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
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.
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.