Thuvariman Rangaraja Perumal Temple

Located just under 10kms West of Madurai enroute Sholavandan Janaka Narayana Perumal temple  and Kuruvi Thurai Ratha Vallabha Perumal (Guru) temple is the Rangaraja Perumal temple in Thuvariman at the foot of Nagamalai on the banks of Kiruthamal River. In the not so distant past, there was a vibrant agraharam with street processions of the Lord.

80 year old S Venkatraman says that his forefathers were original inhabitants of this historical agraharam “Our forefathers came from Dwaraka and settled down here several centuries ago.  When famine struck, God appeared in their dreams and asked them to build a Perumal temple.”

He recollects the years when the Lord used to go on a procession on the occasion of Sri Jayanthi “Following Homam and Thirumanjanam, the Lord used to go till the end of the agraharam that was full of traditionalists. On the occasion of Rama Navami, Homam was conducted at the temple with a Vedic Scholar reciting the Ramayana.”

Till the 2nd half of the century gone by, Puratasi Saturdays witnessed big celebrations at the temple with the residents presenting Bhajanai carrying their own Harmonium presenting devotional songs through the long agraharam with lot of greenary around and one could see tall trees, some of which have survived the infrastructure developments around this region. On the 5th Saturday, Thathiyaradhanai was presented to several hundreds of devotees who gathered near the temple.

Margazhi Utsavam too is celebrated with Pongal distributed to residents every morning after the recital of Thiruppavai.

It is in Thuvariman that one finds Naga Malai, one of the three historical hills of Madurai – the other two being Yaanai Malai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/12/yoga-narasimha-narasingam-madurai.html) and Pasu Malai. Venkatraman remembers the overflowing Kiruthumal River from his childhood days“The river originated from Thuvariman and used to flow wide and long through the city winding its way around Koodal Azhagar Divya Desam. Its legend dates back to the Matsya Avatharam.” (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/12/koodal-azhagar-pallandu-utsavam.html)

It is difficult to visualize that in the decades gone by, the river was so pure and clean that devotees had bath in the river “The 43rd Jeer of the Ahobilam Mutt had bath in the Kiruthumal River when he visited Thuvariman.”

However, with the rapid development of the city over the last couple of decades, the river has been polluted and contaminated and the possibility of a sacred bath before a visit to the temple and the Brindavanam has become a thing of the past. 

                                               

Just adjacent to the temple on the banks of the Kiruthumal River is the Brindavanam of the 40th Jeer of the Ahobilam Mutt Sri Ranganatha Satakopa Yateendra Maha Desika who attained Paramapatham this week 98 years ago. 

The highlights of his achievements have been engraved on a stone plaque inside the Brindavanam at Thuvariman. These include driving away the ‘Brahmma Rakshasha at Ahobilam. Venkataraman says that not too many dared to visit the historical divya desam fearing the Rakshasha. It was the 40th Jeer who drove away the Brahmma Rakshasha and paved the way for devotees to visit Singavel Kundram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/ahobilam-temple-restoration.html). The Thiru Nakshatram of the 40th Jeer is celebrated in Thuvariman.

Retired HOD (Sanskrit) of Madras University Professor Padmanabhan recalls the impact on a lady devotee who had visited the Thuvariman temple on her way from Dindigul to Madurai. She felt a sudden devotional wave had struck her after her presence at the temple and Brindavanam and in a trance scribbled something on a paper in Sanskrit. Interestingly, she did not know the language at all. Unable to fathom what she herself had written, she was directed to the Professor who much to his delight found that to be the Dhaniyan of the 40th Jeer of the Ahobilam Mutt. Such is the devotional influence of the Thuvariman temple on devotees.

Like with many other historical towns, the original inhabitants left Thuvariman and the agraharam about 50 years ago seeking greener pastures in bigger cities and very few traditionalists are left now. In recent decades, it is Venkaraman who has anchored improvements both at the temple as well as the Brindavanam. In the margazhi that has just gone by, residents from Thuvariman and nearby visited the temple early in the morning in good numbers listening to the Thiruppavai verse of the day. They also enjoyed the akkara vadisal that was presented on the 27th day of Margazhi. 

It is hoped that one day in the near future some of the original inhabitants will return to the once vibrant agraharam at Thuvariman and may be have bath in the cleaner and purer Kiruthumal River.

When in Thuvariman, visit Sholavandan https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/08/sholavandan-janaka-narayana-perumal.html and Kuruvi Thurai https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/08/chitra-ratha-vallabha-perumal-kuruvi.html

Thuvariman is just under 10kms from Madurai on the Arappalayam-Sholavandan road. Buses every 10 minutes from Periyar Bus Stand towards Thiru Vedagam/ Sholavandan. Auto from Madurai Junction  (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/01/madurai-junction-executive-lounge.html) will cost Rs.150.