Venu Srinivasan Anbil Nambi Temple Restoration

Those that had visited the Vadivazhagiya Nambi Divya Desam at Anbil, located 6kms east of Lalgudi, a couple of decades ago would remember and recall the dilapidated state of the temple. Before a battle, Sundara Raja Chozhan, the father of Raja Raja Chozhan, had sought the blessings of Vadivazhagiya Nambi. Emerging victorious, he is said to have come back here and built the temple in its current form. 

In the not too distant past, there was a vibrant agraharam in Anbil. A Vedic Patshala was an integral part of the Anbil and a mimaamsa conference too had been held there. Historically, this had been a prosperous temple town, but by the turn of the century, hundreds of original inhabitants had left this Divya Desam seeking greener pastures elsewhere in bigger cities, reducing this ancient temple town to just a few traditional Vaishnavite families.  Things had turned for the worse and there were were very few devotees at the temple. Varadaraja Bhattar, the lone priest of the time, waited endlessly at the entrance for the next devotee to arrive. Many of the historical utsavams too had become a thing of the past. Joint procession of Vadivazhagiya Nambi with Purushottammar of Uthamar Koil to Coloroon on Maasi Magam had been the biggest festival of the year. 

It was a real low phase for the temple praised by Thirumazhisai Azhvaar. While referring to Lord Vishnu in his reclining posture, Thirumazhisai Azhvaar talks about Anbil (Sundararaja Perumal) alongside Srirangam Ranganathar, Appaala Ranganathar (Koviladi), Thiru Kudanthai (Sarangapani), Thiru Evvul, Thiru Vekka and Thiru Paarkadal.

A couple of years earlier, Venu Srinivasan rebuilt the four sacred streets around the temple that too had been in a dilapidated state. This restoration enabled the new Chariot to run during the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam that had been revived after several decades. 

As part of the current restoration exercise, the entire floor both inside the Sannidhi and around the prakaras, has been re-laid with traditional stones. One now finds a beautiful nandavanam similar to the one at Singar Koil, Srirangam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/10/srirangam-singar-koil-transformational.html). A new electrical system is being installed dismantling the old wires that were hanging all over.

There is a full time paricharakar to present daily Thaligai to Perumal but he has had to work under stressful conditions as the madapalli was in a dilapidated state. This too is being restored back to its traditional state. The Gopuram and Vimanams have been painted afresh and will be unveiled during the consecration.

To find salvation from Brahmma’s curse, Shiva went on a pilgrimage begging for food, with Brahmma’s skull as the begging vessel. Every time someone filled the vessel with food, Shiva found to his horror that it vanished immediately. At Uthamar Koil (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/12/tri-murthy-utsavam-in-uthamar-koil.html), Goddess Lakshmi filled the vessel with food, thus ending Shiva’s hunger. However, to Shiva’s dismay, Brahmma’s skull still lay fixed on his hand. Shiva is believed to have visited this place from Uthamar Koil before going to Kandiyur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/04/108-divya-desam-kandiyur.html) where he finally got salvation.

In centuries gone by, devotees used to walk across the Coloroon from Koviladi Divya Desam, a distance of 2 kms.

Legend has it that Sage Durvasa cursed Mandaka Rishi for making him wait at his ashrama and turned him into a frog. Wanting to get back his human form, Mandaka Rishi underwent penance at this place and his prayers were finally answered, with Vishnu appearing before the Rishi and liberating him from Durvasa’s curse. Hence, this place is called Mandaka (Frog) Puri.

Varadarajan Bhattar was extraordinarily committed to this Divya Desam even though there was not much income during the time he served at the temple.  Unfortunately, he died young leaving the teenaged son to take over from him. He would have been happy at the current transformation at the temple, the pooja kramam and utsavam revival by his son Aravamudhan and the physical infrastructure to its traditional form by Venu Srinivasan.