Kolavamana Perumal, Sikkal

The Kolavamana Perumal Temple at Sikkal prior to Kumbabhishekam

Every year, through Aalayam Kanden Trust, we write and publish the Sthalapuram of a lesser known temple to enable it to gain visitors and patrons. Recently, multiple temples in Nagapattinam had their consecration, so when Subash, a heritage enthusiast in Nagapattinam who has been doing very committed work in documenting the temples there, requested if we could help print the collective Sthalapuranam book he had authored on Nagai Temples, we willingly agreed.

The books were released on Maasi Maham day at the Kayarohaneswarar Temple and the Sikkal Singaravelar shrine. While visiting the Sikkal temple, Subash took us to the Kolavamana Perumal temple within the same complex. Even though I had visited the Sikkal temple a few times before, had not had an opportunity to visit this temple. 

Release of the book Nagai Aalayangal at Sikkal Singaravelar shrine

That's probably because the temple is more popularly known for Lord Muruga, who is called Singaravelar here.  Sikkalil Vel Vaangi Chenduril Samharam, they say. This phrase used during Kandha Sashti, describes the granting of Shakti Vel by Goddess Velnedumkanni (Parvathi) to her son Singaravelar to enable him to perform the samharam of Surapadma. Even to this day, the beading of sweat on the idol of Singaravelar for a few hours after receiving the Shakthi Vel (Spear), is a divine ethereal experience that attracts thousands of devotees annually. 

Apart from Lord Navaneetheswarar and Singara Velar, there is a seperate temple for Lord Kolavamana Perumal. This co-existence of Vaishnavaite and Saivaite shrines with Navaneetheswarar, Velnedumkanni, Singaravelar, Kolavamana Perumal and Varada Anjaneyar makes it a unique power centre, capable of answering all fair prayers of devotees.  

The temple complex after consecration

Sthalapuranam through inscriptions

Usually, temple inscriptions would speak about grants given by kings and their subjects towards various activities of the temple. They might include government orders too. However, it is rare to find inscriptions that describe the Sthalapuranam of the temple. Here, we find an inscription with a Shloka that describes how Lord Vishnu came here and its reference in the Skanda Puranam. This inscription has been featured in Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy - 102/1911 and has been further elaborated in Nagai Maavatta Kalvettugal published by the State Archaeology Department of Tamil Nadu.

The Shloka is as follows:

स्वस्ति श्री स्कन्दपुराणे कालिकाखण्डे तीर्थसंहितायां

वसिष्ठाश्रम माहात्म्ये मल्लिकारण्य क्षेत्रप्रभावम् आरभ्यते।

श्लोकः:

दया या दक्षिणगया यां यो वा श्राद्धं प्रकर्तव्यति।

षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि गया श्राद्धे न यत्फलम्॥

तत्फलं समवाप्नोति नात्र कार्यविचारणम्।

गया पश्चिमदिक्भागे देवदेवाति वन्दिता।

माधवो वासमाक्रान्तो गया माधव इत्यभिः॥

The shloka translates as follows:

This is an excerpt from the Theertha Samhita in Kalika Kanda of Skanda Puranam which describes the Vashistashrama Mahatmya in the Mallikaranya Kshetra. This description is said to have been given by Lord Shiva to Kamadhenu, the celestial cow. Affected by a severe drought that lasted twelve years, Kamadhenu fed upon the carcass of a dog, as it could not find any grass to feed upon. This angered Lord Shiva, and he cursed it to acquire the face of a tiger. Repentant and ashamed, Kamadhenu sought a remedy. Lord Shiva asked her to go to Bhooloka and perform penance in a Jasmine forest.  

List of temples where Shiva and Vishnu co-exist mentioned in the temple

He further described the Mallikaranyam (Jasmine Forest) as below:

This place is known as Dakshina Gaya and anyone performing Sraadham (annual rites of ancestors) here with compassion will attain the merit of having performed Sraadham in Gaya for sixty thousand years. There is no doubt about it. In the Western part of this Gaya, resides Lord Madhava and hence it is also known as Gaya Madhava. Kamadhenu reached the Mallikaranyam, worshipped Lord Gaya Madhava also known as Kolavamana Perumal, bathed in the pond near Sage Vashista's hermitage and started performing penance. And soon, her tiger face disappeared. Overjoyed, Kamadhenu bathed in the pond and offered her thanks to the Lord. Her milk filled the pond,  turning it into a Ksheera Pushkarni. Sage Vashista churned the butter to make a Shivalinga. He placed it on the banks of the Pushkarni and started worshipping it. After his prayers were over, when he tried to remove the lingam he found that it had turned to stone (கல்) and stuck  firmly (சிக்) to the ground. Therefore, the place came to be known as Sikkal and the Lord Navaneetheswarar or Vennai Piraan. Sage Vashista also made a Krishna idol out of the butter and worshipped it. Lord Krishna wanting to reside in this holy place came to the Mallikaranyam and ate the butter Krishna. Shocked, Sage Vashista started chasing him. Krishna ran towards what is known today as Thirukkannankudi, one of the five Krishnaranya Kshetrams and got bound by the love and affection of the sages worshipping him there. He continues to shower his grace upon devotees from there.

Kola Vamana Perumal Utsavar

How did Lord Kolavamana Perumal come here originally?

Thirumangai Alwar who has done the Mangalasasanam of the Thirukannangudi temple has also described the Vamana Avatara that originated at Sikkal in one of his pasurams. Therefore, this temple  serves as an Abhimana Sthalam of Thirukkannankudi divya desam.

Mahabali, the Asura king and grandson of Prahalada, was a just king loved by his subjects. At one point, he acquired Amrut, the eternal nectar that could bring Asuras back to life when they were defeated and killed by the Devas. Using the Amrut, King Mahabali slowly spread his kingdom all over the earth and skies. This made the Devas run from pillar to post, attempting to save themselves and their territories. They appealed to Lord Vishnu to save them from Mahabali. They pleaded that without his intervention, the Devas would soon become extinct.

Lord Vishnu was now in a difficult situation. On one hand, King Mahabali was a good king and more importantly his devotee. On the other hand, the Devas had approached him as the lender of last resort and he could not refuse them. So he came down to the Mallikaranyam, created a theertham called Gaya Theertham and started meditating to find the right solution to put an end to Mahabali. Soon, Lord Shiva appeared before him and with his advice, Vishnu took the form of Vamana, the dwarf. He approached King Mahabali, who was performing the Ashwamedha Yagna to declare himself as the Emperor of the World and the Skies, and in the process was giving away grants to those who visited him. 

Kolavamana Perumal in Raja Alankaram

Vamana sought three steps of land to which Mahabali immediately agreed, even though his guru Sukracharya tried to prevent him. Vamana assumed Vishwaroopa, and measured the earth with one step and the skies with the second. When he asked Mahabali where to place the third step, the King graciously offered his head. Vamana's foot sent him crushing to Patala Loka. Pleased with his devotion, and for honouring his promise despite knowing it would bring about his end, Lord Vishnu agreed to grant Mahabali a boon. He sought to return to his kingdom once a year, and the day is celebrated as  Onam festival with great pomp and glory, even to this day. 

Another version of the story says that Mahabali wanted Lord Vishnu to stay with him in Paathala Loka, for which Vishnu agreed to do so for four months in a year, which denotes the Chaturmasya period.

Lord Kolavamana Perumal (Photo Courtesy: The temple)

Since Lord Vishnu manifested in the Vamana form here, he came to be known as Kolavamana Perumal.  After Kolavamana Perumal came to Sikkal, Goddess Lakshmi, unable to stay alone in Vaikuntha without her Lord, came here too, and created the Lakshmi Theertham and prayed to Lord Kolavamana Perumal to be united with him. Answering her prayers, the Lord requested her to stay here and grant the wishes of their devotees as Komalavalli Thayar. Till this day, young men who are desirous of getting a good bride, or those boys whose wedding prayers are getting delayed, come here and worship Kolavamana Perumal and Komalavalli Thayar, and soon enough, just like how Goddess Lakshmi came looking for her partner, good matrimonial alliances come looking for these boys. 

 

Komalavalli Thayar in Gajalakshmi Alankaram (Photo Courtesy: The Temple)

Varada Anjaneyar found in a seperate shrine opposite to Kolavamana Perumal is extremely popular among devotees who offer Kattamudhu after their prayers have been answered. The temple has recently been consecrated. The rustic look and the multiple wall paintings are all gone, replaced with gary oil paints. 

Sri Varada Anjaneyar

I have a habit of  taking vastrams for the deities of any temple I have the opportunity to visit. Normally, the priests would either place the vastrams at the feet of the deity or around the shoulders and one really has to be satisfied with that. However, here, the priests so patiently adorned the vastrams to the Utsavar vigrahams while we were there which was a truly goosebumps moment for me. 

Inscriptions:

There are a total of eight inscriptions that have been recorded here, out of which two are from the Kolavamana Perumal temple. Two others from the Navaneetheswara temple, describe the Sthalapuranam as mentioned above and also about all those who worshipped here to get the grace of the deities. Inscription No.103/1911, mentions this Kshetram as Gaya Saras and Deva Sannithyam. It further mentions that Arasa Maram (Peepal Tree), Paal Kulam (Milk Pond), Aala Maram (Banyan Tree), Surabhi, King Muchukunda, Sages Vishwamitra, Vashista, Narada, Gauthama, Katyayana and Agasthya worshipped here.

Inscription 100/1911 mentions that in 1447, Lakkana Dandanayaka, the Senapathi of the Vijayanagara King Mallikarjuna Raya (Deva Raya III) who called himself Dakshina Samudradhipati, found that Sitrrayanallur village, that had been given as Thiruvidaiyattam (land given to a temple from which the tax revenue could be used directly by the temple for its operations) was far away from the temple and hence he replaced it with fertile lands that were irrigated by the Nallan Pillai Petral Eri in Sikkal of Gayamanicka Valanadu which was an Usavadi (sub-division) of Cholamandalam. Inscription 101/1911 states that a person named Ayar Pillai, a native of Mangalam converted this temple into a granite structure. 

Festivals:

All Vaishnavaite festivals are celebrated here with pomp and glory. Specially Mohini Avatharam on the sixth day of Margazhi, Gajendra Moksham, Vaikunda Ekadesi, Vijaya Dasami, Hanumad Jayanthi, Puratasi Saturday and Gokulashtami. The temple has a lovely Instagram page where all the utsavams are comprehensively covered.

New Pasuram for Kolavamana Perumal:

Diwakara Tanujaha, is blessed to create pasurams in the same meter as the alwars and has been creating pasurams for lesser known Perumal temples. A collection of his pasurams along with description of the Sthalapuranams of some such temples was brought out by us in 2019 as a publication titled "Paadal Perum Paranthaman Aalayangal" . When I shared this article with him, he immediately came up with this very beautiful yet succinct pasuram on Kolavamana Perumal, set in the same meter as Thirumangai Alwar's Thirukannangudi pasuram describing the Vamana Avataram.

எழுசீர்க் கழி நெடிலடி ஆசிரிய விருத்தம்

உம்பரான் உண்ட உறுபுரை ஒளிய

.. உற்பவி பாற்குளத் திழுதின்

தம்பிரா னோடும் இளங்கிளை மருகன்

.. தக்கசொல் தூதுவன் சூழ

நம்பினா ருக்கு நன்மணம் வீச

.. நறுவிணர் மல்லிகை வனத்தில்

எம்பிரான் கோல வாமனன் என்றே

.. இலங்கினான் கோமளத் தானே

Meaning - உம்பரான் (celestial cow - Kamadhenu), உறுபுரை - wrong deed, இழுதின் தம்பிரான் - Lord Shiva made of butter, Navaneetheswara, இளங்கிளை -  younger sister of Lord Vishnu - Velnedumkanni, மருகன் - Nephew - Singaravelar

Our sincere thanks to Shri Diwakara Tanujaha for this effort and for beautifying Sri Kolavamana Perumal with his choicest words.

How to reach here:

Sikkal is around 4 kms from Nagapattinam town, enroute to Tiruvarur. The GPS coordinates are 10.7566969,79.7964928.

Temple Timings:

6.30 am to 12 pm, 5 - 8.30 pm

Contact Details:

Shri Balaji Bhattar - 96556 97885

Acknowledgements:

I thank Mr Subash Chandran, Nagapattinam and the Kolavamana Perumal temple for allowing me to use their images for this article. 

Aavarani Pudhuchery Nateswarar

Shri Nateswara Swamy Temple, Aavarani Pudhuchery

Some temples are unique and the joy one gets while visiting them is immense. The purpose of Aalayam Kanden is to identify these lesser known gems and to highlight them so that those in search of such temples can visit and experience them easily.

A couple of years ago, I had written an article on the Aavarani Ananthanarayana Perumal temple in Nagapattinam district, where the gigantic 21 feet Perumal is bedecked with beautiful jewels rendered through the hymns of  Thirumangai Azhwar. The link to the article is here. Just on the outskirts of Aavarani is a hamlet called Pudhuchery (not to be confused with Pondicherry). It is here that the unique Swayambu Nateswara Swamy temple is found.

So what is so unique about this temple? To know it, we need to go into its legend.

Sage Vashista and Devathachan

Lord Ganesha at the Aavarani Pudhuchery Temple

On the banks of River Pasumpuli, lived a young boy called Devathachan. Right from childhood, he was very fond of Lord Shiva and would bathe in the river, and collect water while singing hymns in praise of the Lord. He also made a Shivalingam out of sand and started performing abhishekam with milk every day. Over time,this sand lingam tightened up and formed like an anthill.  

One night, the river was in spate. As the water levels rose, Sage Vashista who was on a pilgrimage and had set up his temporary shelter near the river, was worried that the rising water would soon dissolve the lingam so passionately worshipped by young Devathachan and therefore somehow wanted to save it. So he embraced it, attempting to shield it with his body. In the meantime, Devathachan was restless in his house. He was worried about his lingam and if he would be able to save the Lord from being dissolved in the rain. He begged his widowed mother, to allow him to go and check. However, the mother was worried about sending her young son out alone in the dark, particularly when it was raining heavily and the river was in spate. She pleaded with him to hold on till dawn. The boy wept bitterly, unable to disobey his mother and at the same time worried about the status of his loving Lord.

At the crack of dawn, the rains stopped and the river started flowing as if nothing had happened. The boy ran towards the river and found Sage Vashista in an embrace with the linga. The little boy ran towards the rishi and fell at his feet in gratitude for having saved his Lord. The Rishi opened his eyes to look at what he was holding.

To both their surprise and astonishment, the baanam (top portion of the lingam) now looked like the Shiva Kayilai and Sakthi Kayilai as it appears to those who perform the inner parikrama of Mount Kailash. It was as if Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati had appeared as the divine couple from the waters of the river to answer the prayers of their young devotee. The Sage was over joyed with the grace of the Lord and so were the villagers who had then all gathered by the river. They built a small shrine at where the Lord had chosen to stay and it came to be called "Puthira chery", the place where God had appeared for the young boy (Puthiran).

The Shivakayilai Shakthikayilai Swayambu lingam at Aavarani Pudhuchery

Over time, the name has morphed into Pudhuchery and since found on the outskirts of Aavarani, it has come to be known as Aavarani Pudhuchery. The Pasumpuli river that surrounded the lingam built by Devathachan to change it into the Shivakayilai and Shakthikayilai has shrunk into a tank known as the "Puthrakaameshti Theertham". Those seeking noble children bathe in this tank (which currently needs renovation and repairs) and worship Nateswara Swamy on Thiruvathirai day. Worshipping the deity continuously for 64 days is recommended for those having problems with conceiving naturally. The temple is commonly known as Shivakayilai Shakthikayilai. No one really knows why and how the deity came to be called Nateswarar.

Goddess Akilandeswari at Aavarani Pudhuchery

Goddess Akilandeswari is a later addition to the temple. A seperate shrine seems to have been built for her in the 14th century. Unique Chola bronzes belonging to this temple are in safe custody. The sthala puranam says the deities were worshipped by Kali and A Kali bronze has been unearthed a few years ago, while making some civil alterations in the temple. Several people throng here to worship her for Rahu Dasa Pariharam on New Moon days (Amavasai) when she is taken out on procession around the temple in a small chapparam. There is a seperate shrine for Shanaichara, facing East.

Goddess Kali at the Aavarani Pudhuchery Temple

How to reach here: The temple is close to Sikkal on the Nagapattinam - Thiruvarur Route. GPS coordinates (10.73420144,79.77142729)

Temple Timings: 8 - 11.30, 5 - 8 pm

Contact: S Kalidasa Gurukkal - 97865 82492

The real Spider - man!

The Ayavantheeswara Temple at Siyathamangai

The Tale:  It was a chilly morning. It had rained the whole night before and the dampness still hung in the air. Pools of water dotted the mud road leading to the temple. But the priest who was hurrying to the temple was unmindful of all these. All his senses were tuned in to the Lord and he longed to get back into his presence.

His wife, Mangayarkarasi, followed him with a pot of water balanced on her hip, literally hurrying to catch up. Together, they cleaned the shrine and the priest sat down to worship the Lord. His eyes welled up in tears, as he looked in wonder at the magnificent deity before him and his lips chanted the prayers in utmost sincerity.

The wife, held the basket of flowers, for her husband to pick up and decorate the lord, slightly bending forward to make it more convenient for him to do so from his seated postion. As he placed yet another flower on top of the Lord's head, she saw a spider that had probably come with the flowers run up the on the Lingam.

She did not know what to do, as her husband was concentrating on his prayers, and her hands were holding the basket of flowers. Without thinking, she blew on the Lingam, thereby making the spider fall away. When she blew, the flower on top of the baanam fell on the priest's hand and he looked up, startled.

"What did you do?" he asked his wife. " A spider was running up the Swamy, so I blew him away", she replied innocently. The priest was furious. " How can you do something so unholy? Did you not realise that while blowing on the Swamy, droplets of spit would have fallen on him? Go away, I disown you from this very moment" he said, rudely pulling the basket of flowers out of her hand.

Mangayarkarasi did not know what to do. She had nowhere to go. She slowly stepped back with tears in her eyes, and went into a corner of the temple and sat there. The priest, Thiruneela Nakkar, did not even notice any of this. His mind was fully engrossed in his prayers. After satisfying himself that the Lord was bathed, fed and worshipped well, Thiruneelanakkar went home. Not for once, did the thought of his wife, occur to him.

Thiruneelanakka Nayanar and his wife Mangayarkarasi

That night, the Lord appeared in the dream of Thiruneelanakkar. He showed him his body. But for the place where Mangayarkarasi had blown the spider out, his whole body had blisters due to the spider crawling on him. When Neelanakkar saw that, he felt sorry for the Lord. The Lord told him that Mangayarkarasi had actually done him a favour by blowing the spider away, and that he should not be angry with her.

The next morning, Neelanakkar ran to the temple. When he saw the Lingam, it had blisters all over, but for the place where Mangayarkarasi had blown the spider away. After applying sandal and holy ash on the body of the Lord, he went looking for his wife. The poor soul had spent the night in one corner of the temple. On seeing her husband approach, she stood up frightened. Neelanakkar looked at her with kindness, and told her that the Lord had been pleased with her devotion and took her home.

Neelanakkar's tale of devotion reached the ears of Thirugnanasambandar, who expressed a desire to meet him. When he came to Thirusathamangai,(Siyathamangai), the place where Tiruneelanakkar stayed, he and his wife decorated the entire village and received the holy child with devotion. Gnanasambandar spent a few days in the company of Thiruneelanakkar and went back. Some time later, when his parents decided to get him married, he invited Thiruneelanakkar to conduct the wedding ceremony.

Neelanakkar happily agreed. After the wedding was performed, Gnanasambandar sought mukthi from the Lord. The Lord created a huge entrance of fire, into which Gnanasambandar entered with his wife, parents and all those who came to the wedding. Thiruneelanakkar too, entered the fire with his wife, to reach the lotus feet of the Lord.

Lord Ayavantheeswara of Siyathamangai

Ayavantheeswara : The Lord, worshipped by Thiruneelanakkar and his wife is known as Ayavantheeswara which means Shiva worshipped by Brahma (Ayan). Today He is only known by the Tamil equivalent as Brahmapureeswara. He is a Swayambu moorthy, facing West. To date, one can see the bumps on the Baanam of the Linga, caused by the spider. The temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalangal where Thirugnanasambandar has sung a hymn on Ayavantheeswara. The Sthala Vriksham is Sarakondrai (Golden Shower) and the Lord is said to have manifested amidst a garden of Sarakondrai as he is very fond of the same.

Goddess Ubhaya Pushpa Vilochani

Goddess as Shiva Swaroopam: The Goddess Ubhaya Pushpa Vilochani or Iru Malar Kannammai. She is found as Shiva Swaroopam wearing the crescent moon and Ganga on matted hair, with a third eye on the forehead, feet planted apart and one hand on her hip. She is found in a separate shrine with a Nandi in front of her, due to the Shiva Swaroopam,

There is a legend that when a group of wealthy traders from Chettinad were passing by the then dilapidated temple, the Goddess ran out in the form of a young girl, held on the senior most person in the group, urging him to visit the temple. Not wanting to disappoint the child, the old man brought the group to the temple. When they saw the condition it was it, they were shattered and took all efforts to rebuild it.

The Chandra - Surya Theertham

Temple Tank : The tank in this temple is unique with the upper half being called the Chandra Theertham and the Lower half called Surya Theertham. Worshipping Lord Ayavantheeswara on five Pournamis (full moon days) after bathing in the two theerthams fulfills prayers of marriage and child birth.

The Rishabantika Ardhanareeswara

Ardhanareeswara: The Ardhanareeswara in this temple is found in the form of Rishabantika with a hand placed over the bull behind him. The other deities in the temple are equally beautiful, including the bronze idol of Nataraja. 

Nataraja and Sivakami Ambal

Inscriptions:  A total of seven inscriptions have been recorded in the Ayavantheeswara Temple belonging to the period of Thirubhuvanachakravarthy Kulothunga Choladeva and Rajarajadeva. The inscriptions speak about the temple as that of Thiruvayavandi Udayar of Sattamangalam in Mulaiyur Nadu, a sub-division of Geyamanikka Valanadu.

An inscription speaks about the great assembly of Idayarukkudi alias Kalikadindasola chaturvedimangalam, a Brahmadeya of Marugal Nadu, ordering the village accountant of Sattamangalam, to exempt from taxes lands belonging to the flowers gardens of Ayavanti Udaiyar and utilise the money for burning two twilight lamps for the welfare of the village.

Another inscription states that the charity of maintaining a water shed on the banks of Mudikondasola Peraru instituted by Thiruvekambamudaiyar in the 15th year of King Rajarajasoladeva had not been maintained and hence the village assembly was taking over the land and passing it on to Namasivayadevan for maintaining the Siruthondar Matam initiated by him at Thiruchenkattankudi. It also records a grant made by an individual to light a twilight lamp before Siruthondar.

There is one Grantha inscription also at the temple which speaks in praise of the God and Goddess.

Deities in the Koshta

Festivals: Apart from the regular festivals, the Thiruneelanakkar Guru Poojai is celebrated on Moolam star in the Tamil month of Avani nd the wedding ceremony of the God and Goddess is celebrated during Moolam star in the month of Vaikasi.  This temple is special for those born under Moolam star. The prayers are conducted as per the Rudra Vyamala Tantra Agama. Witnessing the divine wedding makes wedding bells ring in the family.

The divine couple in the Koshta

How to reach here: Location Co-ordinates : 10.882183, 79.758426

The temple is about 18 kms from Nannilam and 20 kms from Nagapattinam,

Temple Timings :  8 am to 12 pm , 5 pm to 8 pm

Contact Details :  Muthukumaraswamy Gurukkal 97510 75028, 04366 - 270073