Thirupullabhoothangudi Temple is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temple dedicated to
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
located in Pullabhoothangudi near
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
in the
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. Constructed in South Indian Style of Architecture, the temple is glorified in the ''
Nalayira Divya Prabandham
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000 Tamil language, Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni, Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical ...
'', the early medieval
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
canon of the
Alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...
saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as one among the 108
Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshiped as Valvil
Ramar and his consort
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
as
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...
.
The temple has a small shrine with
Vimanam and five-tier raja
gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
. The temple was built by
Medieval Cholas with additions from later kings. The temple is located in Pulla Bhoothangudi, a small village, 8 km away from
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
and 3 km from
Swamimalai. The temple tank is located north of the temple.
Kolavalli Ramar is believed to have appeared for
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...
and the temple is believed to be the place where Rama performed the last rites of the eagle king
Jatayu. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and four yearly festivals on its calendar.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of ''Margali'' (December–January) is the major festival celebrated in the temple.
Legend
''The
Brahmanda Purana
The ''Brahmanda Purana'' () is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text is also referred in medieval Indian literature as th ...
'' and ''
Padma Purana
The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...
'' detail the
sthala purana
A sthala purana or sthala puranam () refers to a religious account that recounts the historical significance of a Hindu temple, or the sacredness of the region in which it is situated. It is sometimes referred to as a eulogistic work that glorifi ...
of the temple. In the
Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
,
Ravana
According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...
, the
rakshasa
Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...
king abducted
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...
, the wife of
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
during their exile in a forest.
Jatayu, the eagle king, fought a valiant battle with Ravana who had taken Sita captive in the
Pushpaka Vimana
Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...
. Jatayu was severely injured in the battle and fell down to the ground. Jatayu was able to narrate the events to Rama who was in search of Sita. Jatayu died after narrating the events and Rama performed the rites. As per Hindu customs, the wife of the individual performing the final rites has to accompany him. Since Sita was not present,
Bhumadevi appeared to accompany Rama from a golden lotus. The same legend is associated with
Vijayaraghava Perumal temple in
Thiruputkuzhi King Krita is believed to have worshiped Vishnu here.
Architecture
The temple has a small shrine with
Vimanam and five-tier raja
gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
. It is located in Pullabhoothangudi, a small village, 8 km away from
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
and 1 km from
Thiru Aadanoor Temple. The temple tank is located north of the temple.
Religious importance
The temple is revered in ''
Nalayira Divya Prabandham
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000 Tamil language, Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni, Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical ...
'', the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by
Kulasekhara Alvar
Kulasekhara ( Tamil: ''குலசேகரர்''; IAST: Kulaśekhara) (''fl.'' 9th century CE), one of the twelve Vaishnavite alvars, was a bhakti theologian and devotional poet from medieval south India. He was the author of " Perumal Ti ...
in one hymn. The temple is classified as a ''
Divya Desam
Divya Desam (, ) or Vaishnava Divya Desams are the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that are mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava tradition. By comparison, the Paad ...
'', one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. Thirumangai Alvar has also revered the temple in his verses. The temple is the only place where Rama is sported with four hands, with two of the hands holding
conch
Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...
and
chakra
A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...
.
[
]
Festivals and religious practices
The temple follows Pancharatra Agama and the worship practises are carried out by hereditary priests. The temple also follows the Vadakalai
Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...
tradition, specifically the traditions of Ahobila Mutt
The Ahobila Matha is a Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava monastery established around 1400 CE at Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, India following the Vadakalai tradition of Vedanta Desika. It was founded by Sri Adivan Satakopa Swami(An acharya for Vadakalai Sr ...
. The temple priests perform the '' pooja'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community, from the Brahmin varna. The temple is currently administered by Sri Ahobila Mutt. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: ''Ushathkalam'' at 7 a.m., ''Kalasanthi'' at 8:00 a.m., ''Uchikalam'' at 12:00 p.m., ''Sayarakshai'' at 5:00 p.m., ''Irandamkalam'' at 6:00 p.m. and ''Ardha Jamam'' at 7:30 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: ''alankaaram'' (decoration), ''neivedyam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Vijayaraghava Perumal and Maragathavalli. During the last step of worship, '' nagaswaram'' (pipe instrument) and '' tavil'' (percussion instrument) are played, religious instructions in the ''Vedas
FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
'' (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. Vaikuntha Ekadashi, celebrated during the Tamil month of ''Margali'' (December–January) is the major festival celebrated in the temple.
References
External links
{{Famous Vishnu temples
Hindu temples in Thanjavur district
Jatayu
Rama temples