Gajendra Varadha Temple, Thirukkavithalam, Papanasam, Thanjavur
Gajendra Varadha Perumal Temple in
Thirukkavithalam, a village in the outskirts of Papanasam in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Maha
Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalaayira Divya
Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of
the 108 Divyadesam dedicated
to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Gajendra Varadha and his consort Lakshmi as Ramamanivalli. The temple is one of the five Pancha-Kannan
temples, where Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu is given prominence over the
presiding deity.
The temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval
Cholas of the late 8th
century AD, with later contributions from Vijayanagar kings and Madurai
Nayaks. A granite wall surrounds
the temple, enclosing all its shrines and its bodies of water.
Gajendra Varadha is believed to have appeared to
Gajendra the elephant also called Indrajumnan, the crocodile called Koohoo,
Sage Parasara and Sri Anjaneya. Six daily rituals and four yearly festivals are
held at the temple, of which the Gajendra Moksha Leela, celebrated during
the Tamil month of Aadi (July–August), is the most
prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and
Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Legends
As per Hindu legend, King Indrajuman, who immersed himself in the worship of Lord Vishnu, failed to strengthen his army and lost his kingdom.
While doing worship, he also did not observe the sage Durvasa (some sources claim it as Agasthya) who went along his way. The sage got irritated and
cursed the king to be born as an elephant in his next birth. The king
apologized to the sage for his negligence and moved by his innocence, the sage
wished that he would continue to be a Vishnu devotee as an elephant and that
Vishnu would bestow him goodwill.
There was a demon by name Koohoo in the temple tank at
this place, who troubled all who took bath in the tank. He was cursed by a sage
to be born as crocodile in his next birth. The elephant Gajendra continued as a Vishnu devotee and while drinking
water from the temple tank, his leg was grabbed the crocodile Koohoo. The
elephant cried in rescue calling the name "Adimulam" and Vishnu sent
his discus to fend off the crocodile. Both the elephant and crocodile turned to
their human form by the grace of Vishnu. Since Vishnu appeared here to save the
elephant Gajendra, he came to be known as Gajendra Varadar. Hanuman, the monkey lieutenant of Rama, (avatar of Vishnu) also worshiped Vishnu at this place
and hence the place came to be known as Kabisthalam (kabi in Tamil
indicated monkey).
Greatness of Temple
Saint Tirumazhisai Azhwar had praised Perumal of this
temple as “Attrangarai kidakkum Kannan – Kannan reclining on the river
bed”. Since then he is endearingly called Kannan by the devotees and
the name had come to stay. Among the celebrated five Perumal temples
as Pancha (five) Krishna Kshetrams, Kabisthalam is one. Other four
are Tirukannamangai, Thirukannapuram, Tirukovilur and Thirukannangudi. It
is also noteworthy that of the 108 Divya Desas, only in this temple, Perumal
had granted darshan two non-humans, an elephant and a crocodile.
The Temple
The temple is located in Kabisthalam, a village situated 3 km (1.9 mi) away
from Papanasam and around 20 km (12 mi) away from Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, towns in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu. The village is located in between the two rivers Kaveri and Kollidam. The temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval
Cholas of the late 8th
century AD, with later contributions from Vijayanagar kings and Madurai
Nayaks. A brick wall surrounds
the temple, enclosing all its shrines and bodies of water.
The temple has a five-tier Rajagopuram and a single
precinct. The prime deity, Gajendra Varadhar is enshrined in the sanctum, in a
reclining posture, called Bhujanga Sayanam. The vimana (roof above the sanctum) is called Ganganakrutha
Vimanam. There is a separate shrine for Ramanavalli, located to the right of
the sanctum.
There are separate shrines for Yoga Narasimhar, Sudarsana,
Garuda and the Azhwars in the first sanctum. The main temple tank is
Gajendra Pushkarani and there is another tank called Kapila Theertham, located
inside the temple complex.
The other deities of this temple are Goddess
Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu worshipped
as Goddess Ramanavalli, Lord Yoga Narasimhar, Lord
Sudarsana, Garuda (the vehicle of Lord Vishnu) and the Azhwars.
Temple Opening Time
The temple is open from 7.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and from
5.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m
Pooja Timings
·
Ushathkalam
Pooja – 7 a.m.
·
Kalasanthi
Pooja – 8:00 a.m.
·
Uchikala
Pooja – 12:00 p.m.
·
Sayarakshai
Pooja – 6:00 p.m.
·
Irandamkalam
Pooja – 7:00 p.m.
·
Ardha
Jamam Pooja – 8:00 p.m.
Festivals & Religious Practices
The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis.
As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals
are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7
a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at
12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at
7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual has
three steps: Alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering)
and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Gajendra Varadhan and
Ramanavalli.
During the last step of worship, nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion
instrument) are played, religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) are
recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals
performed in the temple. The Gajendra Moksha Leela celebrated in the Tamil
month of Adi (July–August),
Chariot festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May–June) on Visakam
star and Brahmotsavam are the major festivals celebrated in the temple, along
with all Vishnu related festivals.
Religious Significance
The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Tirumazhisai Alwar in one hymn. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in
the book. Since there is only a passing mention about the place in the
verse, it was earlier not clear on whether the verse refers to the temple. But
it has been concluded that the verse "Attrangarai Kidakkum Kannan"
meaning the Lord on the banks of the river refers to Gajendra Varadar in this
place.
Pancha Kannan Shetram
This temple is one of the Panchakanna (Krishnaranya)
Kshetrams. Kannan refers to Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, while Pancha means five and Kshetrams
refers to holy places. Four of the five temples are situated in Chola
Nadu, in modern times, in the region surrounding Kumbakonam and Nagapattinam and one of them in Nadu Naadu. There are five
similar temples located in North India, called Pancha-dvarakas. Krishna is not
the presiding deity in any of the temples. The processional deity, Krishna, led
to the derivation of the names of these places. In Kabisthalam, Kannan is
referred as "reclining Lord in the river banks".
Pancha Kannan Temples
|
|
Loganatha Perumal Temple
|
Thirukannangudi
|
Gajendra Varadha Temple
|
Kabisthalam
|
Neelamegha Perumal Temple
|
Thirukannapuram
|
Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple
|
Thirukannamangai
|
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple
|
Thirukkovilur
|
Prayers
The devotees have only to call the loudly
“Aadhimoolame”. All their grievances will be redressed and wishes
granted. Devotees perform Thirumanjanam to Perumal and offer vastras.
Contact
Sri Gajendra Varadan Temple,
Kabisthalam-614 203, Thanjavur
Phone: +91- 4374 - 223 434
Connectivity
Kabisthalam is 10 km from Kumbakonam on the Tiruvaiyaru
route. Nearest Railway Station is located at Papanasam & Nearest Airport is
located at Trichy.