Uthamar Koil - The Temple Which Houses The Divine Trinity!



In this article, we will read about the third temple in the list of 108 Divya Desham of Maha Vishnu. This temple is referred to by many names - Uthamar Koil, Thirukarambannur and also Bhikshandar Koil. 

The highlight of this temple is, it is one of those extremely rare temples where we can find the Holy Trinity together - Maha Vishnu as Purushottamar, Lord Shiva as Bhikshadanar and Lord Brahma, along with their respective consorts. 

The temple is situated in the outskirts of Tiruchirapally in Tamil Nadu. Its origin dates back to the 8th century, during the reign of the Cholas. Several legends are associated with the origin of the temple.

It is said that Lord Vishnu appeared at one place as a Kadamba tree, wanting to test Lord Brahma's devotion. The later recognized the divine form of Maha Vishnu and worshipped the tree with Thirumanjanam (holy water). This water filled up a nearby tank which came to be called as Kadamba Teertham. Happy with Lord Brahma's devotion, Maha Vishnu offered Him a boon that there would be a shrine to Lord Brahma at this place. Since Maha Vishnu appeared here as a Kadamba tree, the place got the name Kadambannur, which was later replaced by the term Karambannur. 

Another legend is associated with Lord Shiva cutting off one of the heads of Lord Brahma. As Lord Brahma created the first woman Shatarupa, He himself got captivated by His creation and acquired five heads so that He could watch her wherever she went. To remind Lord Brahma about His divine and detached nature, Lord Shiva cut off one of His heads. But by doing so, He acquired a sin of having beheaded Lord Brahma. For atonement, Lord Shiva left on a pilgrimage. When He approached Kadambannur, Maha Vishnu requested His consort Maha Lakshmi to give alms to Lord Shiva, whose holy grail (Kamandalu) filled and overflowed with the gift of Maha Lakshmi. Hence Lord Shiva came to be worshipped here as Bhikshadanar (a mendicant accepting alms) and the Devi came to be worshipped here as Poornavalli Thayar (the one who filled the Kamandalu). It is also believed that this temple was constructed during the reign of King Janak, father of Devi Sita. 

The temple houses shrines for the divine Trinity and their respective consorts. An interesting part of this temple is the identification of the Saptha Gurus (seven sages) that is represented in this temple:

Bhikshadanar (Lord Shiva as the Sadashiva Guru)

Lord Brahma (as Brahma Guru)

Soundarya Parvathy (The Devi as Shakti Guru)

Brihaspathi (as Deva Guru)

Perumal as Vishnu Guru

Murugan as Gnana Guru and 

Shukra (Asura Guru)

It is amazing to note that the rituals to Lord Shiva are performed in the temple by priests belonging to the Shaiva community while the rituals to Lord Vishnu are performed by priests belonging to the Vaishnava community. 

Om Brahmaaya Namaha! Om Namo Narayana! Om Namaha Shivaaya! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories From The Bhagavatham - Narasimha Avatar (Part 1)

Image
In the previous chapters of Bhagavatham, we read about how the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, the abode of Maha Vishnu, had been cursed to take three births as the enemies of the lord. One of their births was as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, two Asuras who wreaked untold damage upon the earth and made life miserable for all the devotees of the Lord. Hiranyaksha was killed by Maha Vishnu in His form as Varaha. Angered by the killing of his brother, Hiranyakashipu issued a command to his followers. “My brother has been killed by Narayana. I must destroy him. Go to the earth and wherever you see people performing Tapas, Yajna and other spiritual activities, kill them. Narayana is said to be present at the places where people worship him. I do not want him to be worshipped! Destroy anyone who utters his name!” Eagerly following his orders, the asuras went on a rampage, destroying places of worship, obstructing spiritual activities and harming every one who proclaimed themselves to be a de...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Prelude To An Avatar (Part 1)

Image
  While the Devas and Asuras were always rivals, once it so happened that the Devas lost all their strength and the Asuras began to conquer them. Worried about the future of the universe, the Devas approached Lord Brahma, the Creator to seek His help. Lord Brahma advised the Devas to seek Lord Narayana. The Devas, along with Lord Brahma approached Maha Vishnu and asked for His guidance. “I know what you need to win over the Asuras.” Maha Vishnu said. “First and foremost, you need to make peace with them. You need time to recover your strength and should avoid any fights. You need to obtain Amritha, the nectar of life which will grant immortality to you. To get this nectar, you need to churn the ocean using Mount Mandara as the churning staff and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. This churning will require powerful hands and you will need the assistance of the Asuras for the same.” Maha Vishnu also gave some advice to the Devas. “Whatever happens, agree with the Asuras for every...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Gajendra Moksham

Image
  In a hill named Trikuta, there was a garden named Rituman which was a paradise in itself. One could find every kind of tree, flower, fruit and animal there. In this hill, lived an elephant with his herd. The elephant was the leader of the herd and is referred to by devotees as Gajendra, and this leela of Maha Vishnu is named as Gajendra Moksham. This story is very special. I grew up listening to this story and simply love it because for me, it stands as a validation that no cry or prayer goes unheard in the Universe. Once, feeling thirsty, Gajendra entered a lake with his herd. After drinking water, the herd bathed in the lake. Unaware to the elephants, a crocodile stealthily swam up to the herd and clutched the leg of Gajendra. The elephant trumpeted loudly in pain. But try as he might, he could not lift his leg from the jaws of the crocodile. Seeing their leader in trouble, the other elephants tried to help him, but all their efforts went in vain. The crocodile kept tryin...
Read more