BHAKTAVASTALA TEMPLE

BHAKTAVATSALA PERUMAL TEMPLE

Tirukannamangai

Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Tirukannamangai, 6 km away from Tiruvarur,Tamil Nadu, India on the Tiruvarur - Kumbakonam highway. It is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars.

Legend

As per Hindu legend, Varuna, the guardian deity of the west and sage Romasa are believed to have worshipped Vishnu at this place. The beehive in the temple is believed to be devas worshipping Vishnu and in modern times, has special rituals performed for it.

The Temple

The temple has a 5-tier rajagopuram and a vast temple complex. The prime deity, Bhaktavatsalar has an imposing image. The temple tank is situated right opposite to the temple. This shrine is also referred to as Saptamrita Kshetram(seven celebrated elements of nature), referring to seven of its elements such as Vimanam, Mandapam, aaranyam, theertham, kshetram, river and town.

Religious significance

The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th– to 9th-century Vaishnava canon, by Tirumazhisai Alwar in one hymn. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book.

This temple is one of the Panchakanna (Krishnaranya) Kshetrams. Kannan refers to Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, while panchameans five and Kshetrams refers to holy places. Four of the five temples are situated in Chola Nadu, in modern times, in the region surrounding Kumbakonam and Nagapattinam and one of them in Nadu Nadu. Krishna is not the presiding deity in any of the temples. The processional deity, Krishna, led to the derivation of the names of these places. There are five similar temples located in North India, called Pancha-dvarakas.