Sri Jagannatha Perumal Temple

Sri Jagannatha Perumal Temple in Nathan Kovil, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Sri Jaganathan and his consort Lakshmi as Shenbagavalli.

Architecture:

Sri Jagannatha Perumal Temple has a 3-tier gateway tower, the rajagopuram. Since Nandi got relieved of his curse here, the names of the temples bodies are named after Nandi; the temple tank is called Nandi Theertham, the vimanam as Nandi Vimanam, the place called Nandipuram and other water body as Nandi Pushkarani. The main sanctum houses the image of the presiding deity, Srinivasa Perumal, the metal image of the festival deity, Jagannatha, the images of Bhoodevi and Sridevi on either sides of Srinivasa. The image of Nandi, which is otherwise part of Shiva temples, is present in the main sanctum. There is a separate shrine for Shenbagavalli Thayar. The rectangular walls around the temple enclose all the shrines and some of seven water bodies associated with the temple. Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva, is believed to have got his curses relieved by worshipping Vishnu here and hence the place is called Nandipuram.  The temple is maintained and administered by the Vanamamalai Mutt.

History and Significance:

As per Hindu legend, Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva, did not respect the Dwarapalakas, the gatekeepers of Vishnu. They cursed Nandi that his body would suffer oppressive heat. Nandi informed it to his lord Shiva, who advised him to do penance in Shenbaranyam. It is the place where Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu was doing penance to get into the chest of Vishnu. Vishnu was impressed by the penance of Nandi and got his curse relieved. Vishnu also took Lakshmi in his chest. Since Nandi performed penance at this place it is known as “Nandipura Vinnagaram”. And Lord Narayana is called as “Nadhanadha”.

Another legend has that Emperor Sibi was a righteous ruler well known for his kindheartedness. Lord Yamadharma Rajan and Lord Indra played a trick on Emperor Sibi in order to examine his generosity. A Pigeon was being chased by an eagle came for rescue and solemnly prayed to Emperor to save its life form eagle. The Emperor was deeply moved at the plight of situation of the pigeon and promised to save. Soon the eagle also arrived at the place with fierce hunger. Now, the Emperor was in dilemma because he wants to save the life of pigeon at the same time the eagle should not get starved. Finally, the Emperor was agreed to offer flesh from his own body to save the pigeon from its danger and serve the eagle with its need. Further, he seated on a balancing plate with pigeon on the other, to offer his flesh equivalent to the weight of the pigeon. But, any amounts of flesh were not equivalent to the weight of the pigeon; finally Emperor Sibi had to offer his entire body to Eagle. Lord Indra and Lord Yama were pleased at the dedication and commitment of the Emperor Sibi. Lord Sriman Narayana witnessed the splendid incident and was pleased at the graceful deed of Emperor Sibi and blessed him with immortality.

The Sri Jagannatha Perumal Temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Azhwar in eleven hymns. The temple is a symbol of unity between the two sects of Hinduism, namely, Vaishnavism and Saivism and Nandhi the sacred bull Shiva and image of Brahma are depicted in the main sanctum. The temple is frequented by people seeking timely wedding, reunion of married couples, children, court verdicts and cure from neural issues.

Festivals:

Pavitrotsavam is a festival organised in the temple by Karimaran Kalai Kappagam of Triplicane, Chennai, every July. The festive images of the deity are taken out in procession and special poojas are performed during the occasion. Vaikasi,Vaikundha Ekadashi are other festivals celebrated here.qa

Info on the deity – Specific to the temple deity:

The Moolavar of this sthalam is Sri Jaganathan. He is also known as Nadhanadhan and Vinnagara Perumal. The Moolavar is giving his seva in sitting position facing his thirumugham towards east direction. Prathyaksham for Nandi and King Sibhi. The Thayaar found in this sthalam is Senbagavalli Thaayar.

Temple Pooja Daily Schedule:

This Sri Jagannatha Perumal Temple remains open from 6.30AM to 12.00PM in the morning and 4.00PM to 8.00PM in the evening.

How to reach:

The place is close to Kumbakonam (9 km) situated in the Tanjore district of Tamilnadu state. One can take a bus to Korukkai from Kumbakonam to reach the temple. However, since the frequency is very less, it would be ideal to hire a private vehicle as one can cover the other divyadesams on the same route easily. Autos are also available for travel to these places.

Nearest railhead: Kumbakonam railway station.

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