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| The temple does not have a royal tower but is beautified by the arch at the entrance and the vimana above the sanctum (garbhagrha).<ref name=":0" /> | | The temple does not have a royal tower but is beautified by the arch at the entrance and the vimana above the sanctum (garbhagrha).<ref name=":0" /> |
| + | |
| + | == Thanjaiyali Nagar == |
| + | Known as Veera Narasimha kovil, the Lord Vishnu in Thanjayali Nagar is worshipped as Narasimha and Goddess Lakshmi is adored as Thanjai Nayaki (the guardian of Thanjavur). |
| + | |
| + | === Temple at a glance === |
| + | {| class="wikitable" |
| + | |Vishnu |
| + | |Narasimha |
| + | |- |
| + | |Lakshmi |
| + | |Thanjai Nayaki |
| + | |- |
| + | |Vimana |
| + | |Vedasundara Vimana |
| + | |- |
| + | |Pushkarini |
| + | |Pushkarini |
| + | |- |
| + | |Theertha |
| + | |Theertha |
| + | |} |
| + | |
| + | === Structure === |
| + | The temple without its pyramidal tower is located on a vast |
| + | spread with its customary Bali peeta, Dwajasthamba and Garuda shrine. In this |
| + | temple, right at the entrance is ThirumangaiAlwarsannidhi and to the left there |
| + | is a separate shrine for Goddess Lakshmi who is the embodiment of wealth and |
| + | grace. |
| + | |
| + | === Legends === |
| + | Having bathed in the waters of penance, Parasara |
| + | muni surrendered meekly unto the Lord and built an ashram with his loving |
| + | devotion. He was engrossed in divine knowledge together with humility, bhakti |
| + | and love. He began to regard the Lord as his very own and would always be in |
| + | the contemplation of the Lord day and night. Always yearning for the Lord, he |
| + | composed sweet verses in praise of the Lord. He dedicated himself completely to |
| + | the Lord's will longing for his vision. In course of time, the hermitage came |
| + | to be known as ParasaraKshetra. |
| + | |
| + | When the milky ocean was churned, Parasara muni was one of |
| + | the rishis, who got for himself Amrutha fromVishnu as a reward for his |
| + | devotion. The muni brought the Arnrutha to the ParasaraKshetra and spilt it |
| + | into the temple pushkarni. Thus the temple tank rightly earned the name |
| + | Arnruthavarthini. Thus the beings and disciples of Parasara muni prospered in |
| + | the region of plenty. Then came a natural calamity, a terrible draught lasting |
| + | for twelve long years. Because of its divine association the only place not |
| + | affected was ParasaraKshetra. |
| + | |
| + | As was feared by devas, the three demons having heard of |
| + | this miracle came to Parasarakshetra and polluted the temple tank. They in turn |
| + | regained their strength manifold. With their evil thoughts and habits they |
| + | troubled the Muni and his disciples endlessly. |
| + | |
| + | On the advice of Brahma the Muni beseeched the help of Lord |
| + | Shiva. To quell the demons Lord Shiva sent Chandikadevi. On seeing the Devi, |
| + | Dhandakan rained showers of arrows. But as she killed the demons the other |
| + | demons would sprinkle water from the pushkarni and infuse new life into the |
| + | dead bodies. So it was a fight without an end. At this juncture, Lord Vishnu |
| + | appeared and distilled the Arnrutha from the water tank. |
| + | |
| + | The asuraThanjakan charged on Vishnu with all sorts of |
| + | deadly weapons. The encounter between the two was terrible to behold. The |
| + | thrust that he made was terrific to look at. |
| + | |
| + | The fierce battle that followed between the two was |
| + | appaning. Thanjakan was raining arrows. At one point, he with his demonic |
| + | powers transformed as an elephant came rushing n towards the Lord with the Sala |
| + | tree in his trunk courage and character andand standing tall amongst the ruins, |
| + | the Lord unfazed by tht demon, turned back the tide leaving the demon |
| + | tottering. The Lord brought the curtains down in style with substance and with |
| + | touches of divine. Dressed in battle fatigues.finally with his Sankalpa the |
| + | Lord transformed as Narasimha, pressed the demon on his lap. At this juncture |
| + | the demon surrendered to the Lord seeking refuge with a profound desire that |
| + | the Lord should reside at Thanjai in the very same Narasimha avatar. He also |
| + | wanted the place to be glorified as Thanjavur in his memory. Lord, merciful as |
| + | ever, promised to fulfil his death wish and assured him that he shall always be |
| + | at Thanjai. The Lord closed all the escape routes and the other demon, |
| + | Dhandakan was killed by the Lord in a Varaha form after a hot chase. The Lord |
| + | alone stood victoriously among the ruins. Chandika Devi succeeded in slaving |
| + | Tharakan and the Lord conferred on her the title EkaVeera. Parasara prayed to the |
| + | Lord to continue to star at Thanjai. Lord immediately obliged his saintly |
| + | devotee and enshrined at Thanjai as NeelameghaPerumaL• |
| | | |
| == References == | | == References == |
| <references /> | | <references /> |