|
 Thiruparkadal,
a tiny hamlet on the Chennai-Bangalore Highway, houses the famous
shrine of Lord Ranganatha. The icon of the Lord is made of ‘Athi’
wood which is unique. The temple is replete with puranic lore. Let
us catch a glimpse of its genesis.
One of the Trimurthis, Lord Brahma, got angry
with Mahavishnu and came down to Earth in a fury. He decided to
perform a yagna in the temple town of Kancheepuram and asked his
consort Saraswati to join him. Saraswathi refused to join him and
Brahma was assisted by his other wives Savithri and Gayathri. Angry
with her husband, Saraswathi decided to stop the yagna in the form
of the river Vegavathi.
Mahavishnu, who adores Brahma, blocked the
fast-flowing Vegavathi reclining on the Adisesha. He acted as a dam
to block the river. Saraswathi was appeased and was blessed by the
Lord. She became happy and paved the way for Brahma’s yagna. The
yagna was completed by Brahma successfully. He at once requested the
Lord to stay at this hallowed spot reclining on the serpent bed.
Since the Lord is in sayana thirukolam as in
Ksheerapthi (milky ocean), the place is called Thiruparkadal (Milky
Ocean).
Since he appears in at the confluence of the
rivers Vegavathi and Palar, he is called Ranganatha.
Moolavar – Ksheerapthi Nathan, Sri Ranganathan in
a reclining posture facing south with a marakkal (measure) under his
head.
Brahma appears from his nabhi kamalam.
Thayar - Kadal Magal Nachiyar, Ranganayaki.
There is an interesting story about Chitragupta,
Yama’s lieutenant, which is synonymous with this temple. We shall
read about that in the next article
(To be continued)
Usha Raja
|
