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SRI SANKARANARAYANA SWAMY TEMPLE – SANKARANKOVIL

17Jul

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At a distance of 16 km from Thirumalpuram and 56 km from Tirunelveli, Sri Sankaranarayana Swamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple situated at Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district of Tamilnadu. It is one of the top pilgrimage places to visit in Tirunelveli region and also one of the popular temples in Tamilnadu.

The temple is dedicated to Sankaranarayanar, who is the combined manifestation of Shiva and Vishnu. This temple was built by Ukkira Pandiya Thevar in the 11th century AD. This temple also called as Avudaiamman Kovil or Davasu Kovil. According to mythology, once the devotees of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva quarreled with each other to determine whose god is powerful. Then Lord Shiva appeared as Sankaranarayanar to mark his devotees to understand that both Hari and Shiva are one and the same. So it is held sacred by Saivites and Vaishnavites as well. Hence this temple depicts the concept of Hari and Haran being one God.

The temple of Sankaranarayana is situated on 4.5 acre site in the heart of the Sankarankovil Town. It is one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalas in the South Pandiya country. With an imposing Rajagopuram, rising to a height of 135 feet with nine tiers, this temple is surrounded by high walls and the tower has many beautiful images.

Lord Sri Sankaranarayana is the main deity in this temple. The right portion of the idol has sandal and indicates Lord Siva, with cobra around his neck & moon above his head. The left side of the idol indicates Lord Vishnu having Sankhu in his hand. The Sankaralingam enshrined in the temple was found during the unearthed from a ‘puttru'(Ant Hill) and was consecrated as Sri Sankaralinga Swamy in the temple. During March and September months, the rays of Sun fall on Sankaralingam for three days from 21st of the respective months. The goddess of the temple is Arulmigu Gomathi Amman. Goddess Gomathi is said to have worshipped the Lord at this place. The temple also has a separate shrine for Lord Sarpa Vinayaka.

DETAILS

  • Timings: 6 AM – 12 PM & 4 PM – 9.30 PM
  • Distance (From Tirunelveli): 56 Kms
  • Trip Duration (From Tirunelveli, Including Travel): 3-4 Hours

 

SRIVAIKUNTAM TEMPLE

17Jul

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At a distance of 29 km from Tirunelveli and 39 km from Thoothukudi, Sri Vaikuntanatha Perumal Temple is an ancient temple situated at Srivaikuntam in Thoothukudi district of Tamilnadu. Located on the banks of the river Thamirabarani, this is one of the 108 divya desams of Lord Vishnu and the first of the Navatirupathis.

Also called Srivaikuntam Temple and Kallapiran Temple, Sri Vaikuntanatha Perumal Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of Vaikuntanathar. It is believed that this temple was used as a fort in the fight between the legendary freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman and the British in the 1800s. The temple is classified as a Navatirupathi, the nine temples revered by Nammazhwar located on the banks of Thamirabarani River. This is the first in the series of these nine Tirupathi Temples.

There are many legends associated with this temple. According to one legend, Somuka, a demon stole the four Vedas from Lord Brahma. Brahma was helpless and he did severe penance on the banks of Thamirabarani River seeking favour from Lord Vishnu. Pleased with the penance of Brahma, Vishnu agreed to help Brahma. Vishnu killed the demon and restored the Vedas to Brahma. Lord Vishnu set his abode as Srivaikuntam and resided there as Vaikuntanathar. Another story goes that the Lord, disguised as the thief, presented himself before the King to save the thief Kaaladhushakan, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hence, the Lord here is also known as ‘Kallapiran’.

The architecture of the temple is simply amazing and there are three prakarams in the temple. The temple gopuram is 110 feet in height and 500 feet in width. The sanctum houses the image of Sri Vaikuntanathar in standing posture with a mace in his hand. Adisesha, the serpent god, unfurls his hood over Vishnu. This is the only divya desam where Adisesha has his hood above the standing Lord. There are shrines to Krishna, Lakshmi Narasimha, Hanuman, and Tiruvenkatamudaiyar. The Tiruvenkatamudaiyar Mandapam is rich with sculptures of Yallis, Elephants and Warriors.

The temple is one of the Navagraha temples in Vaishnavism, associated with Surya, the Sun god. The unique feature of this temple is that the Sun’s rays falls directly on Lord Vaikuntanathar on two days (on the 6th day of Chitrai (April-May) and Aipasi (October-November)) every year.

The Garuda Sevai festival is a spectacular event held in the month of Vaikasi (May-Jun) at this temple. During the festival, the festival idols from Navatirupathi temples are brought here on Garuda vahana.

DETAILS

Timings: 7.30 AM – 12 PM & 5 PM – 8 PM

Distance (From Tirunelveli): 29 Kms

Trip Duration (From Tirunelveli, Including Travel): 3 Hours

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