HARASAAPA VIMOCCHANA PERUMAL TEMPLE, THRIKADIYUR-TIRUVAYARU-TAMILNADU Dear friends,
Sri Harasaapavimochana Perumal Temple at Thrikandyur inTiruvayaru District was mentioned by one of our members when I wrote aboutMahadeva temple at Kandiyur in Alleppy District of Kerala. Today my posting isabout this Perumal temple. The information is compiled. Hope a divine reading. Gopalakrishnan 23-6-2025 Introduction This Divya Desam is around 10 kms from Tanjore and about 4kms from Tiruvayaru. The Lord here is called Sri Hara Sapa Vimochana Perumal.The temple is situated between Kudamurutti and Vennar rivers, has got twoprakarams (corridors around the temple). It has a three-tier Raja gopuramfacing east. This temple is the 15th among the 108 Divya Desams and wasconsecrated by Thiru Mangai Azhvar. Lord Aykantiyan, a form of Lord Vishnu, canbe seen here. Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, and Mahabali Chakravarthi are believedto have witnessed Lord Hara Sabha Vimochana Perumal’s appearance. This is theplace where Sage Agastya received Lord Vishnu’s darshan Legends The legend behind the temple is that Parameswaran (Shiva)plucked the fifth head of Brahma and hence was cursed with Brhamahathi dosham.The skull of Brahma was stuck in his hand and could not get rid of it. As perhis curse, unless he filled the skull with rice by way of alms, he will not beable to get rid of the skull. He went around asking for 'bikshai' (begging forfood) and it never got filled. He approached Lord Vishnu and Mahalakshmi filledthe kapalam (skull) with rice and got filled. As he went around asking forbikshai, He is also called as 'Bikshandavar’. However, the skull stuck to hishand did not fall off. Lord Narayana asked him to go to ThiruKandiyur tocompletely get rid of the curse. Hence Shiva went to Thiru Kandiyur to Kamalapushkarani and took a bath and got rid of the saabham (curse). After that thispushkarani came to be known as Kabala theertham. Parameswaran (Lord Siva) then built a temple for LordNarayana and also built a temple for Himself, close by. Brahma was also housedin a separate temple close by, but according to history, the temple gotdilapidated and in course of time and the idols of Brahma and Saraswati weremoved to the Siva Temple. As per the account inBrahmanda Purana, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation and Shiva, the Hindu god ofdestruction, had originally five heads. Parvati, the wife of Shiva, once got confusedand worshipped Brahma, instead of her husband. Shiva got enraged and cut off one of Brahma's heads; the headstuck to Shiva's hand due to Brahma's curse. To get rid off the sin, Shivaworshipped the god Vishnu at Thirukarambanur as Bhikshatana, where a part ofhis sin was relieved. Shiva freed himself from the sin after visiting Vishnu atThirukandiyur and taking a holy dip in the temple tank, Kamala Pushkarani.Since Vishnu relieved (vimochana) the sin (saabha) of Shiva (also called Hara),the temple is called Hara Saabha Vimochana Perumal Temple. After the incident,the tank came to be known as Kapala Theertham (kapala indicates skull). Shivawas pleased and he built the Hara Sabha Vimochana temple and also built atemple for himself near it. As per another legend,Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu requested Shiva to cut off one of Brahma's heads as she felt that Vishnuwould ignore her and show all his affection towards Brahma. History The temple was constructed in the 8th century CE. The historyof this temple is wonderfully narrated in the Brahmanda Purana. The temple’svimana is called Kamalakruthi. Thirumangai Azhvar composed verses about this temple. The Puranas state that this templewas built by Mahabali Chakravarthi. In the same town, if Lord Shivadidn’t reside, it would have been called “Kandeeshwarar.” Earlier, the templehoused Lord Brahma’s shrine, which is now closed. The images of Lord Brahma andSaraswathi are placed around the temple, with the Veerateshwarar temple nearby. The Vijaya Nagar kings and the Nayakars of Madurai haveconstructed this temple. The son of the victorious emperor Bali, who had takenaway the golden crown of Lord Perumal, was cursed. To overcome his curse, heperformed intense penance and finally reached the Kandiyur temple, surrenderingto Lord Hara Saba Vimochana Perumal. Lord Perumal corrected his body and mind, sending him to thecelestial realm. Therefore, Lord Perumal is also called “Palinathar.” The temple is believed to have been built by the MedievalCholas of the late 8th century CE, with later contributions from Vijayanagarakings and Madurai Nayaks. In modern times, the recorded temple renovation wascarried out in 1984 under the aegis of seer Sri Thirukudanthai Vedanta RamanujaMahadesikan. The renovation is 2003 was carried out by his successor SriRangaramanuja Mahadesikan. The works involved renovation of the gateway tower and theshrines of Hara Saabha Vimocahana Perumal and Kamalavalli Nachiyar. The oldestdeities of the temple are found to be that of Santana Gopala and NavneethaKrishna. It is believed that Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore foughtand won a war at this place and later became a devotee of the temple. Architecture The temple has a three-tiered rajagopuram (gateway tower) andan adjoining granite wall that surrounds the temple. The temple occupies anarea of 1 acre(0.0040 km2) and is located in the between the rivers Kudamurutti and Vennar. The temple has two precincts and the main gateway faces theeast. The central shrine houses the image of Hara Sapa Vimochana Perumal instanding posture. The sanctum is approached through two halls, namely, theGaruda Mandapam and the Maha Mandapam. Kapala Moksha Pushkarani, located on thewest side of the temple is the major water body associated with the temple,while the Mahabali Theertham is located opposite to it. The shrine ofKamalavalli Nachiyar, is located in the first precinct. Chief deity The Moolavar of this sthalam is Sri Hara Saaba Vimochanaperumal. Moolavar is in nindra(standing posture) thirukkolam facing the East.Utsavar is called as Kamalanathan. Prathyakshamfor Agastyar.The Thayaar in this sthalam is Kamalavalli. Facing the eastern direction, Lord Kamala Nadhan is alsoknown by another name, Paranthaman. He is adorned with divine qualities, akinto Garuda, and is served by the eternal celestials like Sanghu, Chakara, andKadathariyai Sri Devi, Bhudevi. The Mother here is Kamalavalli Nachiyar. Before reaching the main deity, there are the PeriyaThiruvadi (big feet) and Siriya Thiruvadi (small feet). The Chakravarthi is ofutmost significance. When entering the temple, it’s a custom to first view theLord’s feet. The Chakravarthi, in the same state, offers darshan in the earlymorning. Sub deities and alwars The second precinct houses the shrines for Narasimha, Sudarshana, Andal,Alvars, and Vedanta Desika. Poojas This temple follows the Vadakalai tradition. The temple priests perform thepooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnutemples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, aBrahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalamat 7 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m. Each ritualhas three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepaaradanai (waving of lamps) for both Hara Saabha Vimochana Perumal andKamalavalli Nachiyar. Six daily rituals and four yearly festivals are held at thetemple, of which the Panguni Brahmostavam, celebrated during the Tamil month ofPanguni (April–May), is the most prominent. Kamal (Lotus flower) The term ‘Kamal,’ signifying a lotus flower, is associatedwith everything at this temple, including the deity, goddess, vimana (tower),the sacred water tank, and the shrine. As a result, this temple is also knownas “Pancha Kamala Kshetram.” Here, you can find five lotus flowers, includingKamala Sedthiram, Kamala Pushkarani, Kamala Vimana, Kamalanadhan, andKamalavalli Nachiyar. Trimurthi sthalam This temple has a unique three-in-one shrine known as“Trimurthi Sthalam,” where temples for Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva exist withinthe same complex, making it the only place of its kind in Thirukandiyur. Way of worship In the Kapala Theertham, devotees take a holy dip and thenstand in the king’s courtyard of Amarnthu and meditate, reciting theeight-syllable mantra, ‘Om Namo Narayanaya Namah‘ on Ekadashi day, concludingthe fasting with a meal, devoid of tamarind, consuming Nelikkani, andAgathikkeerai (Indian spinach). This is mentioned in the Thala Puranam as ameans for Lord Perumal to bestow His grace. Atonement: People who, due to mental instability caused by Shiva’sanger, disrupt their families, or commit sin and then engage in penance torectify their wrongs, and those who have snatched Shiva’s quiver. Those whohave troubled Shiva’s devotees, or doubted their wives, and those who havecommitted sinful acts due to arrogance, or caused harm due to anger. Those whohave committed harm due to arrogance, those who have committed great sins dueto doubt, and those who have committed sins like theft and then get caught bypoverty. They who did such things and come to Kapala Teertham to take a dip,worship Perumal, and surrender to Him, will have their sins forgiven. Perumalwill bless them with His mercy and Mahalakshmi’s grace, and they will transforminto blessed individuals. This is the truth. Lord Siva , with the hand holding the Brahma Kapalam, showedgratitude to Thirumal and removed it from His hand. He also thanked Thirumalfor that act. Brahma, Saraswati, and others show their grace in the temple nearthe Lord. Festivals In the bright fortnight of the Chithirai month, Lord Perumalinitiated the celebrations by offering the Kodayerratti (royal sword) and commenced thegrand festival. Even today, in the Chithirai month, on the ninth day, variousprocessions carry Lord Perumal in different chariots and celebrate the grandTher (chariot) festival. Thisfestival lasts for nine days, and each day is marked by unique eventsand ceremonies. Notable other festivals are the Brahmothsavam in Panguni, PavithraUtsavam in Aippasi, Vaikunta Ekadashi, and Karthigai Deepam. Religious significance The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Alvar in ten hymns. The templeis classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that arementioned in the book. The temple is oneof the few historical temples in India where the images of Hindu Trimurti, Vishnu, Shiva andBrahma are housed in the same premises. It is one of the two temples in Chola Nadu where the Trimurtican be seen in the same premises, the other being Uttamar Kovil nearTiruchirapalli. The shrines of Brahma and his consort Saraswati weredilapidated during the course of time. The place is called by different nameslike Kandiyur,Kandana Kshetram and Pancha Kamala Kshetram, and is believed that devotees getrelieved off their Brahmahatti Dosha after visiting the temple. The temple is considered older than Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple and believed to be in existence from the Treta Yuga. Pushkarani Kapala moksha pushkarani, , Padma theertham, Kudamurutiriver. Mangalasasanams The temple is revered by the verses of Thirumangai Azwar. Temple Timings It is normally open from 7 am –12.30pm and 4.30pm-8.30pm How to reach thetemple The temple is situatedwest of Tanjore towards Tiruvayaru. There are buses from Tanjore, Trichy,Kumbakonam that goes via Thirukandiyur.Tanjore or Kumbakonam is easily accessible by road. From Tanjore it is at 10kms towards Tiruvayaru,( another must visit place). Other important placesaround this temple Brahma Sira Kandeeswarar Siva temple is a famous temple knownas padal petra stahalam close by. Address: Hara Sapa vimochana Perumal temple, Thiruvaiyaru - Thanjavur Rd, Kandiyur, TamilNadu 613202 District: Thanjavur.Phone: 1800 4253 1111 Administration The temple is maintained and administered by the HinduReligious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu. -- 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/1303480530.949547.1750664787174%40mail.yahoo.com.
