Neela Megha Perumal Temple, Thirukannapuram

Introduction

Neela Megha Perumal temple is one of the Divyadesams, the sacred abodes of Lord Vishnu that has been glorified by the Azhwar saints, in their Divya Prabhandham hymns. This temple is located in the Thirukannapuram village in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. The principal deity is Neela Megha Perumal, and his consort is Kannapura Nayagi. However, this is perhaps more famous as the Sowriraja Perumal temple, after the name of the processional deity, as he is said to have appeared with a wig or false hair, to save his devotee. This temple is visited by pilgrims in large numbers.

Temple Legends

There is an interesting story about the Lord of this temple, which shows the immense compassion he has for his true devotees. Rangabhatta was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, who worked as a priest in the Thirukannapuram temple. He used to offer garlands to the deity every day, which was supplied to him by a courtesan. It was customary for the courtesan to herself wearing the garland before submitting it to Rangabhatta. The king of the region, who visited the temple one day and received a garland that adorned the idol as Prasad, noticed a hair in it and enquired the priest about it. The priest, desperate to offer some explanation to the king, replied that the hair belonged to the deity himself. The king was not convinced, wanted to check the veracity of the priest’s claim, and himself inspected the deity. To his and everybody else’s surprise, the king found the deity with a Sowri, a wig. Thus the Lord showed himself to be wearing false hair, just to prove his devotee right and save him from the ruler’s wrath. This compassionate deity has since come to be called as Sowrirajan.

Also, according to Padma Purana, king Vasu, also known as Uparisravas, possessed the power to fly around, and he used this gift to locate the evil demons and punish them. But once, while flying over this place, he mistook some sages meditating here as demons, and started attacking them. Then Vishnu appeared in the disguise of a lad 16 and defeated the king. Realizing that the young man was none other than the Lord himself, Vasu sought his pardon and requested him to marry his daughter Padmini. It is said that Vishnu acceded to his request and married his daughter.

It is also said that once the temple complex extended up to the seashore, but the local king wanted to harm the temple. A Vishnu devotee wanted the Lord to punish the king for this, but the Lord remained unmoved. The frustrated devotee threw a discus at the Lord’s image, which scar can still be seen in it. It is also said that the presiding deity hurled his discus at the king’s forces, and this is why the Lord is holding his discus in a hurling posture.

The History and Architecture of Neela Megha Perumal Temple, Thirukannapuram

The temple belonging to the Dravidian architectural style is said to have been constructed by the Chola kings and expanded later by the Nayaks. It has a seven-tier Rajagopuram, the entrance tower, and is surrounded by granite walls, which enclose the temple complex and some of its water bodies. Lord Neela Megha Perumal can be worshipped in the sanctum sanctorum, along with consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, and also Garuda and sage Dandaka. The processional deity Sowriraja Perumal can also be worshiped along with his four consorts Sridevi, Bhudevi, Andal, and Padmini. The images of Santhana Krishna and Chakrathazhwar are also present there. There are separate shrines for Goddess Kannapura Nayagi, the consort of the chief deity, Nardhana Krishna, Rama, etc. The huge temple tank Nityapushkarani is located right in front of the temple. The temple has long, pillared corridors, which have many carvings and inscriptions.

Temple Festivals

The 12-day Brahmotsavam of Vaikasi month (May-June) and the 10 day Masi Mahotsavam of Masi month (February-March), are the important festivals of this temple special poojas are conducted, and deities are taken in grand processions. Besides, Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrated during Margazhi (December-January) remains as one of the many other festivals observed here.

Benefits of worshipping Thirukannapuram Neela Megha Perumal

People worship the Lord in this temple for early marriage, progeny blessing, cure from diseases, employment opportunities, advancement in career or business, and relief from the adverse effects of planets. The Lord is also believed to bless people with thick and beautiful hair.