Friday, April 1, 2016

Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thirupullani, Ramanathapuram

Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thirupullani, Ramanathapuram
The Adi Jagannatha Temple is a South Indian Hindu temple in Thirupullani, a village in the outskirts of Ramanathapuram in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Jagannatha and his consort Lakshmi as Padmasini.

The temple is believed to have been built during the late 8th century CE, with later contributions from Medieval Cholaslater Pandyas, and Sethupathi Kings of Ramnad. As per Hindu legend, Rama is believed to done penance to worship the god of ocean to seek way to Lanka in grass, giving the name Dharbasayanam to the place.

The temple is maintained and administered by the Ramanathapuram Samasthana Devasthanam a Trust under the control of the Ramnad King Sethupathi successor and at present the Her Highness the Queen Raja Rajeswari Nachiyar as Hereditary Trustee and the accounts were audited by Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Thirupullani is yet another famous temple in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu and this is the 44th Divya Desam of Vishnu. This is situated at a distance of about 64 Kms from the Ramanathaswamy temple, Rameswaram. This temple is related to the great epic Ramayana in more than one way. The temple's main deity is Lord Jagannatha with his consorts Bhoodevi and Sridevi and the Panchaloha idol of the Lord here is known as Kalyana Jagannathar. There is also a small idol of Krishna known as Santhana Gopalan. It is believed that king Dasaratha prayed here for progeny and worshipped Santhana Gopala. The king got the sweet Payasam which he offered to his wives and was blessed with offsprings.

Devotees pray here fervently for their marriage and also install serpent images and consume the Payasam offered here in the temple to get progeny. One can find hundreds of such images under the sthala Vriksham. There are separate shrines for Mahalakshmi, Rama, Santhana Gopala and Aandal. Rama, in this temple is in a reclining position with bow and arrow on his chest with Lakshmana as Adisesha and Brahma in a lotus. Rama is lying on a bed of Darbhai, fasting, for Samudhara Rajan to appear.

Thirupullani, one of the 18 Tiruppatis in the Pandya Kingdom, is a temple 8 kilometers south of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu. Also known as Dharbasayanam, or Pullaranya Kshetram, this is one of the prominent temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is glorified in 20 holy verses of Thirumangai Azhwar in his ‘Periya Tirumozhi’.  

Legends
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History
The temple is believed to have been initiated during the Medieval Chola period along with many temples dedicated to Rama. The Chola king Parantaka I named himself "Sangrama Raghava" after his conquest of Sri Lanka, while his son Aditya I was called Kothandarama. Some later Pandya kings also made contributions to the temple. A mutilated inscription in the temple made during the 37th year of Maravarman Sundara Pandyan in 1305 records order of a minister by name Arya Chakravarthy. Historians believe some portions of the temple tower might also have been built by Jaffna kings, who were friends of Pandya Empire and also rulers of Rameswaram.

There is one damaged record from 1518 from the period of Mahabali Vanadaraya Naykkar and one another made in 1528 during the reign of Sundarattoludaiyar Mahabali Vanadarayar. There are inscriptions in the temple indicating Arab traders visiting the Pandyan Empire. The traders traded pearl and pepper and in return were allowed to build mosques in the region for their worship. The mosques followed Dravidian architecture with stone pillars and were called Kallupalli. The temple received lot of contributions from the Vijayanagara period, along with other Vishnu temples in the region.

Temple Speciality
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The Temple
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Temple Opening Time
The temple is open from morning 7.00 clock till 12.30 noon and from 3.30 to 8.30 pm.
Festivals
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Religious Practices & Significance
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Literary Mention
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Prayers
The most significant prayer in this holy place is to pray for begetting issues. The belief is that our sins will be absolved if we take a bath in the Sethu Thirtham. Moreover, all the impediments caused by the planets will be relieved if we worship here. Those who have difficulties in getting married pray to the Utsavar, Kalyana Jagannathar.

The offerings include adorning Perumal with Tulsi garland, Thaayar with sari and conducting abhishekams and poojas. We can also distribute the naivedyam to the devotees who come to the temple. Those who can afford can donate to the temple renovation.

Devotees throng to Thirupullani Temple to be blessed with children. They offer ‘kheer’ (milk and rice pudding) to Lord Krishna. This too is an association of the Ramayana when King Dasaratha received a bowl of the sweet dish to be divided among his three wives and four sons were born to the king.

The Sethu Theertham is the holy water source in this temple. Devotees bathe in it to be relieved from the sins of past births. Adverse effects of the planets seen by astrologers in birth charts are mitigated.
Contact
Arulmigu Aadhi Jagannatha Perumal Tirukkovil,
Thirupullani – 623 532,
Ramanathapuram District
Phone: +91-4567- 254 527; +91-94866 94035
Connectivity
Thirupullani is 10 km from Ramanathapuram and 75 km from Rameswaram. Rameswaram is covered by rail route from various parts of India to the convenience of pilgrims. 
Nearest Railway Station is located at Ramanathapuram. Nearest airport is Madurai Airport which is located at a distance of about 125 kms from Ramanathapuram.