Rama Swami Temple, Pappankulam, Thirunelveli
Rama Swami Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Vishnu
located at Pappankulam Village near Alwarkurichi in Thirunelveli District of
Tamilnadu. The Temple is located in the midst of the village. As per
culvert inscriptions this temple dates back to 12th century and was built by
Pandiya King Maravarman I.
Legends
The Sthala Purana indicates that Sri Ramabhiran
while searching for his wife Sitadevi, came to Pappankulam in South
Tamilnadu. He was standing on a rock in the river Gadana Nadhi and was to wage
a war with hunter Sambagan who was hiding there. At that time, Lord Siva
appeared in the form of a Jyoti (fire) at Madavarvilagam and indirectly helped
Sri Rama to locate the hunter where he is hiding. Rama recognized this
indication from Lord Shiva.
Sri Rama called Lord Shiva as 'Karutheesar' since
Lord Shiva indirectly helped him in his fight with hunter Sambagan. One can see
even today, Sri Rama's foot prints and the chakra (wheel) got engraved on the
same rock at the Gadana River on which Sri Rama stood and this rock is
being called as Sakkaraparai. The place where Sri Rama took shelter under a
tamarind tree on the banks of the Gadana River is the location of the
present temple.
The
Temple
Rama Swami temple is very old temple. It does not
have tower; however, it has all other typical temple features such as flag
staff, Bali peetha etc. The front side mandapa (hall) is long and broad and is
full of pillars with different statues like Yazhis, Vanaras (monkeys) etc. All
the images are stucco images and they are painted in vivid colors.
The main shrine has very attractive and colorful
stucco images of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. Rama is in green color whereas Sita
is in slightly yellowish color. Garuda who faces the main shrine is also a
stucco image. There is a separate shrine for Hanuman (again a stucco image)
where the small stone idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are also located. It's
a small but beautiful temple.
The paintings in this temple are also drawn using
special herbals. Inside the temple precincts, some of the sceneries
of 108 Divya Desams, different manifestations of Lord Vishnu, images of Alwars
drawn during Pandya kings can be seen. The paintings, dating to 1216-1244 AD,
are similar to mural paintings of Chitra Sabha temple in Courtallam.
After Pandya dynasty, during Nayakars rule, these
paintings were preserved with much more care and made it an Art Gallery. The
Vahanas used for taking the deities in procession around the village during
festival time were neatly cleaned and polished and wore a shining look as if it
were made of gold.
As per details available, the Maha
Samprokshanam (Kumbabishekam) for this temple was performed some 200 years
back. Hence it was decided to perform Maha Samprokshanam for this temple
without any more delay. The Thirupani Committee performed Maha Samprokshanam
for the temple on 29th May 2015.
Connectivity
Pappankulam is located at about 4 Kms from
Alwarkurichi, 30 Kms from Tenkasi, 14 Kms from Ambasamudram, 55 Kms from
Thirunelveli, 98 Kms from Thoothukudi, 200 Kms from Madurai and 135 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram.
Pappankulam is located at about 55 Kms from Tirunelveli via Mukkudal and
Idaikal on the Kadayam route. From Tenkasi, this place is 30 km far via
Pottalpudhur. Bus facility is available from both ends. Nearest Railway
Station is located at Alwarkurichi and Ambasamudram. Nearest Airport is located
at Thoothukudi, Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram.