Thiruvellakkulam temple

The Thiruvellakkulam temple is one of the 108 divyadesams dedicated to the Hindu Lord Vishnu. It is located in Thirunaangur, in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, 8 km from Seergazhi. The temple is one of the eleven divyadesams closely associated with ThirumangaiAlwar and so is also called Thirunangurtirupathi. The temple complex has a single courtyard. It also has a separate shrine for Kumudavali, the wife of ThirumangaiAlwar.

According to legend, Lord Shiva started dancing in fury at Thirunangur after the death of his consort Uma, due to the sacrifice of Daksha. Each time a lock of his hair fell and touched the ground, eleven other forms of Lord Shiva would appear. The Gods were worried that if this continued, entire earth and all their creations would be destroyed. They prayed to lord Vishnu to help. Lord Vishnu listened to them and appeared before Lord Shiva. On seing Vishnu, Lord Shiva’s anger was appeased. But to counteract the eleven forms of him that had been created, he asked lord Vishnu to also appear in eleven forms. The eleven forms in which Lord Vishnu appeared in Thirunangur were all in different places. Those eleven places in thirunangur are where the eleven  temples are located

According to legends, there was a king Swethan who lived in Thirunangur. He was the son of Thundumaran of the Surya dynasty. Fearing early death, he asked sage Maruthuva, the son of Lord Surya, the sun god to help him. Surya told him to chant the MrityunjayaManthiram, sitting uder the vilvam tree on the south bank of the pushkarani. By chanting the Manthiram, the king would be blessed with a long life. The Lord Narayanan was pleased on seing King Swethan and appeared before him and blessed him with a long life.

Thiruvellakkulam temple timings are from 8 AM to 10 AM and from 5 PM to 7 PM. Temple rituals are performed by the priests on a daily basis as well as during festive season.  The priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a brahmin sub caste. There are 4 temple rituals daily:

Ushathkalam at 8 in the morning

Kalasanthi at 10 in the morning

Sayarakshai at 5 in the evening

Ardhajamam at 7 in the evening.

Each of the rituals have 3 procedures which are the alangaram ( decoration), the neivethanam (food offering) and deeparadanai (lighting lamps) for Lord Vishnu and his consort. During the rituals, religious hymns and texts are recited from the Vedas by the priests. There are weekly, fortnightly and monthly rituals performed in the temple.

FESTIVALS:

During the new moon day of the Tamil month Thai, the festival deity of ThirumangaiAzhwar is brought to the temple from Thiruvali-Thirunagari. The ThirumangaiAzhwarMangalasasanaUtsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February). The highlight of the festival is Garudasevai, an event in which the festival images of the eleven ThirunangurTirupathis are brought on mount designed like Garuda, called Garuda Vahana, to Thirunangur.

The festive image of ThirumangaiAzhwar is also brought on a HamsaVahanam (palaquin) and his paasurams (verses) dedicated to each of these eleven temples are recited during the occasion. The festival images of ThirumangaiAlvar and his consort KumudavalliNaachiyar are taken in a palanquin to each of the eleven temples.

The verses dedicated to each of the eleven temples are chanted in the respective shrines. This is one of the most important festivals in the region which draws thousands of visitors

FACTS:

Moolavar:

The Moolavar of this Divyadesam is Sri Srinivasan. Also known as Kannan, Narayanan and Anna Perumal. He is giving his sevaNindra (Standing) Thirukkolam facing his thirumugham towards eest direction. Prathyaksham for EkadesaRudhirar and SwethaRajan.

Thayaar:

The Thayaar found in this sthalam is AlarmelMangaiNaachiyar. The UtsavarThaayar is Padmavathi. Also known as PoorarThirumagal.

Mangalasasanam:

Pushkarani:
ThiruVellakulam.

Vimanam:
ThathuvaYodhagaVimaanam.