A rare coming together of Saivite and Vaishnative Lords at an ancient Divya Desam
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At most ancient locations, with the passing of time, the historical meeting of the Lord of ‘Divya Desam’ with the Lord of ‘Padal Petra Sthalam’ has sadly been done away with. However, one finds an exception in the twin temple town of Nachiyar Koil and Thiru Naraiyur for on the day after Vaikunta Ekadasi, Lord Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal of Thiru Naraiyar make their way on separate Rishabha Vahanams to the sacred tank at Nachiyar Koil, when Srinivasa Perumal and Vanjula Valli Thayar welcome them from the Theppam.
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Interestingly, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in his century of verses refers to the Lord residing in Thiru Naraiyur.
Lets go slow on the Theppam ![]()
Nadaswaram, Udal, Rishabha Vahanams at Naraiyur
For the Thevaram Sthalam praised by the famous three Saint Poets, it was one of the grandest days of the year. By 7pm, the Lord and Ambal looked at their resplendent best on their Silver Rishabha Vahanams. The devotees were delighted at the grand alankaram with both the Lord and Ambal seen with large flower garland and glittering jewelry with every visitor conveying their congratulations to the two young Gurukals. An hour later, a grand beautifully lit giant backdrop was added to the Rishabha Vahanams.
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It is 1045 pm when the divine couple of Thiru Naraiyur entered Nachiyar Koil for the only time in the year to the delight of 100s of devotees who had gathered around the tank. By 11 pm, Son in Law Srinivasa Perumal and Daughter Vanjula Valli Thayar had completed their second round in the theppam and stopped in front of Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal to seek their blessings. One could spot a happy smile in the face of the daughter on seeing her parents.
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Naraiyur's Legend
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The presence of three Dakshinamurthy Sannidhi is a special feature at the Siddhanatha Swamy temple. There are many other beautiful sculptures at the temple including one indicating the penance of Medhavi Maha Rishi here in Thiru Naraiyur.
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Selfless Service for Decades
The Divine Couple of Thiru Naraiyur in Rishabha Vahanams make a trip to Nachiyar Koil to meet their daughter and son in law
It is just after 5pm on the tenth day of the Margazhi Brahmotsavam at Nachiyar Koil that also included the Kal Garuda Sevai Utsavam. Gopinathan Bhattar, who also doubles up as HR & CE’s unofficial marketing executive at the temple getting them the donors for all the utsavams in the year, has begun a two hour alankaram of Lord Srinivasa and Vanjula Valli Thayar at the Vahana Mandapam.
வம்பு அவிழும் செண்பகத்தின் வாசம் உண்டு
மணி வண்டு வகுளத்தின் மலர்மேல் வைகு
செம்பியன் கோச் செங்கணான் சேர்ந்த கோயில்
திருநறையூர் மணிமாடம் சேர்மின்களே
A couple of kms away at Thiru Naraiyur, Gurunatha Gurukal has roped in a couple of young Gurukals from the Kumbeswarar temple in Kumbakonam for the alankaram of Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal, both mounted atop Velli Rishabha Vahanam. A couple of hours later, the Lords and Goddesses had no resemblance to what they were a little while earlier such was the work of the priests.
The Lord and Thayar of Nachiyar Koil began their 90 minute procession around the Big Madivilagam on a simple pallakku around 8pm. At 930 pm, both of the deities got into the beautifully lit Float for the first of the three rounds inside the huge tank, North of the temple. The Theppotsavam took one back to the olden days when the entire village congregated at the temple in large numbers.
Economic Driver
It served as a big boost to the local economy. From chats to candies, balloons to bangles, ice creams to drawing books all the vendors made brisk business through the evening. Many other temporary stalls had made its way North of the tank. Several hundreds of young children got a first hand experience of a 'Unified' Utsavam in a temple town.
It served as a big boost to the local economy. From chats to candies, balloons to bangles, ice creams to drawing books all the vendors made brisk business through the evening. Many other temporary stalls had made its way North of the tank. Several hundreds of young children got a first hand experience of a 'Unified' Utsavam in a temple town.
The story goes that Vanjula Valli Thayar asks the Lord to go slow as she hears that her parents are on the way from Thiru Naraiyur to witness the Utsavam here and hence the reason for the slow movement of the Float over the first two rounds.
For the Thevaram Sthalam praised by the famous three Saint Poets, it was one of the grandest days of the year. By 7pm, the Lord and Ambal looked at their resplendent best on their Silver Rishabha Vahanams. The devotees were delighted at the grand alankaram with both the Lord and Ambal seen with large flower garland and glittering jewelry with every visitor conveying their congratulations to the two young Gurukals. An hour later, a grand beautifully lit giant backdrop was added to the Rishabha Vahanams.
By 8.30 pm, the Lord and Ambal were ready to leave the temple on a 2 hour procession from the Padal Petra Sthalam of Thiru Naraiyur to the Divya Desam at Nachiyar Koil led on a ‘tractor’ by a nadaswaram troupe followed by the loud beating of ‘Udal’, the sacred drum by a group of teenaged boys. All the streets of Thiru Naraiyur were dotted with white pulli kolams with each of the households welcoming the divine couple to their homes with presentations to the Lord.
A simultaneous aarathi was presented with the Gurukal lifting high in a gesture of showering the blessings on the young couple. Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal presented their gifts to their daughter and son in law.
The Saivite Legend has it that pleased with the prayers of Medhavi Maha Rishi, Goddess Lakshmi was born in the middle of the tank at Thiru Naraiyur as a small child inside the lotus, in a green pavadai and a beautiful rose top. When ‘Nachiyar Amman’ grew into a beautiful young girl, Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal gave her in marriage to Srinivasa Perumal of Nachiyar Koil.
Every year on the Dwadasi day in Margazhi, the Divine Couple from Thiru Naraiyur on a Rishabha Vahana go on a grand procession to witness the Theppam at Nachiyar Koil. Belief is that Shiva and Parvathi hand over their daughter in a Kanya Dhanam to Srinivasa Perumal of Nachiyar Koil.
It is the one day in the year when Vaishnavites and Saivites of Nachiyar Koil and Thiru Naraiyur stood next to each other enjoying the rare meeting of the Saivite and Vaishnavite Lords.
Having blessed the young couple, Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal make their way back to Thiru Naraiyur well after midnight bringing to end an annual utsavam that signifies the unity that existed in the centuries gone by between the Saivites and Vaishnavites.
Sun’s rays on Siddhanatha Swamy
On 5 days in Maasi (16th to 20thday of the Tamil month), the sun’s rays fall directly on the Lord in the evening between 5.45pm and 615pm. On these days the lights at the temple is switched off in the evening and the entire Moolavar Sannidhi is lit with the Sun’s light. On the fifth evening, the Lord is seen in a grand flower decoration in a thanking gesture to the Sun God.
Mapillai’s Gift to his in-laws
On the Thiruvathirai day in Margazhi, Nataraja and Sivagami, within a few days of the trip of Siddhanatha Swamy and Gomathi Ambal make a trip to Nachiyar Koil Divya Desam to present vastram to the Lord and Thayar who in return present the Tulasi Garland to the Lord. The priest of Nachiyar Koil then makes a trip to Thiru Naraiyur to present gifts from the Mapillai’s side.
80 year old Gnana Sundara Gurukal is fragile. He has served the temple for over six decades at two and three digit monthly salary. When he sets his sights on the Lord and Ambal, his eyes lit up with happy tears rolling down his cheeks. His son Gurunatha Gurukal has been at the temple for over two decades at a monthly salary of around Rs. 600!!! But in the father and son, there is total commitment to the Lord and Ambal. They see this as an engagement with God and they have been performing service without battling their eyelid over several decades despite it not being financially remunerative. The story is similar to one finds in several of the ancient Padal Petra Sthalams – that of Gurukals performing service at meager salary far below even the minimum wages payable as laid out in the constitution.
The temple is open 8am - 12.30pm and 4pm - 8pm. Contact Gurunatha Gurukal @ 99443 79140.