Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Ninra Narayana Perumal- Tiruthangal

Ninra Narayana Perumal temple is in Thiruthangal which is just 3 Kms from the town of Sivakasi which is famous for  firecrackers.This temple is a 3 tier temple  situated on a small hillock .First , we come across the Lord Ranganatha's sannidhi which is inside a cave and is at the bottom most tier .  It is believed that the Lord of Srirangam stayed here en route to Srivilliputtur, Andal temple He is also known  as Palli konda Perumal. ( God in reclining pose) 

On the second tier is the shrine of  Lord's consort, Mahalakshmi known here as Chengamala Thayar. Lakshmi's idol is about 6 feet tall  and it is believed that the Goddess performed penance here. She is Goddess of wealth and  Her presence here helped to  achieve prosperity to a remote place like Sivakasi. She grants her devotees all their  wishes and the temple gets thronged to seek Her divine blessings. Tiruthangal means abode of the divine.

 Ninra Narayana Perumal's sannidhi is in the top most tier and here He stands with his four wives, Sree devi , Boodevi, Nila devi and  Jambhavathi . This sannidhi also houses the idols of Aniruddha ,Lord's grandson and His wife Usha . It is believed that they got married in the presence of the Goddess here. There are about 11 idols in the sanctum which is a special feature of this temple.This is the 45th divya desam of Vishnu.

The imposing image of Lord Narayana and all other idols are painted and there is no abhishekam performed here for the deities except for Chengamala Thayar.   Facing the Lord's sanctum is Garuda, His mount ,waiting always with folded hands in service of the Lord. Worshipping Garuda is believed to ward off the ill effects of Rahu- Ketu DoshaThe temple sanctum has a beautiful vimanam and there are also shrines for Ramanujar and Aanjaneyar. 

Adjacent to this temple there are two more temples, one dedicated to Siva, known here as Karunalli Nathar  and another one to Lord Muruga, one of the son's of Siva which is at the summit of this hill.
Temple timings are 6am- 12 noon and 4p.m - 8 p.m.

Temples in  Sivakasi
There is an ancient temple of Siva ,in Sivakasi - Kasi Viswanathar koil from which the name of the town  Sivaksi was derived. Amman here is known as Visalakshi . There are shrines for Dakshina Moorthy,Vinayagar,Murugan, ( the two sons of Siva) Durga,and  a separate mandapam for Navagrahas.There is a very old tree in this temple which  is believed to have been planted by the Pancha Pandavas.

Other temples in Sivakasi are the Badrakaliamman and Mariamman temples.

How to reach- Virudhu Nagar is the nearest railway station. 
Nearest airport is at Madurai which is at  65 Kms from Sivakasi. 
Sivakasi and Tiruthangal also have railway stations but very few trains ply on this line. 
Accomodation :  One can choose to stay in Madurai itself as hotels are very few in Sivaksi and Virudhu nagar.



32 comments:

SG said...

Thanks for the nice info on Ninra Narayana Perumal. Just one question. How did the word "Ninra" is attached to this God?

chitra said...

Ninra, means he is in a standing posture here. It is also believed that he halted here en route to Sri Villiputtur.

Arti said...

Wow... The pics are so beautiful!!
I especially loved the one depicting all the architecture...the top portion...
I have heard about the divya desams.. But never got a chance to visit any!!
Thanks for this wonderful trip!!

SG said...

Isn't most of the Gods in our temples are in "standing" position?. A few temples like Srirangam are exception.

Mridula said...

What vivid colors and beauty all around.

kiran sawhney said...

Your blog is really unique. It is making me aware of the hidden gems of India. Beautiful pictures.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

What an impressive building, imposing as you say.

sm said...

great
did not knew so many details.

chitra said...

Arti,
I have stayed in that place for some time but during my recent trip only I observed things in detail, thanks to my blogging.

chitra said...

SG,
What you say is right but there are also Vishnu temples where he is in a sitting position. I have visited a few. Shall be posting about that.

Here other than standing, it also means he halted here (that is more apt I believe). I liked your question. I also helps me to think and delve deep into the subject.

chitra said...

Mridula,
Very true.I also enjoyed that during my recent visit.

chitra said...

Kiran,
I am also amazed when I see the rich heritage that was left to us by our ancestors.Really feel proud to be an Indian.

chitra said...

PW,
Thanks , I am off to another pilgrimage ,shall be away for 3-4 days.

chitra said...

sm, thank you very much you found my blog informative.

Sushma Mallya said...

Wonderful pics chitra, and nice info abt the temple too..

chitra said...

Sushma,
thanks for the comment.

Bikram said...

Tell me one thing how do you get time to visit all these places :) too many holidays i guess haan

chitra said...

Bikram,
I am always travelling for my work. I combine business and my hobby. When we get holidays also we set out for travel.You know, you turn in any direction in Tamil Nadu ,you bump inti temples.:)

P.N. Subramanian said...

Please do not get offended by my comments. Mahavishnu seems to be very particular about being relaxed all the time and its very difficult to arouse him, unlike Brahma or Shiva. Normally he is portrayed in a reclining position over his bed of Shesha Naga. However there are plenty of idols of Vishnu in a standing posture across India.

chitra said...

P. N Subramaniam,
Your comments are not going to offend me as you are commenting about the poses of Vishnu, I am only using my blogs as a medium of what I see. It is really a fact too :).
There are also places where we find Him in sitting posture too. But reclining are more I think.:)

Satya said...

hi chitra,it is so interesting about temple in Thiruthangal ... and a three tier one too...this also reminds me of tiruvanamalai...these temples have such wonderfull history n you blog is helping me to explore these temples...we are planning a visit to all temples u mention in ur blog ... by gods grace .. thank u so much


Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

StarTraci said...

I love that even in remote areas, the Goddess Mahalakshmi abides to provide prosperity. Maybe she can visit me -- :-)

All my best my friend,
Traci

Urmi said...

Very nice and interesting information about the temple. Thanks Chitra as I am gaining lot of knowledge about the different temples and all has its own beauty. Hope one day I will be able to visit all temples which you have mentioned.

Urmi said...

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi to you and your family. Hope Lord Ganesha brings happiness and peace in your life.

chitra said...

Satya,
Thanks for the comment. I am sure you would enjoy your trip.

chitra said...

Traci,
Don't be surprised when Goddess calls on you, I have already told her.

chitra said...

Babli, Thanks for the comment and Happy Ganesh chathurthi greetings to you.
I was travelling hence could not respond to your comment immediately.

R. Ramesh said...

yes C life is good when v consider God the best friend n take the right path...what say? cheers n wishes

ą“œą“Æą“°ാą“œ്‌ą“®ുą“°ുą“•്ą“•ുംą“Ŗുą““ said...

beautiful narration and picture......... enjoyed well.....

chitra said...

Thanks Jayaraj.

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Very informative and good blog. Well narrated.

chitra said...

Thanks Shanti.