Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple

The Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple or Thiruvellarai Temple in Thiruvellarai, a village in the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, who are worshipped as Pankajavalli Thayar (aka Pangajavalli, Pangayachelvi ) and PundarikakshaPerumal (aka Senthaamarai Kannan in Tamil ).

According to legends, the temple is said to have been built by Sibi Chakravarthy. The temple has three inscriptions in its two rock-cut caves, two dating from the period of Nandivarman II (732–796 CE) and the other to that of Dantivarman (796–847). It also has Pallava sculptural depictions of Narasimha and Varaha, two of the ten avatars of Vishnu.

A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower, is unfinished. A swastika shaped temple tank built in 800 CE by Kamban Araiyan during the reign of Dantivarman is outside the temple complex. The Vijayanagar and Nayak kings commissioned paintings on the walls of the shrine of Pudarikakshan, some of which are still present. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Appearance of boar:
Sibhi Chakravarthy was the 7th ancestor of Lord Rama's lineage. Emperor Sibhi, deeply desirous of serving the lord is advised by seers to look after his kingdom first and that in due course, he shall be blessed with the vision of Lord Pundareekaksha.

The emperor comes to know that evil rakshasas reside down south who destroy the penance and take lives of pious sages. In order to destroy the rakshasas, Sibhi chakravarthy travels down south along with his massive army.

While they camp in nilivanam (which is now Thiruvellarai), the emperor notices a huge white boar hither thither around. It appears before them and playfully dodges their advances.

It takes a dip in each of the five pushkarinis(divine ponds) - Padhma theertham, Varaaha theertham, Manikarnika theertham, Kuchahasthi theertham, and Ganthaksheera Pushkarani located to the east, south, west, north, and inside the temple now.

It then disppears into the bushes at the top of Swethagiri, where Sibhi finds Sage Markandeya near an anthill.

Upon enquiring ,Sage Markandeya reveals to Sibhi that the Swethagiri varaaham (white boar) was none other than Perumal himself living admist lush majestic mountains. Sage Markandeya further tells him that ShriMahalakshmi is performing a penance to attain the Lord on the banks of Poonginaru and that it is though Sibhi's worship that the Lord shall emerge out of the anthill and be united with SrImahAlakshmI.

The penance of Thayar Srimahalakshmi:
While in the cosmic ocean ksheerabdi, SriMahalakshmi was doing Nithyakaingaryam to Emperuman, Perumal impressed by Thayar's karunai swaroopam and asks thayar SriMahalakshmi what boon she seeks!

Thayar desires for nothing but to stay united with her lord forever, blessing and forever guiding the baddha jeevatmas(souls stuck in karmic cycle) towards salvation/ moksham. If at all perumal could grant any of her wishes, she wished to be revered more than perumal.

Perumal is absolutely delighted by her wish but coveys that this won't be possible in ksheerabdi and that he had laid out a divine plan for the same. He is the Supreme being, the primordial cause of all sentient & non sentient beings, the lord of deva devatas and the lord of this lotus eyes maiden who emerged on a lotus from ksheerabdi .He said that the boon shall be carried out in bhulokam and instructs her the way to acquire the boon

He would appear at the great svetachalam, where rishis and munis undergo penance. He shall  appear there for Sibhi chakravarthy and then be united with Srimahalakshmi at that sthalam.The goddess is instructed by perumal to undergo penance in the divine svetachalam.

Srimahalakshmi who was known as "kamale"(one who resides on lotus) adorns the name of "Pankajavalli". She undergoes severe rigorous tapas/penance despite being a yuvati/ young maiden, not paying heed to scorching summer or cold winter and harsh rains. Perumal is overwhelmed with affection towards thayar and instructs Garuda(the king of birds & lord's vahanam), vishwaksenar( the leader of Narayana's army) and Bhumi piraati (Bhu Devi) to assist Pankajavalli and doing service to her.

Pankajavalli 's penance proves to be fruitful as perumal is overjoyed and comes as varaham to unite with her.

Emergence of Pundarikakshan-
Then Markandeya maharishi instructs, Sibhi arranges for 3700 poorva shika Shri vaishnavas from Antarvedi to settle at Swethagiri. First, Sibhi chakravarthy was reluctant as this action might interdict the original cause of his visit towards South. So Markandeya maharishi, who is an omniscient, tells about Shri Rama - who will be born to Dhasaratha in Sibhi's lineage in future will be the incarnation of Shriman Narayana and at that time, he will execute the action of Sibhi - destroying the raakshasas.

Then accepting the advice given by Markandeya maharishi, Sibhi gathered 3700 Shrivaishnavas and made everyone to travel in separate rathams towards Thiruvellarai. But unfortunately, one Shri vaishnava attains the Lord's feet during the journey. With one Shrivaishnava short of the number decided upon, the Lord reveals to Sibhi that He Himself should be counted as one among the 3700.

Thereafter, Sibhi dissolves the anthill using kaamadhenu's milk, and Lord Pundareekaksha emerges in all glory. He blesses Sibhi and is united with ShriMahalakshmi, Pankajavalli thayar. All devas(gods) hailing from Brahma, Indra etc. sing the praises of the divine couple with many sthothrams.

Kapalamoksham-
Once Lord Siva, afflicted by the brahmakapAla, finds asylum at Swetagiri. Pankajavalli thayar convinces Lord Pundarikaksha to help Siva immediately. Pundarikaksha perumal moved by the divine goddess's mercy decides to put an end to lord Siva's misery. The brahmakapala shatters into several pieces thus freeing lord Siva. Siva then settles at the forest of neelivanam (Neelivaneswarar) near Swetagiri along with his attendants.

Pundarika Maharishi-
When Pundarika maharishi arrives at thiruvellarai, he is deeply engaged in nandhavana kaingaryam( maintaining the divine gardens) for the enjoyment of emperuman. He is immensely devoted towards thulasi & performs thiruvaradhanam (worshipping the lord) using thulasi. He also worshiped thulasi with various aaradhanams as thulasi is considered as the wife of Perumal.

Pleased by his  great devotion towards him an Thulasi, Pundarikaksha perumal emerges and wants to grant him a boon. When pundarika rishi tells he is content with whatever the lord blesses him with, the lord gives him the boon of eternal salvation/moksham after this birth. And that his generations to come shall continue the same service and form of worship.

Azhwar mangalashanams-
Both periyazhwar(Vishnuchithar) and thirumangai azhwar have sung hymns on the divine couple.

Acharyas hailing from thiruvellarai:
Thiruvellarai is the birthplace Uyyakondar and Engalazhwan.

Swamy Ramanuja-
There was a period when certain evil minded people tried to poison Ramanujacharya while he was at Srirangam. Due to the compulsion of his disciples that staying in srirangam might cause harm. So, Ramanujar arrived at thiruvellarai and stayed there for 2 years. The day he arrived, Senkamalavalli thayar who is the epitome of boundless grace, gives him the entire prasadam which was offered to her.

To this day, the prasadam partaken by Senkamalavalli thayar is taken to Ramanujacharya in his present sannidhi.

Swamy Manavala Mamunigal-
Acharya Manavala mamunigal has also graced his presence in this Divya kshetram and did mangalasasanams to DIvine couple.

Scriptures
A Chola inscription indicates an endowment to the shrines of Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) and his chief consort, Rukmini, inside the temple by King Parakesarivarman (907–955 CE). The temple had later additions from the subsequent Chola, later Pandyas, Hoysala and the Vijayanagara kings. The temple suffered extensive damage during a flood and was repaired by a merchant around 1262–63.

In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu. An Executive officer appointed by the Board manages the temple along with Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, Sri Alagiya Manavala Perumal Temple at Woraiyur, Sri Vadivalagiya Nambi Perumal Temple and Mariamman Temple at Anbil. Annadhanam scheme, which provides free food to devotees, is implemented in the temple by the Board. Under the scheme, free food is offered to hundred devotees every day in the temple and the expenditure is fully funded by the contributions from devotees.

Architecture
Pundarikakshan Perumal temple is located in Thiruvellarai, a village 27 km (17 mi) from Tiruchirappalli, on the Thuraiyur road. The shrine of Pundarikakshan is built on a 15 m (50 ft) tall hillock.[13] There are two stepped entrances to the sanctum, Utharayanya Vaasal and Dhakshinaya Vaasal, each open for a six-month period. From Tamil month of thai to aani (January to June), Utharayanya Vaasal is opened, Dhakshinaya Vaasaal is opened during the Tamil month of aadi to margazhi (June to January). The two gates in the temple are believed to represents the 2 cycles of the Sun, who is seen in his anthropomorphic form, engaged in fanning the presiding deity, Senthamarai Kannan, in his sanctum sanctorum. The central image of the presiding deity, Pundarikakshan, is seen in a standing posture facing east. He appeared to Sibi Chakravarthy, SriMahaalakshmi and sage Markandeya. In main sanctum sanctorum, Moolavar Pundarikakshan, the presiding deity is present in the center along with Surya and Chandra doing holy service to the lord with Fly-whisk on the upper part in both sides of Perumal, Garuda and Adhisesha worshipping the lord on both side in center and Sage Markandeya worshipping the lord for Salvation and Bhudevi thayar worshipping him for peace across the world in sitting position. The consort of Pundarikakshan, Senkamalavalli, (also called "Thani Koil Nachiyar") has a separate shrine.[1][14] The temple has Pallava sculptural depictions of Narasimha and Varaaha, two of the ten avatars of Vishnu. Narasimha is depicted holding a demon in one panel, the other shows him tearing the demon.

Besides the main shrine for Pankajavalli and Pundarikakshan, the temple has shrines for Krishnar-(Pillai), Chakarathazhwar, Alvars, Garuda, Ramanujar,Uyyakondar, Engalazhwan, Manavala Mamunigal, Lakshmi Narasimhar, Andal,Hanuman. The vimanam (structure over the sanctum) is called Vimalaakkruthi Vimaanam. There are various sculptural depictions of Krishna on the pillars of the temple, in the most notable of which he is depicted dancing on a pot. He is seen dancing in Swastika posture with his buns like hair-do, ornaments and anklet. In another sculpture, he is seen slaying the demon Bhagasura. The Vijayanagar and Nayak kings commissioned the Krishna paintings on the exterior walls of the shrine of Pundarikakshan; they have clear labels. Paintings with some of the popular themes from the epic Ramayana were also commissioned by the Nayak kings in the temple.

The rajagopuram, the main gateway tower, is an unfinished structure. An initiative to complete the estimated 72 ft has been mooted by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board in 2017. A swastika-shaped temple tank built during 800 CE is present in the south-western corner of the street around the temple. It has four stepped gateways, each having 51 steps. The tank is believed to have been built by Kamban Araiyan during the reign of Dantivarman. In modern times, it is maintained by the Department of Archaeology of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The temple complex covers an area of 2.62 ha, while the tank covers an area of 0.1256 ha and many mandapas are dedicated to the Lord which cover a total 8 acre.

An archaeological study in 2010 revealed that the layout of the rock-cut caves in the temple is similar to that of other rock-cut temples such as the Rockfort and Pechipalai cave temple. The unfinished caves in the temple, along with the lower cave temples in Tiruchirappalli and Tiruparankunram, each have a shrine for Shiva in the east and Vishnu in the west, separated by a central bay between them.

Thayar- Goddess Mahalakshmi
The Main Thayar who is besides Perumal is called Pankajavalli Thayar ( aka Pangayachelvi, Pankajaanayagi ). This thayar has the aadhipathyam- leadership and control over Perumal himself. During all the purappaadu, Pankajavalli thayar precedes Perumal In Her own Palanquin. All the properties are in the name of Thayar and not in the name of Perumal. Unlike other temples, here Pereumal always have utsavams along Thayar. And During vaahana purappadu of Perumal, Thayar comes back to Moolasthanam and Perumal after thiruveedhiula in vaaganam, while returning to moolasthanam, have to inform Thayar the proper naazhigai (a time scale which is used in older days) near Naazhi Kettaan vaasal.

Religious significance
The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Periyalvar in eleven hymns and Thirumangai Alvar in thirteen hymns. The temple is classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. Some of the ancient Sanskrit books consider the temple as an uthamakshetram, meaning the place that gives the best to its devotees. The sculptures on the pillars of the temple reveal the earliest practice of Krishna worship in Tamil Nadu. Vedanthacharyar (1269–1370) has revered the temple in his work Hamsa Sandesam. It is also considered one of the most hallowed and pious Vaishnava Divyadesams, as being older than the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, one visit to this temple is considered equal to visiting all the 108 Vaishnava Divyadesams. As per Hindu legend, the eighteen steps in the temple represent the eighteen chapters of the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita and the last four steps represent the four vedas, the sacred Hindu religious texts. The sound made in front of some of the big pillars of the temple echoes around the temple. Some of the sacred verses are recited more than once in front of these pillars during worship. Thiruvellarai is the birthplace of Uyyakondar, a disciple of Nathamunigal. Also, Thiruvellarai is the birthplace of Nammalvar (Vishnuchitthar) is believed to have taught Sri Bhasyam to Nadadhoor Ammal in the temple.

According to Hindu legend Ramanuja (1017–1137), the leading expounder of Vishishtadvaita philosophy, visited the temple. One of his disciples placed Ramanuja's sandals along with the image of Varadarajan. Ramanujar became furious at this, for which the disciple explained that for Ramanuja Varadarajar is god, but for him, Ramanuja is supreme. Thiruvellarai is the birthplace of Uyyakondar, a disciple of Nathamuni. Swami Engalazhwan is believed to have taught Sri Bhasyam to Nadadhoor Ammal in the temple. The Jiyar of the temple, the head of the temple, is named Pankaya Selvi Jiyar after the name of the Thayar of the temple.

Festivals and religious practices
The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin varna. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Vishwaroopam at 7 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Pundarikakshan and Pankajavalli. During the last step of worship, nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument) are played, religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple.

The Chariot festival is the most prominent festival of the temple, and for the surrounding villages. It is celebrated during the Tamil month of Panguni (March–April) when devotees pull the chariot around the streets of Thiruvellarai. Verses from Naalayira Divya Prabandham are recited by a group of Shri Vaishnavas amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument). The chariot festival is unique in the state as a community feast is offered by several individuals and committees, a custom many centuries old. The processional idols of Pundarikakshan and Pankajavalli are brought to the temple car early in the morning amidst religious chanting. Ratharohanam, the rituals associated with taking the idols to the temple car, is performed at an auspicious time before commencing the procession.