Parikkal Narasimha Swamy Temple, Villupuram

Parikkal Narasimha Swamy Temple, Villupuram

This is one of the four Narasimha temples in this region. The others being Anthili (near Thiru Koviloor), Poovarasan Kuppam (15kms North of Panruti) and Singiri (12kms South of Pondicherry). The main Vigraham is 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.

Ancient temple built by Vasantharaja of Vriddhachalam is one of the four Narasimha temples in the Villupuram region. Prarthana Sthalam - Debts, Enemies and Diseases are said to go away if one offers prayers at this temple.

Located around 25kms South West of Villupuram and 3kms west of the Kedilam Cross Road off the Chennai-Trichy National Highway is the1800 year old Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Parikkal.  Also, there is the Sayana Narasimha in Thiru Vathigai in Panruti. 

Legends

A king, Vasantharaja by name was a staunch devotee of Lord Narasimha and wanted to build a temple for his Lord.  He organized necessary Yagnas for three nights headed by his Guru Sage Vamadeva.  Many kings responded to his invitation and gathered there.  When the Yagnas were about to begin, demon Parikalasuran came with his army to destroy the proceedings.  The Guru immediately prepared a talisman with the Mantras, Arakshara and Amirthakshara, tied in the hands of the king and hid him in a bush.  Yet the demon attacked the king with his battle axe.

Rising to rescue his devotee, Lord Narasimha destroyed Parikalasuran with all flaming fury. As the Lord destroyed Parikalasuran here, the place is called Parikkal. King Vasantharaja begged the Lord to be ever calm to grace the devotees approaching his feet.  Lord obliged.  Divine Sculptor Vishwakarma made the idol which Sage Vamadeva installed here.  Lord, with Mother grace the devotees.  Due to lack of attention in the years that followed, the idol was covered by an ant-hill.

Lord appeared in the dream of a dumb boy and told him that he was covered by the ant-hill.  The boy informed his experience to the people, who unearthed the idol and built a new temple.  Lord Narasimha and Mother Kanakavalli grace from the sanctum sanctorum and a separate shrine respectively.  Sri Anjaneya in two forms – Veera Anjaneya and Bhaktha Anjaneya graces in a shrine in the northwest corner.

Devotees spread paddy in the Anjaneya shrine and write their prayers.  They strongly believe that their appeals would be favorably heard.

In the corridor-prakara, there are shrines for Sri Varadaraja Perumal in north, Vinayaka in south east and Garuda before the temple.  The holy spring Garuda Theertha is northwest of the place.

Temple's Speciality

Sri Narasimha, noted for his fury is generally seen in Vaishnava temples embracing Sri Mahalakshmi seated on his lap. This is the only temple in India where the Lord and Mother are seen embracing each other.

The roof tower above the sanctum (vimana) is known as Ashtakona Vimana. Some pulses are attributed to the Navagrahas (planets) seeking their grace.  Wheat for Sun; paddy for Moon; Thuvarai-dal for Mars; green pulse for Mercury; Kadalai for Jupiter; Mochai for Venus; El or black gingely for Saturn; Ulund dal for Rahu and horse gram for Ketu.

Greatness of Temple

While generally, Lord Narasimha is seen embracing Sri Mahalakshmi sitting on his lap, this is the only temple where the Lord and Mother are seen embracing each other.  This is to show that Lord Narasimha has shed His fury and graces devotees with all mercy.

Veera Anjaneya and Bhaktha Anjaneya grace devotees together.  Devotees light lamps with gingely oil and spread all the nine varieties of pulses in his shrine and write on them their prayers.  It is believed that their prayers would be responded.

Lord Narasimha faces east in a sitting form. Lord is in a smiling form as Mother is by his side. The temple is famous for secular tradition as people of other religions – Muslims and Christian also worship the Lord here without any feeling of discrimination. Sri Anjaneya is seen together with the Lord. As in Srirangam, Lord Varadaraja Perumal is facing south.

Temple

If one travels by road on the Villupuram- Vriddhachalam road, after covering a distance of 20 km, one will find a huge Anjaneya archa-vigraha standing on the left side of the road facing west without a roof to protect him from rains and scorching sun. By travelling in the western direction a further three km one can reach Parikkal, after crossing the Thenpennai. The Garuda Nadhi flows two km north of Parikkal. As it is situated between two rivers, it is considered as holy as Srirangam. The temple, which has no Rajagopuram, is at the centre of the village.

A pilgrim can offer obeisance to Anjaneya at the entrance while the archa-Vigrahas of Vinayaka and the Nagars are found in the main Prakaram. After praying 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 archa-Vigrahas, according to some scholars, was installed by Vyasaraja. The Anjaneya archa-Vigrahas, found inside the sanctum sanctorum, was also installed by him and it is one of the 732 archa-Vigrahas installed by the saint all over the south. The other, of course, is the archa-vigraha in the Nallattoor Temple, near Tiruthani.

The place gained the name of Parikkal as Goddess Mahalakshmi embraced Lord Narasimha to pacify him and her archa-vigraha is found with her right hand wrapped around the Lord. The Lord is also found with his left hand around the Goddess.

According to another legend the Lord destroyed a demon known as Parikalasuran here to save his devotees and hence the place came to be known as Parikkal. The Lord here was said to have appeared before Vasantharaja, a local ruler. Unlike in most of the Narasimha temples, the Utsavar archa-vigraha here is also that of Narasimha in standing posture with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on either side. There is also a small archa-vigraha of Lakshminarasimhar in the sanctum sanctorum besides that of udarsana.

There is a separate shrine for the Goddess, Kanagavalli Thayar, on the right side of the temple, and her Utsava archa-vigraha is inside the main sanctum sanctorum. To the northwest is the shrine of Anjaneya, where two archa-Vigrahas of Bhaktha Anjaneya and Veera Anjaneya are worshipped. The shrine is thronged by those who are afflicted by Navagraha Dosha and they light ghee and oil lamps. They spread before the archa-Vigrahas 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. A big portrait of Lakshmi Narasimha in the main Mandapam attracts devotees. There is a well inside the temple known as “Naga Koopam” and bathing in its water cures one of many ills. Garuda and Gomukhi Theerthams are the other water sources. The holy tree is “Magizham.” There is an ancient “Deepasthambam” 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. The temple was renovated and the Samprokshanam was performed on May 30, 1994. It is under the control of the HR and CE Department. Buses from Panruti, Ulundurpet and Villupuram pass through Parikkal.

This place was referred to as ‘Parikala’puram, which in course of time became ‘Parikkal’.

While the original temple was built by Vasantharaja using red bricks, lime and wood, it is believed to have been destroyed during the Mughal invasion. The temple that one sees today is said to have been built by Veera Narasimha of Karnataka using granites. Parikkal Lord Narasimha is said to be the Kula Deivam for the Madhwas of Karnataka.

Presence of two Anjaneya idols:

An interesting feature at this temple is the presence of two Anjaneya idols in the same Sannidhi. Unlike other temples, Anjaneya gets the 2nd right of Thirumanjanam after Lord Narasimha (in other temples, Thaayar is the one who gets the Thirumanjanam after the Lord).

Prarthana Sthalam:

This is a Prarthana Sthalam – Three kinds of worries for human beings- Debts, Enemies and Diseases - are said to go away if one offers prayers at the Parikkal Narasimha temple.

Inscriptions

Inscriptions on the temple walls confirming the rich history behind this temple are the several inscriptions found on the outside walls of the temple dating back several hundred years, prominent among them include the fish shaped inscriptions. This leads one to two inferences: One, the Pandya kings, whose symbol was a ‘Fish’, may have contributed to this temple in a big way. The other is the story relating to Vasantharaja, who one night saw in his dreams fishes near this place an indication of impending victory in his battle against the Asura.

Some of the other prominent inscriptions:

·  13th Century AD inscription indicating contribution by Pallava king Koperuchingan

·  14th Century AD inscription that describes the contribution of Thiru Bhuvanam Chakravarthy Konerinmai Kondaan.

·        Another inscription shares light on the tax exemption in nearby villages -Tiruvennai Nallur, Aanathur and Sithanthur and using these funds for the improvement and maintenance of this temple

·        Raja Raja Chozhan I is said to have constructed the temple tank

·        Renovation of the temple by Pallava and Nayak kings

Pooja Timings

Pooja Timings
Kaala Shanthi Pooja	8.00 A.M. to 9 A.M.
Uchchi Kaala Pooja	11.00 A.M to 12.00 P.M
Raakkaala Pooja	7.30 P.M. to 8 P.M

Worship Timings:

·        Morning: 6.00 A.M to 1.00 P.M

·        Evening: 4.00 P.M to 8.00 P.M

Only in Margazhi Month:

·        Morning: 4.30 A.M to 12.30 P.M

·        Evening: 4.00 P.M to 8.00 P.M

Pooja Fees Structure

Pooja Fees Structure
Archanai Ticket	Rs.2.00
Nei Deepam	Rs.3.00
Sahasranamam Archanai	Rs.10.00

Prayers

Those having lost their positions and those awaiting promotions in jobs strongly believe that Lord Narasimha would certainly respond their prayers to regain their status.  Devotees include the handicapped, those facing obstacles in marriage, those involved in disputes, affected by magic spells and litigations seeking desired boons.

Devotees perform abishek to Lord with oil, milk, curd, green coconut, panchamirtham made of five ingredients, lime, sandal and also offer vastras to Lord Narasimha. They also tonsure here. Also they light Maavilakku, a lamp made of a paste of flour and ghee, perform their ear-boring ceremonies and roll around the prakara known as Angapradakshinam. Some organize feeding to the visiting devotees.

Festivals

There are festivals round the year at this temple. On the 5th day of Thai, Lord Narasimha goes on a procession to Pennai River and stays there the night.

On Maasi Magam - full moon day- the Lord goes on a 10 km procession to the Kedilam River. On Panguni Uthiram, the Lord is taken on a procession to Orathur Village.

Every month on Swathi Nakshatra, there is a special Thirumanjanam in the evening and a Sannidhi procession inside the temple. It is believed to be good to visit the temple on Puratasi Saturday.

During the week-end – Saturdays and Sundays, the devotee crowd is huge.  Also, Deepavali, Pongal, Tamil and English New Year days, Krishna Jayanthi and Vaikunda Ekadasi are celebrated with special pujas to the Lord.

S.No	Month	Festivals
1	Chithirai	Brahmotsavam 10 days
2	Vaikasi	Narasima Jayanthi, Vaikasi Garuda Seva, Vasantha Uthsavam, Nammaalvar Festival
3	Aani	Summer Festival 3 days. Aani Garuda Seva, Aadhikesava perumal, Thiruvonam Festival
4	Aadi	Andal Thiruvaadipooram Festival(10 days), Gajendra Motcham, Garuda Seva, Jeshtapishekam
5	Avani	Thirupavithrothsavam. Big Temple 7 days, SriJayanthi
6	Purattasi	Navarathri Uthsavam 10 days.
7	Iyppasi	Dolothsavam Oonjal Festival 3 days. Manavala Maamunigal 10 days. Last Friday Deepavali & Vana Bojanam
8	Karthigai	Karthigai Festival, Festival of light, AnumathJayanthi (Small Hill) ,Thirumangai Alvar Festival 10 days
9	Margazhi	Vaikunta Ekadasi , Pakal Pathu, Rappathu Uthsavam, New year Jan 1, Padi Uthsavam
10	Thai	Andal Thirukalyanam, Western Paarivethai, Giri pratakshinam, Thaipoosam, Float Festival 3 days.
11	Masi	Sri Dhottachariar Annual Birth celebration, Dhavana Uthsavam, Masi Float Festival
12	Panguni	Telugu New Year's day, Panguni Uthiram, Thirukalyanam in the Big Temple

Annadhanam

Details	Amount
One day Annadhanam for 50 persons	Rs.1000/-
Permanent endowment for one day's Annadhanam Scheme (The Annadhanam will be done on the day of your choice every year )	Rs.15000/-

Contact

This Temple is administrated by The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department

Sri Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple,

Parikkal, Villupuram - 607204.

Phone: +91- 99438 76272 9944238917, 9943073722

Email: parikkalgroup@gmail.com

Sundara Varadha Bhattar – 9444648309 (During pooja timings the call may go unnoticed, so call during non-pooja timings).

Connectivity

Parikkal is 3 km on the branch road of Villupuram-Ulundurpet road (Tiruchi-Chennai). Bus facilities are available from Villupuram and Ulundurpet.

Take the Madras – Villupuram – Ulundurpet – Trichy GST National Highway 21kms after Villupuram, Get down at Kedilam Junction. There are 30 share autos plying between Parikkal and Kedilam Junction- Rs.5 per head.
Auto will charge Rs.30-40/- from Kedilam Junction.

If travelling by car from Madras/ Villupuram, take a right (towards West) just before Kedilam Cross Road, cross the railway line to reach the temple (about 2kms from the railway line).

Nearest Railway Station: Parikkal.

Nearest Airport: Chennai & Pondicherry.