Aadi Jagannatha Perumal Temple

Introduction

Aadi Jagannatha Perumal Temple is located in the town of Thiruppullani in Ramanathapuram district. 'Pul' in Tamil translates to grass, and as Lord Rama used the grass to make a pillow for himself here, this town gained the name Thiruppullani. While the main deity here is Aadi Jagannatha Perumal, Lord Rama is very well-known as 'Dharba Sayana Rama,' the one who reclined on the draba grass. The Bodhi tree (the Arasa Maram) in this shrine is believed to be several centuries old. This is a very sacred temple and remains one of the important 'Divya Desams,' the holy abodes of Lord Vishnu, revered by the Vaishnava saints known as the Azhwars. This is also one of the famous Vishnu shrines of Ramanathapuram district that receives many devotees from far and wide, all around the year.

The Temple Legends

This temple is closely linked with the epic Ramayana and is associated with the period when Lord Rama was in exile, and his consort Sita was abducted to Srilanka. As per the legend, he worshipped Samudraraja, the sea God lying on a Darba grass here, requesting him to give way so that he can go over to island Lanka with his army and rescue his wife from demon Ravana. This act of Rama remained a significant part of Ramayana, and the Rama of this temple became famous as Dharbasayanam. Even the later Tamil king Parantaka Chola named himself 'Sangrama Raghava,' after conquesting Sri Lanka, with Raghava being the other name for Rama.

Another legend states that king Dasharatha performed severe penance here and conducted a sacrifice to beget sons, and as a result, got a divine sweet pudding, consuming which his queens were blessed with four sons Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha, and Shatrughna. It is a practice among the childless couple to install the images of the snake Gods and perform the Nagapratishta worship here and partake the sweet pudding as Prasad. It is a belief that they, too, will be blessed with a progeny like Rama.

The History and Architecture of Thiruppullani Aadi Jagannatha Perumal Temple

This temple of Dravidian architecture is said to have been built by the medieval Cholas. The Pandya kings, too, patronized this later, and there are several inscriptions here, about 'Maravarman Sundara Pandyan' and his contributions to the temple. There are also many influences from the Chola and Pandya architectural styles, as this temple was under the reign of both these dynasties. The Rajagopuram or the temple tower is five-tiered and faces east. There are shrines for the presiding deity Aadi Jagannatha, Bhudevi, and Sri Devi, here, while his consort Padmasini is housed separately. And the beautiful image of Lord Dharbasayana Rama in reclining posture can be worshipped in a separate shrine. There are two sacred tanks in this temple known as the Hema Chakra Thirtham, and Adhi Sethu Rathnakara Thirtham.

Temple Festivals

Panguni Brahmotsavam is celebrated for the principal deity Aadi Jagannatha in the Tamil month Panguni, March-April, while Rama Navami Utsavam is celebrated for Dharba Sayana Rama. Vaikunta Ekadasi, Deepavali, Sri Krishna Jayanti, and Navaratri are some of the other festivals observed here.

Benefits of worshipping Thiruppullani Adi Jagannatha Perumal

Adi Jagannatha Perumal is ardently worshipped, especially by those seeking the progeny blessing. The temple tank is called 'Sethu Thirtam,' and it is believed that if people bathe in this sacred pond, their sins will be absolved, the adverse effects of planets will be removed, and there can be positive developments in their lives. People facing difficulties in getting married also pray to the processional deity Kalyana Jagannatha, for relief.