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Thiruvanthipuram Hayagriva Temple Cuddalore

Submitted by astroved on Fri, 08/12/2022 - 00:46

Thiruvananthapuram Kovil, or temple in Thiruvanthipuram village, Cuddalore, is also known as Devanathaswamy temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, particularly his avatar Hayagriva, the god of knowledge and wisdom. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style, one of the temples mentioned in Divya Prabandha; Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE have revered the temple.

Here the lord resides with his consort Hemabhujavalli, an avatar of Goddess Laxmi. This is one famous Hayagriva temple
situated on a hilltop.

The History And Architecture

The temple’s origin dates back to the Medieval Cholas; later, it was expanded by the Pandyas, Hoysala Empire, and Vijayanagara Empire. There are many inscriptions that date back to Kulothunga Chola I (1070–1120), Vikrama Chola (1118–1135), Rajaraja Chola III (1216–1256), Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan (1251–1268), Vikrama Pandya, Vira Pandya III, Vijayanagar king Achyuta Deva Raya (1529–1542 CE) and Koperunjinga.

In the temple, many rituals and festivities happen. The temple has six daily rituals, and three festivals occur every year. The most famous festival here is the chariot festival which happens in March/April.

In the last daily ritual, nagaswaram and tavil are played as musical instruments. The priest recites the sacred texts in the Vedas; devotees visit the temple and get a glance at the Vishnu avatar. There are also weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals in this temple.

Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu works as the administration of this temple.

A granite wall surrounds the temple and covers all the shrines and water bodies of the temple. A raja gopuram has five tiers and covers a height of 60 ft.

The hilltop on which the temple is located is Outshadagiri. There are a river called Kedilam, which flows from south to north; the river is also called Uttaravahini by the local people. This is also the only Vishnu temple that is built by a river.

The temple is east-facing, and the raja gopuram has a west-facing entrance. The image of the main deity is in the central shrine. There are different names by which the festival image of Vishnu is called, such as Moovaraghia oruvan, Achuta, Dvistantha, Devanatha, Vibhuthanatha, and Dasyatha.

There are other deities as well like Pallikonda Perumal, Andal, AdiKesava Perumal, Azhwars, Hanumar and Garuda.

There is a shrine for Rama as well, which is a separate one. There is an image of Hanuman in a unique pose of Anajalihasta; this is a different image than other temples. This is one historical temple of lord Hayagriva in South India featuring the unique architecture and all the legends.

Legend

The temple is mentioned in many puranas like Brahmanda Purana, Naradiya Purana and Skanda Purana. The legend says that once there was a group of sages who wanted to have a view of Lord Vishnu. Hence all the sages went to Thiruparkadal, the Ocean of Milk, but couldn’t find the lord there. The sages returned to the abode, where the guardians told them there was only one place to meet Vishnu.

They said the place is near the seashore north of Kumbakonam, south of Tirupathi, and west of Kanchipuram. Following the instructions, sages reached the place and found sage Markandeya and his daughter Bhudevi. There they were able to get the divine darshan of Lord Vishnu in his splendid form. He held all his weapons, such as the Sudarshana (wheel), Panchajanya (conch), and Kaumodaki.

Another legend includes lord Vishnu, his serpent, and his vehicle Garuda. Vishnu once needed the pure water of lake Vraja Theertha which was in the nether world. Hence he sent his mount Garuda to search for the sacred water. Garuda reached the world and obtained the water without taking permission of the sage who originated the lake.

This made the sage furious, and he turned the water impure. Garuda pleaded with the sage, but it made the transaction late. Vishnu then turned to his snake and devotee Adishesha. The snake then constructed a well with his tail to avail the water to Vishnu.

The same water well is still used to prepare the prasadam in this temple. This is considered a heavenly well in which, if devotees add salt, pepper, and jaggery, it can cure their ailments and discomforts. Hence, those with skin diseases come to visit this temple and follow the rituals by the well to get healed.

The legend then says that since Garuda could not fulfill his lord's desire, he felt upset. Upon this, Lord Vishnu told him that he would establish a river for Garuda, which is now the Kedilam river.