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Om Namo Narayanaya namahPrathyadishta purathana praharana grama kshanam panijai,
AAvyath threeni jaganthya kunta mahima vaikunta kanteerava,
Yad pradur bhuvana davanthya jatarayadruchikkath vedasam,
Ya kachith sahasa maha sura grahsdhoonapithamayabotth
Kshetram: Pazhaiya Seevaram
Abode of: Lakshmi Narasimhar
Important Festivals:
Nrusimha jayanthi , Sankaranthi
Pazhaiya Seevaram (or Sripuram), a lovely little village with a temple for Lord Narasimha atop a small hillock, is about 15 km east of Kanchipuram on the Chengalpat road.
Sthalapuranam:
Padmagiri:
Once, Vishnu Chitthar, a great muni in Naimisaranyam asked to the other Rishis to say which is the best and great sthalam where he can get the seva of Sriman Narayanan in Archai (one among the 5 Nilayas (or) forms of Sriman Narayanan) roopam, where he can get the complete credit of his tapas.
On hearing this, Mareecha muni, one among the muni in that group answered that there exists an sthalam, where the Perumal has already given full palan (credit) for the tapas and is gifted with nature's beauty. He also added that the muni, who got the seva of the Perumal, is Atthiri Muni and he the wish of seeing the Perumal in Archai roopam and performed severe tapas in the place "Padmagiri". And as a result of the tapas, the Perumal came in front of him in the form of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar. Atthiri muni wished that the Perumal should stay in that place and the entire Bhaktas of Human community.
About the temple: The place is also marked by the confluence of three rivers — Palar, Cheyyar and Vegavathi — which can be seen merging together at the place from the temple on the hillock. Known as Dakshina Prayag, it is a much holier place than the Triveni Sangamam or Prayag in the north. This is because, while at Prayag all the three rivers are not visible to the naked eye (river Saraswathi is Antharvahini, running under ground) in Pazhaiya Seevaram the three rivers can be seen at the place of confluence.
In the midst of greenery everywhere with the river Palar running to its south, the hillock was known as Padmagiri in times of yore. It was here that Lord Narasimha was pacified by Goddess Mahalakshmi and hence it came to be known after Her as Sripuram, and later became Seevaram. How it acquired the title of old or pazhaiya is a mystery.
Apart from its holiness due to the confluence of the three rivers, the hill temple is visited by Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram on the day following Sankranthi, for what is known as ``Pazhaiya Seevaram Paarivettai''. Paarivettai is observed to mark the destruction of evil forces by the Lord and is celebrated in almost all Vishnu temples.
It is said the present Moolavar idol of Lord Varadaraja at Kanchipuram was sculpted out of a rock here after the original wooden idol of Atthi Varadar got damaged hundreds of years ago. It is said to mark this, Lord Varadaraja is taken to Pazhaiya Seevaram on the day following Sankranthi every year, when thousands of devotees gather here for vana bhojanam and aradhana.
Lord Varadaraja, who leaves His abode at 10 p.m. on Sankranthi day, accompanied by devotees including those reciting Azhwars' Paasurams and Vedas, is carried all the way to a distance of 15 km and goes around Pazhaiya Seevaram village at the foot of the hillock.
He reaches the Narasimha temple, which is in the middle of the hillock, at noon and then He is taken to the Varadaraja Mandapam atop the hill, by climbing the 140 steps. He stays in the mandapam there till 4 p.m. when thirumanjanam (sacred bath) and Aradhana are performed.
Later the Lord reaches the Narasimha Temple and both the Gods are taken to a temple at Thirumukkoodal, on the other side of Palar where a temple for Lord Srinivasa, known as Appan, exists. There the three Gods, along with the Lords of two other temples, give darshan.
Later Lord Varadaraja returns to Pazhaiya Seevaram along with Narasimhar and then starts His trek back to Kanchipuram late in the night and reaches there nextmorning.
The idol of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha in the Pazhaiya Seevaram Temple with the Goddess sitting on His left lap is full of grace. Unlike in many temples where He is worshipped as Ugra Narasimha, He is Santha Swaroopi here, full of charming beauty.
According to Brahmanda Puranam, the Lord came to Padmagiri to grant bliss to sages Athri, Markandeya and Bhrigu, who were doing penance here, as directed by other sages at Naimisaranyam. There is a separate shrine for the Goddess where She is worshipped as Ahobalavalli Thayar as at Ahobilam, in Andhra Pradesh.
The Moolavar's image is gigantic, rising to a height of over six feet and He is adorned with a five yards by three yards (pathaaru) dhoti and angavastra. The Goddess is adorned with the traditional nine yards sari. The Lord faces west looking towards Kanchipuram. There are separate shrines for Andal, the Azhwars and Desikar, besides the one for Goddess Ahobilavalli. The temple must have had been in existence long before the Chola rule as inscriptions belonging to the 11th century are found here.
How to get there
Nearest Airport: Chennai
Nearest Station: Kanchipuram. Suburban Trains available from Chennai
Road: Buses to Kanchipuram from Chennai & Tamabram.. 15kms from Kanchipuram on Chengelput road.
Om Namo Narayanaya namah
Deva karya sidhyartham,
sabha sthambha samudbhavam,
Sri nrusimham mahaveeram
namami runa mukthaye..
Kshetram: Parikkal
Abode of: Lakshmi Narasimhar
Sthala Vriksham: Magizham
Important Festivals:
Nrusimha jayanthi , Brahmotsavam month of Chithirai)
Parikkal Narasimha Temple is an ancient temple located at Parikkal village, 23 km from Viluppuram. The place is situated between two rivers, Thenpennai and Garuda. The Lord is also found with His left hand around the Goddess.
Sthala Puranam: According to a legend, Lord Vishnu destroyed a demon known as Parakalasuran here to save his devotees and hence the place came to be known as Parikkal. It is also said that in order to appease the Lord Narasimha, Goddess Lakshmi embraced him and thus Parikkal gained its name. His devotees and hence the place came to be known as Parikkal.
The Lord here was said to have appeared before Vasantharajan, a local ruler.
About the Temple:
Unlike in most of the Narasimha temples, the Utsavar idol here is also that of Narasimha in standing posture with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on either side. There is also a small idol of Lakshminarasimha in the sanctum sanctorum besides that of Sudarsana.
There is a separate shrine for the Goddess, Kanagavalli Thayar, on the right side of the temple, and Her Utsava idol is inside the main sanctum sanctorum. To the northwest is the shrine of Anjaneya, where two idols of Bhakta Anjaneya and Veera Anjaneya are worshipped. A pilgrim can offer obeisance to Anjaneya at the entrance while the idols of Vinayaka and the Nagars are found in the main Prakaram. Afterpraying at the shrine of Garuda, he can worship the presiding deity, Lakshmi Narasimha with His Consort, seated on His left lap. Said to be a Swayambu Murthi, the idol, according to some scholars, was installed by Vyasaraja.
The Anjaneya idol, found inside the sanctum sanctorum, was also installed by him and it is one of the 732 idols installed by the saint all over the south. The other, of course, is the idol in the Nallattoor Temple, near Tiruttani.
The shrine is thronged by those who are afflicted by Navagraha Dosha and they light ghee and oil lamps. They spread before the idols the nine kinds of grains (Navadanyam) and write their pleas on them seeking relief and His blessings. In the northern Prakaram there is a shrine for Lord Varadaraja of Kancheepuram.
There is an ancient "Deepasthampam" in front of the temple, which faces east. Festivals are held almost every month with the Brahmotsavam taking place in Chithirai, when the float festival is also celebrated. The Lord visits Thenpennai and Garuda rivers for "Theerthavari" in the months of Thai, Masi and Panguni.
Nearby Cities/Towns
Villupuram: 20 Kms
Pondicherry: 32 kms
Cudallore: 15 kms
How to get there
Rail: Parikkal Railway Station is on the Virudhachalam-Viluppuram line.Road: Buses from Panruti, Ulundurpet and Viluppuram pass through Parikkal.
Om Namo Narayanaya namah
Ugram veeram mahaavishnum jvaalantham sarvathoMukaam nrisimha beeshanam bathram
mrtyu mrtyum namamyahamKshetram: Sholingur
Abode of: Yoga Narasimhar and Yoga Anjaneyar
Sthala Theertam: Amirtha Theertham (Thakkan Kulam)
Important Festivals: Panguni Uthiram, Nrusimha jayanthi, Hanumath Jayanthi.
Utsavams are conducted to Bhakthavatsalar temple which is at the bottom. Sundays of Kaarthigai month is said to be very auspicious were special poojas for Aajaneyar is done.
Sholingapuram is a punya stala famous for the Anjaneya Swami temple and Yoga Narasimhar. It is also known as Cholasingapuram after a Chola King discovered a Shiva lingam and built a temple here. These 2 temples are located on top of 2 hillocks, were Anjaneyar faces Narasimhaswami. The bottom of the hills, were the temples situated is called "Konda Palayam". Konda means Hill and Palayam means a town.
Sthala Puranam:
Once the saptha rishis, who were under going lot of sufferings from two asuras by name "kaalan and keyan" approached Indirathuyman, the King of North Madurai and sought his help. This was at the time when Rama avathar had come to an end. Lord Rama offered Anjaneya his Conch and chakram and asked him to help Indirathuyman. With Anjaneya's help the king annihilated the Asuras and relived the Rishis and bhaktas.
Hanuman had the darshan of Sri Narasimha avathaara who inturn asked him to stay in Sholingur and protect the devotees who visited Lord Narisimha to get his blessings. Since than, Anjaneya has made the small hill his abode as yoga Anjaneya facing Lord Narisimha.
In ord
er to get the blessings of Narasimha Swami, the Saptha Rishis (7 great Rishis) did their tapas is this kshetram. Within 1 Kadigai (half an hour), Narasimhar gave his darshan as "Yoga Narasimhar". From then on this sthalam is also known as "Thirukkadigai".
It is also said that even if one sleeps for 1 Kadigai in this sthalam, he will get Mukthi.
This Kshetra has got a specialty in curing people who have been affected by evil spirits.
The Big Mountain (Periyamalai) is about 500 feet high where Moolavar - Yoga Narasimar is found in Irundha (sitting) kolam facing East.
Yoga Aanjaneyar is found in Chinna malai (small hill) at a height of about 200 feet facing Lord Narasimhar who is residing on top of the periya malai. This is the only sthalam were Anjaneya is found in sitting pose with four hands, holding Sangu and Chakkaram.
The Thaayar of the Sthalam is Sri Amirtha Valli and she is found in a separate sannadhi.
Nearby Cities/Towns
Arakkonam: 26 Kms
Chennai: 120 kms
Vellore: 43 Kms
Kanchipuram: 25 Kms
How to get there from Chennai
Air: The nearest airport is at Chennai.
Rail: One can reach Sholingar from Arakkonam which is well connected by rail.
Road: There are regular buses connecting Sholingur with Arakkonam, Vellore and Kanchipuram. On reaching Arakkonam once can get local buses or cabs to reach Sholingur.
Jai Bajrang Bali
asaadhya sadhaka swamin asaadhyam thavakim vadha
ramadootha krupasindho mathkaryam sadhaya prabho
Kshetram: Namakkal
Abode of: Anjaneya and Lakshmi Nrusimha
Sthala Vriksham: Jack Fruit
Important Festivals: Panguni Uthiram, Nrusimha jayanthi, Hanumath Jayanthi
Namakkal is a punya stala famous for the Anjaneya Swami temple and Lakshmi Nrusimha. It is also known as Dakshina Srisailam. It is is also one of the few thrimurthi kshetra where you find Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara in a single shrine. These 2 temples are located in the heart of the town. Sthala Puranam: Lord Anjaneya the devotee of Lord Rama, While taking bath in the Kantaki River in Nepal had a divine direction to carry the Saleegramam ( arepresentation of Lord Narayana), down South. He was however told not to put the Saleegramam down in the earth. While he was flying Southward carrying the Saligrammam, dusk was settling and it was time for him to offer the evening prayers. He was looking for the pond and found the Kamalaya tank of Namakkal. As he was directed not to keep the Saleegramam stone down in the earth, he requested Sri Devi, to keep the Saleegramam, with her till he could finish his sandhyavandhanam. Mahalakshmi had come down to bhuloga to perform penance in order to mellow down ugra Nrusimha murthy after Hiranya Samharam. As time passed by Mahalakshmi couldn’t hold on to the Saligrammam and had to place it on the ground. Anjaneya returned and tried to pickup the Saleegramam.
Saleegramam's viswaroopam
Before anybody knew what had happened, the Saleegramam started growing big. Anjaneya tried to lift the Saleegramam
with the knot of his tail. Alas! The Saleegramam broke and Lord Nrusimha in Ugra form gave dharshan to Anjaneya and Mahalakshmi. Lord said to Anjaneya that the penance of Sri Devi had ended because of the Saleegramam brought by him represented Hari in Ugra Nrusimhaform. That the place will be henceforth been known as 'Namakkal' ('Namagiri' in Sanskrit), since the Saleegramam had turned into a mountain here.
Digambara Anajaneya Temple
Anjaneya is in Digambara temple (with sky as the roof) facing and worshiping Lord Lakshmi Nrusimha and the Saleegramam. The Anjaneya in this kshethra is eighteen feet tall and is having dharshan of the Lord Lakshmi Nrusimha about 250 feet away. The eye of Anjaneya is in straight line with the patha [lotus feet] of Lord Lakshmi Nrusimha. One can witness Anjaneya having the dharshan of Lord's Lotus feet from the Garudalwar sannathi even today. The imprint of the footsteps of Anjaneya Swami is seen in the Kamalalam tank steps.
The Cave Temple
Lord Nrusimha in the main deity of the cave temple. Lord Nrusimha is facing west sitting with his right leg placed to the ground, and His left leg is placed on the right thigh. The sharpness of the 'vajra naka' with which Lord had performed the Hiranya samhara is worth noting. One can find blood stains when looking closely. Sri Jankan is standing on His left and Sri Sanadhan on to His right and telling the Lord about the day to day happenings in the world in His ears. On to his left Siva, and on to His right Brahma trying to mellow down the Lord. This is very rare to see the Trimurthis in one place. This place is also known by the name 'Trimurthi Sthala'. Though Lord is seen in ugra form here He is Lord Lakshmi Nrusimha since it is the place where Sri Devi is also present after her penance.
Nearby Cities
Erode - 48-km Karur - 31-km
Perambulur - 76-km Rasipuram - 27-km
Salem - 48-km Tiruchengodu - 34-km
How to get there from Chennai: The nearest airport is at Trichy. Rail: Namakkal is well connected by rail with the important towns.
One can reach Namakkal by road after getting down at Salem or Trichy. Road: There are regular buses connecting Namakkal with Salem, Trichy, Cuddalore and other important places within and beyond the state. For local transportation taxis, and auto rickshaws are available.
Om Namo Narayanaya namah
