Uthsavar Sri Ponnappan rathna
angi sevai
"Oppilla appan, Oppiliappan" - this is a chant you hear once you enter the temple dedicated to Sri Venkatachalapathy Swamy at Thirunageswaram. Situated 5 miles east of Kumbakonam, in Thanjavur district, Oppiliappan Koil is one of the 108 sacred temples of the Vaishnavites. Known as "Southern Tirupathi", this temple has been sung by the Alvars. The Lord here, Oppiliappan or
Tiruvinnagarathar, is said to be the elder sibling of the Lord of Tirumala, Sri
Balaji.
The Lord appears here with just one of his consorts, Bhoomi Devi, whom he married here. Legend has it that the Sage Markandeya found a baby girl next to a tulsi plant and brought her up as his own daughter. One day, the Lord appeared before the sage in the guise of an old man and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. The sage was shocked at this request and reluctantly mentioned that the girl is so young and doesn't even know the household essentials such as cooking and might even forget to add salt to the food. The Lord showed his usual form at this and proclaimed immediately that He will never take salt in his food, as far as this place was concerned. The Lord and Bhoomi Devi were married and the place came to be known as Thiru Vinnagar
Sthalam.
The main deity (moolavar) is called Tiruvinnagarappan.
The lettering "maam ékam charanam vraja" is written in
the right hand of the moolavar. These are the words spoken by Lord
Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefields of Kurukshetra. It means
"believe in me and I will take care of you".
The Uthsavar is called Ponnappan. The bhoga murthi is called Muthappan and the Lord also appears in two other forms, Ennappan and Maniappan, who have separate temples within the shrine's precincts. Nammalvar, the saint who sung the glory of this Lord, was so enthralled that he called him the "Lord with no equal" or in vernacular, "Oppilla appan", thus "Oppiliappan". As the Lord proclaimed never to take salt in his food here, the temple prasadam is made without salt. Hence,
the Lord is also known as "Uppliappan". (where, "uppu"
means salt)
This is one of the very few temples
where the Goddess is given such importance -
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Bhoomi Devi is by His side in every
shrine of the temple as well as with the Uthsava moorthi. Unlike the other temples, there isn't a separate shrine for the Lord's Consort.
Temple festivals
 The Lord has many festivals round the year - the main one is the Brahmotsava, held in Panguni month, which culminates on Sravana, the day when the Lord appeared before Sage Markandeya. This is followed by a second Brahmotsava, which concludes on Purattasi Sravana; a Kalyana
Uthsavam is held on a grand scale, which goes on for 12 days starting from Aippasi Sravana - famous Carnatic musicians render performances during this festival. A 7-day Vasanta Uthsava is also celebrated and this concludes on Vaikasi
Sravana.
Apart from these, the monthly Sravanams are very important. On these days, devotees flock to the temple from far flung places to witness the Sravana Deepam and hear their future foretold.
Rituals
This temple is the family shrine for many Vaishnavites, who come here for everything right from the first birthday ceremonies to perform Kalyana Uthsavam for their family's good. One has to pay only Rs. 5 for the tonsure and Rs. 2 to have their ears pierced here.
(Complete details here). Devotees can also choose to have a 'Nithya Aaraadhana' performed in their names. For a sum of Rs.1000 on any specific day of the year, pooja is conducted to the Lord in the devotee's (or anyone else's) name and the prasadam will be mailed to the devotee, if he is unable to come for the puja himself. Many devotees also choose to get married here, in front of the Lord and this is possible by paying a nominal fee of Rs.75, 15 days in advance.
Stay
The temple has various guesthouses which can be booked for the devotees during the course of their stay. The average cost for these rooms will range between Rs.30 - Rs.50 and these rooms are situated very close to the temple itself. Bigger parties can also book whole houses, which will cost about Rs.300 per day.
Lavanya
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