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 One
of the 108 Divya Desams in Vaishnavite tradition, Thirukannapuram,
is also called Pancha Krishna Kshetra and Saptha Punya Kshetra. The
presiding deity is Sowrirajan and his divine consort is Kannapura
Nayaki.
This holy spot is replete with puranic lore which has been mentioned
in Padma Puranam. Naimacharanya Munivar wanted to know about this
shrine and requested Soodhaka Munivar to narrate it.
A king called Vasu had the power to fly in the sky and helped the
Devas win a battle against the Asuras. Vasu felt thirsty after the
battle and in order to quench his thirst he landed at this hallowed
shrine. His soldiers who travelled along with him mistook the
fragile and puny sages who were meditating in the pond to be uncut
sheaves. The soldiers tried to shear them off. The sages were
alarmed at this act and cried for help.
The Lord, on hearing them wailing, appeared as a
16-year-old lad and confronted Vasu. The Lord wanted to save his
devotees. The king thought that when he was able to defeat the
Asuras in no time, vanquishing the lad would not be difficult. Thus,
he tried to defeat the Lord by employing special techniques.
All his efforts were futile and finally he sent
the powerful Narayana asthram. The asthram circled and fell at the
feet of the Lord. Only now the king came to know that the lad was
none other than Narayana in disguise. He at once surrendered at the
Lord’s feet and asked for pardon. The Lord, known for his
benevolence, at once pardoned him. The king wanted the Lord to wed
his daughter, which he readily agreed to.
Presiding deity – Sowrirajan Neela Mega Perumal -
in standing posture, facing east
Thayar - Kannapura Nayaki
Holy water – Nithya Pushkarini
Vimanam – Udhbalavadhaka
Sowri means the supreme who incarnates in every
yuga. It is believed that this shrine is as old as 75 Chatur Yugas.
During the Brahmotsavam in the Tamil month of Vaikasi the Lord
blesses the devout as Trinity - Brahma Vishnu and Shiva.
First he appears as Vishnu, next as Brahma and
the following morning, as Shiva. This is the uniqueness of the
temple.
Pongal, offered as neivedhyam, is prepared in a
special way. We shall read about it in the next article.
Thirukannapuram is situated between Nagapattinam
and Nannilam.
(To be continued)
Usha Raja
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