Draupadi Amman Temple

Introduction

Draupadi, the daughter of King Drupada of Panchal, and is the pivotal female character in the epic, Mahabharata, where she is the wife of the Pancha Pandavas. People worship Draupadi as a Goddess, a Grama Devata (village deity), and as a Kula Devata (family deity). She occupies a central place in the cultural lives of the villagers across Tamil Nadu.

History of Draupadi Amman

Draupadi’s birthplace is currently known as Bareilly (Panchala) in Uttar Pradesh. She emerged from a Yajna performed by King Drupada. Later, she went on to marry Arjuna, one of the exiled Pandava princes and became the wife of the Pancha Pandavas after their mother Kunti’s command to share equally. She undergoes numerous trials, and during the game of dice with the Kauravas, is rescued by Krishna, as the Yudhishtira put her at stake after losing all his wealth and kingdom. In the subsequent Kurukshetra war, she avenges the injustice and insults she had suffered at the hands of the Kauravas.

Legend of Draupadi Amman

People revere Draupadi as a Goddess who protects the villages and the natives. The cult and rituals reflect various cultural aspects of the villagers' lives. People firmly believe that Draupadi is the reincarnation of the Hindu Goddess, Mariamman. In South India, popular belief has it that Draupadi is a reincarnation of Mahakali, born to assist Krishna to destroy all the arrogant rulers across India. Draupadi and Krishna were considered sister and brother.

The Draupadi Amman cult follows unique rituals and traditions. The rituals teach people to connect with nature and give respect to it. The cult is popular across many villages in Tamil Nadu. The Vanniyar, Mudaliar, Konar, and Gounder communities worship Draupadi as their village deity and family deity. She is a family deity to many families belonging to the Aatreya Gothram. The ancestors of these families used to live in the village and worshipped Draupadi Amman. There are unique rituals and mythologies associated with this village Goddess.

Significance of Draupadi Amman Temples

The Draupadi Amman temples are small and found in remote pockets. However, the rituals are relevant and hold vibrant messages for the people. Villagers send out formal invitations to neighboring villages, and they come together to celebrate the festival.

Draupadi Amman temples number 800 across villages in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The cult was popular during the Pallava dynasty, and although not very well-known, at least 32 village communities still celebrate the festival.

History of Draupadi Amman Temple (Velachery)

The temple is centuries old. Village elders believe an ancestor belonging to Aatreya Gothram built the temple 300 years ago. The temple lies in the Draupadi Amman Koil Street in Velachery in Dhandheeswaram Colony.

The temple was neglected for a long time and was in shambles with a thatched roof. There was no proper place for housing the deities. In the late 1990s, devotees in the village took up the project of renovating the temple.

The Architecture of Draupadi Amman Temple (Velachery)

The Draupadi Amman Temple faces north and has a Mukha Mandapam. The original temple is believed to be more than 300 years old and was built in brick. They razed the former temple to the ground and constructed a new temple on the premises. They performed the Kumbabishekam in 2010. The presiding deity of the temple is Draupadi Amman. She is in a standing posture with a parrot on her shoulder, in the sanctum. Krishna and the Pancha Pandavas are at her rear. The Utsava (festival) idols lie on the east side of the sanctum. They excavated the Utsava idol of Draupadi Amman, from the same spot where the sanctum stands today. The Sri Chakram is installed in front of the Amman Mahameru.

The Thiruvasi comprises of the flag, Jwala, Samaram, and Suryan. There is a 1.5- foot high Dwajasthambam and Pothuraja placed in the Antarala Palipeedam. The Koshtha idols of Brahma, Vaishnavi, Gowri, Varahi, and Vishnu Durgai lie around the sanctum walls. The temple has sculptures of the Pancha Pandavas, Krishna-Radha, and Anjaneya on the Mandapam pillars.

Draupadi Amman Temples around Chennai, and other States

There are other temples for Draupadi Amman too. Draupadi Amman has a temple in Alandur. The temple in Alandur is 2 kilometers from the Kathipara junction. The main shrine houses the principal deity of Draupadi Amman. There are shrines for Vishnu, Sri Krishna, and Sri Radha Rukmini Samet Santhana Venugopal, and Devi Varahi, Mahalakshmi, Vaishnavi, Brahmi, and Durga. There is a sanctum for Sri Ganesha too.

The Draupadi Amman Temple in Guduvanchery lies half a kilometer away from the Guduvanchery Bus Terminus. The temple has the main shrine of Draupadi Amman. The temple also holds sanctums for Vishnu as Sri Venugopal Swami and Ganesha as Sri Selva Ganapathi.
There is a Sri Dharmaraja-Draupadi temple in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Draupadi Amman Temples Timings