Joy for Pundarikakshan Devotees
Renovation Committee has given the approval for the Construction of the New Raja Gopuram
Construction likely to start soon , expected to take two years
The Towers at the main entry point of two prominent and ancient Divya Desams near Trichy had been left as Mottai Gopuram and remained as such till the 1980s when a decision was taken to construct a Raja Gopuram at the Southern entrance to the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, that now stands tall at 236 feet. The other one, the Pundarikakshan temple at Thiruvellarai Divya Desam (Vellarai Divya Desam), the birth place of Uyyakondan and Engal Azhvaan, dates back to a period when 3700 Vaishnavite families lived in the town. The Raja Gopuram at the Northern entrance thereto had remained unfinished.
Last decade, the then CM of Tamil Nadu (Late J. Jayalalitha) had announced in the assembly plans to construct a Raja Gopuram at Thiruvellarai. Some of the ground work had started at the Divya Desam but the Madras High Court order restraining renovation in temples meant the work came to a grinding halt over 5 years ago. Subsequently, with the High Court directing the appointment of a Panel to decide on the merits of renovation in temples, the Raja Gopuram work in Thiru Vellarai praised by Periyazhvaar and Thirumangai Azhvaar seemed to get a life line with the Panel issuing an order to strengthen the existing structure at the Northern Entrance based on the technical reports.
இந்திரனோடு பிரமன் ஈசன் இமையவர் எல்லாம்
மந்திர மா மலர் கொண்டு
மறைந்து உவராய் வந்து நின்றார்
சந்திரன் மாளிகை சேரும் சதுரர்கள் வெள்ளரை நின்றாய்
அந்தியம் போது இது ஆகும்
அழகனே காபிட வாராய் - Periyaazhvaar's Kaapidal
Northern Entrance shut, Eastern Entrance Opened
The Northern entrance which has for long been the preferred entrance to the temple has been long closed and the eastern side of the temple had been completely revamped and the entrance there reopened after several decades.
After the strengthening works of the existing structure, the donors from Coimbatore applied to the renovation committee and have just got the approval to go ahead with the construction of the Raja Gopuram. The construction of the 'Lime Mortar' Raja Gopuram is expected to commence soon and the plan is to complete the 7 Tier, 125 feet plus towering structure in around two years.
It has been a long time coming at Thiru Vellarai and the approval process has seen several hurdles in the last 6-7 years. With the approval this month, it looks like finally the Raja Gopuram will be on its way. When complete, the Raja Gopuram will rank amongst the top five tallest towers in the Divya Desam list and thus in a matter of three decades Mottai Gopurams in two ancient temple towns near Trichy would have seen towering Raja Gopurams!!!
வென்றி மா மழுவேந்தி முன்மண்மிசை மன்னரை
மூவேழுகால் கொன்ற தேவ
நின் குரைகழல் தொழுவதோர் வகை, எனக்கருள் புரியே
மன்றில் மாம் பொழில் நுழை தந்து, மல்லிகை மௌவலின் போதலர்த்தி
தென்றல் மா மனம் கமழ் தரவரு, திருவெள்ளறை நின்றானே - Thiru Magai Azhvaar
Every year on the third day of the Panguni Utsavam the Lord makes a trip to Kollidam.
The temple is open from 730am-1pm and 3.30pm- 7.30pm Contact: Achuthan Bhattar @ 95978 57231 /Vinodh Bhattar @ 98941 42111
Auto from Srirangam: 97917 56869/ 92624 05704.
Renovation Exercise in Anbil Divya Desam
About 25kms East of Thiru Vellarai, TVS' Venu Srinivasan, who had restored the Ranganathasawmy temple in Srirangam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/venu-srinivasan-srirangam-temple.html), is undertaking a renovation exercise at Anbil Vadivazhagiya Nambi Divya Desam on the Northern banks of Kollidam.