Devanathaswamy temple

Introduction

Devanathaswamy temple is one of the famous Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu. It also remains a Divyadesam, the sacred temple praised by the Azhwar saints in their devotional verses. It is located in the town of Thiruvanthipuram or Thiruvahinthipuram, near Cuddalore and is also known as the Thiruvanthipuram temple. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here as Devanathaswamy and his consort Lakshmi, as Hemabhujavalli. The temple is well known for Lord Hayagriva, the horse-faced incarnation of Vishnu, and remains the only historical temple in South India that has a shrine for Hayagriva. Devanathaswamy is believed to have appeared in this shrine for the sake of Adisesha, sage Markandeya, and Indra.

Temple Legends

The temple is believed to be quite old and finds mention in several scriptures like Brahmanda Purana, Naradiya Purana, and Skanda Purana. As per legends, once, some sages who wished to worship Lord Vishnu went to Thiruparkadal, the ocean of milk. Since the Lord was not present there, they proceeded to Vaikunta, the sacred abode of Vishnu. There, they learned that the Lord could be found only near the seashore around this place, and so, they went searching for him in all the spots near the shore. There the sages found Sage Markandeya and his daughter Bhudevi performing penance. And Lord Vishnu is said to have appeared in his remarkable form there, with his conch shell, chakra, and weapons.

As per another story, once Lord Vishnu bestowed the task of bringing pure water for him, from a water body called Vraja Theertha to Garuda, his bird mount. Garuda reached the nether world and took the water, but without the permission of the sage, who established the lake. Angered by this act of Garuda, the sage cursed the water to turn impure. While Garuda was trying to explain the purpose of his mission to the sage and pacify him, Adisesha, under the instructions of Vishnu, created a well by whipping his tail on the earth. This well water is held sacred and is used for religious purposes, even today.

The History and Architecture of Devanathaswamy Temple, Thiruvanthipuram

The Devanathaswamy temple is said to have been constructed by the medieval Cholas in the Dravidian architectural style and was patronized by the Pandya and Vijayanagar Kings. The main temple is built on the banks of river Kedilam, and an imposing granite wall surrounds the temple and its water bodies. The temple is east facing, but the temple tower or the Rajagopuram is on its western entrance. Lord Devanathaswamy is enshrined in the sanctum santorum and his consort Hemabhujavalli or Senkamalavalli Thayar in a separate shrine. There are also shrines for Lord Pallikonda Perumal, Goddess Andal, Lord Adi Kesava Perumal, and Lord Hanuman, here. The exclusive temple of Lord Hayagriva is located on top of a small hillock called Oushadagiri.

Temple Festivals

The Brahmmotsavam festival of the temple is celebrated in the Chittirai month (April-May), and the car festival remains one of its important events. Masi Mahotsavam is another important celebration of this shrine. Besides, festivals like Aavani Pavithra Utsavavm, Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi, and Vasanth Utsavam are also well known, here, while there are also grand celebrations for Navarathri, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Srirama Navami, etc.

Benefits of worshipping Thiruvanthipuram Devanathaswamy and Lord Hayagriva

Hayagriva is the God of learning and wisdom. Students and those in pursuit of knowledge, skills, and wisdom pray to him in this shrine. This is also one of the temples where Lord Vishnu appeared in his glorious form to grace his devotees. It is believed that people who face difficulties in life in respect of aspects like their career, family, finances, health, and progeny can worship in this temple and receive divine blessings.