Pundarikaasham Perumal Temple, Thiruvellarai

Introduction

Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple is an ancient Vishnu temple of Tamil Nadu. The Azhwar saints have sung in praise of the Lord of this temple in their Divyaprabhandham hymns, and this is hailed as a Divyadesam, a chosen abode of Vishnu. This temple is in a place called Thiruvellarai, near Tiruchirapalli town. The name Vellarai has come from the white rocks found in this region, which are also said to have been used for the construction of this temple. Lord Pundarikakshan is the presiding deity here, and his consort is Goddess Senkamalavalli. This temple is referred to as Uthamakshetram, a noble abode of the Lord, in many Sanskrit texts.

Temple Legends

Mythology associates many stories with this temple. Mythological accounts believe that the king of Ayodhya Sibi Chakravarthy built this temple, lakhs of years ago. Once Sibi came here with his army to destroy the demons and protect the citizens. When he was staying in this place, a white wild boar appeared and started troubling his army. But the king could not capture the animal even after trying. Sage Markandeya, who was doing penance here, revealed that the animal was none other than Lord Vishnu himself and advised the kind to perform abhishekam, the sacred bath of the hillock in which it disappeared. The delighted king did as advised, and Vishnu appeared from it and gave them his darshan. On the advice of the sage, the king constructed this temple and brought 3700 Vaishnavites from different places to maintain it and perform regular worships. It is said that on the way, one of them died, but the Lord himself appeared in the name Pundarikakshan and volunteered to replace the deceased person, so that the total number remained, as planned by the king. The Lord, it is believed, also appeared as ‘Sengamalakannan’ to Goddess Lakshmi, who did severe penance, here. Besides, Lord Shiva, as Neelivaneswarar, also worshipped Pundarikakshan in this temple and absolved himself of the sin of removing one of Lord Brahma’s heads.

The History and Architecture of Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple, Thiruvellarai

This temple is as grand as it is ancient. There are inscriptions here to show that the Pallavas must have built this temple in the 8th century CE. And the Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagar kings have contributed to its subsequent expansion. The main shrine remains on a 50-foot tall hillock with two entrances, the Uttarayana Vasal and Dakshinayana Vasal. Each of them remains open for 6 months in a year. Lord Pundarikaksha Perumal can be worshipped in the sanctum in the standing posture, along with Shiva, Brahma Garuda, Sibi, sage Markandeya, and Bhumadevi, all of whom the Lord is believed to have graced here. There are eighteen steps to reach the temple, which are said to refer to the eighteen chapters of Bhagawad Gita. His consort Senkamalavalli or Shenbagavalli, is housed in a separate shrine. There are beautiful Pallava period sculptures of Vishnu incarnations like Narasimha and Varaha here. A huge granite runs around this temple, enclosing the many shrines and water bodies. The main tower, however, is only partially completed and is dilapidated. There is also a temple tank in the shape of a Swastika near the temple.

Temple Festivals

The chariot festival can be called perhaps the most important festival of this temple, when the deities are taken in a decorated chariot around the streets, to the accompaniment of the chanting of the Divyaprabhandham verses and music. It is part of the grand Panguni Brahmotsavam held in Panguni (March-April). Gajendra Moksham, when the Lord gave salvation to the elephant, is another important festival here.

Benefits of worshipping Pundarikaksha Perumal

As the Lord here gave redemption to Lord Shiva, people worship him for release from their sins. People also seek progeny blessing and overall welfare.