Sri Jagad Rakshaka Perumal Temple – Vadakurangaduthurai
Sri Jagad Rakshaka
Perumal Temple is located in Vadakurangaduthurai village in the outskirts of
Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu State.
It is one of the 108
Divyadesam temples
Here Lord Vishnu is
worshipped as Jagad Rakshaka Perumal and his consort Lakshmi Devi as
Pushpavalli.
This temple was built
during the 8th century
This temple has 3 tier
Raja gopuram.
The image of Jakath
Rakshaka Perumal in a standing position is located in the center shrine. The
Pushpavalli shrine faces toward the south.
Garuda, Andal, Alvars, and Ramanuja all have their sanctuaries. Suddha Satwa Vimana is the name of the vimana, the tower that rises over the sanctum.
The temple is associated with Ketu, one of the Navagrahas, the nine planet deities of Hinduism. While Vishnu sent his discus to chase the sage Durvasa, the other symbol of him, the conch, got prominence. The conch is believed to have appeared in the jack fruit tree behind the sanctum. Devotees worship the conch in the tree in the temple and during festive occasions, perform special rituals.
As per Hindu legend, King
Ambarisha who immersed himself in the worship of Vishnu, failed to strengthen
his army and lost his kingdom. While doing worship, he also did not observe the
sage Durvasa who went along his way. The sage got irritated and cursed the
king. The king went to Vishnu for rescue, who sent his discus to chase the
sage. The sage surrendered to Vishnu and begged pardon. The king Ambarishan is
believed to have built the temple and hence the presiding deity is also called
Ambarisha Varadhar at this place.
As per another legend, all rivers come to the river Kaveri to cleanse themselves. Kaveri wanted to cleanse herself and approached the Hindu god Brahma. She is believed to have worshipped Vishnu at this place and got relieved. A parrot that was devoted to Vishnu was shot down in the nearby forest. Vishnu rescued the parrot and appeased him of his previous birth. Thus it is believed that Vishnu descends here for all forms of life. Vishnu is also believed to have appeared for sage Nandaka. Since all sages came here and prayed to Vishnu, the place is called Koodalaur (Koodal means group). The temple is called Vaiyam Katha Perumal as the presiding deity is believed to have saved the world.
The two main festivals
celebrated in the temple are Brahmotsavam, which takes place in the Tamil month
of Vaikasi (May–June), and Vaikuntha Ekadashi, which falls in the Tamil month
of Margali (December–January). On full moon days, the temple performs the
religious ritual known as Srisukta Homam with 108 lotus leaves.
Timings
7.30 am to 12.30 pm
4.00 pm to 7.30 pm
How to reach the Temple
22 km from Kumbakonam
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