108 Divya-deshams: Thirukkovalur

BY: SUN STAFF

Ulagalantha Perumal (Vamana) measuring earth and sky

Jul 01, 2024 — CANADA (SUN) — A tour of the 108 Divya-desams, the divine abodes of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Thirukkovalur, or Ulagalantha Perumal Temple (Trivikrama Temple) is located in Tirukkoyilur, Tamil Nadu. This Divya Desham is dedicated to the worship of Lord Visnu as Ulagalantha Perumal (Vamana ) with His consort Lakshmi as Poongothai. This temple is also one of the Pancha Krishna kshethram, where Krishna showers His blessings with Rukmini and Sathyabama.

Thirukkovalur is believed to have originally been a Krishna temple. The temple name, Kovilur, refers to the original deity, Gopalan. Brahmanda Purana states that the sage Mrikandu heard about Vamana avatar of Vishnu and wanted to have a view Him. Brahma directed him to visit this place and perform penance. The sage came to Thirukkovalur along with his wife, Mithravathi, to perform the penance. The pair used to feed brahmanas in their hermitage. To test their devotion, Vishnu appeared as a brahmana and sought food from them. Since all food for the day was already given, Mithravathi was worried and prayed to Vishnu. All the vessels became full of food and she was able to feed the brahman. Pleased by their devotion, Vishnu reappeared to them as Vamana in his Trivikrama form.

Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Thirukkovalur

The legend of Vamana Deva (Trivikrama) is also associated with Thrikkakara Temple in Kerala and Ulagalantha Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram.

Thirukkovalur is believed to be the place where the first three Alvars, the Vaishnava Saints Poigai Alvar, Bhoothathalvar, and Peyalvar attained liberation. Ulagalantha Perumal appeared to King Mahabali and the Alvars here.

Second gateway tower

Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval Cholas, with later contributions from Vijayanagara kings and Madurai Nayaks. The temple complex covers an area of 5 acres. The temple has two gopurams (gateway towers), with the one at the main entrance being the tallest of the two. The main entrance is an eleven-tiered rajagopuram measuring 192 ft. (59 m) in height, being the third tallest in Tamil Nadu after the towers at Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple and Srivilliputhur Andal temple.

The presiding deity, Ulagalantha Perumal, has an imposing image made of Tharu wood, with foot raised. Unlike other Vishnu temples, Perumal is sported with sankha in his right hand and chakra in his left. The sanctum also housed the images of Mahalakshmi, Prahalad and Mahabali to the right of presiding deity and the images of Sukracharya, sage Mrikandu and the three mudhal Alvars (Pey, Bhoothath and Poigai Alvar) to his left.

The festival deities, Koovalan and Poongodhai Thayar are housed in the sanctum. The image of Krishna is made of saligrama stone and is housed in a separate shrine.

Images of Alvars are housed in the hall preceding the sanctum. The image of Vamana is located behind the sanctum. There are separate shrines for Venugopala, Lakshmi Narayana, Lakshmi Raghava, Lakshmi Narasimha, Varadaraja, Rama, Veera Anjaneya, Andal, Chakratalvar, Vishvaksena, Manavala Mamuni and Ramanuja around the sanctum, along with Shukracharya, the guru of the asuras. Durga, otherwise housed only in Shiva temples, is a rare feature of this temple.

Thayar's shrine

There are sixteen temple tanks associated with Thirukkovalur, with Chakra Theertham located outside the temple being the most prominent. Chakra Theertha originated from the waters used by Brahma to wash the feet of Vamana. It is believed that the water is the source of river Pennar, which flows nearby. Chank Theertha, located in the east, Akasha Ganga, Varava Theertha and Kalava Theertha are among the other temple tanks.

(To be continued...)

Source: Wikipedia

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