Tiruninravur Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple

By -

Tiruninravur (Thiruninravur) is a village located about 35 km from Chennai. It has two famous and old temples - one for Lord Shiva and another for Lord Vishnu. This article talks about the temple of Lord Vishnu - Bhaktavatsala Perumal.


Bhaktavatsala Perumal temple, originally built by the Pallava kings, is one of the 108 Divya Desam temples (the 108 most important temples of Lord Vishnu sung by Alwars). It is located at the heart of the village, next to the Shiva temple. 


As per the belief, Samudra Raja (the father of Lakshmi and the ocean king) worshiped Vishnu here. There is also a legend that states Vishnu appeared to Varuna on this site.


In the Tamil language, the word 'Tiruninravur' means the place where the Goddess Lakshmi stayed. Lord Vishnu followed the Goddess Lakshmi and remained in this town. 

As per a legend, Tirumazhisai Alwar, one of the twelve Alwars, visited this temple and left without singing about this God. After reaching Mamallapuram, he sang about this deity from there.

Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple has a beautiful tower (Rajagopuram).

The sanctum has the big icons of Vishnu, called Bhaktavatsalain the standing posture, along with his consorts Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi, on either side. The utsava (processional) images of Lord Bhaktavatsala and his two consorts are also kept in the main shrine.

The flag staff, bali peetha and Garud are found facing towards the sanctum.

The temple has one corridor (prakara surrounding the main shrine) with various small shrines. 

There is a separate shrine for the Goddess named 'Ennai Petra Thayar' a beautiful Tamil word meaning 'My mother'. There are also shrines for Andal, Chakrathalwar, Adi Sesha and Mudaliyandan in the corridor. 

Near the sanctum for Bhakthavatsala Perumal, there is a small shrine for Yoga Narasimha. A pillar with the figure of Narasimha has also been made like a small shrine. 

Lord Hanuman is in a separate shrine facing the main temple outside the temple.

Happy travelling.

Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more