Kalinga Nardana Krishnan
Temple, Oothukkadu – The Temple
The temple is facing east with
three tiered Rajagopuram. The temple is small but captivating. The main Gopuram
is depicted as Adi Sesha. The idol of Lord Vinayaka in the dancing posture
adorns the left side of the main entrance of the temple. Presiding Deity is called
as Veda Narayana and is facing east. He is housed in the sanctum flanked by
goddesses Sridevi and Bhoodevi on either side. Near to the sanctum sanctorum,
there is a small shrine of Goddess Lakshmi Devi.
But the temple is more known as
Kalinga Narthana Krishnan temple after the discovery of the Panchaloka idol of
Kalinga Narthana Perumal from the temple tank. The Panchaloka idol of Sri
Kalinga Narthana Perumal discovered from the temple tank is about 2.5 ft high.
Lord Krishna, portrayed as a five-year old boy, is seen dancing with his left
foot on the serpent’s head and his right leg in the air. Krishna is depicted
holding the tail of the serpent with his left hand and showing Abhaya Mudra
with his right hand.
It is so intricately sculpted
that one can insert a thin piece of paper between the Lord’s left leg and the
head of the serpent. According to the temple Bhattacharya, the beauty is that
the weight of the Lord’s body rests on the left hand that holds the serpent’s
tail. One can also see the scars on the right leg of Lord Krishna formed due to
the violent beating from Kalinga’s tail. Kalinga Narthana Perumal is gracing
the devotees along with his two consorts Rukmani and Sathyabama.
There are shrines for Panchamukha
Hanuman, Oothukkadu, Aandal and Varadarajan inside the temple premises. A separate niche has been erected for the composer,
Venkata Kavi, adjacent to which a new hall is constructed to feature the
concerts of musicians and dancers. The temple tank on the western side is
being spruced up with a Nandavanam around the tank.
