MATSYAVATHARATEMPLE- MANNAR KOVIL-TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT- TAMILNADU-COMPILED
Dear friends, Wish you all a very happy Onam. This is the day of remembrance ofking Mahabali and Vamana Avathara of Lord Mahavishnu. There are many templesdedicated to Vamana in Kerala and Tamilnadu. Will be in other states also. Generally Onam is celebrated by all Keralites any where inthe world. Tamil Brahmins settled in Kerala celebrated Upakarma also on thenext day.- Avittam along with Other state Brahmins. Since Upakarma is performed also based on Thithi, this year it had been in August 2025. I just thought aboutthe temples for first incarnation- viz -Matsya(fish) . Google search gave methe following data:- While temples dedicated to Mahavishnu's Matsya (fish)incarnation are rare, they can be found in several states across India. Manyare located in South India, with notable sites in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,and Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh Sri Vedanarayana Swamy Temple, Nagalapuram: Located in theChittoor district near Tirupati, this is one of the most prominent Matsyatemples. The deity here is known as Vedanarayana because he recovered the Vedasfrom the demon Somakudu. Vedanarayana (Matsyavatara) Temple, Mulakaluru: This templeis in the village of Mulakaluru, located near Narasaraopet in the Gunturdistrict. Karnataka Sri Matsya Narayana Gudi, Bengaluru: Situated on Omkar Hillsin South Bengaluru, this temple is dedicated to Sri Matsya Narayana Swamy. Shri Matsya Avatara Temple, Heggadhal: This is an ancienttemple in the Bellary district of Karnataka. Tamil Nadu Matsya Narayana Temple, Uthandi, Chennai: Located on the EastCoast Road (ECR) near the Bay of Bengal, this is a more modern temple featuring a large,open-air statue of Lord Matsya Narayana. Rajagopala Swami Temple, Mannarkoil: In this ancient templenear Ambasamudram in the Tirunelveli district, Lord Matsya is one of thedeities worshipped. The Vaishnava saint Kulasekhara Alwar is associated withthis site. Kerala Sree Malsyavathara Mahavishnu Temple, Meenangadi: This templeis located in the Wayanad district, on the Kozhikode-Mysore National Highway. Mootoli Sree Mahavishnu Temple, Kakkodi: Situated in theKozhikode district. Perumeenpuram Vishnu Temple, Kakkur: Also located in theKozhikode district, this temple features an idol of Matsya, and a ceremonyknown as "minut" (feeding the fish) is performed. Gujarat Shankhodara Temple, Bet Dwarka: This temple is dedicated toMatsyavatara and is located on the island of Bet Dwarka I thought I may post aboutthe Rajagopala swamy temple , Mannarkovil near Amba Samudram today using my leisure time. Hope a divine reading atyour leisure time Gopalakrishnan 5-09-2025 Introduction The Arulmigu Rajagopalaswami Kulasekara Alwar Temple is anancient Vaishnava temple located in Mannarkoil, which is about 5 kilometerswest of Ambasamudram in Tamil Nadu. The temple is notable for its uniqueAshtanga Vimana with the maindeity, Rajagopalaswamy, depicted in standing, sitting, and reclining posturesat different levels, and for being the place where KulasekaraAzhvaar attained liberation. This is a magnificent three-storied temple that overlooks thelush forests and mountains of the Western Ghats. One can see many inscriptionsin this historical temple dating back to the Chola period. Situatedright between the Thamirabharani and the Gadananathi rivers, this temple builtby a Chola king has seen significantcontributions from Chera, Pandya and Nayak kings. This temple is also called the Kulasekara Perumal templeafter Kulasekara Azhvar, one of the 12 Vaishnavite saints, who attained mokshahere. A Chera king,Kulasekara Azhvaar, defeated Chola and Pandya kings and was a dominant force inhis prime. He spent his last 35 years serving Lord Vishnu by doingdaily pooja and abhishekham. It is in recognition of this service that thetemple is called Kulasekara Perumal koil, the only historical Perumal koil tobe directly named as an Azhvaar Perumal koil. Legend The primary legend of the Veda Narayana temple in Mannarkoilcenters on Kulasekhara Azhwar, a devoted Vishnu worshipper who came to thetemple, heard the "sound of the Vedas" echoing throughthe area, andchose to stay for the rest of his life, eventually reaching the Lord's feetthere. The temple is also known for the deity being in three postures—standing,sitting, and reclining—representing different forms of Perumal, and the local belief that the deity is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu's MatsyaAvatar who saved the Vedas. HistoricalInscriptions One finds several inscriptions relating to significantcontributions made by rulers dating back to the Chozha and Chera period. RajendraChozha made big contributions to this temple in the 11th century AD, so much sothat this place was referred to as Rajendra Vinnagaram. Later, Chera KingRajasimman donated several pieces of land to this temple. Jatavarma ChozhaPandya as well as Nayak kings also made contributions to the Mannar Koil. Thereare also interesting inscriptions on the floor of the temple right at theentrance. Temple Features: Three-Tiered Vimanam:The temple features a uniquethree-tiered (Ashtanga) Vimanam with the main deity Lord Rajagopalaswamydepicted in three postures. Ground Level: Standing posture. First Tier: Sitting posture with Sridevi and Bhudevi. Second Tier: Reclining posture (Sayana Kolam). Kulasekara Azhvaar Shrine: A separate shrine is dedicated toKulasekara Azhvaar, who is said to have spent his last years and attainedMoksham (liberation) here. Architecture: The temple showcases exquisite architecturewith sculptured images of various sages, Alwars, and depictions from theRamayana on its pillars and wooden doors. History: The area was once called Rajendra Vinnagaram due toKing Rajendra Chozha's contributions to the temple. Location and Access: Location: Mannarkoil is a village a few kilometers from theThirunelveli to Tenkasi Road, near Ambasamudram. Travel: You can reach the temple from Ambasamudram via localbus, auto-rickshaw, or cab. Significance: The temple is a significant Vaishnavite shrineand follows the Tenkalai Sampradayam. The sanctum The highlight of this temple has to be its Ashtanga vimana,meaning 3 floors of sanctum sanctorum, one above the other. On the groundfloor, Lord Vishnu is in the standing position. Right above it, on the firstfloor is the lord in a seated position. And on top of it, on the second flooris the lord in a reclining position. The top most tier is the most beautiful asit has intricated wooden carvings on its walls and ceilings and which wereadded by the Chera kings. Dueto the Ashtanga vimana, one can see the temple from a different perspective. The main deity is Lord Veda Narayana Perumal and his consorts aregoddesses Vedavalli Thaayar and Bhuvanavalli Thaayar. The main deity faces eastand the Utsavar is Rajagopalaswamy with Garuda (a specialty and a feature foundonly at the Srivilluputhur divya desman). Architecture anddeities This east facing Rajagopalaswamy temple has one entrance andtwo prakarams, an ardhamandapam and a mahamandapam. The main deity, Lord Vedanarayana perumal’s idolis made of Sudha model with different herbs. The temple campus isalso known as Vedapuri as the sound of Vedas is always heard here. As we take a walkaround and up the temple, wecan see the shrines of goddessesVedavalli and Bhuvanavalli, Lord Narasimha, Lord Visvaksena, and theidols of the Vaishnavasaint Kulasekara Azhvaar, Vaishnava acharyas Ramanuja and Manavala Mamuningal. There are life sizestatues of Lord Rama and other gods, kings with folded hands forming part of the monolithicpillars. Just above the foundation inscriptions at regular intervals are littlesquare of 5 inches, that have scenes of the Ramayana sculpted on them. The yalirow is also gorgeous with riders and with some elephants as well. Devotees visit thetemple As this is a holy land with echoes of the Vedas, people visitthis temple to pray for a strong academic foundation, to get married, to prayfor children and for overall family welfare and improvement in occupation. For poojas andofferings . Normal poojas as in other Vishnu temples . Devotees can Contact : PS. Narasimha Gopalan Acharya@ 04634 252874 /318408 for offerings and special poojas Festivals: 1) 10 day Brahmotsavam in Chithirai month (April 15 to May15) 2) Procession of Azhvaar in Pushpa Pallaku in Thai month(January 15 to February 15) 3) Theppotsavam in Masi month (February 15 to March 15) 4) This temple has come to be known as Kulasekara PerumalKoil, the only historical Perumal koil to be directly named as an AzhvaarPerumal koil. One also finds the Kulasekara Azhvaar Sannidhi with the Holy FlagPost (Kodi Maram) dedicated to him, a speciality (for Azhvaars) not seen in anyother Perumal koil. How to reach there: Mannarkoil is locatedabout 7 kilometers away from Ambasamudram, the nearest large town. The nearest bus station and railwaystation would be Ambasamudram, which is connected well with the cities ofTirunelveli, Tenkasi and Madurai. The nearest airport would be Tuticorin, about80 kms away. Temple timings: The temple is open from 7 AM to 11 AM and from 5 PM to 7:30PM. Big Efforts ofNarasimha Gopalan Acharya Thanks to the single-handed effort of Shri. Narasimha GopalanAcharya, who belongs to the Periya Nambi ancestry, a once dilapidated temple isnow seeing truly significant renovation worth a lot of commendation. Northern side of the temple now full of Shenbagam trees. Thefact that the number of Shenbagam flowers that one sees here cannot be seen inany other Divya Desam is testimony to the passionate service provided by Shri.Narasimha Gopalan. In his praise of Lord Vishnu in the Naalayira DivyaPrabandham, Kulasekara Azhvaar refers only to Shenbagam flowers and hence thisflower is said to be very sacred. Administration The temple is under HR and CE Government of Tamilnadu. -- 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/333606210.199438.1757075331688%40mail.yahoo.com.
