CHERANMAHA DEVI RAMASWAMY TEMPLE, TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT-TAMILNADU. Introduction
The temple is located 1kilometer North of Cheran Maha Devibus stand at the foot of the Western Ghats amidst green paddy fields. Thistemple is an ancient one, at least1000years old. This Aadhi Narayanan Ramaswamy temple is referred as the Nigarili Chola VinnagarAzhvaar temple in 10th Century AD inscriptions and the deity is referred to asRaghava Chakravarti in a 1020AD Rajendra I period inscription. In 2016, the temple has been renovated. The temple is one among the 108Divyadesams ( sacred shines dedicated to Lord Vishnu) Legend There is no clear legend about the temple. It is believed SriRamaWorshipped Mahavishnu in this temple. History A 10th Century AD inscription records a specific praise ofVaikasanas for taking care of the lamps at the Ramaswamy temple as they wouldof their own body, so committed were they that they pledged themselves tomaintain a perpetual lamp at the temple ( 1015AD Rajendra I periodinscription). Not just the lamps, the overall security of the Ramaswamytemple too was provided for as can be seen from the 1036AD inscription ofSundara Chola Pandya Deva which refers to a gift of pieces of land by theMerchant Guild for maintenance of a watchman at the temple. One could alsoassume from the gifting by the Merchant Guild that the business and economy atthis place was robust at that point of time. Later Nayakas hadpatronized and the Bronzes of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, Hanuman would have beendonated to this temple for Urchava Moorthis’ worship. The temple was damaged at many locations and renovation and repairs were done and consecration was done in January 2016. Architecture The temple faces east with a mottai gopuram and mandapam.Ramar with Hanuman and Ramar sculptures are on the pillars of the entrancemandapam. Balipeedam, Dwajasthambam, and Garudan are in front of the temple.Dwarapalakas are at the entrance of ardha mandapam. Moolavar Sri Narayanar is inthree postures on three levels, Standing, Sitting, and reclining postures. Allthree Moolavars and Consorts are made of stucco, painted with herbal extracts. In praharam, Alwars, Viswaksenar, Adi Narayana Perumal. The mukha mandapa ceiling lintels/beams have the sculpturesof epic Ramayan episodes. Inscriptions There are several inscriptions on the inner and outer wallsof this Ramaswamy temple. There are alsoinscriptions on the way up the steps to Tier 1 of the temple that provideinsights into the conduct of the festivals, the daily poojas at the temple, thestate of the temple under different rulers and their contribution to the well-beingof the temple. Sanctum Three Tier Vimana The temple has a three tier vimana, with Adhi Narayanan in a Standing Postureat the Ground level, Veetrituntha Perumal in a sitting posture in Tier 1 along with Sri andBhoo Devi and Thiruparkadalnathanin a sleeping posture in Tier 2. Quick Facts Moolavar: Aadhi Narayanan East Facing Standing Posture inGround level. Tier 1: Veetriruntha Perumal with Sri and Bhoo devi in aSitting Posture Tier 2: Thiru Parkadal Lord in Sayana posture atop Adhisesha Utsava Deity: Rama with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman Separate Sannidhi: Veda Narayanan with Bhoo and Neela Devi Even though this temple is dedicated to Maha Vishnu asVedanarayana Perumal, the Utsavars are Rama, Sita andLakshmana. Hence this temple is called as Ramasamy temple. Also, it is believedthat Rama worshipped Maha Vishnu of this temple. Poojas Poojas are performed asper the Vaikasana tradition.Apart from regular poojas special poojas are conducted on Vaikunta Ekadasi,Ramar Jayanthi, and all-important Vaishnavite auspicious days. While exact timings can vary slightly, the daily poojas atthe Cheranmahadevi Ramaswamy Temple generally follow the traditionalVaishnavite worship schedule. Morning poojas Vishwa Roopam: This is the first pooja of the day, wherethe deity is woken up. Abhishekam: The idol is bathed with sacred substanceslike milk, curd, honey, and sandal paste. Thiruvaradhanam: The morning offerings of food (prasad)are made to the deity. Evening poojas Sayarakshai: The evening pooja is performed beforesunset. Festivals There are several festivals conducted in a Grand manner atthe Ramaswamy temple. A 10day Unjal Utsavam in Chitrai, Garuda Sevai on thefourth Saturday in Puratasai, a 10th day Chariot Festival (indicating thetemple had a Chariot) and an 11th day Theertha Vari utsavam are among thepopular festivals at this temple. Theppotsavam in Margazhi isa big event. TheTheppotsavam about which we find details in these ancient Chola and PandyaPeriod inscriptions continues to take place in the Tamil Calendar month ofMargazhi. Belief is that Ganga comes here to Porunai river every year on theday of Maa Viyathi Paatham in Margazhi to cleanse her sins. It is said thatpeople from Cheran Maha Devi used to congregate here for a bath at this riveron this day. Other festivals are Rama Navami, Krishna Jayanthi and VaikuntaEkadasi Procession. The old Name Inscriptions indicate that this place was referred to asCheran Maha Devi Chaturvedi Mangalam. In those days, the hilly terrain ofPapanasam was the short cut from Cheran Maha Devi to Trivandrum. Also, culvertsrefer to this place as Nigarili Chola Chaturvedi Mangalam. Cheran Mahadevi This place Cheran Mahadevi is on the banks of RiverThamirabarani and was named after the Queen of a Chera King. During the Chozha period, thisplace was a Brahmadeya Village also called Nigarili Chaturvedi Mangalam, giftedto Brahmins, who are well-versed in 4 Vedas. Location Cheran Maha Devi is at a very centric location on theTirunelveli- Ambasamudram- Papanasam route. One can also reach Cheran Maha Devivia Kalakkad and Valliyoor from Nagerkovil. Auto from Cheran Maha Devi busstand will cost Rs.25/- to reach the temple. Temple Time: The temple will be kept open between 07.00 hrs to 10.00 hrsand 17.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs. Bhattar Parthasarathy’s mobile number +919952582506 How to reach This Ramasamy Temple is about 2 km from Cheranmahadevi busstand. 17 km from Tirunelveli Junction, 19 km from Ambasamudram, and 48 km fromTenkasi. Administration The temple is under HR and CE Government of Tamilnadu. Compiled and posted by R. Gopalakrishnan on27-09-2025 -- 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/901602052.915395.1758975466869%40mail.yahoo.com.
