, Thiru Gnana Sambandhar & Sundarar
Temple timings	8AM to 12PM 5PM to 8PM
Contact details

LORE:

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Veerataaneswarar and His Devi is Periya Nayagi.

What is the lore of the temple?

Prelude: Eons ago, sometime during the Sath Yug, there was a demon king named Tarakasuran. He was a staunch Shiva Devotee. He had obtained the boon that he can be killed only by Shivansh, and not by anyone else. Shiva was then married to Sati, the first incarnation of Aadhi Shakthi. Sadly, Their marriage did not last long. Sati immolated Herself, unable to bear the insults hurled at Shiva by Her abusive father Daksha Prajapati. Then She reincarnates as Devi Parvati and marries Shiva. Then “Kumara Sambhavam” happens. Murugan is born. He defeats Tarakasuran and redeems him of his karma by converting one half of the demon into his mount, the Peacock and the other half into the rooster motif of his insignia.

The three fortresses: Tarakasuran had three sons. They were infuriated at their father’s demise and wanted to secure boons of immortality from Brahma Dev. But Brahma Dev clearly told them that they can merely choose the mode of their death as everything that is born must perish one day. The three brothers schemed a devious plan and asked Brahma Dev for quite a complicated boon. They wanted three fortified citadels – one made of gold, one of silver and one of iron. The fortresses must be indestructible and should have the power to be aerial and traversing the lengths and breadths of the cosmos. The troublesome trio also wanted the three fortresses to align in a single straight line for a flitting moment, once in every thousand years, in the Abhijit Muhurtham, when Chandra Dev is in The Poosam Star, when the clouds of death (Pushakara) and the clouds without water (Nirjala Avarta) rain together. They also asked that the destruction of the fortresses and their denizens should happen only at this pristine moment when hit by a single very powerful arrow, simultaneously. As usual, Brahma Dev said “Thathaasthu”. He then summoned the demon architect, Mayasur and asked him to take up the daunting task. Always up for a challenge, Mayasur immediately obliged and set to work on what would be his latest masterpiece. Thus, the trio had acquired the “Tripura” –

The golden fortress, soaring in heaven ruled by Taarakakshan

The silver fortress, hovering in the skies, ruled by Kamalakshan

The iron fortress, winging over the earthen realm, ruled by Vidyunmali

The new religion: The demons were drunk with power and started harassing innocents. The Devas went to Lord Brahma and prayed for relief. But Brahma Dev told them that the karma of the trio has still not crossed the threshold of redemption. The Devas then went to Lord Vishnu who smirked and assured them that the auras will soon meet their end. To serve this end, He created a mendicant and ordered him to go to the Tripura. He was asked to preach a new religion, one that was totally against the Vedas and holy scriptures. The monk went to the iron fortress and occupied the forest outskirts and started to preach this false religion. Slowly the asuras forgot about piety and devotion and stopped what little of good deeds that they were doing and began indulging in nefarious activities. Their karma was bubbling quickly and the time of the once-in-a-thousand-years alignment was getting close.

The Devas’ plight: The Devas were once again in a fix. They did not know who or how the end of Tripura was going to be accomplished. They pleaded Brahma Dev to solve their turmoil and point the right way forward. Brahma Dev told them that nobody other than Lord Shiva will be able to destroy the three fortresses. Seek Him and pray that he concedes to your request. The Devas fled to Mount Kailash and asked Lord Shiva to devise a plan to end the reign of the Tripuraadhis.

The Divine Chariot: The Lord agreed to bring the end of the three cities. Then Brahma Dev ordered the construction of a hug chariot to aid in His cause.

The Earth	Base of the Chariot
The Sun	Fore wheel
The Moon	Hind Wheel
Lord Brahma	The Charioteer
The Four Vedhas	The Four Horses
The Pranav Mantra “OM”	The whiplash
Mount Meru	The limbs and riser of the Bow
Vasuki, The King of serpents	The string of the bow
Lord Vishnu	The shaft of the arrow
Agni Dev	The arrowhead
Vayu Dev	The fletching of the arrow

In this manner, the most magnificent chariot was crafted, and Lord Shiva was assumed the form of the cosmic archer. “Sharva” held the celestial bow similar to His own Pinaka and set off towards Tripura, long with Parvati, to annihilate the three fortresses.

The Devas’ arrogance: Unsurprisingly, the innate haughtiness of the Devas quickly resurfaced. They were filled with pride to think that it was only because of their help that Lord Shiva will be able to defeat Tripura and the three demons. They even had the audacity to think that anyone can destroy the impregnable edifices with this kind of bow and chariot. Little did they know that along with Tripura, their ego was also going to get incinerated.

The glitch in the wheels: The Chariot as moving fast and the time of synchrony of the three citadels was imminent. But, suddenly the axle of the back wheel broke into pieces. And the moon-wheel sunk and stopped at Achirupakkam (262/276). Then, Lord Shiva understood the reason. He did not pay His obeisance to Lord Ganesh before starting on this new venture, hence there a Vignam (Hurdle). He closed His eyes and meditated on Lord Ganesh, fondly called as Vigneshwara and sought a solution. Lord Ganesh asked Rudra, The Trinetradari Himself as the offering. Lord Shiva asked Him to settle for a compromise and offered the three eyed coconut instead and prayed to Lord Ganesh. The chariot began to move, inspite of the broken axle. It was seen that a black bull lifted the sunken moon-wheel upon its hump and absolved the conundrum created by the broken axle of the wheel. The black bull was none other than Lord Vishnu Himself. He had lifted the sunken Mandara Parvatha during the “Samudra Mandan” (The churning of the Great Milky Ocean) as a Turtle (Koorma Avatar). Then he had lifted the sunken Bhumi Devi as Lord Varaha. Now he had become the Rishabha Moorthy to lift the chariot of Lord Shiva.

There is a verse in one of the Thirumangai Alwar Paasruams which beautifully quotes this event.

“Virperu Vizhavum Kanjanum Mallum

Vezhamum Paaganum Veezha

Settravan Thannai Puram Eri Seidha

Sivan Uru Thuyar Kalai Thevai

Pattralar Veeya Kol Kaiyil Kondu

Paarthan Than Ther Mun Nindraanai

Sittravai Paniyaal Mudi Thurandhaanai

Thiruvallikeni Kandeney”

The line “Puram Eri Seidha Sivan Uru Thuyar Kalai Thevai” shows how the dilemma of The Lord Tripuranthaka was absolved by Lord Vishnu.

The Cheeky smile that cindered the cities: Lord Shiva looked at the bow and then at the cities. He wanted to weed out the arrogance so deeply entrenched in the Devas too. So, he did not fire the sacred arrow at the three cities. He simply laughed. His laughter soared like a flaming missile and incinerated the three citadels instantly. The Devas were ashamed and realised that The Lord did not need all these extravagances to decimate the forces of evil. All He needed to do was to smile. Thus, The Lord Tripuranthaka acquired the epithet “Punnagaithu Puram eritha Paraman” (The Lord who smiled and scorched the three fortresses)

The Master and His beloved Mount: While the cities were burning, Brahma Dev, who was steering the chariot, requested The Lord to forgive the Devas and honour their effort by firing the arrow and completing the His Leela in the cosmic play. The Lord agreed and fired the arrow on the three cities. But the moment the arrow started off to soar from the bow, His face which was serenely smiling till then became remorseful and wore a subtle but definitely disdainful frown. Everyone was carried away in the awe of the speeding arrow that they did not notice the change in The Lord’s demeanour. But, His mount Nandi, the White bull, reverently recognised the change and asked the Lord as to what was bothering Him.

The rescue of Mayasur: The Lord grievingly replied to Nandi that Mayasur was still His ardent devotee and He was still in one of the citadels and He too might perish because of the destructive arrow. Nandi instantly sped up towards Tripura, racing ahead of the arrow and warned Mayasur of the impending doom and gave him the lead time needed to escape from the destruction of Tripura. Just as he fled the cities, the arrow hit them and annihilated the infamous edifices.

The smearing of the ash and the tears of concern: The whole world was rejoicing but The Lord was saddened by the destruction of Tripura. He went to the charred remains of the cindered citadels and scooped up the ashes and in a compassionate moment of empathy, smeared them across His forehead in three stripes, a custom which is still followed by Shaivites. As He closed His eyes, a tear drop emanated from His third eye and fell on the Earth and became The Rudraksh, which planted itself and grew into a medicinal tree that produces beads of Rudraksh which are receptacles of spiritual power.

The resurrection, salvation and jubilation: The Lord took mercy on the three demons who were once His devotees. He resurrected them and granted them salvation by making two of them as his gate keepers and the third as the keeper of His Chamaram (Fan). He then danced in celebration, joyfully. The dance is called as Tripura Nadanam and it was this dance that The Lord showed to Thiru Gnana Sambandhar when he sang his compositions on The Lord at this shrine.

What is the speciality of the Atta Veerataanangal?

Shiva is the Destroyer. In his Sadashiva form, He performs all the five acts of Karma. Creation, Sustenance, Destruction, Annihilation and salvation. His acts of strength, gallantry and fortitude are innumerable. Yet, there are eight special occasions where Shiva’s valour was so astoundingly heroic that they were glorified and praised as a unique collective octet.

These eight acts of bravery are called as Atta Veerataanangal (Atta – eight, Veera – Valour, Sthanam – place)

Pooman Sirakandi Andhagan Kovil Puram Adhigai

Maman Pariyal Chalandharan Virkudi Maa Vazhuvoor

Kaaman Kurukkai Yaman Kadavoor Ikkasiniyil

Themandru kondrayum thingalum Soodithan Sevagamey

This verse beautifully describes the eight acts of valour of Shiva. Seven out of the eight are Devara Paadal petra Sthalangal

• Brahman Siram Koidhadhu – Thirukandiyur (75/276)
• Andhangan azhithadhu – Thirukovilur (64/76)
• Muppuram erithadhu – Thiruvadhigai (218/276)
• Dakshan yaagam nalindhadhu – Thirupariyalur (104/276)
• Jalandharan vadaithadhu – Thiruvirkudi (137/276)
• Yaanaiai urithadhu – Vazhuvoor
• Kaamanai Kaaindhadhu – Thirukorukkai (26/276)
• Yamanai etriyadhu – Thirukadavoor (110/276)

What is the connection of the adjacent Sara Narayana Perumal temple to this shrine?

Close to the Veeratanam is the Sara Narayana Perumal temple. The darisanam of Thiruvadhigai will be incomplete if one does not visit this temple.

Lord Vishnu became the arrow (Saram) for The Lord Tripuranthaka and aided the destruction of Tripura. He is seen in standing posture, in this shrine as Sara Narayana Perumal, along with His consort Hemambuja Valli Thaayaar. Another unique feature of this shrine is The Narasimhar in the reclining posture. He is said to have killed the demon Vakrasur in the shrine of Thiruvakkarai (263/276) and had come here for a serene respite. The Sayana Kola Narasimhar is a delight to the eyes.

The Sara Narayana Perumal arrives on his eagle mount to the Veerattam and gives the Saram for the destruction of Tripura to The Lord Veerateswarar every year during the festival of Tripura Daganam (during the month of May-June)

What is the Lore behind the first Devara Padhigam and this shrine?

The first Devara Padhigam was sung by Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) in praise of The Lord of this shrine. Thirunavukkarasar was initiate into Shaivism by his elder sister Thilagavathy Ammayaar at this shrine.

Father	Pugazhanaar
Mother	Maadhiniyaar
Elder Sister	Thilagavthy Ammayar
Her Betrothed fiancé who died in war	Kalippagayaar
Birth name of Thiru Navukku Arasar	Marul Neekiyaar
Jain Name assumed by Thiru Navukku Arasar	Dharma Senar
Name conferred by Veerataaneswarar	Thirunavukkarasar
Name conferred by Thiru Gnana Sambandhar	Appar

Thilagavathy Ammayar was betrothed to the warrior chieftain Kalippagayaar. He was killed at war with enemy kings from the north. Thilagavathy lost interest in worldly pleasures and came to Thiruvadhigai and became a servant to the temple. It was she who started the “Uzhavara Pani” – the service of cleaning the temple premises and removing weeds and making it pristine. She wanted her estranged and wayward younger brother to return to the fold of Shaivism and prayed to The Lord. The Lord responded “Soolai koduthu Thaduthaatkolvom”.

Thiru Navukku Arasar was then living in Paadali Puram (present day Thirupaadhiri Puliyur) in a Jain monastery. He suddenly developed intussusception (Soolai Noi). He tried all the remedies he knew and sought the senior Jain monks for cure. When their gimmicks failed, he decided it would be better to go and meet his sister in Thiruvadhigai and that is how the then Jain Dharmasenar came to the shrine of Lord Veerataaneswarar.

Thilagavathy Ammayar realised the plight of her younger brother and prayed to The Lord and gave him a pinch of the sacred Ash to consume. His abdomen pain immediately disappeared, and he truly understood the grace of The Lord in the sanctum sanctorum and became a Shaivite in that instant.

He then composed the first of the Devaram on The Lord Veerataaneswarar of Thiruvadhigai. So sweet was his Devaram, that The Lord conferred the title of Thiru Navukku Arasar (The Supreme in the spoken tongue). Thiru Navukku Arasar also professed to be of service in the Uzhavara Pani. Till date, he is symbolised by the Uzhavara Padi, the small spade that he always used to carry with him to remove the weeds during the Uzhavara Pani.

What are the specialities of the shrine?

• The temple is shaped like a Chariot and there are amazing sculptures even in the lower segment of the chariot.
• The temple tower is said to be the model for the Tanjore Brihadeeshwara temple built by Raja Raja Chozhan as the shadow of the tower of this shrine too does not fall on the ground at noon.
• The concept of chariot procession also originated in this shrine
• The only shrine of the Atta Veerataanangal to have the greatest number of Padhigams and also Padhigams from all the three samaya kuravargal
• The Lord is said to have appeared in his wedding attire along with Devi to Thiru Navukku Arasar. Hence Devi’s shrine is to the right side of the Lord, unlike the usual Left side.
• The Lord and His Devi are seated behind the Moola Lingam in the sanctum sanctorum. The Lord is called Kedila Vaanar and is said to be worshipping Himself (The Lingam form of Him)
• The concept of breaking coconuts also is said to have originated in this shrine.
• The first Devaram is said to have been sung here and it was the start of the Agamic form of worship along with the Vedic form.
• Sundarar was afraid to set foot in the temple premises out of reverence and decided to stay at the adjacent Siddha Madam and prayed to The Lord and composed his versed from there itself.
• The “Adhimoola Guna Pareshwaran” temple built by the Pallava King Mahendra Varman is also adjacent to the temple. Although now in ruins and is in a dilapidated state, it was once the used as a fortress by the Marathi rulers and the Britishers as well. The temple was built by Mahendra Varman after getting converted to Shaivism and renouncing Jainism as the official state religion.

Our Experience:

We had gone to Thiruvadhigai (218/276) as a part of the next pilgrimage and reached the temple around 4PM. The peripheral fringes of the temple have flower shops and a very decent restroom (A rarity in most of the other temples which are located even in bigger towns and cities). We got flowers and went inside the temple. It is a massive temple and beautifully adorned with amazing sculptures. We went around the temple at leisure (quite unusual for us as we always fly one temple to the other on a tight schedule). The temple has so many remnants of Buddhist and Jain influence. Our people being the most tolerant of all religions are still seen praying to the seated Buddha statue at the entrance. There temple is very clean and neat. The maintenance staff are doing a really good job.

The tower which houses the sanctum sanctorum is in the form of a chariot. Devi is towards the right of the Lord housed in a separate shrine. Her shrine has numerous boards and engravings about the temple lore and about the Atta Veerataanangal.

Thiru Navukku Arasar has a separate shrine in the Prahaaram. The walls of his shrine have the Devaram inscribed on them and are exquisitely beautiful to read. We were mesmerised in awe at the adeptness of Appar in composing these eternally enduring hymns.

We then went around the Prahaaram and worshipped all the Goshta Moorthangal. The main deity in the sanctum sanctorum is Lord Veerateswarar and He is in the form of a massively intimidating Lingam. Behind The Lingam are The Ammai-Appan statues. To the right of the Sanctum sanctorum is housed the Hero of the shrine – The Utsava Moorthy – Tripuranthagar.

He is seen carrying the bow and ready to war with the three demons. His consort, Devi Tripura Sundari is also seen with Him. The Moorthy is extremely well crafted much like the other Veerataanangal. After having a hearty darisanam and seeking the blessing of The Lord Veerataaneswarar and Devi Periya Nayagi, we were off to the next temple on the list, Thiru Thuraiyur (226/276)

We missed the Sara Narayana Perumal temple, because we were not aware of it back then. We found out about it only when writing about the Veeratanam for the site. We have decided to go there again in one of our subsequent trips and update it as an addendum.

See you at Thiru Thuraiyur, folks

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

Thiru Chopuram (217/276)

Name	Thiru Chopuram
Other Name	Mangalapuri Thambiran Kanda Koil
District	Cuddalore
State	Tamilnadu
Devaram	Thiru Gnana Sambandhar
Position	Nadu Naadu
Presiding deity	Shiva
God	Chopura Naadhar Mangalapureeswarar
Goddess	Chopura Nayaki Mangalaambigai Thiyagavalli Sathyaayadakshi Vel Nedunkanni
Speciality	Isai Dakshina Moorthy Entire temple complex was reclaimed from being buried under sand dunes after centuries The Chariot runs even after its wheels are sunken in the sand Vermillion and turmeric offering to The Lord
Sthala Vriksham	Kondrai (Cassia fistula)
Theertham	Chopura Theertham Brahma Theertham (Bay of Bengal)
Worshipped by	Sage Agathiyar
Temple timings	8AM to 12PM 5PM to 8PM
Contact details	Chopura Nathar Gurukkal 9790524054

LORE:

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Chopura Nathar and His Devi is Chopura Nayagi.

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

The temple is said to have been built by the Queen Thiyagavalli, the wife of the third Kulothunga Chozhan (popularly called as Thribhuvana Chakravarthy) during the sixth century. The village still bears her name and the shrine is called “Thiru Chopuram” which would have been the vernacular version of “Chozhar Puram”

What is the lore of the temple?

During the wedding of Devi Parvati to Lord Shiva, all the life forms including the Devas assembled on Mount Kailash. Hence, the earth tilted such that the North went below because of the excess weight, whereas the lighter south rose up.

To even the land and set things in order, Lord Shiva asked Sage Agathiyar alone to go to south. Sage Agathiyar was the Manasa Puthirar of Varuna Dev and Lady Urvashi. Albeit short in stature, Sage Agathiyar was so mighty in terms of hermetic prowess that Lord Shiva deemed that sending him alone to the south, would be enough to even the land.

Agathiyar was saddened because though this was a great honour, he would not be able to witness the wedding of Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva. To compensate for this, Lord Shiva gave him the boon that he would show his wedded form whenever Agathiyar sought to see it.

An overjoyed Agathiyar started south and once he crossed the Vindhya mountain range, the earth levelled to its usual self. Agathiyar prayed at many Shiva Shrines in the south.

Another version of the story of how Sage Agathiyar came to the south also exists. Once the Vindhya mountain got jealous of the Himalayas and decided that he will outgrow in size and become taller than the Himalayas. The Vindhya mountain started to grow taller and taller. Fearing calamity, Narada Muni asked the Sage Agathiyar to help.

Sage Agathiyar decided that it was The Lord’s wish and went to the Vindhya mountain. The mountain bowed down in respect and offered its obeisance. Sage Agathiyar asked the mountain to shrink down to its original size so that he could cross it go and go south for his pilgrimage. The mountain also agreed. The sage crossed to the south and asked the mountain to stay the same size till he came back so that he might go back to the north once his pilgrimage was over. The Vindhya mountain gracefully obliged. The sage however decided to stay back so that the mountain would always remain the same size.

Either way, the Sage finally reached the southern provinces and was praying at many Shiva temples.

When he was at this serene locale, he suddenly developed agonising pain in his abdomen. He immediately wanted to pray to The Lord for remedy. He tried to hold together the grains of sand from the shore of the Bay of Bengal and mould it into the shape of a Lingam. But his efforts were fruitless. Try as he might, the Lingam did not take shape. He then looked around and found a lot of medicinal herbs and squeezed their essence into the sand and then attempted to make the Lingam.

The Lingam formed and the Sage was overjoyed. He prayed to The Lord and His Devi to relieve him of the pain in his abdomen. The Lord redeemed him of his suffering and appeared along with His Devi in the “Thirumana Kolam” (The wedded couple).

What happened to the temple complex with time and how was it re-discovered?

In the 11^th century, due to the ravages of sea, the entire temple complex was buried under the sand and was lost to worship by devotees.

Many centuries later, The Lord appeared in the dream of a devotee called Thambiran Ramalinga Sivayogi and beckoned him to His shrine at Thiru Chopuram.

Thambiran was belonging to the Thiru Gnana Sambandhar Adheenam of Madurai and is said to have lived in the 16tht century. Conceding to the desire of The Lord, he travelled all the way to Cuddalore District in search of the temple.

Up until a few decades, this village was an island, accessible only by boats. Thambiran braved the hurdles and came to Thiyagavalli village and was searching for the temple. To his dismay, he could not find the holy shrine.

After relentless ferreting for the temple, he found the Kalasam (crucible) of the temple tower atop a knoll called “Koil Medu”. The entire temple had been buried under the sand, windswept from the seashore. With the help of the village-folk, he undertook the daunting task of excavating the temple from the sand mound and restored it to its present glorious state.

Hence the temple is also called as “Thambiran Kanda Koil”.

What are the specialities of the shrine?

• Vermillion and Turmeric offering to the Lord – Unlike most other Shiva temples, The Lord is offered Vermillion and turmeric. This is because Devi is said to have amalgamated Herself into the Lingam. The Lingam is said to be the manifestation of both The Lord Chopura Nathar and His Devi Chopura Nayagi.
• Eight Towers – The shrine has towers in all the eight directions.
• The Wheels that roll in the sand – The Chariot of the temple is taken out for processions during the festival times and because of the nature of the sandy soil, the wheels of the chariot sink partially into it. Still, by the grace of The Lord, the chariot keeps moving forward with seamless ease.
• Isai Dakshinamoorthy – The Dakshina Moorthy statue in the outer Prahaaram is offered white cloth instead of the more common yellow ones. The idol is said to be very unique as on gently tapping the idol at various places, the seven musical notes are heard. Hence, He is called as “Isai Dakshina Moorthy”
• The scene of the divine wedding – The Lord and His Devi are said have given the darisanam of Their wedding to Sage Agathiyar at this Shrine. Hence, Chopura Nayagi stand tall, to the right of Chopura Nathar (akin to wedded couples) instead of the more common left side. (Devi usually stand to the left side of the Lord as She asked for His Vaama Baaagam – The Left Half, to be inseparable from Him).
• The three forms of The Lord – The Lord is in three forms in this temple.
  • Standing form – Chopura Nathar (The Moolavar)
  • Seated form – Thiyagavalli Aavudayaar (in the East)
  • Reclined form – Veerateswarar (In the North)
• Medicinal Lingam – As The Lingam was made by incorporating the essences of many holy herbs, all the offerings that touch The Lingam acquire a portion of Its medicinal property.

Our Experience:

After having a good darisanam at Thiru Thinai Nagar (216/276), we drove through the scenic road to Thiru Chopuram (217276). Thiyagavalli village was an island, up until a few decades ago. Now there are bridges that connect it to the mainland.

We reached temple at 11.50 and were worried that it might be closed too. But we were overjoyed to see that the priest was there doing the afternoon Poojai. Seeing us rush in, he placated our hurry and asked us to come calmly.

He explained the lore of the temple and we had a serene darisanam of The Lord and His Devi. We went around the Prahaaram and all the Goshta Moorthangal are reversed in order as The Lord faces the West. The entire temple still has lots of sand, the grains of which that bear witness to the period when the temple was buried under the mound.

After an unexpectedly tranquil darisanam, we decided to call it a day and head to Chennai. But it was just past noon and we wanted to explore the coast. We drove just a kilometre east and were surprised to see very tall sand dunes all across the village.

We reached Pettodai beach and was taken aplomb with the balmy ataraxy of the coast and its pristine blue waters. It’s a deserted beach with hardly any people around. To our misfortune we went to the side of the coast inhabited by the local village folk and it was not optimally hygienic for a dip (if you know what we mean).

The other side of the coast is a marvel to behold. It looks like a page that was ripped off from a costly travel destination in the Maldives. We made up our mind to see the other side of the coast at a later date and happily resumed our journey to Chennai.

Stay tuned to connect with us on another beautiful pilgrimage of the Nadu Naadu shrines of Cuddalore district.

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

ADDENDUM:

We eventually hit the Pettodai beach (The cleaner side) on 11.01.2020 on our way back to Chidambaram from Cuddalore.(Actually, Rahul had his Departmental exams at the district headquarters). We were stunned by the tall palm trees, the brine in the breeze, the aquamarine waters, the uninhabited coast, the sound of the waves splashing on the shore and the exquisitely picturesque views of the Beach. We ended up taking a dip in the beach (Skinny dipping 😊) and cooled off under the halcyon sun. Its such an iconic locale and if you do visit there, do not litter the place and make a mess. do not leave spoors of toxic humanity behind and take back nothing but pictures and reminiscences as souvenirs.

Thiru Thinai Nagar (216/276)

Name	Thiru Thinai Nagar
Other Name	OmKaara Puri Desapiratham Gnanapiratham Theertha Nagari
Vernacular Name	Theerthanagiri
District	Cuddalore
State	Tamilnadu
Devaram	Sundarar
Position	Nadu Nadu
Presiding deity	Shiva
God	Shiva Kozhundeeshwarar Shivangareshwarar Thiruntheeswarar Pranavapureeswarar
Goddess	Karunthadan Kanni Oppila Nayaki Neelayadaskhi Ilankompanaal Neelathalambigai Pranavapuresswari
Speciality	Yoga Dakshina Moorthy Lord Nataraja dancing to the music of Lord Vishnu’s conch and the beats of Lord Brahma’s drums.
Sthala Vriksham	Sara Kondrai (Cassia fistula)
Theertham	Jambuva Thadaagam Gowri Theertham Garuda Theertham (Perumal Lake) Deva Theertham (Bay of Bengal)
Worshipped by	Lord Vishnu, Garuda, Sage Bringi, Sage Jambavan, King Visuba Niruban and King Veerasenan
Temple timings	7AM to 12PM 5PM to 8PM
Contact details	9443434024

LORE:

What is the Lore of the temple?

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva Kozhundeeshwarar and His Devi is Karunthadan Kanni.

Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Thinai Nagar”?

There once lived an agriculturist called Periyan, in these lands, who along with his wife was an ardent Shiv Bhakt. The couple always used to offer food to a Shiva devotee before consuming their meal. One day, The Lord decided to play with them. He stopped all His devotees from going to the Periyan’s home for food. A frantic Periyan then went to his fields in search of field workers to offer food. Surprisingly, he found the fields were deserted too. He was in a fix. He prayed to The Lord that no hindrance should happen to his deed of feeding Shiv Bhakts.

Then, The Lord assumed the form of an old man and came to the fields asking for food. Periyan was overjoyed. He was ready to offer food to the mendicant. But the old man refused alms saying that he wanted to work for his keep. Reluctantly, Periyan agreed and asked him to plough the fields. The bodach agreed and started ploughing the fields. Meanwhile, Periyan rushed home to meet his wife and share with her the good news of finding a devotee to offer food. They returned to the field with food from their home to offer for the old man.

They were in for a surprise. The freshly sown millet seeds had fully grown into crops full of grain, ready for harvest. They were convinced that this was by divine intervention. Not wanting to keep the old man waiting, they served him the food from their home, under the Cassia tree. The old man ate to His heart’s content. After the old man finished His meal, Periyan asked Him “How did all the crops grow to this extent”. The Lord, who had come in the form of the old man simply laughed and vanished. He then gave the couple, who were His sincere devotees, His “Rishabarooda Darisanam” from the sky and granted them salvation.

The crops that were harvested due to the Lord’s grace were millets. Everything, right from the sowing of the seeds to harvesting the grains, happened in the same day. Hence, the shrine got the name as “Thiru Thinai Nagar” (Thinai = Millets)

What is the alternate rendering of the tale?

In an alternate version, Periyan was said to have been a big landlord, who had lost a majority of his wealth by feeding hungry Shiv Bhakts. He had then become an impoverished farmer, sowing millets in the field. The Lord came in the form of an old man and asked for food to Periyan, who immediately gave the millet seeds in his hand, for the old man to eat. He rushed home and told his wife that there is a hungry devotee in their fields who had asked for food.

The wife then did the unthinkable. The grains intended for sowing (Vidhai Dhaaniyam) are considered of utmost importance and are not touched even in times of desperate need. But, in order to appease the hunger of the Shiv Bhakt, the wife instantly cooked the “Vidhai Dhaaniyam” and took it to the fields to feed the old man.

To their surprise, Periyan and his wife found that the seeds which were just sown were all full grown and ready for harvest. The rest of the story is the same as the previously rendered one.

What are the specialities of the shrine?

Lord Vishnu is said to have defeated the demon Murasuran, after praying to the Lord Shiva Kozhundeeshwarar, at this shrine. (Lord Vishnu is called as “Murari” as he defeated the demon Mura)

Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu, had prayed to The Lord here and had brought the “Amudham”, the nectar of The Gods, to his mother Vinatha.

Sage Bringi was once cursed by Sage Durvasa. He had come here and did penance for 30 days and had got reprieved of the curse at this shrine.

Sage Jambavan (in the form of a Bear) is said to have absolved himself of his karma, by bathing in the Jambuva Thadaagam.

Visuba Niruban, the king of Bengal, had heard about the sanctity of this shrine and had come here and offered his prayers. He was relieved of his Brahma Hathi Dosham at this shrine.

Veerasenan, the son of Visuba Niruban, the king of Bengal, was afflicted with Leucoderma (Venn Kushtam). He had come to this shrine and was resting under the canopy of the trees. His dog, who also had leukoderma took a dip in the Jambuva Thadaagam and got relieved of the ailment. The king also did the same and was relieved of the skin condition. He is said to have renovated the temple with his resources. There is as statue of the king, besides the Four Saiva Samaya Kuravargal, in the temple complex.

Thiru Thinai Nagar has been specially mentioned in one of the literary works by the Saint Agathiyar called as “Shiva Rahasyam”.

The lingam in the sanctum sanctorum is said to be a “Swayambhu”. The lingam had originated from the earth and its base was not reached even after 100 feet of digging in the depths. The Lingam is considered to be the summit of a hillock that is buried underground.

Our Experience:

We had planned a short trip of two temples on our way to Chennai from Chidambaram and decided on two temples enroute to Chennai along the east coast. Thiru Thinai Nagar (216/276) is midway between Chidambaram and Cuddalore.

We reached the temple around 10AM and as usual the priest was not available, and the sanctum sanctorum was locked. Luckily, the temple gate keeper opened the shrines for us.

The temple is located in a serenely green locale and the three-tiered Raja Gopuram welcomes us. The flag post is fully covered with a copper plate, engraved on all sides with beautiful sculptures.

In front of the Pradosha Nandi, is a window with 35 holes, through which sunlight falls on the main deity once a year, during the second week of April. Lord Shiva Kozhundeeshwarar is housed in a 12 pillared Mandapam, with each of the pillars symbolising a sign from the zodiac.

The Idol of Lord Nataraja is very unique in this shrine as one can see Lord Vishnu playing the conch and Lord Brahma playing the drums, on the peedams of The dancing Lord.

Lord Dakshina Moorthy is seated with both His legs folded like a yogi. This is said to symbolise the event of The Lord eating the food cooked by Periyan and his wife, under the Cassia tree, with folded legs. The demon Muyalagan, who is usually seen beneath the feet of the Lord is also strikingly absent.

In the outer Prahaaram, we see the Cassia tree under which The Lord is said to have had food offered by Periyan and his wife. There is a Shiv Ling there too. The casket and the plough used by The Lord to till the farm are still held in the temple premises. The Sthala Puranam is seen engraved in the panels, in the outer Prahaaram.

The temple is a testimony to the architectural prowess of the ancient era. This can be understood from the intricate carvings on the walls and the pillars, the provision of holes in the window pelmets to hang curtains, the engraving of the Brahma Mudichu in the Nandi, the single stone granite window with 35 holes through which sunlight enters and falls on the deity and a cheekily crafted statue of a man, wearing a slaked shirt and a shorts, in the tower of the sanctum sanctorum (symbolising the entry of firangs).

We had a hearty darisanam and went about onward to the next temple for the day Thiru Chopuram (217/276)

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

Thiru Indalur(26/108)

Name	Thiru Indalur
Other Names	Sugandha Aaranyam Sugandha Vanam
Vernacular Name	Thiruvilandhur
District	Nagapattinam
State	Tamilnadu
Mangalasasanam	Thirumangai Azhwar
Presiding deity	Lord Vishnu
God	Parimala Ranganathan Sugandha Vana Nathar Maruviniya Maindhan
Goddess	Parimala Ranganayaki Pundareeka Valli Chandra Saaba Vimochana Valli
Speciality	One of the Pancha Ranga Kshetrangal. Redemption of a third of Chandra Dev’s Curse. Kaveri attained higher stature among rivers. King Ambarish and The Ekadashi Viratham got glorified here. Veera Sayana Kolam of The Lord. The interesting camaraderie between The Lord and Thirumangai Azhwar is revealed in his paasurams.
Theertham	Chandra Pushkarani
Worshipped by	Chandra Dev, Kaveri, King Ambarish
Temple timings	6.30AM to 11P.30AM 5PM to 8.30PM
Contact details

LORE:

What is the Lore of the temple?

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Parimala Ranganathar and His Devi is Parimala Ranganayaki.

Why does the Sthalam go by the name of ‘Indalur’?

‘Indu’ means ‘The Moon’.

The Lord here relieved Chandra Dev of a third of his curse incurred due to the wrath of Deva Guru Brihaspathi and Prajapati Dakshan.

Why is the Sthalam called as ‘Sugandha Vanam’?

Both the words ‘Sugandham’ and ‘Parimalam’ mean “Fragrance. The Lord Vishnu, in Satyuga, vanquished the demons Madhu and Khaitabh, who had stolen, befouled and concealed the four Vedhas. He took the form of a humungous fish (Matsya Avatharam) and rescued the hidden Vedas from the clutches of the despicable duo. The Vedhas had been tainted by the two demons. Hence, they came here and did penance to get rid of the demonic blight. The Lord appeared and restored their fragrance and reclined in this shrine as ‘Parimala Rangan’. Hence this shrine is also called as ‘Sugandha Vanam’ or ‘Sugandha Aaranyam’.

What is the speciality of this Shrine?

The shrine is where Chandra Dev was absolved of a third 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 went to Thalaichanga Naan Madhiyam (25/108) and was freed from the curse.

What are the Pancha Ranga Kshetrangal?

‘Rangam’ is the strip of land between two rivers. (‘Arangam’ in Tamizh)

The set of five temples along the banks of the river Kaveri which house Lord Vishnu in His Ranganatha form are collectively called as “Pancha Ranga Kshetrangal”

Name	Shrine	Presiding Deity	Arangan	Mangalasasanam
Aadhi Arangam	Srirangapatna – Mysore	Ranganathar	Aadhi Arangan	–
Appaala Rangam	Thirupper Nagar	Appa Kudathaan	Appaala Arangan	06/108
Madhya Rangam	Sri Rangam	Ranganathar	Kasthuri Arangan	01/108
Chathurtha Rangam	Thiru Kudandhai	Sarangapani	Hema Arangan	12/108
Pancha Rangam	Thiru Indalur	Parimala Ranganathar	Parimala Arangan	26/108

What was Chandra Dev’s curse and how did he get absolved of it?

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 is 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 appeared in front of Chandra Dev at Thiru Thalaichanga Naan Madhiyam (25/108) 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.

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.

How did the Lord bless river Kaveri in this shrine?

In response to the plea made by River Kaveri, Parimala Rangan lifts her to a higher status among rivers, even above the mighty Ganga.

He glorified Kaveri by giving her a place beneath His Head whereas Ganga is seated near His feet. This is akin to the fact that Ganga sits in all her regal splendour on top of Lord Shiv’s head in His matted locks. It is believed that Ganga herself comes to cleanse her sins by bathing in the holy waters of the river Kaveri, because of the special boon given by The Lord Parimala Ranganathar to Kaveri. This happens once every twelve years, during the festival of the Kaveri Pushkaram at the Thula Kattam in Mayiladuthurai.

What was the King Ambarish’s connection to this Shrine?

King Ambarish lived in the Thretha Yugam. He was a ruler of the Ikshvaku (Solar) dynasty. His valour is glorified in the Bagavatha Purana. He conquered the entire world in just seven days. Yet, for all his martial prowess he was a just and benevolent king. Deeply pious and a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, he ritually practised the “Ekadashi Fasting” twice every month.

This went on for years and the kingdom flourished under his watchful rule. The day of the 100^th Ekadashi fasting too came. The people were overjoyed for they wanted their king to reap the benefits of completing the 100^th fasting.

But in Devalok not everyone was happy. The Devas were insecure of King Ambarish because legend has it that anyone who completes 100 Ekadashi fasting rituals will receive a place among Devas. They did not want a mortal man amidst them as an equal. So, they hatched a devious plan to disturb his fast.

They beseeched the Sage Durvasa to go and meet the King who was doing his 100^th fast. The sage, who was well know for his short temper and labile temperament to curse at the drop of a hat, went to the kingdom of Ambarish. The King was overjoyed on having such a holy saint in his kingdom and welcomed him whole-heartedly and honoured him.

The sage had told the king that they will eat together and asked Ambarish to wait for him till he finishes his bathing and other rituals. The king agreed and was patiently wating for the sage to return. The grains of the sands of time were sifting. The time to break the fast was approaching. The sage was nowhere in sight. The pandits of the royal court warned Ambarish that unless he breaks the fast by consuming something, the viratham will not be complete and all these years of fortitude will be unfruitful.

The king was in a fix. He knew that Sage Durvasa will not take it lightly if he finds out that he broke the fast without waiting for him. He consulted with the pandits once again and was advised to consume a leaf of Tulsi with an ounce of water and that will be sufficient enough to signify the completion of the fast.

Not really keen on attaining the status of a Deva, the King still agreed to break the fast in time because he felt that it would be a great irreverence to The Lord if he did not do so.

Just as the drop of water wet Ambarish’s parched throat, the Sage Durvasa returned from his morning bath, all set to dine with the king. Predictably, he lost his temper and wanted to punish King Ambarish for his insolence. The sage created a gruesomely fierce demon out of a strand of his hair using his divine powers and ordered the demon to decimate the kingdom of Ambarish and to kill him.

The demon started to chase the king with the motive of murdering him. Ambarish ran to the feet of the Lord Parimala Rangan and prayed for the welfare of his people and his kingdom, not afraid to sacrifice his life for the cause.

The Lord Parimala Rangan, who is zealously protective of His ardent devotee, assumed the stance of “Veera Sayanam” (The valorous reclining posture) and stared angrily at the demon and directed His mighty Sudarshan Chakra at the demon. The flaming chakra incinerated the demon and was now chasing its maker, the Sage Durvasa to punish him for having the impudent audacity to attack the devotee of Lord Parimala Rangan.

The panicky Sage ran to Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva and pleaded Them to offer sanctuary and defend him from the onslaught of the blazing Chakra. Both the deities refused saying that nobody can stand up against the infernal conflagration of the discus of Lord Parimala Rangan and asked the repenting Sage to seek the mercy of The Lord of Sugandha Vanam, Parimala Rangan.

A distraught Sage Durvasa fled back to the Sugandha Vanam and prostrated himself at the feet of The Lord and implored Him to call back His fiery Chakra. The Lord smiled and told the humbled Sage that even He cannot call back the Chakra as it had made up its mind to destroy the person who harassed the devotee of its master. He then asked the Sage to seek Ambarish and ask for his forgiveness and said that only then will the raging discus relent.

Dutifully, the Sage Durvasa apologised to the King Ambarish for his misdemeanour and hasty judgement. The unstinting kind-hearted King instantly forgave the remorseful sage and requested The Lord to take back His discus, to which The Lord readily obliged.

King Ambarish then relinquished the status of becoming a Dev and asked for the boon that anyone who seeks the grace of The Lord and observes the ritual of the Ekadashi Fasting should be sanctified and blessed.

The Lord agreed and gave a place for Ambarish beneath His feet so that the munificent king will be remembered and cherished for all eternity. Even today, one can see the pious Ambarish praying in bliss at the feet of The Lord Parimala Rangan.

What is the origin of the Ekadashi Viratham?

The lore of the Ekadashi viratham is described in Padma Puranam. Once upon a time, when the world was young, during the Satyuga, there lived a Rakshasa called as “Mrudanav”. And typical of a Dhanav, he was terrorising all life forms and was wreaking havoc. He conquered all the Devas and took control of Devalok too. The terror-struck Devas went to The Lord Vishnu and prayed for protection. The Lord decided to put an end to the reign of malice of the demon and set out to wage a war with him.

The demon was incredibly powerful, and the brutal war lasted for a thousand years. Inspite of that, the demon showed no signs of fatigue and continued to fight with the same vitality and vigour.

The Lord then planned to adopt an alternate tactic. He feigned fatigue and fled the battlefield and hid Himself in a cave in the Himalayas. He then slept with His 11 ‘Indriyas’ (senses) taking rest. The demon who chased The Lord eventually found Him in the cave. The demon gloated in glee and swung the sword on The sleeping Lord Vishnu. But, before the blade could strike, a bright and blazing woman, with luxuriantly ravishing beauty, armed with all weapons and adorned in glittering gems erupted from the core of The sleeping Lord Vishnu.

The demon Mrudanav was instantly smitten by the stunningly attractive damsel who had a bewitching smile. He forgot his cause and proposed his love for her and asked for her hand in marriage. The woman replied that she has made a vow to only marry the one who can defeat her in battle. The demon reluctantly agreed fearing that he might kill her in battle. But as the woman arose out of Lord Vishnu and was the embodiment of the 11 Indriyas of The Lord of Preservation, she easily vanquished the demon n battle.

This happened on the 11^th day of the lunar cycle. Lord Vishnu arose from His slumber and saw that the strikingly pretty woman, who had arisen from Himself, had defeated the demon Mrudanav. He called her as “Ekadashi” as she was born out of the 11 Indriyas of Him (Eka – one: Dasha – ten; Ekadasha – eleven). He was delightfully gruntled with her victory and wanted to bestow her with the boon of her desire. Ekadashi asked that those who fast on this 11^th day of the lunar cycle and control their eleven Indriyas should be blessed with The Lord’s grace and that they should be purified in mind, body and soul.

The Lord conceded to her request and declared that Ekadashi Viratham would be His most auspicious fast and that it would be the grandest of all fasts – The Maha Viratham. The fast was crafted to control the senses and enable one to attain salvation.

There are three ways in which the fast can be observed.

• Nirjala Ekadashi – Not consuming food/water for the whole day
• Sajala Ekadashi – Consuming only water
• Fharali Ekadashi – Consuming only fruits and milk

Usually there are 24 Ekadashis every year and each one has a name and the form of Lord Vishnu who presides over the Viratham.

The mantra to be chanted during the fast is “Om Namo Bhagavathey Vasudevaaya”. Those who observe this fast will be absolved of the baleful impact of the adverse Graha-dosham and will eventually attain deliverance from the cycle of birth and death.

What are the eleven Indriyas?

The eleven Indriyas are grouped as five spiritual senses and six material senses.

Five spiritual senses:

Saddha	Faithful conviction
Veeriya	Energetic perseverance
Sati	Attentive focus
Samadhi	Stillness of the mind
Panna	Wisdom of discernment

Six Material senses:

Chakkh Indriya	Vision
Soth Indriya	Hearing
Ghan Indriya	Smell
Jivh Indriya	Taste
Khaya Indriya	Touch
Mann Indriya	Mind

What are the events that happened when Thirumangai Azhwar came to offer his obeisance to Lord Parimala Ranganathar?

Thirumangai Azhwar and his wife, Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar desire to see The Lord Parimala Rangan at Thiru Indalur. They rush to the temple on their horse mount called “Aadal Ma Puravi”. Thirumangai Azhwar tells Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar that Parimala Rangan will be expecting them and He must not be kept waiting. It is, however, close to noon and the priests are getting things ready for the pooja and to close the shrine for the afternoon respite.

The Lord wishes to play with Thirumangai Azhwar and announces as a divine voice to the priests to close the shrine one Naazhigai (24 minutes) before the scheduled time. The priests unquestioningly obey His orders.

Just as Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar hasten into the shrine, the door of the sanctum sanctorum gets shut in their face. Thirumangai Azhwar is dismayed that he could not see The Lord. He prays to Parimala Rangan and asks Him that why the shrine is closed earlier than usual and beseeches Him to open the sanctum sanctorum so that Thirumangai Azhwar can have an ecstatic darisanam.

The Lord simple refuses and tells Thirumangai Azhwar that rules are rules. Thirumangai Azhwar argues back citing that if rules were rules, why was the sanctum sanctorum closed earlier than usual. The Lord cheekily replies that “Those were not according to THE rules, but on the authority of MY rules”.

Thirumangai Azhwar gets angry and is about to leave the shrine in woe as The Lord stubbornly refuses to acknowledge him and give him the darisanam that he so desperately craves.

The Lord ponders on the fact that Thirumangai Azhwar might actually leave without singing a few paasurams on Him, in delightful Tamizh and decides to stop him. He mocks Thirumangai Azhwar for his lack of effort. He also adds that instead of rationalising rules with Him, Thirumangai Azhwar could sing some Paasurams and prove his devotion.

Not an easy one to relent, Thirumangai Azhwar retorts back saying that “How can I sing about You when You have not even shown your face to me?”

The Lord replies saying that many of His devotees like Nammazhwar and even Thirumangai Azhwar himself at times has sung about Him seated at their own place without trying to come to the shrine and sing in front of The Lord. So, He coaxes Thirumangai Azhwar to sing in the temple premises.

Thirumangai Azhwar, instead of assuming the “Naayika Bhaavam” (The poetic liberty to transform into a love-struck damsel and sing about The Lord as one’s Lover), as he usually does in many other shrines composes Paasurams in a different style.

He Sings about the glory of the Lord, using ‘Nindha Stuti’ (Irony) and laces his Paasurams with caustic satire and trenchant sarcasm, eyeing at the closed doors of the sanctum sanctorum. Throughout the ten Paasurams, he pines at the infamy that The Lord would incur if He does not open His doors and give darisanam.

• நும்மைத் தொழுதோம் நும் தம் பணி செய்திருக்கும் நும் அடியோம்
  இம்மைக்கு இன்பம் பெற்றோம் எந்தாய் இந்தளூரீரே
  எம்மைக் கடிதாக் கருமம் அருளி ஆவா என்று இரங்கி
  நம்மை ஒரு கால் காட்டி நடந்தால் நாங்கள் உய்யோமே!

We (Thirumangai Azhwar & Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar) are Your devotees. We pray to You. We believed that we have attained all the pleasures in the world by being in Your service. Can You not show some regard to us and show us Your tantalising visage? Wouldn’t we be eternally grateful if we could even see a glimpse of Your face?

Thirumangai Azhwar constantly calls The Lord Parimala Rangan as “Indalureerey” instead of addressing Him by His name. That is because he is upset with the playful Leela of the Lord and wants to show his contempt. Even today people who want to admonish someone chidingly call them with their native town’s name. A well know example is how folks from Chennai are often mocked as “Madarasis”.

• சிந்தை தன்னுள் நீங்காது இருந்த திருவே! மருவினிய
  மைந்தா! அம் தண் ஆலி மாலே! சோலை மழகளிறே!
  நந்தா விளக்கின் சுடரே! நறையூர் நின்ற நம்பீ! என்
  எந்தாய்! இந்தளூராய்! அடியேற்கு இறையும் இரங்காயே!

Had You created me with a mind that did not recognise You, then I would not have this distress now? But You have fully occupied my conscious mind. I cannot think about anything other than Your serene smile. Oh! Maruviniya Maindhaa! Lord of the beautiful crisp Thiruvaali shrine! Lord of the Azhagar Solai who is as majestic as an elephant calf! The blazing light of an everlasting Lamp! The Lord who stands tall in Thiru Naarayur! Why do You not show some mercy on us and grant us our heart’s desire?

• பேசுகின்றது இதுவே வையம் மூவடியால் அளந்த
  மூசி வண்டு முரலும் கண்ணி முடியீர் உம்மைக் காணும்
  ஆசையென்னும் கடலில் வீழ்ந்து இங்கு அயர்த்தோம் அயலாரும்
  ஏசுகின்றது இதுவே காணும் இந்தளூரீரே!

The whole world will speak ill about You if You neglect Your devotees like this. The townsfolk would gossip about You saying that “Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudhavalli are besotted with the desire to see The Lord Parimala Rangan and have become weary and tired of begging Him to open His doors. Is this Lord, The One who scaled the three worlds in three Feet and granted salvation to all life forms His feet touched irrespective of their status?” Oh! Lord who wears the fragrant garland which bees buzz about around Your head! Is this the name and fame (or rather shame) that You wish to have?

• ஆசை வழுவாது ஏத்தும் எமக்கு இங்கு இழுக்காய்த்து; அடியோர்க்குத்
  தேசமறிய உமக்கே ஆளாய்த் திரிகின்றோமுக்கு
  காசின் ஒளியின் திகழும் வண்ணம் காட்டீர் எம்பெருமான்!
  வாசி வல்லீர்! இந்தளூரீர்! வாழ்ந்தே போம் நீரே!

Though You have forsaken us, we still have not strayed away from our devotion. We are still full of eagerness and penchant desire to see Your face. The whole world is not only mocking that You are mistreating Your zealous worshipper but is also tauntingly ridiculing us that we have chosen such a cold-hearted Lord as our master and saviour? Even after pleading so much, You still refuse to shower us with Your blessings and show us the luminous hue of your glorious form. Fine. Let it be. Keep all Your beauty to Yourself. Live long be happy with Yourself.

• தீ எம்பெருமான் நீர் எம்பெருமான் திசையும் இருநிலனும்
  ஆய் எம்பெருமானாகி நின்றால் அடியோம் காணோம் ஆல்
  தாய் எம்பெருமான் தந்தை தந்தையாவீர் அடியோமுக்
  கே எம்பெருமான் அல்லீரோ நீர் இந்தளூரீரே!

Milord, You are fire. You are water. You are in all directions. You are omnipresent. You may ask us to see You in everything and worship You in Your “Antharyami” form. But we are not like your dear devotee Prahalad, who saw You in pillars and plinths and in grains of sand. Although our mind knows that You pervade through the very fabric of the cosmos, in its entirety, our heart aches to gaze upon and worship Your “Archa” form that resides behind these closed doors. Inspite of knowing this, why have You hidden Yourself away from us.

The Pancharatra Agamas conceive The Lord in a pentad concatenation of illustrative expositions.

Form of The Lord	Meaning	Manifestation
Para	Supreme	The invisible eternal Supreme symbolised as The One seated in Parama Padham (108/108) as Shriman Narayanan
Vyuha	Expansion	The reclining form of The Lord at Thiru Paarkadal (107/108) who expands into four forms to go about the cycle of creation (Vasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna & Aniruddha)
Vibhaava	Descending	The Avatharam taken by The Lord
Antharyami	Inner soul	The indwelling presence within us
Archa	Idol	The consecrated image form used to worship (Statue)

• சொல்லாது ஒழியகில்லேன் அறிந்த சொல்லில் நும் அடியார்
  எல்லாரோடும் ஒக்க எண்ணியிருந்தீர் அடியேனை
  நல்லார் அறிவீர் தீயார் அறிவீர் நமக்கு இவ்வுலகத்தில்
  எல்லாம் அறிவீர் ஈதே அறியீர் இந்தளூரீரே!

You are omniscient. You know everything. You know who are good. You know who are bad. You claim that You have the right to choose to which devotee You will give Your darisanam. You assume that I am badgering You incessantly unlike your other devotes who do not make demands and are happy with what You give them. Did You actually have the audacity to keep me on par with the other devotees? You know all, but there is something even You do not know. I will not leave before I tell that to you. You do not know that if you desolate me like this, I will not be able to survive even for a second. Had you understood that, You would not have shut our doors on my face like this.

• மாட்டீர் ஆனீர் பணி நீர் கொள்ள எம்மைப் பணி அறியா
  வீட்டீர் இதனை வேறே சொன்னோம் இந்தளூரீரே!
  காட்டீர் ஆனீர் நும் தம் அடிக்கள் காட்டில் உமக்கு இந்த
  நாட்டே வந்து தொண்டரான நாங்கள் உய்யோமே!

Are You not omnipotent? Can You not make me fit enough to be worthy of Your service? Would the world not speak infamy about You that You are unfit to be called ‘All-Powerful’ because You did not change a desperate devotee conducive enough to be of Your ministrations. Even if You do not wish to show us Your face, please grant us the blessing of being able to see Your Lotus feet.

• முன்னை வண்ணம் பாலின் வண்ணம் முழுதும் நிலை நின்ற
  பின்னை வண்ணம் கொண்டல் வண்ணம் வண்ணம் எண்ணும் கால்
  பொன்னின் வண்ணம் மணியின் வண்ணம் புரையும் திருமேனி
  இன்ன வண்ணம் என்று காட்டீர் இந்தளூரீரே!

Legends say that the tint of Your complexion was as white as milk in the primordial days of the universe. Then You had assumed the hue of the dark rain clouds, in the later days. Everybody says that You glitter as gold and shine like diamonds. I wonder what shade of colour You are now. Will You not show yourself to me so that I can clear my dubious uncertainty?

• எந்தை தந்தை தம்மான் என்று என்று எமர் ஏழ் அளவும்
  வந்து நின்ற தொண்டரோர்க்கே வாசி வல்லீரேல்
  சிந்தை தன்னுள் முந்தி நிற்றிர் சிறிதும் திருமேனி
  இந்த வண்ணம் என்று காட்டீர் இந்தளூரீரே!

You show so much discrimination to Your devotees. If the devotees who prostrate at Your feet claiming that their fathers and forefathers for the past seven generations have been in Your servitude feel such biased inequity, then how will a common man without such a lineage of ancestry even attempt to seek the path of salvation by worshipping You? Inspite of all this, You pervade through all my thoughts. Can you not show me Your vibrant hue just this once?

Singing all these Paasruams and praying to The Lord Parimala Rangan rendered Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar jaded and enervated. It was well past noon. The Lord decided not to play with His ardent devotees any longer. He ordered the gates to open and by divine intervention, His priests opened the gates out-of-schedule and asked Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudhavalli Natchiyaar to have the darisanam of The Lord to their hearts’ content. This exceptionally peculiar is called as “Adhigaaraa Sevai”

They saw The Lord Parimala Rangan in His glorious regalia and were enraptured in jubilance. Thirumangai Azhwar finished the last of the Indalur Paasurams on a happy note as he had finally gotten to see his Lord.

• ஏரார் பொழில் சூழ் இந்தளூரில் எந்தை பெருமானை
  காரார் புறவின் மங்கை வேந்தன் கலியன் ஒலி செய்த
  சீரார் இன்சொல்மாலை கற்றுத் திரிவார் உலகத்தில்
  ஆர் ஆர் அவரே அமரர்க்கு என்றும் அமரர் ஆவாரே!

Those who sing the ten Paasurams composed by the cloud-surrounded Thirumangai’s ruler, Kaliyan (Thirumangai Azhwar) on The Lord of Indalur, which is surrounded by luscious groves will attain Divinity and be praised by all the Devas and be glorified to a stature higher than the celestial beings.

Our Experience:

We were almost done with our trip after having a peaceful darisanam at Thiru Kadaimudi (18/276) and then realised that the time was 07.45PM. Like Thirumangai Azhwar, we too had the greedy desire to see The Lord Parimala Rangan at Thiru Indalur (26/108).

We knew that the shrine was close to the town of Mayiladuthurai and rushed there hoping He would keep His doors open. We reached the temple at 8PM, after messing up the route (thanks to google maps). We had asked for directions from a passer-by who mistook Indalur for Thingalur and told us we had come the wrong way. Ironically both are shrines worshipped by the moon. Thingalur is a temple for Lord Shiva and is also the Navagraha Parihara Sthalam for the moon and is located near Thiruvaiyaru (51/276). On further enquiry he understood we wanted to see The Lord Parimala Rangan and directed us to the temple. As usual we had shot right past the shrine, so we had to retrace back a few hundred metres.

The Chandra Pushkarani was awesome to see, even in the dark. The five-tiered Raja Gopuram welcomed us. We ran inside directly to the sanctum sanctorum after buying a string of woven Tulsi.

The priest was preparing for the last pooja of the night. We were awestruck on seeing The Lord. The deity is made of green stone (Maragadha Thirumeni) and is 12 feet long. The Lord had deigned that we see Him that day. Perhaps He knew that if He closed His doors, we would not be able to open it by composing and singing songs, given the banal quality of our poetic skills.

He is reclined on Aadhiseshan, in His Veera Sayana Kolam, armed with His conch and discus. Chandra Dev is at His head, in prayers. Brahma is seated in the Lotus at the navel of The Lord. Surya Dev is in prayers, at The Feet of The Lord. Kaveri is seated near The Head and Ganga is seated near The Feet. King Ambarish and Yama Dharmaraj also are seen praying at The Feet of The Lord. Even the minute details like the nailbeds and the creases of His Vastram are sculpted with remarkable refinement.

The priest was so patient to show us all the details and explained patiently about the lore of the land. Given our generally bad experiences with snobbish priests, we were overjoyed and happy. We then made a circle of the Prahaaram and once again went in to soak up the grandeur of The Lord. After praying to Parimala Ranganayaki and admiring all the beautiful sculptures on the pillars of the shrine, we finally decided to call it a day.

And what a day it was. By the divine grace, we were able to see Ten Devara Paadal Petra Sthalangal and two Mangalasasanam Divya Desangal. With millions of pictures and loads of memories and heaps of blessings we started our way back already planning for our next trip.

See you all at the next temple trip, with many more tales to tell and tips to share.

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

Thiru Kadaimudi (18/276)

Name	Thiru Kadaimudi
Other Name	Kiluvaiyoor
Vernacular Name	Keezhaiyoor
District	Nagapattinam
State	Tamilnadu
Devaram	Thiru Gnana Sambandhar
Position	North of Kaveri – 18/276
Presiding deity	Shiva
God	Kadaimudi Naadhar Kadaimudi Eshwarar Kiluvai Naadhar Aadhi Naadhar Antha Samrakshaneshwarar
Goddess	Abirami Abiramavalli
Speciality	Brahma’s Repentance
Sthala Vriksham	Kiluvai (Hill Mango)
Theertham	Karuna Theertham Brahma Theertham Kaveri
Worshipped by	Lord Brahma, Kanva Rishi
Temple timings	7AM to 12PM 4PM to 7PM
Contact details	9442779580

LORE:

What is the Lore of the temple?

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Kadaimudi Naadhar and His Devi is Abirami.

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

The Lord of the shrine is said to protect us till the end of time, even during the dissolution of the world by the Maha Pralayam. Hence, He is called Kadai Mudi Naadhar (Kadai = Final, Mudi = End, Naadhar = Lord) and the shrine is called as Thiru Kadaimudi.

The village has an abundance of Kiluvai trees (Hill mango) and hence is called as Kiluvaiyoor.

What is the lore of the temple?

Lord Brahma had incurred the curse of Lord Shiva, because of His arrogance and egotistic attitude. He worshipped in several shrines praying for repentance. He then came to Kiluvaiyoor and worshipped The Lord here, dug the Brahma Theertham, took a dip in it and prayed for atonement. The Lord appeared in all His grace and consoled Brahma Dev that everything will be set right in due time.

What are the specialities of the shrine?

The Lord is in the form of a 16 plated Lingam called as Shodasa Lingam and worshipping him is said to yield all the 16 types of wealth.

The Dakshinamoorthy and Lord Bhairavar in the outer Prahaaram have an earring in the left ear but not in the right and is said to be a unique feature.

The Lord is also in the form of a Lingam, with His own Nandi, beneath the Sthala Vriksham and is called as Aadhi Naadhar.

Kanva Rishi also had prayed to The Lord at this shrine and the steps leading to the Theertham is called as “Kanva Mahaan Thurai”

What are the 16 types of wealth?

• Education
• Fame
• Strength
• Victory
• Good progeny
• Gold
• Grain
• Good fate
• Good attitude
• Intellect
• Beauty
• Patience
• Youth
• Courage
• Good health
• Longevity

Our Experience:

Google maps were malfunctioning again and the boys sitting in a teashop, while we were searching for the correct road that leads to the temple, were of little help in giving directions.

It was dark and we were tired, yet we chugged along and a gentleman on a bike guided us properly across the river Kaveri, and we finally came to Thiru Kadaimudi (18/276) around 7PM. (Well, we almost missed the temple, as it was pretty dark and Karthick mistook the welcoming idol of Devi Mahalakshmi as Bhadrakali and declared the Paadal Petra Sthalam as a Kali Kovil and was about to move on further down the road. Luckily, a strong sense of instinct persuaded us to check out the so-called Kali temple and we ended up right in the pervading gaze of Devi Abirami.

We entered through the gate of Devi Abirami (She has a separate Gate) and wet inside the temple. The temple is a small edifice and was well-lit. the priest saw us coming and did the aarthi of The Lord Kadaimudi Naadhar and Devi Abirami.

We prayed to our hearts content, went around the Prahaaram, tired to decipher the ring paradox on Lord Dakshina Moorthy, failing at it and came back a full circle.

We briefly squabbled about whether there was a Pradosha Nandi in the outer Prahaaram or not, (There isn’t one) and then set towards the last temple of the trip, The Divya Desam in Mayiladuthurai town, Thiru Indalur (26/108).

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.

Thiru Nani Palli (106/276)

Name	Thiru Nani Palli
Other Name	Ponsei
Vernacular Name	Punjai
District	Nagapattinam
State	Tamilnadu
Devaram	Thiru Gnana Sambandhar Appar Sundarar
Position	South of Kaveri – 105/276
Presiding deity	Shiva
God	Nattrunai Eshwarar Nattrunai Appar Swarnapureeswarar
Goddess	Malayaan Madandhai Parvatha Raja Puthri (2 Deviyar)
Speciality	Vinayagar got absolved of his dosham here. The temple in its entirety is an architectural marvel
Sthala Vriksham	Pinnai (Mast wood) Shenbagam (Yellow Jade Orchid)
Theertham	Swarna Theertham
Worshipped by	Vinayagar, Agathiyar
Temple timings	7AM to 11PM 5PM to 7PM
Contact details	Vaidyanatha Gurukkal – 9443906587

LORE:

What is the Lore of the temple?

The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Nattrunai Appar and His Deviyar are Malayaan Madandhai and Parvatha Raja Puthri.

Why does the Sthalam go by the name of “Thiru Nani Palli”?

Historians opine that the temple was built by a King called Nanni. Hence, the temple goes by the name “Thiru Nani Palli” (Nani = The Chozha King, Palli = Temple)

How did it get the name “Pon sei”?

The temple is the shrine where Lord Vinayagar got relieved of His dosham. It is quite an interesting tale.

During the wedding of Devi Parvati to Lord Shiva, all the life forms including the Devas assembled on Mount Kailash. Hence, the earth tilted such that the North went below because of the excess weight, whereas the lighter south rose up.

To even the land and set things in order, Lord Shiva asked Sage Agathiyar alone to go to south. Sage Agathiyar was the Manasa Puthirar of Varuna Dev and Lady Urvashi. Albeit short in stature, Sage Agathiyar was so mighty in terms of hermetic prowess that Lord Shiva deemed that sending him alone to the south, would be enough to even the land.

Agathiyar was saddened because though this was a great honour, he would not be able to witness the wedding of Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva. To compensate for this, Lord Shiva gave him the boon that he would show his wedded form whenever Agathiyar sought to see it.

An overjoyed Agathiyar started south and once he crossed the Vindhya mountain range, the earth levelled to its usual self. Agathiyar prayed at many Shiva Shrines in the south.

Another version of the story of how Sage Agathiyar came to the south also exists. Once the Vindhya mountain got jealous of the Himalayas and decided that he will outgrow in size and become taller than the Himalayas. The Vindhya mountain started to grow taller and taller. Fearing calamity, Narada Muni asked the Sage Agathiyar to help.

Sage Agathiyar decided that it was The Lord’s wish and went to the Vindhya mountain. The mountain bowed down in respect and offered its obeisance. Sage Agathiyar asked the mountain to shrink down to its original size so that he could cross it go and go south for his pilgrimage. The mountain also agreed. The sage crossed to the south and asked the mountain to stay the same size till he came back so that he might go back to the north once his pilgrimage was over. The Vindhya mountain gracefully obliged. The sage however decided to stay back so that the mountain would always remain the same size.

Either way, the Sage finally reached the southern provinces and was praying at many Shiva temples.

Lord Shiva had given Sage Agathiyar a part of the river Ganga flowing from his matted locks and told him that a river will flow form these waters wherever it was used. The sage dutifully received the waters in his kamandalam.

The source of the kamandala waters has two more versions. The second version of the story is that the sacred waters were that of Sage Agasthiyar’s wife, Princess Lopamudra – a ravishing beauty, who bore the sage a son called Dridhasyu. Lopamudra performed her duties as a wife and once the wheels of time had caught up to her and she was no longer the youthful beauty that she was. To reward her piety, Sage Agasthyar transformed her into water and confined her to his kamandalam.

The third version of the source of the holy water is that Ponni, one of the seven great rivers of India, became so inflated with her own ego that she insulted Agathiyar, thus provoking his anger. As a result, Sage Agathiyar used his prowess and imprisoned Ponni in his kamandalam.

The south had gone barren due to the dearth of rains because of the atrocities of the demon Tarakasuran. Hence, Lord Ganesh decided to let the water ensconced in the kamandalam of Sage Agathiyar free, so that it might flow as a river, nurturing the then desolate lands of the south.

Lord Ganesh assumed the form of a crow and while Agathiyar was unaware, He knocked off the kamandalam. Seeing this as a sign of liberation to flow, the waters sprung forth into a river. Since the river flowed due to the crow, she got the name “Kaveri” (Kaa- crow, Viri – expanded). Kaveri flows till date to nourish the lands of the south, making everything she touches to be fertile and bountiful.

The Sage was shocked on realising that the waters had been let out from his kamandalam without his knowledge. He searched for the culprit. He saw Lord Vinayagar who had come as a crow, now assume the form of a boy, who was running away from him. He chased the boy and caught Him. He raised his arm to hit the boy, but at that very moment Lord Vinayagar revealed His true form. He also explained that what He did was for the welfare of the south, as the lands were suffering without a steady source of water. The sage realised his mistake and hit his own temples with the knuckles of his raised fist. This later became a form of worshipping Lord Vinayagar.

The sin of causing such grief to the Sage Agathiyar caught Lord Vinayagar. He resumed the crow-form that he had taken to set Kaveri free and flew in search of repentance. He then came to Thiru Nani Palli and prayed to Nattrunai Appar and asked for forgiveness. The Lord forgave His son as what He had done was for the greater good.

The Lord asked the crow to bathe in the Swarna theertham and the black crow became golden when it arose from the temple tank after having a dip. Hence the shrine is also called as “Pon Sei” – The shrine that turned things to gold (Pon – Gold, Sei – Make).

Sage Agathiyar also prayed at this shrine and saw the wedding of Devi Parvati to Lord Shiva (Kalyana Sundareshwarar) who have a separate sannadhi here.

What is the connection of Thiru Gnana Sambandhar and this shrine?

This village is the birthplace of Bagavathi Ammai, who was the mother of Thiru Gnana Sambandhar.

Thiru Gnana Sambandhar was a young child and couldn’t walk to all the shrines and hence he sat on top of his father, Sivapaadha Hridhayar and had sung hymns, praising the deity of this shrine.

This place was arid and barren, inspite of being proximal to the perennially flowing Kaveri. And indulging the request of the village folk, Thiru Gnana Sambandhar had sung about this land as the serene Neidhal (coastal greenery) rather than the arid Paalai (Lacklustre desert).

Miraculously, the land truly became burgeoning and flourished so well that it was a golden period for the village. This was also one the reasons why it is called as the prosperous “Pon Sei”

What are the other specialities of the shrine?

The Devi Durga Statue is unique. She is flanked by a lion and a deer and is shown to be standing in the stance of warring with Shumban and Nishumban. Also, She holds the Chakram in the ready-to-swing posture called as “Prayoga Chakram”.

Chandigeshwarar in the outer Prahaaram is seen with His wife.

The shrine is an architectural wonder with so many beautiful sculptures, large and small. There are many carvings in the pillars and the walls, done with so much elan and finesse. On the outer Prahaaram, there is a pillar which has the engraved forms of a mythical chimeric creature called “Yaazhi” and the detailing is so fine that the nostrils are patent enough to allow a thread through them and the twine comes through the other end.

The sanctum sanctorum is huge enough to allow an elephant to come inside and pay homages to The Lord Nattrunai Appar. The dome of the sanctum sanctorum is one of the biggest in the entire state of Tamilnadu.

The main hall of the temple is called as “Nani Palli Kodi Vattam” and it is designed in such a way that sunlight entering through the main entrance, falls on The Lord from the 7^th to 13^th of the month of Chithirai. The inner right pillar of the hall is slightly slanting, and this is said to be the reason as to how the rays of the sun come all the way inside, defying elementary physics.

Our Experience:

We drove from Thalaichangaadu (108/276), made a pitstop in between to get flowers and reached Thiru Nani Palli (106/276).

As usual, the temple was locked. We were starting to see the pattern here and asked around about the temple opening time. The villagers directed us to the priest’s home. We went there and asked about the temple. The priest told that he will be there shortly.

In retrospect, we realised that the priest might not have come at all, if we weren’t at his doorstep. And ironically, we would have been the only visitors for that evening.

The priest couldn’t come as he had gone to attend a condolence in a nearby village and his son, a young chap had come and opened the temple doors. He gave a lengthy explanation about the temple, did a nice aarthi of The Lord. We offered the flowers and fruits we had brought earlier.

It became dark by the time we went around the outer Prahaaram. We had a really good darisanam of all the deities of the temple.

We thanked the priest for opening the temple and showing us around and following his suggestion we decided to go to the penultimate temple of the trip, ‘Thiru Kadaimudi’ (18/276). He was optimistic and assured us that his relative was the priest of that temple and that he would keep it open till we go.

Renewed with the blessings of Lord Nattrunai Appar and The two Deviyar, Malayaan Madandhai and Parvatha Raja Puthri, we were on our way to the next temple. See you all there.

Loads of love,

Karthick and Rahul.