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The Tirupati connection
Denkanikottai is a an enchanting place, 25 km from Hosur and 65 km from Bangalore. There is an ancient temple called Pettairaya Swamy Temple which has the honour of being blessed by Jeeyars and
acharyas.
Arulmighu Pettairaya Swamy is the main deity (moolavar) and Lord Devaperumal is the utsavar. Goddess Soundaryavalli is the Thaayar's name.
According to lore, the place where the temple is situated was called Athiri Vanam. It is said Kanva Rishi had come to this forest to perform penance and Devakandakavan, a yakshan, was wandering about the forest with the head of a tiger and the body of a human being.
Troubled by his presence, the rishi prayed to Thiruvengada Malayan for help. The Lord came disguised as a hunter and killed the yakshan with a gatha called 'Tenkini'. The Lord then fulfilled the rishi's prayers by manifesting as Pettairaya Swamy and appears with Bhoodevi and Sreedevi in this place.
The Lord appears in the standing posture like in Tirupati, which is a special feature. Another special feature is that the main deity appears with both the devis in the sanctum sanctorum. A unique aspect in the temple is that Sreedevi's facial expression resembles a closed Lotus and Bhoodevi's, a lotus in bloom.
It should be mentioned that the main deity is dressed up as Paramapadha Nadhan on Vaikunda Ekadasi day. Thaayar Veeralakshmi (utsavar) appears in the sitting posture and on Aadi Pooram, She is dressed up in a nine-yard saree, and sports the Andal
Tirukolam.
For Vishnu Karthigai, the Lord's new cloth (vastram) is dipped in ghee and burnt with camphor. The cloth is tied to a stick, hung from the temple tower and burnt. It is believed that everything evil is destroyed by doing so.
Panguni Chithirai Kalyana utsavam, Brahmotsavam and Tiruvadipooram utsavam are celebrated apart from Vaikunda Ekadasi and Purattasi Saturdays, which are considered special.
It is believed that any type of disease is cured if one worships the Perumal here. Impediments in marriages get cleared if one worships the Thaayar for 18 days by performing poojas and reciting slokas at this temple.
When the devotee's prayers are fulfilled, they tonsure their heads or offer 'thomalai' or offer 'vastram' to the Lord. Lighting a ghee lamp on the day of Karthigai is considered auspicious.
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