Nithya Kalyana Perumal

Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple

Among the various incarnations of Maha Vishnu, four Avataras are among the most popular – Rama, Krishna, Narasimha & Varaha – in no particular order though. Interestingly, each of these avataras have occurred during various yugas. Let me dwell on the Varaha Avatara.

Jaya-Vijaya, the guards of Vaikunta, the celestial abode of Sriman Narayana were cursed by sages due to the disrespect they showed on the guests. Even the Lord could not much in this regard. However, He offered a work-around to his deputies. He said, you could either be born a 100 times as my devotee or 3 times as my enemy in the form of an Asura. The duo, who didn’t want to stay away from the Lord too long preferred the latter boon (or curse!).

The duo were born as Shishupala – Dantavakra in Dwapara Yuga,  Ravana – Kumbhakarna in Treta Yuga and hiranyaksha – Hiranyakashipu in Krita Yuga.

Hiranyaksha did penance for thousands of years and became mighty powerful. He took control of all the worlds including the Vedas and took them to the akala pathala, the bottom most part of the universe. Mother Earth, Bhooma Devi was under His siege and prayed the Almighty to rescue Her. Sriman Narayana took the form of a wild boar, went deep inside the pathaala, killed Hiranyaksha Asura and rescued Mother Earth and brought it back on His nose, hence we see Bhooma Devi (The Earth) always placed on the nose of the boar. 

There’s an interesting story why the Lord took the form of a Boar and not any other form. Goddess Mahalakshmi as Bhooma Devi always remains under the ground. But during this siege, she was taken to the 7^th world underground which is considered to be filthy and dirty. If the Lord appeared as He would in the Vaikunta with a Vajra Kreeta, Jewellery and his form when the Goddess is in the pits, it may not have looked nice. Hence, He took a form of a creature which usually dwells in the much and is considered to be among those living forms which live in the dirtiest parts of the earth. Hence, He appeared as a Boar. 

The Lord is said to have appeared first at Srimushnam in this form which is considered a svayambu kshetra. However, He also appeared at Thiruvidanthai, 50 kms South of Chennai where He is celebrated as “Nithya Kalyana Perumal”. 

Sage Kuni and his daughter performed penance to attain Mukthi. The Sage attained but not the daughter. Sage Narada advised the girl to marry so she can attain Mukthi. She married Sage Kalava and had 360 daughters. The couple pleaded the Lord to marry the girls and bless everyone with Mukthi but He didn’t oblige. One day, a young man visited their hermitage and the Sage requested him to marry all the daughters one by one every day. On the last day, the man transformed in to the Varaha form and He was none other than Sriman Narayana. 

He merged all the 360 wives into one – Akilavalli and seated Her on His Left Leg. Hence the name Thiruvida-vandhai which later became Thiruvidanthai. 

Believers flock to this shrine for getting His blessings to be married and to lead a prosperous life. Sarathy will be able to arrange special pujas for your loved ones should they wish to undertake this offering. Call us on 9176300058 for details. 

Bhuvanagiri Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt

It was a chance trip I had undertaken to Vaitheeswaran Koil to offer my obeisance to the presiding deity there. While I was driving between Cuddalore and Chidambaram, I saw a signage towards “Bhuvanagiri” and it struck to my mind that I haven’t been there ever although I have passed by the place so many times. So, I made it a point to visit the place on my return. With the Grace of the Almighty, it was made possible.

Bhuvanagiri is a quaint town positioned between Srimushnam on the West and Cuddalore on the East. This is the place where the revered Hindu Saint Sri Raghavendra Swamy was born to Smt. Gopikamba and Sri Thimannacharya in the year 1595 AD. He was named Venkatanatha on his birth and during his naming  ceremony, he seemed to have pulled the Tulsi Mala of one of the visitors who had come that day, symbolically referring that he will embrace spiritualism eventually. Being a Madhwa Brahmin and hailing from a poor family, he was sent to his Uncle’s place for his childhood learning on Religious Scripts. It is said that Venkatanatha was a bright child and learned the Vedas among various other scriptures and won many debates during his times, especially in the lines of Advaita and Dwaita – the philosophy established by the Madhwa proponent Sri Madhwacharya. Under the tutelage of his Guru Sri Sudhindra Theertha who was also the peetathipathi of the Kumbakonam Mutt, he won hearts and debates with elan – being a trained Veena player, he was also adept in music and was a regular performer as well.

Venkatanatha was married to Saraswathi as per Hindu rituals but lived a life of poverty, so much so that feeding two meals a day for the couple and their only child was a rare event. In a particular incident, Venkatanatha taught the sacred Vedas to a child of a purported lower caste which didn’t go well with the community. Venkatanatha argued that all creations of the Almighty are equal and anyone can learn the sacred scriptures which alienated him further from the community. With no opportunities for a respected learning, dejected and upset over things that unfolded, Venkatanatha took his books to throw them away in a temple pond from where Goddess Saraswathi appeared and said that he was Her child and that He was filled with Gynana and Knowledge. She also asked him to immediately visit His Guru at his Ashram. The Guru ordered that Venkatanatha must undertake Sanyasa as that was the will of the Almighty. The Guru named him “Sri Raghavendra” and ordained him as the head of the Mutt in 1621 and advised him to visit the country and bless the people to overcome their miseries, sorrow and poverty as well as spread the word of the Hindu Madhwa Siddhantha. 

Sri Raghavendra decided to settle down at Manchala village which is now named Mantralaya in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. It is said that Rayaru is alive inside His Brindavana and blesses his devotees. Over the years, the “mruthike” or the holy sand from Mantralaya has been taken and placed across the world to create “Sri Raghavendra Mathas” which teach the holy scriptures at the precincts. One such Brindavana is located at Bhuvanagiri as well, inside the same house he was born. The Matha is managed by a Private Trust under the supervision of the SRS Mutt, Mantralaya and ably guided by the the peetathipadhi of SRS Mutt, HH Sri Subhudendra Swamiji.

Bhuvanagiri is a morning-evening drive from Chennai by road. One could leave Chennai by 7am in the morning and reach Bhuvanagiri by 11am, have His darshana followed by theertha prasada and return the same evening. The preferred route would be through Cuddalore on ECR or through Neyveli. Do make a visit soon and share your experiences.

Sri Parthasarathy Temple

Mahabharatha, the epic is not just another story. Some call it a myth, some a work of fiction. Rather, it is a guide to the human race on how to lead a life to eventually reach the Lord’s feet and enable us to attain Moksha. Sriman Narayana took his 9^thincarnation in the previous Dwapara Yuga as Krishna and His life is a very interesting story, right from his birth on the supposedly inauspicious Ashtami night all the way up to the Epic War – Maha Bharatha. The Lord gives us various life learnings in this incarnation and they are valuable to everything we do in our daily lives. 

When it was decided that the Kauravas, who had kept the Pandavas away from taking over the Kingdom and were even forced to live in hiding for a year, both the teams reached out to Lord Krishna for support and help them win respectively. Duryodhana, the Kaurava King wanted all weapons, manpower, animals like horses, elephants and so on and all resources that were available to which the Lord obliged. Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Padavas sought Him to be by their side to which the Lord smiled. The essence of this, is that no matter what we have in our lives, we finally need the guidance and blessings of the Lord with us always. 

In the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Lord Krishna plays charioteer and thus the name Partha Sarathy, Sarathy meaning the one who drives. There are various interpretations to the epic war, such the two who fight are within us who are Parthas, the bad and the good, while The Lord resides in our hearts and guides us in our every step. HE suggests a way of living, acts as a guide when we make mistakes and advises steps to recoup our mistakes. 

Bhagavad Gita which evolved from the Mahabharatha, is the best book one could ever lay their hands on. It has so many anecdotes, so many real-life situations and experts have always agreed there is no better resource to clarify our doubts than the Gita. I have read many parts of the Mahabharatha across various books and articles and have also heard a number of discourses by scholars. Every time I hear the Mahabharatha, I discover a new thing about life and take a leaf out of the book, quite literally. 

Summary of the Gita

The Lord says, “what is yours today was someone else’s yesterday, will be someone else’s tomorrow” and “you brought nothing, you take back nothing” among various other things.

Legend

It is said that Lord Krishna, after the Epic war was over performed Pattabhisheka – ordained Dhramaraja as the King and came to this location where He blesses his ardent devotees. The 10 feet idol of Lord Krishna has a mostache, a rarity for Sriman Mahavishnu, and faces East. 

The temple also has separate precincts for Sri Yoga Narasimha facing West, Sri Nitya Varadaraja Perumal, Goddess Mahalakshmi and Goddess Aandal. It is said that the Utsavar idol has marks of the arrows that were aimed at the Lord during the Epic war. 

Among the 106 Divya Desam temples on Earth, Tiruvallikeni Sri Parthasarathy is the presiding deity of the city of Chennai (formerly Madras). Various Kings are said to have maintained the temple and have contributed immensely for the upkeep of the temple over centuries. 

Main Festivals;

Sri Krishna Jayanthi - Tamil Month - …………. English Calendar Year - ………….

Temple Timings: 

6am to 12.30pm; 4.30pm – 8.30pm

Google Link

How to reach: 

Railhead: 

Chennai Central Railway Station (7 kms)

Chennai Egmore Railway Station (7 kms)

Tambaram Railway Station (27 kms)

Bus Stand: 

Koyambedu Bus Station (15 kms)

Airport: 

Chennai Airport (16 kms)

By Road:

The Temple is situated in the heart of the city at Triplicane. City buses are available to reach the place, so are Autos & Taxis. There is limited parking for self-driven cars and is almost impossible to get one during the peak hours and weekends. Also, the roads leading to the temple are quite narrow.

The Marina Beach is less than 2 kms from the temple. There is a huge Temple tank on the eastern side of the temple where Teppotsavam is held from time to time. 

Welcome Post

Welcome to my weblog on Temples - Gopurams & More.

It's been a long pending task for me to share the temples I visit - something many of my friends, family and acquaintances have asked me to share. It's quite an effort to chronicle the visits than driving to the temples - but I assure to get this up and running from now on. 

Do share your wish list of temples' information that you may need and I will do my best.

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