ADIKESAVAPERUMAL TEMPLE,NEAR MARTHANDAM, KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT-TAMILNADU-COMPILED
Dear friends, Today my posting is about the AadiKesava Perumal temple atTiruvattar, in Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu. The temple is closely relatedto Padmanabhaswamy temple, Trivandrum. I have visited the temple while workingin Nagerkovil during 1977’. Nostalgia- I had a co- lecturer fromTiruvattar, while working at Trivandrum Telecom centre during 1991-1996. He hadMalayalam as 2nd language in his degree from Madras University. Heis settled in Trivandrum now. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 29-4-2025. Introduction The Adikesava Perumal Temple is located in Thiruvattar,Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India and is one of the 108 Divya desams, the holy sites ofHindu Vaishnavism in existing Tamil hymns from the seventh and eighth centuriesC.E. The temple is one of the historic thirteen Divya Desams ofMalai Nadu. The temple is a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, (RiverKothai, River Pahrali and River Thamirabarani) It was the Rajya Templeand Paradevatha shrine of Erstwhile Travancore kings. Since Lord Vishnu resides here in a reclining position, andis surrounded by rivers, the temple is called as "The Srirangam of Chera Kingdom". It is considered the 76th of the 108 Vaishnava shrines . Itis also one of the 13 hill shrines Legend According to the legends, Lord Brahma performed a Yaga whichhe was not supposed to do without his wife Saraswathi Devi. As a result ofSaraswathi’s anger, two demons named Kesan and Kesi emerged out of the sacrificial fire, to trouble theworld. The issue was elevated to lord Vishnu for a solution. Following an almighty battle, Lord Vishnu in the form ofKesava Perumal defeated Kesan. The Lord made him as a serpent bed and settledthere. The lady demon Kesi, who had seen her brother Kesan defeated, wanted toavenge the lord. With her friend Kothai, they both took the form of rivers andsurrounded the lord with the intention to submerge him. Bhoomi Devi (the earthGoddess) came to rescue the lord raising him quite above from the terrain. Today, the temple is surrounded bythe rivers Parali and Kotha with the temple around 50 feet above the land.Thus, the formation of the rivers made in a circle came to be known asThiruvattaru. The temple was consecrated by Parasurama and is admired byVeda vyasa in the sections which deal with temples in Padma Purana. History As per the stoneinscriptions which dates back to 779 KE the temple is established in the Treta yuga. The Adikesavatemple is also where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnavamovement, discovered the lost manuscript of the Brahma Samhita. This temple is also older than the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Templein Thiruvananthapuram. The Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram wasbuilt on the basis of the structure and architecture of this temple. On 10 June 1741, Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma, the thenruler of Travancore, before going for the Battle of Colachel offered 908panams, yataghan, and silk on the feet of Lord Adikesava and prayed forvictory. Architecture The temple architecture isa fusion of Dravidian and Kerala styles of architecture, with wooden pillars, doors androofs. The Temple is surrounded by a thirty-feet-high fort wall. The outercorridor stand on 224 stone pillars. The adjacent forward facing mandapamsincludes sculptures and art works which depicts events from Ramayana. It also portrays Gods and Goddessesfrom Hindu mythology including Shiva, Parvati and Sri Krishna etc. Main deities Adikesava Perumal, Maragathavalli Thaayaar The Lord is lying on His snake couch and has to be viewed through three doors.We could see Lord Shiva near Lord Adikesava Perumalinside the sannidhi.Deepalakshmis are many but none resembles the other. The OtraikkalMandapam (single stone hall), made of a single stone 3 feet thick, is a marvel.Oorthuva Thandavam,Venugopala, Rathi, Manmatha, Lakshmana and Indrajit are all excellently carved.The temple is also renowned for its murals. The composite columns of Virabhadra, holding a sword and a horn, are found beadditions by the Vijayanagara kings in the early 1500s. The temple complex includes a sastha templebehind which stands the Ksetra pala and Balikkal.It also includes Sree Bali Prakaram and the Yanaikottil. Other deities are located in the south-western corner, theflag mast is located at the west at the Sree Balippura. Asper the stone inscriptions in the pedestal of the flag mast it was renovated bySree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma VI in 1071 KE. The granite entrance of the Chitra Sabha includes sculpturesof the Dwara Palakas known asJaya and Vijaya. Sculptures of Lakshmana and Pathanjali Tandava carved to the left of SabhaMandapam while that of Indrajithand Muralidhara and Kalabairava are carved to the right. The image of the chief deity in his sayana posture issculpted on the wooden entrance door. Vattezhuthu inscriptions of ShilpaShastra are found in adjacent walls. It also includes details about the 11thcentury Chola King Rajendra Chola. Sculptures of Rati and Manmadan is found opposite UdayaMarthanda Mandapam. The epic scenes Vinayaka Kalyanam, Bharata War and deities Varuna, Niriyati, Yama,Kubera, Indra, Agni, Brahma and Monks in penance are sculpted in a row abovethe Mandapam. A variety of mural painting are found along the walls of theinner prakarams. A secret passage leading to the Palace is found beneath thewest of the inner prakarams which is covered with a large stone slab. Going by extant legends,the temple is closely associated with the famous Sree Anantha PadmanabhaswamyTemple, Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamytemple deity lies in the direction as to see the Thiruvattar Adi kesava deity. The main deity was originally covered with gold kavachams inwhich diamonds and other precious stones were embedded which the Kerala kingshad presented to the temple. There is also a small shrine for Lord Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy near the riverand opposite to the Adikesava Perumal Temple. The priests are fromKerala thulu potties and the processions to the lord are done as per theirnorms Connection withTravancore kingdom The entire present day Kanyakumari District formed part oferstwhile Travancore Kingdom. Up to Marthanda Varma, all kings ruled theerstwhile Venad Kingdom (which was expanded by Marthanda Varma to formThiruvithaamkoor) from Padmanabhapuram in Kanyakumari District. It was Dharma Raja, the nephew andsuccessor of Marthanda Varma, who shifted the capital to Thiruvananthapuram. PadmanabhapuramPalace, the erstwhile royal abode of Travancore Kings, is still preserved inall its glory and is situated at Padmanabhapuram in Kalkulam Taluk ofKanyakumari District. King Marthanda Varma was a staunchdevotee of Lord Adikesava and used to worship at the temple before all themajor war campaigns undertaken by him. The presiding Deities of Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvattarhad a deep connection which reflects in the quantitative measurement ofcommodities utilised etc. The Perumals of Thiruvattar and Thiruvananthapuramremain closely bound to each other with this closeness being mirrored not onlyin festivals which coincide, special days, and many rituals, but also in theirstructural patterns, includingthe Ottakkal Mandapam. In both cases the MoolaVigrahas are of Katu-Sarkara and are containing Salagramas. The strong affiliation of the Venadkings to both Thiruvattar and Thiruvananthapuram temples in their privilegesand responsibilities provide ample evidence of enduring interconnections. Devotees can also see Lord Shiva seated next to AiyanAadikesava Perumal inside the sanctum. Although many Deepalakshmi lamps are placed here, each one isdifferent and not the same. Festivals andprasadhams Festivals Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Krishna Janmashtami Vaikunta Ekadesi is celebrated with pomp and glory. PaalPayasam (Milk Kheer), Aval and Appam are delicious prasadams at this temple.The pujas are done in the same manner as that of the Sri Padmanabhaswamytemple, Thiruvananthapuram. Other major festivals are Avani Thiruvonam (in Onam), Aippasi, Panguni festival, Kalpa Puja in the month of Thai (held for10 days), Vaikuntha Ekadashi in themonth of Margazhi. Pasurams Alvar saint Nammalvar had sung 11 pasurams in praise of AdiKesava Swamy in the 6th Thiruvai mozhi. There are Three temples related toAdikesava Perumal Temple. Tiruvattar-name This town got its name Thiruvattaru because the ParaliyaruRiver flows around the feet of Adi Kesava Peruman, who has a school in themiddle of this town. The place where the Paraliyaru River , which originates inMaramalai and flows towards the west , and the Kodaiyur River, which flowstowards the northeast, merge and form a single river again is called"Muavatru Mugam" (three + river + face). Thus, it finally merges intothe Arabian Sea. Sangam period Since Nammalvar refers to the temple deity of this village as'Vattar', it is clear that the ancient name of this village was Vattar .Therefore, it can be understood that the Sangam king Vattar Ezhiniathan wasfrom this village. Nammalwar has blessed this place with 11 songs. One of thesesongs is "I will worship the feet of Narana, who has arisen with the nameof Adikesavan, by singing the hymns of the Lord, instead of being with theordinary people who live a simple life and eat and sleep." Nammalvar, the greatest of the Azhwars, has composed 11pasurams in praise of Aadikesava Swamy. Special features ofthe temple This temple is built in the Chera Nadu style. All menentering the temple must remove their shirts to show respect to the Lord. The idol of the Lord, which isimmersed in the Arithuyil with the Aadishedan as a bed, is 22 feet long.It is said to be a Chatusakkarai Padimam made of 16,008 Salagrama stones. Thereare three permanent gates in the sanctum sanctorum. The three parts of theThirumugam, Thirukkaram and Thirupadham can be seen at each entrance. In theThirumugam permanent gate, you can see the face immersed in the Arithuyil, the outstretchedleft hand, Aadishedan and Garudazhvar. In the Thirukkaram gate, you can see theright hand showing the Chinmudra and the five arms including the conch chakram.It is the tradition of this temple to worship the Thirumugam, Thirukaram, andThirupadham in the same order. The main gate of this temple faces west. Inscriptions There is a Tamil inscription on the flagpole in this temple.In addition, the inscription mentions the reigns of the following kings. Kulasekara Perumal - AD 644-659 Veeramarthandavarma - AD 510-519 Veerakerala Varma - AD 519-550 Sempaladitta Varma - AD 612-645 Unni Kerala Varma - AD 734-753 Temple Timings Thiruvattar Adikesava Perumal Temple is open from 5 AM to11:30 AM. From 5 PM to 8 PM. Dress Code For Men: “dhoti or pyjama with upper cloth or formal pantswithout shirts”.For Women: “a saree or a half saree or churidhar with uppercloth.”For Children: “any fully covered dress.” Administration After state reorganisation, the temple was handed over toTamil Nadu H&RCE Dept. Location of the temple The temple is within walking distance from the Thiruvattarubus stand. There is also a notice board indicating the route to the temple. Thegeographical coordinates of this temple, located at an altitude of about 50 meters above sea level. Address: Temple Road, Kul. sekharam, Thiruvattaru, Tamil Nadu 629171.Phone:094425 77047 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/484109057.2029342.1745936161954%40mail.yahoo.com.
