Divine home of the Saint-Poetess
The magnificent tower of the Srivilliputtur temple.
SRIVILLIPUTTUR IS synonymous with saint-poetess Andal, Her devotional work, Thiruppavai, and the temple where She and Lord Ranganatha, known as Rangamannar, are enshrined. But many may not be aware that the Andal temple is a separate entity, which was built after Her foster father, Periyazhwar's time, encompassing within it the house where Andal and Periyazhwar lived. According to historians the Andal temple was built in 788 A.D. Pandya, Chozha, Vijayanagar and Nayak rulers and the Bana kings, who ruled with Azhagarkoil, near Madurai as their capital, later expanded it.
But an ancient edifice, existing by the side of the Andal temple, is the one dedicated to Lord Vatapatrasayee, which was there long before Periyazhwar's time. The Vatapatrasayee Temple was the hub of activity early this month when Brahmotsavam was celebrated. While the main festival held in the Andal Temple in the month of Adi concluding with the car festival on Thiruvadippooram day, is largely attended, this was a low-key affair. It was this Lord, who directed Periyazhwar, known as Vishnuchithar to go to the Pandya king's court in Madurai and establish the greatness of Vaishnavism and Lord Narayana as the Supreme God. Periyazhwar not only did accordingly but also gave the immortal Thiruppallandu hymn when he saw the Lord appearing on the sky, mounted on Garuda, along with Sridevi and Bhoodevi.
He spent the money he obtained from the purse that he won in Madurai to rebuild the tower and many portions of the temple in Srivilliputtur. Hence he is hailed as the first trustee of the temple. Before leaving for Madurai he had established a garden in Srivilliputtur from where he used to fetch flowers and make garlands for the Lord. It was there that he found Andal as a five-year-old child under the tulsi plants. The garden exists to this day linking the Andal and Vatapatrasayee temples and there is a small Mandapam in it, known as "Thiruppoora Mandapam" where the image of Andal, as a five-year-old child, is worshipped.
The Lord here is known as Vatapatrasayee, Vatamahadaman and by the beautiful Tamil names of Pallikonda Paramaswami, Vataperunkoyiludaiyan and Periya Perumal. The temple has at its entrance the tallest of the ancient towers, rising to a height of 196 feet, which has been adopted by the Tamil Nadu Government as its emblem. A Tamil poem, inscribed in it, says that it can stand comparison only with Mount Meru. This verse was said to have been composed by poet Kamban when he visited the temple and was awestruck by the massiveness of the tower. An inscription says that the Pandya King Kulasekara built its walls.
After entering the temple through the magnificent tower and offering obeisance to Periyazhwar in the shrine on the right side, which was renovated 60 years ago, and those of Nammazhwar and Ramanuja on the left side which have been left untouched (Ramanuja here is known as Koil Annan.
In the lower tier of the sanctum sanctorum is the shrine of Lakshmi Narasimha, a fine image on all counts. By climbing the steps one can enter the main shrine, whose floor has been re-laid with marble during the recent renovation. After offering obeisance to the Dwarapalakas one can see the beautiful Sudhai image of the Lord in the recumbent posture under the Vimalakriti Vimanam, which has been repainted. There is an inner corridor for circumambulation around the sanctum sanctorum and through the openings in them one can have a closer view of the Lord's head and holy feet. It is not generally kept open for the public but on special occasions like Vaikunda Ekadasi, devotees are allowed to pass through it. There is a big panchaloha idol of Sudarsana (Chakarathazhwar) in the shrine dedicated to him on the southern side of the temple and there is no stone image of the Moolavar here. The glory of the place and the Lord here has been sung both by Periyazhwar and Andal. The Varahakshethra Mahathmyam in the Rahasya Kandam of the Varaha Puranam explains the greatness of the place in nine chapters. According to it, the Lord, who incarnated as Varaha or wild boar, killed Hiranyaksha and released Bhoomadevi from his clutches, rested in the Varahakshethra under the Vatavriksham (banyan tree), which is situated near the Dharmatri hills and is known as Vadeswarapuram, where Sage Sudapas was doing penance to get relief from the curse of Sage Dhurvasa. He regained his original form and had a darshan of the Lord appearing as Sundararaja with His Consorts in the hill temple situated near Srivilliputtur. At the foot of the hill was a holy forest known as Shenbagaranyam where sages were doing penance. Kalanemi, a demon, not only harassed the sages but also gave trouble to Indra and other celestials. They prayed to the Lord who destroyed the demon with His Sudarsana. The holy disc was washed of its bloodstains by immersing it in the holy tank, Thirumukkulam, which was the confluence of the three holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.
Two hunters, Villi and Kantan, hunted in the forests of Vadeswarapuram and Kantan was killed by a tiger. Villi, who did not know about his brother's death, searched for him and fell asleep. The Lord appeared in his dream, told him about his brother's death and asked him to clear the forest and build a temple for Him with the help of the Pandya king. Villi obeyed and the new place (Puthur) founded by him came to be known as Villiputtur. As the Divine Mother appeared in the place as Andal, it came to be called as Srivilliputtur, according to scholars.
The beautiful "Gopala Vilasam" in the front portion of the sanctum sanctorum, which is a rectangular hall, covered with wooden roof containing many sculpted images obtained from an ancient car of the temple, is not a general feature seen in other temples. It is here that the "Pahalpathu Adhyayana Uthsavam" is held in the Margazhi month. Gopala Vilasam will also see great action during the Oonjal Uthsavam in the Aippasi month.
T. A. SRINIVASAN
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
