Thirunaraiyur Nambi Temple,
Nachiyar Koil – Religious Significance
The
temple is considered as one of the nine
Vaishnava Navagraha temples of Tamil Nadu and is a part of the
popular Navagraha pilgrimage in the state. This Temple is associated with
the planet Mars (Sevvai). The
planets are believed to influence the horoscope computed based on time of one's
birth and subsequently influence the course of life. Each of the planets are
believed to move from a star to another during a predefined period and thus
sway over an individual's fortunes.
The
Navagrahas, as per Hindu customs, are believed to provide both good and bad
effects for any individual and the bad effects are mitigated by prayers. As in
other Navagraha temples, the common worship practices of the devotees include
offering of cloth, grains, flowers and jewels specific to the planet deity.
Lighting a set of lamps is also commonly followed in the temple. As per
belief, the energies distributed cyclically by Navagrahas can be channeled
based on remedial measures.
Vaishnava Navagraha Temples of
Tamil Nadu are;
Goddess has prominence over Lord Vishnu here:
Nachiyar
Koil is one of the few Divyadesams where
the goddess has prominence over Vishnu. Some of the other temples where the
such female dominance is observed are Andal
Temple at Srivilliputhur, Azhagiya
Manavala Perumal Temple at Woraiyur and Pundarikaksha
Perumal Temple in Thiruvellarai. While Srivilliputhur
is called Nachiyar
Thiru Maaligai, Thirunaraiyur
is called Nachiyar
Koil. Vishnu was of the view that during Kali Yuga, men would have to
listen to women.
Hence, he decided that he would
first set an example and listen to goddess here. During all festive occasions,
the first rights are reserved for Nachiyar, who moves ahead, while Srinivasa
follows her. Even the food is first served to Nachiyar and then to Srinivasa.
Being a temple where goddess has prominence, Vishnu is located slightly by the
side and goddess has the prominent position inside the sanctum.
Kochengat Chola was an
early Chola king and one of the 63 Nayanmars (Saivite saints)
of Saivism. He is believed to have attained spiritual rebirth of a
spider that fought with an elephant in its previous birth over the worship of
the Lord Shiva. He had red eyes during birth as he remained in his
mother’s womb a little longer. His mother, looking into the baby red eyes said
Kochengkannano (in Tamil Ko=king, Cheng=red, Kan=eyes), which
literally means king with red eyes and hence he was named Kochengat
Cholan.
After becoming a king, he
followed Saivism and built 70 Maadakovils,
temples with elevated structure where elephants cannot reach the
sanctum, in the Chola empire. Kochengata Chola had a desire to see Lord Vishnu in
his abode Vaikunda. He prayed to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu granted darshan to
the king with two hands and ordered him to build a temple for him. This is
the only
Vaishnavite temple built by Kochengata Chola in Mada Kovil
type. He built this
temple in a Shaivite design. Thirumangai Azhwar mentions this temple as
Mani Mada Koil.
Divya Desams:
The temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th
– 9th centuries AD. It is considered as one of the 108 Divyadesams dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has been praised by Thirumangai
Azhwar in over hundred hymns. It is the second
temple revered by Thirumangai having more than hundred verses, the first
one being the Neelamegha
Perumal Temple at Thirukannapuram.
Sugantha Giri:
In Vaishnava theology, Varadaraja
Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram is referred as Hasthigiri and Tirumala
Venkateshwara Temple at Tirupathy as Sesha Giri and the temple at Thirunaraiyur
is referred as Sugantha Giri.
Madhil Inge Madal Ange:
It is also believed that when
Thirumangai was asked to present a Madal (ballad) by Ranganatha of Srirangam
Ranganathaswamy temple, Thirumangai replied that he built the walls in Srirangam,
while he built the verses for Thirunaraiyur.
Nambi:
Thiru Naraiyur Lord is praised
as Nambi. Lords of only a few Divya
Desams have been praised as Nambi. The most prominent among them is Thiru
Kurungkudi. An Acharya is referred to as Nambi and since Thiru Naraiyur
Lord initiated the Pancha Samaskaaram to Thiru Mangai Mannan, he became the
Acharya of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar.
Srinivasa Perumal:
Thirumangai compares Srinivasa
Perumal of the temple with Venkateshwara (form of Vishnu) at Tirupathy and
believes that he found the same beauty in both of them.
Siddhi Kshetra:
The
temple is considered as Siddhi Kshetra, a sacred place where sages attain
earthly liberation.
Birthplace of Nambiyandar Nambi:
The place is the birthplace of
Vaishnava saint Nambiyandar Nambi. Though he was named
Nambi after the presiding deity of the Vishnu
temple, he followed Saivism. He was an eleventh-century Shaiva scholar
of Tamil
Nadu in South India who compiled the hymns
of Sambanthar, Appar and
Sundarar and
was himself one of the authors of the eleventh volume of the canon of the Tamil
liturgical poetry of Shiva, the Thirumurai.
