Thiru Karambanoor Divya Desam (Uttamar Koil)

[Images from Mr. Sundaravadivelan and family]

This is a small, unique Divya Desam near Trichy city. This a rare temple in that, it has sannidhis for Sri Vishnu, Siva and Brahma in the same campus. It is popularly known as Uttamar Koil or Bhikshaandaar Koil. If you are travelling to this Divya Desam, refer to it as Uttamar Koil. Local people will most likely  not recognize the official name of Thirukkarambanoor.

Location and Access:

Uttamar Koil is very easy to access. It is located about 5 km from SriRangam and about 12-13 km from the centre of Trichy city. If you leave SriRangam after breakfast, you can comfortably make a trip to Uttamar Koil and be back to SriRangam for lunch. Uttamar Koil itself has very few places for food or stay and hence your travel base should be SriRangam or Trichy.

If you are driving, you can consider combining a visit to a nearby Divya Desam - Thiruvellarai. These two Divya Desams are in the same direction. You need to cross the Kollidam river bridge to get to these two places. Thiruvellarai is a little farther (after Uttamar Koil). The two temples can be covered in one morning - if they are not crowded. Uthamar Koil is also accessible by public bus. 

Legends and History:

It is believed that, Lord Shiva worshipped at this Divya Desam to get freed from the sin of removing one of Brahma's heads. When Shiva prayed to the ThAyAr here, she gave him alms (Bhikshai) which completely filled his kapalam-bowl. Since the Grace of ThAyAr filled Shiva's bowl and thus completed his penance, She is known as Poorna-vaLLi. Shiva here is known as Bhikshaandaar and the temple is also known as Bhikshaandaar Koil. 

The temple is said to have been built by King Janaka, the father-in-law of Lord Sri Rama.

The Temple:

The temple is not very big but has many sannidhis. The ThAyAr here - Sri PoornavaLLi is in a standing pose (Ninra Thirukkolam). Sri PerumAL is in a recumbent posture on Adiseshan. His moniker is Sri Purushottaman. 

There are also sannidhis for Lord Shiva and His consort, Brahma, Saraswathi, Sri Hanuman. There are also a few other smaller sannidhis. It can take about 1-2 hours to cover all the sannidhis in a leisurely manner (if the temple is not crowded)

AzhwAr MangaLAsAsanam:

This Divya Desam has been mentioned in one pasuram by Sri Thirumangai AzhwAr (Periya Thirumozhi 5.6.2). The pAsuram goes as follows:

பேரானை, குறுங்குடி எம் பெருமானை, திருத்தண்கால் 
ஊரானை, கரம்பனூர் உத்தமனை, முத்து இலங்கு 
கார் ஆர் திண் கடல் ஏழும், மலை ஏழ் இவ் உலகு ஏழ் உண்டு 
ஆராது என்று இருந்தானைக் கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே.

In this pAsuram, Sri AzhwAr refers to five Divya Desams - ThiruppEr Nagar (AppakudathAn or Koviladi), Thirukkurungudi, Thiruthankaal, Thirukkarambanoor and Thiruvarangam. 

Sri Poornavalli ThAyAr sametha Sri PurushOttama PerumAL thiruvadigaLE saranam

ThiruveLLarai Divya Desam

It is really my pleasure to describe this Divya Desam, which is one of my personal super-favourites.

ThiruveLLarai is a big, beautiful and serene temple that rarely gets crowded. Located 27 km from Trichy city in central Tamil Nadu, Thiru veLLarai is a small, laid back town. There are almost no facilities for food or stay at ThiruveLLarai itself - so your travel base should be SriRangam or Trichy.

Location and Access:

ThiruveLLarai is en route to Thuraiyur from Trichy city. From Trichy’s Chathram bus terminus, visitors can take a public transport bus directly to ThiruveLLarai. The distance is 27 km (one-way) and under normal traffic, this takes about 45 minutes. The journey takes us through a semi-rural route. If you are taking a bus, be sure to let the bus conductor know in advance that you wish to alight at Thiru veLLarai. It is not a major stopping and is easy to miss. The bus stop is near a welcome arch that directly shows the path to the temple. From the bus stop, the temple is about 10 minutes by walk along a straight path. This path and the temple itself are not very shady and can be uncomfortably hot in summer months. 

If you are visiting in summer, try to get to the temple early (around 9 AM at the latest). The temple campus is huge and can easily take you a couple of hours if you desire to explore it in leisurely detail. First time visitors will find it better to visit the temple during daytime so that they can get an idea of its magnitude and beauty. The temple also has a special beauty in the night..a visit in moonlight can be a sublime experience. However, getting to the temple at night can be a little difficult after sunset if travelling by public transport.

The temple is big, and if you want to enjoy it throughly, it can take about 2-3 hours. Ideally, this temple is covered in a half-day session - either morning or in the evening. A great way to cover this Divya Desam would be to leave from SriRangam after breakfast and be back for lunch.

Some people try to cover other nearby Divya Desams (like Anbil, Koviladi/Appakudathan, Uthamar Koil) in a rushed half-day trip. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this - and the temples may be crowded.

If you really wish to combine another temple along with Thiruvellarai in a half-day trip, you may want to visit Uthamar Koil. Uthamar Koil and Thiruvellarai are in the same direction from SriRangam.

Uthamar Koil is about 5 km from SriRangam and Thiruvellarai is about 14 km further in the same direction.

Legends and History:

It is fairly well established that ThiruveLLarai is an older temple compared to Sri Rangam – and this has given rise to the moniker “Adhi veLLarai”. According to legend, Lord Sriman Narayana blessed the emperor Sibi (one of the ancestors of Sri Rama) and Sri mArkandEya mahArishi at this Divya Desam several yugas ago.

 
The temple has been glorified by Sri PeriAzhwar and Sri Thirumangai Azhwar. Also, Swami Desikan has sung about this temple.

The name “veLLarai” literally means “white rock”. This name is due to the fact that the mountain is situated on top of a small hill (~100 feet in height) composed of supposedly-white rocks. The Sanskrit name for this place is Swetha-ketu.

The temple:

The temple has a couple of similarities with the Varadaraja temple in Kanchipuram. Like the latter, ThiruveLLarai is located on top a small hillock. Also, both temples are vast campuses with imposing structures. Both temples have two entrances to the main sanctum – the UthrAyaNa vAsal and the dakshinAyana vAsal – which are open during two different halves of the year. Visitors have to climb a set of steps to reach the main sannidhi.

The outermost gOpuram in ThiruveLLarai is an unfinished one (mottai gOpuram). The temple campus houses seven separate theerthams. A high wall encloses the temple campus completely. The temple also has an inner entrance called the “nAzhi kEttAn vAsal” where Sri thAyar demanded an explanation from PerumAL for coming home late ;-)

There is a well-laid path all around the outer periphery of the temple. This seems to be a fairly recent addition as I do not remember seeing this a few years ago. Visitors can circumambulate the temple by walking along this path. As we walk along this path, we see caves where Sri ThAyAr and Sri Markandeya Maharishi performed meditation - according to legend. There is a huge banyan tree behind the temple along this path. Also, along this path is a sannidhi for Sri Manavala Mamunigal. Just across the temple's main campus is a sannidhi for Sri Ramanuja.

The temple has several separate sannidhis including those for Sri ChakrathAzhwar, Sri NammAzhwAr, Sri ANDAL and Sri Tondaradippodi AzhwAr.

The thAyAr here is Sri PankajavaLLi, who has a separate sannidhi. The name of Sri PerumAL here is Sri PundarIkAkshan (literally, the Lotus-Eyed One). Sri PeriAzhwar refers to Him as “azhagan”(the handsome one). PerumAL here is in a standing posture, towering resplendently with Adiseshan in a human form and GarudAzhwar standing beside Him. The sun and moon gods devotedly fan Sri Perumal from either side. Seated humbly before Sri PerumAL are Sri Bhoo devi and Sri mArkandEyar.

Sri PankajavaLLi thAyAr samEtha Sri PundarIkAksha PerumAL ThiruvadigaLae SaraNam
AzhwAr emperumAnAr jIyar ThiruvadigaLae SaraNam

Thiru nAvAi Divya dEsam

Our journey through the Indian state of kEraLA now brings us to the last and the northernmost of the malai nAdu divya dEsams – ThirunAvAi.

Location and Access:

ThirunAvAi divya dEsam is located 2 km from the railway station of the same name. This station is on the rail route from Chennai to KallikkOttai. The town of ThirunAvAi is also accessible by bus from ShOranUr, which is 37 km away. Pilgrims can take a bus from ShOranUr to Kuttipuram and then travel further by bus to ThirunAvAi, which is a small town with no facilities for food and lodging.

  

The Temple:

This medium sized temple is located on the banks of the BhArathapuzhA river. The thAyAr here is Sri malarmangai nAchiyAr, also known as Sirudevi thAyAr. The Lord here is known as Sri nAvAi mukundan also known as nArAyanan. The Lord here is in a standing posture. ThirunAvAi is the only divya dEsam in kEraLA that has a separate sannidhi for thAyAr.

Legends and History:

According to legend, nine yOgis meditated on the Lord here. Hence this place came to be known as “Thiru nava yOgi” (nava = nine). The current name – ThirunAvAi is a corruption of this moniker.

This shrine is considered the equal of kAshi in sanctity. Hence this is a preferred place for pilgrims to offer libations to their forefathers.

According to another legend, the elephant-king Gajendra and Sri MahAlakshmi thAyAr worshipped Sri perumAL here with lotus flowers from the theertham. On one occasion, GajendrA was unable to get any flowers, and he complained to Sri perumAL about this. In response, the Lord bade Lakshmi to come and sit with Him and granted GajEndrA the privilege of worshipping the Divine Couple jointly.

AzhwAr mangaLAsAsanams:

nammAzhwAr: 3634-44

Thirumangai AzhwAr: 1520, 1856

[Note: The numbering convention for the pAsurams seems to differ in various Divya Prabandham books. In some Divya Prabandham books, the same pAsurams by srI nammAzhwAr are listed as verse numbers 3041-51.]

A sample pAsuram:

கோவாகிய மாவலியை நிலங்கொண்டாய்!

தேவா சுரம் செற்றவனே! திருமாலே!

நாவாய் உரைகின்ற என் நாரண நம்பி!

ஆவா அடியான் இவன் என்று அருளாயே!

In this pAsuram, sri nammAzhwAr says to Sri perumAL – “You took possession of the asurA mAbali’s kingdom! Lord of the dEvAs! Lord of SrI! My Lord who resides in thirunAvAi! Take me as Your servant!”

Sri malarmangai nAchiyAr, Siru dEvi thAyAr samEtha Sri nAvAi mukundan thiruvadigaLE saraNam.

ThiruvithuvakkOdu Divya dEsam (Thirumithakode)

[Click on pictures to enlarge]

So far in this blog, the Divya dEsams in southern and central KeraLA have been covered. Now let us travel further north in KeraLA. There are two divya dEsams – ThiruvithuvakkOdu and Thiru nAvAi in the northern (or north-central, to be more precise) part of kEraLA.

ThiruvithuvakkOdu is a beautiful Divya dEsam that has been glorified by Sri KulasEkara AzhwAr in a set of extremely moving pAsurams.

Location and Access:

This temple is locally known as “anjumoorthy koil” since it has five separate sannidhis. It is also referred to as ThiruvinjikkOde.  It is located about 17 km from Shoranur, en route to GuruvAyUr. The nearest railway station is Pattambi, which is 3 km away. Pattambi is a station on the Shoranur-KallikkOttai railway line. Pilgrims may alight at Pattambi, cross the BharathapuzhA river and walk two kilometres to the temple.

Alternately, pilgrims may take a bus towards GuruvAyUr from Shoranur  and alight after about 15 km. After alighting, a walk of 2 km along a narrow path will lead to the temple. There are no facilities for food or stay near the temple itself. The temple is located on the banks of the BhArathapuzhA river.

The Temple:

The thAyArs here are Sri VithuvakkOttu vaLLi and Sri padmapANi nAchiyAr. The Lord here is Uyyavandha perumAL, also known as abhayapradhan. The temple has four sannidhis dedicated for Sri perumAL and one to SivA. The temple is fairly big with a lot of open space. The theertham here is known as Chakra theertham.

Legends and History:

This Divya dEsam is said to be the place where the great devotee King ambareeshA attained salvation. According to legend, Sri perumAL took four different forms – as pradyumnA, aniruddhA, sankarshanA and Para vAsudEvA - and appeared before King ambareeshA here. Hence there are four separate sannidhis here representing each of these forms. It is also believed that these sannidhis were worshipped by the pAndavAs of mahAbhArathA fame – one sannidhi each by YudhistirA, BheemA and Arjuna and one sannidhi jointly by nakulA and sahAdEvA.

AzhwAr mangaLAsAsanams:

KulasEkara AzhwAr: 688-697 

[pAsuram numbers as in any standard Divya prabandham book]

A sample pAsuram:

விற்றுவக் கோட்டம்மா நீ வேண்டாயே ஆயிடினும்

மற்றாரும் பற்றில்லேன்  என்று  அவனைத்  தாள்நயந்த

கொற்ற வேல் தானைக் குலசேகரன்  சொன்ன

நற்றமிழ்  பத்தும் வல்லார்  நண்ணார்  நரகமே.

In this pAsuram, Sri kulasEkara AzhwAr avers that he has no refuge other than the feet of Sri perumAL even if the Lord does not like or accept him. Those who chant Sri kulaSEkara AzhwAr’s  decad of pAsurams on the Lord of ThiruvithuvakkOdu will never suffer the pangs of hell.

Sri vithuvakkOttu vaLLi, Sri padmapANi nAchiyAr samEtha Sri uyyavandha perumAL thiruvadigaLE saranam

ThirukkAtkarai Divya dEsam (Thrikkakara)

Thrikkakara is a grand Divya dEsam where the Lord is said to have incarnated as vAmanA to save the Asura king mAbali from his own arrogance. Hence it is also the epicentre of the Onam festival, which is an important celebration in kEraLA and is linked to the legend of mAbali and vAmanA.

Location and Access:

Thrikkakara is located 10 km North-East of the city of Ernakulam in central kEraLA. It would be convenient for visitors to stay at Ernakulam as there are no lodging facilities near the temple. The temple is located at a distance of 15 km from angamAli railway station. It is also about the same distance from the IrinjAlakkudA railway station, which is on the Alwaye-Trichur train route. This temple is also at a distance of 6 km from the train station of Idappalli.

The Temple:

The Thrikkakara temple is built in the typical kEraLA divya dEsam style, with a conical roof over the main sanctum and open corridors with plenty of space. The thAyAr here is Sri perunchelva nAyaki (also known as vAtsalya vaLLi) and the Lord here is known as Thrikkakarayappan (also known as vAmanamUrthy) who is in a standing posture facing south. The temple is also locally known as the Thrikkakara vAmanamUrthy kshetram. The main religious event at this temple is the Onam festival which occurs in August-September. The theertham here is known as Kapila theertham.

Legends and History:

The temple is said to be the exact site where vAmanA sent mAbali to the nether-world with His Divine Foot. This has given rise to the etymology of the name Thrikkakara (place of the Holy Foot). Many people think wrongly that the purpose of the vAmanA incarnation was to kill or humiliate mAbali. mAbali was actually a benevolent king and was the grandson of Sri PrahalAdA, who was one of the foremost devotees of Sri perumAL. Unfortunately, mAbali began to develop arrogance as a result of his victory over the dEvAs. In order to save mAbali from error and extinction, Sri perumAL incarnated as vAmanA. By showing mAbali a glimpse of His Infinite form as Thrivikrama, the Lord made mAbali aware of his own insignificance and restored him back to his humble, good-natured self. In the process Sri perumAL also granted mAbali suzerainty over the nether-world.

mAbali sought a boon from Sri perumAL that he be allowed to visit his subjects once a year. It is believed that mAbali rises each year from the nether-world on the anniversary of the vAmanA incarnation (which falls on the day of the ThiruvONam star in the month of AvaNi). This is the day of the Onam festival each year.

Another legend has it that a farmer had a banana plantation that never yielded him any produce. The farmer prayed to Sri perumAL at this temple. With the Grace of Sri perumAL, the banana farm started yielding a rich produce of large-sized bananas, which are now known as the “nEndiram vAzhai” (a special type of banana endemic to the region).

AzhwAr mangaLAsAsanams:

nammAzhwAr: 3612-22

[Note: The numbering convention for the pAsurams seems to differ in various Divya Prabandham books. In some Divya Prabandham books, the same pAsurams by srI nammAzhwAr are listed as verse numbers 3019-29.]

A sample pAsuram:

அறிகிலேன் தன்னுள் அனைத்தும் உலகும் நிற்க

நெறிமையால் தானும் அவற்றுள் நிற்கும் பிரான்

வெறி கமழ் சோலைத் தென் காட்கரை என் அப்பன்

சிறிய என் ஆர் உயிர் உண்ட திரு அருளே     

In this pAsuram, Sri nammAzhwAr says that the Lord Sri perumAL who contains the entire Universe is also contained in everything. Out of extreme humility, Sri AzhwAr says that the Grace of Sri perumAL is unfathomable for a lowly person like him.

Sri vAtsalya vaLLi thAyAr samEtha Sri Thrikkakarayappan thiruvadigaLE saraNam.

ThirumUzhikkaLam divya dEsam

In this blog, so far, the divya dEsams in the southern part of kEraLA have been covered. Now let us proceed further north to cover the two divya dEsams located near the twin cities of Cochin-Ernakulam, which are located in central kEralA. These two divya dEsams are ThirumUzhikkaLam and ThirukkAtkarai.

Location and Access:

ThirumUzhikkaLam is located 5 km from the railway station of AngamAli town in kEraLA. There are no facilities for boarding and lodging in ThirumUzhikkaLam itself. Pilgrims may stay at the nearby towns of Alwaye or ErnAkuLam and visit this temple by public bus. The temple is located on the banks of the river BhArathapuzhA.  

The Temple:

The thAyAr here is Sri madhuravENi nAchiyAr. The Lord here is known as “thirumUzhikkaLathAn”, “appan” and “Sri SukthinAtha perumAL”. The icon of a sage by the name of hAreetha maharishi is also seen here.

The temple is built over a large area and is located amid picturesque surroundings. The temple is built in typical kEraLA temple style with plenty of open space.

Legends and History:

When Sri Rama started living in the forests of ChitrakUtA  at the beginning of his exile, his brother BharathA visited him. BharathA’s intention was to persuade Sri Rama to curtail His exile and return to ayodhyA. However, when LakshmanA saw bharathA approaching with his retinue, he mistakenly suspected bharathA’s intentions. He thought bharathA’s purpose was to harm rAmA and hence prepared to attack the former. Later, when he understood the truth, Lakshmana felt very guilty about suspecting the pure-hearted bharathA. To get rid of his guilt, LakshmanA worshipped Sri perumAL here. According to legend, when LakshmanA worshipped here, bharathA himself appeared and assuaged his guilt with his kind words and tender embrace. With the negative feelings cleared up, both of them together worshipped the Lord at this Divya dEsam. Since kind words were exchanged (between LakshmanA and bharathA) here, this place came to be known as Thiru-mozhi-kaLam – which literally means – “place of auspicious words”. The name gradually evolved into Thiru mUzhikkaLam. It is believed that LakshmaNA renovated this temple. In fact, the temple is even locally known as LakshmaNa perumAL temple.

Another legend associated with this Divya dEsam is that a sage by the name of Hareetha Muni, who was the son of Sage VisvAmitrA worshipped Sri perumAL here. The Lord revealed His form to Hareetha Muni here.

AzhwAr mangaLAsAsanams:

nammAzhwAr: 3623-33

Thirumangai AzhwAr: 1553, 2061, 2674(129)

[Note: The numbering convention for the pAsurams seems to differ in various Divya Prabandham books. In some Divya Prabandham books, the same pAsurams by srI nammAzhwAr are listed as verse numbers 3030-40.]

A sample pAsuram:

எனக்கு ஒன்று பணியீர்கள் இரும் பொழில்வாய் இரை தேர்ந்து

மனக்கு இன்பம் பட மேவும் வண்டு இனங்காள்! தும்பிகாள்!

கணக்கொள் திண் மதிள் புடைசூழ் திருமூழிக்களத்து உறையும்       

புனக்கொள் காயா மேனிப் பூந்துழாய் முடியார்க்கே

In this pAsuram, Sri nammAzhwAr implores the insects to act as his messengers and convey his longing to the Lord Sri perumAL at thirumUzhikkaLam. ThirumUzhikkaLam is fortified by high walls and the Lord here has the colour of kAyA flowers and is adorned with Thulasi (basil).

Sri madhuravENi nAchiyAr samEtha thiru mUzhikkaLathAn thiruvadigaLE saraNam

ThiruvaNvaNdUr Divya dEsam (aka ThiruvamundUr)

ThiruvaNvaNdUr is yet another Divya dEsam that is located in the Chengannur area. It is one of the five divya dEsams in this area that is connected with the pAndavAs of mahAbhArathA fame.

Location and Access:

This Divya dEsam is located 6 km to the North of Chengannur along the Ernakulam-Trivandrum railway. There are no facilities for lodging here, hence it is best to stay at TiruvallA.

The Temple:

The temple is located on the banks of the pampA river. It is built in the typical kEraLA divya dEsam style with a circular vimAnam. The thAyAr here is Sri Kamalavalli nAchiyAr and the perumAL here is Sri pAmbaNai appan (pAmbaNai = snake bed; appan = father). Also, the name pAmbaNai appan is interpreted as “pampA nadi appan”, since the temple is located on the banks of the pampA nadhi (river). Sri perumAL here is also known as Sri kamalanAthan. Sages mArkandeyA and naradA are also seen in this temple. There is an idol of Sri Krishna dancing on the head of a five-headed snake in this temple.

Legends and History:

According to mythology, Sage NaradA worshipped Lord Sri Vishnu here. Sri Vishnu ordained that it would be Sage naradA’s vocation to disseminate true knowledge to the world. Also, Sage naradA composed the “naradeeya purAnam” here, establishing the primordial nature of Sri Vishnu and the protocol for worshipping Him.

According to legend, this temple was renovated by Nakula, the fourth of the pAndavA brothers in the mahabhArathA.

According to recent history, idols of Lord Sri Vishnu were found in this town while digging the earth. These were installed in the temple in new sannidhis.

AzhwAr mangaLAsAsanams:

nammAzhwAr: 3227-37

 [Note: The numbering convention for the pAsurams seems to differ in various Divya Prabandham books. In some Divya Prabandham books, the same pAsurams by srI nammAzhwAr are listed as verse numbers 2634-44.]

A sample pAsuram:

வேறுகொண்டு உம்மை யான் இரந்தேன்; வெறி வண்டினங்காள்

தேறு நீர்ப் பம்பை வடபாலைத் திருவண்வண்டூர்

மாறு இல் போர் அரக்கன் மதிள் நீறு எழச் செற்று உகந்த

ஏரு சேவகனார்க்கு என்னையும் உளன் என்மின்களே  

In this pAsuram, Sri nammAzhwAr appeals to honey bees to convey his longing for Sri PerumAL to Him. The Lord who reduced the demon-king rAvaNA’s capital to rubble resides in ThiruvaNvandUr, which is located on the northern bank of the river pampA.

SrI  kamalavaLLi thAyAr samEtha Sri pAmbaNai appan  thiruvadigaLE saranam