Sri Devaadi Raja Perumal Temple (Thiruvazhunthoor)
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The Devaadi Raja Perumal temple () (also called Amaruviappan temple) in Therazhundur, a village in Mayiladuthurai district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the '' Naalayira Divya Prabandham'', the early medieval
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 '' Divya Desams'' dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Amaruviappan, and his consort Lakshmi as Sengamalavalli Thayar. The original structure of the temple was built by the Karikala Chola during the 1st century CE, with later additions from the
Cholas The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...
during the 11th century. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple tank is located opposite to the temple, outside the main entrance. The temple follows Vadakalai tradition of worship. Six daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam during the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
of ''Vaikasi'' (during May - June), and
Vaikuntha Ekadashi Vaikuntha Ekadashi () is a Hindu occasion and festival. It is primarily observed by Vaishnavas, who regard it to be a special Ekādaśī. It coincides with '' Mokṣadā Ekādaśī'' or Putrada Ekādaśī. It is observed on the 11th lunar da ...
during ''Margali'' (December - January) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.


Legend

According to the temple's sthala purana, Uparichara Vasu, a king, obtained boons after severe penance for years from Brahma that would enable him to fly with his chariot. While flying at this place, his
chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...
(locally called ''ther'') fell in waters and splashed on sage
Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...
who was doing penance. The chariot got stuck in the place and hence it came to be known as Theranzhundur (where the chariot got immersed). Another variant, Uparichara Vasu ruled in favour of celestial deities against the sages and the sages cursed that his chariot would not any further and it got stuck in the place. A third variant notes that the king did not heed the request of her queen to get down to worship Vishnu at this place while flying in his chariot and on account of divine powers his chariot was held at this place. As per Hindu legend, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, drove the cattle belonging to Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. Krishna created another herd in the meanwhile. Realising that the herd belonged to Krishna, Brahma apologized and wished Krishna to set his abode at this place. Since Krishna appeared for the cattle and settled here, the presiding deity is called Amaruviappan (the one who is flanked by cattle). Following the legend, the presiding deity in the sanctum is portrayed with cattle surrounding him. As per another legend,
Prahlada Prahlada () is an asura king in Hindu mythology. He is known for his staunch devotion towards the preserver deity, Vishnu. He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by slaying his wicked fa ...
, an ardent devotee of Vishnu feared Narasimha, the avatar that killed Hiranyakakashipu, the asura father of Prahlada. Amaruviappan appeared to console Prahalad. There is another belief that Kaveri, the river goddess prayed Amaruviappan to relieve herself off the curse by sage Agastya. Vishnu was pleased by the devotion of Kaveri and appeared here to please her devotion.


Architecture

Amaruviappan temple is located in Therazhundur, a village located from
Mayiladuthurai Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a town and district headquarter of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located at a distance of from the state capital, Chennai. Mayiladuthurai was ruled by Mediev ...
in Mayiladuthurai district. The temple is believed to have been built by Karikala Chola during the 1st century CE, with additions in the later century. The temple tank is located in front of the temple and the temple is approached to the roads in the embankment. The temple has a five tiered ''raja gopuram'', the gateway tower that pierces the granite concentric walls. The central shrine houses the image of Devadi raja Perumal in standing posture and the festival deity Amaruviappan, housed under the Garuda Vimanam. There are also other images of cattle and sages in the sanctum. There is a separate shrine of Sengamalavalli, the consort of Amaruviappan in the second precinct. There are separate shrines for
Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...
, Narasimha, Rama,
Vishvaksena Vishvaksena ()Nayar p. 103 or Vishwaksena, is the commander-in-chief of the army of the Hindu deity Vishnu, additionally serving as a gatekeeper and chamberlain of his celestial abode of Vaikuntha. As the embodiment of the tantras, Vishvaksena is ...
, Hanuman, and the
Alvars The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...
. Adishesha, Surya Prabhai,
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
Vimanam, horse and elephant are the mounts used for Amaruviappan. For the goddess, the mounts used are the yali,
swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
, elephant, and
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
. The sub-temples of this shrine are Govindarajar temple.''Census of India, 1961, Volume 9, Issue 7''.India. Office of the Registrar, India. Office of the Registrar General There are two water bodies associated with the temple along with river Kaveri, namely Darsa Pushkarani located in front of the temple and Gajendra Pushkarani in the northern side.


Religious importance

Amaruviappan temple is revered in '' Naalayira Divya Prabhandam'', the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Alvar. The temple is classified as a '' Divya Desam'', one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. Thirumangai Alvar has glorified the powers of Sengamalavalli Thayar. The temple also finds mention in later works by Nathamuni, Thirukachi Nambi, Ramanuja and
Manavala Mamunigal Alagiya Manavalan, best known by his epithet Manavala Mamunigal (1370–1450), was a Hindu theologian. He was a major proponent of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition in the 15th century in Tamilakam, disseminating it with the help of his eight di ...
. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the temple finds mention in several works like ''108 Tirupathi Anthathi'' by Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar. The temple is also one of the Pancha Krishnaranaya Kshetrams, the five divine places for Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. Devaadi Raja Perumal is believed to be a representation of "Rakshakathvam", the divine protection rendered to true devotees of Vishnu.


Worship practices and festivals

The temple follows Vadakalai tradition of worship based on
Pancharatra ''Pancharatra'' (IAST: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatars of Vishnu as their central deities.pooja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: ''Ushathkalam'' at 8 a.m., ''Kalasanthi'' at 10:00 a.m., ''Sayarakshai'' at 5:00 p.m. and ''Ardha Jamam'' at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''neivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Nithyakalyana Perumal and his consort Sengamalavalli. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. Various festivals are celebrated in the temple, with the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam during the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
of ''Vaikasi'' (during May - June), Thiruvonam and
Vaikuntha Ekadashi Vaikuntha Ekadashi () is a Hindu occasion and festival. It is primarily observed by Vaishnavas, who regard it to be a special Ekādaśī. It coincides with '' Mokṣadā Ekādaśī'' or Putrada Ekādaśī. It is observed on the 11th lunar da ...
during ''Margali'' (December - January) being the most prominent. During the Brahmotsavam festival, the festival deities of Devaadi Raja Perumal and Sengamalavalli is taken in procession around the steets of the temple. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.


References


External links


Article about the temple

Panguni Uthram Thayar Thirukalyanam video

Discourse by Shri U. Ve Velukudi Krishnan


Gallery

File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple1.jpg, Entrance File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple2.jpg, Bali peetam and flagpost File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple3.jpg, Rajagopuram File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple4.jpg, Vimana of presiding deity File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple5.jpg, Alvar shrine File:Teralundur amaruviappan temple6.jpg, Andal shrine {{Famous Vishnu temples Vishnu temples in Mayiladuthurai district