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.

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Welcome to my weblog on Temples - Gopurams & More.

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