| Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Tiruvarur |
| Deity | Perumpurakkadal (Vishnu), Kannamangai Nayagi (Lakshmi), Bakthavathsalan (Vishnu), Abhishekavalli |
| Festivals | Brahmothsavam Chithrai Month |
| Features |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Thirukkannamangai, Kodavasal |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location in Tamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates | 10°47′58″N79°35′13″E / 10.79944°N 79.58694°E /10.79944; 79.58694 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
TheBhaktavatsala Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated toHindu godVishnu, located in Thirukannamangai, a village inTiruvarur district in the South Indian state ofTamil Nadu. Constructed in []], the temple is glorified in theNalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medievalTamil canon of theAlvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as one among the 108Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshipped as Bhaktavatsala Perumal and his consortLakshmi as Kannamangai Nayagi.
The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity and is believed to be initiated by theMedieval Cholas of the late 9th century CE, with later contributions at different times fromThanjavur Nayaks. The temple has three inscriptions dating from theChola period. The temple has a five-tieredrajagopuram (gateway tower) and enshrined within a granite wall. The complex contains all the shrines and the temple tank is located outside the main entrance of the temple.
Bhaktavatsala Perumal is believed to have appeared to marry his consortLakshmi in the place. The temple observes six daily rituals and three yearly festivals. The chariot festival, celebrated during theTamil month ofChittirai (March–April), is the most prominent festival of the temple. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.
As per Hindu legend,Varuna, the guardian deity of the west and sage Romasa are believed to have worshipped Vishnu at this place. The beehive in the temple is believed to bedevas worshipping Vishnu and in modern times, has special rituals performed for it.[1]Shiva is believed to guard the four corners of the temple. As per another legend, when theOcean of Milk waschurned byasuras and devas, various objects emerged from it. At the end of it,Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, emerged, and was too shy to look at Vishnu. She went on to Thirukannamangai to perform penance seeking the hands of Vishnu for marriage. The festival deity of the temple is called Perum Purak katal as he is believed to have left his place to marry her. Local legend marks the places as Lakshmi Vanam, the forest where Lakshmi performed her penance. The temple tank is believed to have originated from the water drops in Brahma's cache when he worshippedVamana, anavatar of Vishnu.[2] The temple finds mention inSkanda Purana andBrahmanda Purana.[3]
The temple[4] has a 5-tierrajagopuram and a vast temple complex. The prime deity, Bhaktavatsalar has an imposing image. The temple tank is situated right opposite to the temple and is considered one of the largest temple tanks in the state. This shrine is also referred to asSaptamrita Kshetram (seven celebrated elements of nature), referring to seven of its elements such asVimanam,Mandapam,aaranyam,tirtham,kshetram, river and town.[2] The main entrance of the temple faces the East and at the entrance of the temple, there is a four pillared open hall. The temple has a 90 ft (27 m) tallrajagopuram (temple tower) and is enclosed by rectangular walls around it. There is a smaller temple tower on the western side. The walls of the temple is surrounded by large streets, through which the temple chariot passes along during festivals. A rare image ofBuddha, image of Vaikunta Natha and Vishnu mounted on his eagle mount Garuda are the major images in the temple. There is a pillared hall leading to the shrine of Kannamangai Thayar shrine that has pillars with Nayak architectural representation.[2]
The temple follows the traditions of theTenkalai sect of Vaishnavite tradition and followsvaikanasa aagama. The temple priests perform thepooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to theVaishnavaite community, from the Brahmin varna. The temple rituals are performed four times a day:Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m.,Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m.,Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., andArdha Jamam at 8:30 p.m. Each ritual has three steps:alangaram (decoration),neivethanam (food offering) anddeepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Bhaktavatsala Perumal and Kannamangai Thayar. During the last step of worship,nadasvaram (pipe instrument) andtavil (percussion instrument) are played, religious instructions in theVedas (sacred texts) andNalayira Divya Prabandam are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of thetemple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple.[5]
During theTamil month ofChittirai, Brahmotsavam, a 10-day festival is celebrated and the festival deity is taken in procession around the streets of the temple in different mounts each day. The other festivals associated with Vishnu temples likeKrishna Jayanti, Saturdays of Tamil month Puratasi,Navaratri,Vaikuntha Ekadashi andVijayadasami are celebrated during the respective days.[2]
Tirukannamangai is mentioned inPadma Purana, one of the 18 sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The temple is revered inNalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, byThirumangai alvar.[2] The Alvar has sung praise, imagining himself as a lady and Bhaktavatsala as his lover. The temple is classified as aDivya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book.[5] Manyacharyas have also written songs on the various forms of Bhaktavatsala in this Temple.[2] Tirukanna Mankaiyantan, the disciple ofNathamuni was born here during the 10th century. Thivyakavi Pillai Peruman has revered the presiding deity in his works ofNotriyettu Tirupathi Kovai and Paravai Ramanujar in his works ofNotriyettu Tirupati Tirupugal. One of the three Sangeetha Mumurthi, namelyMuthuswami Dikshitar, has sung praise of the deity in his verses.[2]
| Pancha Kannan Temples | |
|---|---|
| Loganatha Perumal Temple | Thirukannangudi |
| Gajendra Varadha Temple | Kabisthalam |
| Neelamegha Perumal Temple | Thirukannapuram |
| Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple | Thirukannamangai |
| Ulagalantha Perumal Temple | Thirukkovilur |
This temple is one of the Panchakanna (Krishnaranya) Kshetrams. Kannan refers toKrishna, theavatar of Vishnu, whilepancha means five andKshetrams refers to holy places. Four of the five temples are situated inChola Nadu, in modern times, in the region surroundingKumbakonam andNagapattinam and one of them in Nadu Nadu. Krishna is not the presiding deity in any of the temples. The processional deity, Krishna, led to the derivation of the names of these places. There are five similar temples located in North India, called Pancha-dvarakas.[6]
