Varadaraja

Varadaraja is the name of the deity in the great Vishnu temple at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.

In Sanskrit, the word 'Varad' means 'One who gives boons", 'Raja' means "the king of" The word Varadaraja meaning 'The Prime amongst of all Boon Givers'. That is to say The One who can give any boon'.

Varada is made of Vara + da. The word vara means "boon" & da means "one who gives". So varada means "one who gives boons". Similarly "jalada", means "one who gives jala(water)" or in other words "cloud".

The deity of Varadaraja is a four hand Vaikuntha deity, with the lower right hand's palm being the boon giving hand (Varadahasta) of the deity.