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Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Yoga Narasimhar Temple, Velachery – The Temple

Yoga Narasimhar Temple, Velachery – The Temple
This is a small temple with entrances from east and west. The temple and the main deity face west and the Rajagopuram on the western entrance is 3 tiered. Palipeedam and Dwajasthambam are immediately after the Rajagopuram. The original temple had been damaged vastly and the renovation work had been going on for several years which was completed in 2016.

Presiding Deity is called as Yoga Narasimhar and is facing west. The shrine consists of the Sanctum, Arthamandapam, and Mahamandapam. The main deity Yoga Narasimhar is a large idol and is in sitting posture facing west. The moolavar is large at about 4 ft. in height. The Lord has four hands – two carrying the Shangu and Chakra and two placed on his knees in a yogic posture.

There are several depictions of Narasimha around the outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum. Prahaladha (upon whose prayers the lord took Narasimha Avatar to kill his Asura father Hiranyakasipu) is seen in front of the main deity instead of the usual Garuda. In the newly constructed outer walls of the sanctum sanctorum, nine forms of Narasimha (Ahobila, Jwala, Malola, Krodha, Kaaranja, Bhargava, Yoga, Chatravada and Paavana Narasimhas) can be seen.

In the outer niches of the sanctum sanctorum are Matsya Avatar, Lakshmi Narasimha, Lakshmi Varaha and Lakshmi Narayana. Vimana over the sanctum is called as Vedapuri Vimanam. The Utsavar (processional deity) is Bhaktavatsala Perumal flanked by Sridevi and Bhoodevi. But the place gets its name from Lord Vedanarayana Perumal, who is enshrined in the Manimandapam of the temple.

He is seen standing, facing west with the `Prayoga Chakra' (the holy disc) ready to leave his hand to slay the evil-doer. This is also a rare position. It is Pallava period bronze, which is older than the original temple. Lord Devanatha in Chettypunnyam at Singaperumalkoil, near Chengalpattu is also in a similar position. Velachery was also known as Vedanarayanapuram in Tamil and Vedasreni in Sanskrit after this Lord.

Mother is called as Amirtha Bala Valli Thaayar and is facing east. She is housed in a separate shrine in the main prakaram (precinct). There are shrines for Andal, Chakrathazhwar, Kothandaramar, Anjaneya, Naagar, Bhaktavatsala Perumal with Sridevi and Bhoodevi (processional deities), Ramanuja, Manavala Mamunigal and Azhwars in the Temple premises. A banyan tree is found with Nagars on the right side of the Dwajasthambam.

The temple was rebuilt recently by the Prahaladha Kainkarya trust through public money and Kumbabishekam was performed in 2016. The temple was rebuilt completely with granite stone. This Yoga Narasimha Temple had inscriptions right from the period of Raja Raja Chola to 12th century CE. It is believed to have been built during the Chola period. The original temple’s base – Kumudham- is installed separately, which has inscriptions.