Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple, Kazhiyur, Kanchipuram
Sri Adhi
Kesava Perumal Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Vishnu located at Kazhiyur or
Kaliyur, small village on the way from Kancheepuram to Cheyyar. Kazhiyur
village is located about 81 Kms towards east of Thiruvannamalai and about 103
Kms from Chennai. Almost 130 years ago Sri Vaishnavaite Iyyangars migrated from
Mannargudi and came to settle down in this village. It is said that a
plague like epidemic made people leave Mannargudi long back. The Srivaishnavas
were disciples of His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Mudaliyandan Swamigal who is the
first and the dearest disciples of Swami Ramanuja.
It is
believed that the Srivaishnavas carried the deity of Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal
all the way from Mannargudi on their head to Kazhiyur the present place and
worshipped the Lord by constructing a temple with the locals support. It is not
a practice to abandon Perumal even in adverse circumstances. Here the Lord
gives Darshanam in Nindra Thirukkolam (standing posture). After their
resettlement in Kazhiyur, the village became a cradle of Vedic scholars,
purohits and astrologers.
The
devoted families lived in the Agraharam (first row of houses built around the
temple and occupied by the temple priests). The Agraharam is located around the
temple of ‘Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Swamy’, which was also built and maintained
with financial support from the local Mudaliars and many devotees.
Kazhiyur has been a great centre of Vedic Astrology. They have been
uniformly well versed in astrology and are keepers of the most ancient
astrological knowledge in the world.
Almost
all of them have been treated like the religious leaders and the astrological
guides from time immemorial. Many Kazhiyur families have been practicing
astrology for more than seven generations in an unbroken tradition since they
first arrived in 1840. It is believed that in ancient times there was a temple
dedicated to Goddess Kali near to the main temple and hence the village is
called ‘Kazhiyur’ the home of Goddess Kali. After moving to Kazhiyur the Sri Vaishnavaites
engaged themselves in agriculture apart from performing the temple services.
Due to
this reason they are also called the Mannar Mudumbai families a direct
connection to Lokacharyar Swamy Pillai Lokacharyar’s legacy. They were orthodox
and are considered to be an authority on Sri Vaishnavism. Unlike other South
Indians who carry the name of village and the name of the father as their
initials the Kazhiyur Srivaishnavas use the initials K. M. meaning Kazhiyur
Mannar. It was an attempt to retain the Mannargudi identity.
The
priests from Kazhiyur have been serving in some Seva or other in almost
all the 106 Sri Vaishnavite temples and the majority of them at Tirumala,
Sholingur, and southern side Vaishnava Divya Desams. The first Priest who served
even in the Temples at United States of America is from Kazhiyur. Kazhiyur is
also closely connected with the Sri Ramar Sannadhi and the temple of Shree
Govindaraja at the foothills of the Tirupati temple. Srivaishnavas from
Kazhiyur were also chosen to carry the offerings from the Lord of Seven Hills
at Thirumalai to the temple of Govindaraja at foothills.
The
priests walked bare-footed all the way down the hill carrying the offerings on
their head. Kazhiyur has been very closely linked to Kancheepuram from the very
inception. Every year during the month of January, July and December, the Utsavar (processional
deity) of Lord Adi Kesava Perumal, Shri Varadar is taken in a procession
to the Iyengar Kulam, a lake at the outskirts of Kancheepuram.
About
forty people start the procession and many more join them en-route to
Kancheepuram. The procession travels on foot for the entire stretch of 18 km.
After arriving at Iyengar Kolam, the Lord is given a ceremonial bath in the
kolam and then taken back to Kazhiyur with pomp and show. This custom has been
copied from Lord Varadharaja going to ‘Padai Seevaram’ on the day of Chithirai
Poornima at Tirupati. This ritual is also known as ‘Parvettam’ (forest
hunting).
Today
out of few houses in Kazhiyur Agaraharam, only six or seven houses are occupied
and the remaining is kept locked. However, every year during the month of
April, on the day of Chittirai Revathy, the birth star of Lord Adi Kesava, Kazhiyur
Srivaishnavas from all over the world gather in the village to celebrate the
annual festival. Shri Kodandam swamy is the present temple priest who is
serving the temple past two decades leaving his lucrative job.
