Thiruppaarththanpalli
| Thiruppaarththanpalli | |
|---|---|
  Thiruppaarththanpalli Location in Tamil Nadu
| |
| Coordinates: | 11°10′11″N 79°47′50″E / 11.16972°N 79.79722°ECoordinates: 11°10′11″N 79°47′50″E / 11.16972°N 79.79722°E |
| Name | |
| Other names: | Taamaraiyaal Kelvan Temple |
| Proper name: | Thiruppaarththanpalli |
| Location | |
| Country: | India |
| State: | Tamil Nadu |
| District: | Nagapatnam |
| Location: | Parthanpalli |
| Temple Details | |
| Primary Deity: | Taamaraiyaal Kelvan Perumal |
| Consort: | Tamarai Nayagi |
| Festival Deity: | Parthasarathi |
| Temple Tank: | Sankara Saras |
| Shrine: | Narayana |
| Poets: | Thirumangai Alvar |
| Architecture and culture | |
| Architectural styles: | Dravidian architecture |
Taamaraiyaal Kelvan Perumal Temple or Thiruppaarththanpalli a village in the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Taamariyaal Kelvan and his consort Lakshmi as Shegamalavalli. [1]
It is one among the eleven divyadesams of Thirunangur Tirupathis and is closely associated with Thirumangai Alvar. It is also the only temple in the Nangur divyadesams to have revered by an azhwar other than Thirumangai Alvar. As per Hindu legend, the temple tank for dug by Arjuna from the age of Mahabaratha. Krishna appeared as Parthasarathy to Arjuna here and initiated his education, leading to the name of the temple being Parthanpalli.
Legend
As per Hindu legend, Arjuna, one of the five Pandavas from the epic Mahabharatha reached this place on a pilgrimage. He was thirsty and sought water from sage Agastya who was doing penance. There was no water with the sage and all places around. Agastya realised that it was the trick of god Krishna, who was the Lord of Arjuna. He advised Arjuna to pray Krishna, who did accordingly. Krishna was pleased with the prayer of Arjuna and offered him a sword. Arjuna dug the land with the sword which resulted in a gush of water resulting in the Katka Pushkarani, the temple tank. Arjuna is depicted in the temple sporting a sword, following the legend. Krishna also appeared to Arjuna as Parthasarathy and initiated his knowledge to understand who he actually was. Since Parthasarathy initiated education here for Arjuna, the place is called Parthanpalli. (Parthan + Palli, meaning school).[2]
The Temple
It is located close to Thirunangur, a small village, 8 km east of Sirkali en route to Thiruvenkadu. The temple complex has a single prakaram(closed precincts of a temple) and separate shrines for Tamariyan Kelvan Perumal, Shenbagavalli Thayar and Arjuna. The festival images of Tamaraiyan Kalvan, Krishna and Rama, are stored in the shrine of Tamarayan Kelvan. The main gateway tower, the rajagopuram faces west and the temple is surrounded by walls. The temple tank is located in the southern side outside the temple complex. There is a separate hall in the temple complex that houses the chariot and festival chariots.[2]
Festival
The temple is open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: Ushathkalam at 8 a.m., Kalasanthi at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 7:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Tamaraiyan Kalvan and Shengamalavalli. During the worship, religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple.
The annual Theerthavari festival is celebrated during the New moon day of Tamil month of Aadi when the festival deity of the temple is taken in a procession to the sea at Poompuhar. During the new moon day of the Tamil month Thai, the festival deity of Thirumangai Azhwar is brought to the temple from Thiruvali-Thirunagari.[2] The Thirumangai Azhwar Mangalasasana Utsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February). The highlight of the festival is Garudasevai, an event in which the festival images of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathis are brought on mount designed like Garuda, called Garuda Vahana, to Thirunangur. The festive image of Thirumangai Azhwar is also brought on a Hamsa Vahanam (palaquin) and his paasurams (verses) dedicated to each of these eleven temples are recited during the occasion. The festival images of Thirumangai Alvar and his consort Kumudavalli Naachiyar are taken in a palanquin to each of the eleven temples. The verses dedicated to each of the eleven temples are chanted in the respective shrines. This is one of the most important festivals in the region which draws thousands of visitors.[2][3]
Religious significance
The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Azhwar in one hymn and Poigai Azhwar in one hymn. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. It is one among the eleven divyadesams of Thirunangur Tirupathis and is closely associated with Thirumangai Alvar. It is also the only temple in the Nangur divyadesams to have been revered by an azhwar other than Thirumangai Alvar. It is also the only one of the eleven to have both Rama and Krishna as festival deities.[2]
References
- ↑ Hindu Pilgrimage: A Journey Through the Holy Places of Hindus All Over India. Sunita Pant Bansal.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 S., Prabhu (12 July 2012). "Shrine dedicated to Arjuna". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
- ↑ "Garuda Sevai" (PDF). Ramanuja.org. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
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