Monday, May 17, 2010

Trichy Temples- Uthamar Koil

Uthamar Koil  is one among the 108 divyadesams of Vishnu. This temple is unique as this temple houses  all the Trinities- Vishnu, Siva and Brahma . Brahma has very few temples in India and this is an added attraction for this temple.  Here we find a blend of Vaishavisam and Saivism.

The temple is very simple and does not have huge towers like other temples. Facing east is the temple of Purushothaman (Vishnu) . Here he is in Sayana Kolam , meaning- reclining on Aadisesha. The Panchaloha idol of Purushothaman and his consort Poorna Valli Thayar are stunning.  Garudalwar is facing the Vishnu's shrine.Outside there are separate shrines for Mahalakshmi and Poornavalli Thayar. 

Facing South is the shrine for Dakshina Moorthy and on the  West side is the temple of  Siva known here as Bhikshadaneshwar and his consort is known as Soundarya Parvati . She has a separate sannidhi inside this temple. At the entrance of this temple there is a  niche for Gnana Guru and Nandi is facing the Siva sannidhi. There are separte shrines for Krishna, Varadaraja, and Azhwars and Chakrathazhwar. 

The legend goes like this- Siva removed one of Brahma's head in a fit of anger and he incurred a curse. To get salvation Siva went around the world with Brahma's skull to beg for food, hence the name Bhikshadaneshwar. Whenever some one filled his vessel with food it disappeared  and he remained hungry. Finally he  reached Uthamar koil and  Mahalakshmi filled it with food thus ending Siva's hunger.

At the Northen side is the shrine of Brahma and next to it is his consort Gnana Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. Brahma grants here all the wishes of his devotees as Vishnu directed him to do so. Childless couples offer their prayers at this temple to beget offspring.

 It is also believed that once Vishnu wanted to test Brahma and  He  hid in a Kadambha tree. Brahma was worried and started searching and found the Lord here in the form of a  Kadamba tree and worshipped him . Perumal blessed him by giving Him the privilege as the creator of all lives. Lord Brahma stayed here blessing his devotees.

How to reach: This temple is in Srirangam and is 5 Kms from Trichy town. Trichy is well connected by rail, road and air. 
Regular buses ply  with good frequency to Srirangam.
One can also hire auto rickshaw or cabs.
Accommodation - A number  of hotels are available in luxury , economy and budget category.


 Vimanam  atop of Lord  Purushothaman (Vishnu) Sanctum
Shiva's shrine

Outside the temple 

Aerial View of the temple

63 comments:

sm said...

nice pictures .
i am trying to write a article on call block but to be honest it is very difficult to get the information on this topic but i will try my best.
Sorry for delay.

Anya said...

Wow!!

Thanks for sharing
its so beautiful all :))

(@^.^@)

chitra said...

sm,
I would wait for it. But your earlier suggestion is quite helpful.Now I avoid those calls by ignoring them as I can recognise easily.

chitra said...

Anya
Welcome to my blog and thanks for visiting.

Anuradha Shankar said...

nice one, chitra... i havent been there, but have heard of it..... interestingly, there are a lot of temples related to the story of shiva and brahma...u should do a series on them....

anupama said...

Dear Chitra,
Good Morning!
A great work giving detailed information!Beautiful structure at a breathtaking locaion.
Wishing you a wonderful stay in Goa and never miss the small temple of Krishna near Balaji Temple,Ponda!
Wishin you a wonderful day ahead,
Sasneham,
Anu

Insignia said...

Oh how ignorant I am. Never heard of this temple. Srirangam is my dad's ancestral place..yet I dont know.

You have given a detailed description. Its interesting how Shiva's hunger finally ended. Keep writing more :-)

chitra said...

Thanks Anu,
The way the things are moving I am getting more and more interested and I would land up doing some sort research in this subject.:)

Samvedna said...

As always its so beautiful..the pictures and the details around them.

chitra said...

Thanks Anupama,
I have made a list of temples. I will try to note down the name of the temple you have mentioned as I am making a list of them.
take care

chitra said...

Insignia
You visited Srirangam when you were quite young. Make a trip again and visit this temple too.

chitra said...

Samvedana
Thanks for the comment.

Sorcerer said...

wow!! another fantastic post with pics
:)

SathyaSridhar said...

Chitra, nice temple i have heard from my dad but i hv never been to that temple. Nice pics of the temple dear.

Archana said...

Hi Chitra,
This is an interesting temple, where the three gods are worshipped. As I said earlier, Brahma is no longer worshipped, except at some local shrines. I don't know how old this temple is. It's difficult to say as the structure has been painted over and stucco images have been added.

But this seems to be one of the shrines which had great significance since very old times, when the shrine itself may have been of brick and wood. The renovation in stone was most probably done in the 9th-10th century and the synthetic paint and the stucco images were of course added in the modern period.

I do wish they would use vegetable dyes rather than synthetic enamel, as vegetable dyes have a very natural effect - of course, they have to be used frequently while enamel stays for a long time, which is probably why enamel is used to paint the temples.

Sushma Mallya said...

lovely place, nice temple...

Felicity Grace Terry said...

As you say, quite simple but that only adds to the appeal. Enjoy your latest journey, I look forward to reading all about it.

chitra said...

Sorci
Thanks for the comment.

chitra said...

Sathya
This temple is very near to Srirangam temple. I have a habit of searching or gathering information about ancient temples and land up in these places. This was my second visit.Take care. Going on a vacation. See you.

chitra said...

PW
The simplicity adds a charm to this temple and as many people do not know about this temple, it was not crowded which helped me to go around this temple leisurely.
Yes, I am looking forward to my journey and hope to see and experience a lot.

chitra said...

Archana
you are right when you say it could be from 10th century. This temple is about 1000 years old.

Earlier towers used to be painted with natural dyes. But all that is getting replaced by synthetic paints.

There is another temple near Trichy, a temple dedicated to Brahma. I wish to go there . When I visit I shall write about it.

chitra said...

Sushma
Thanks for the comment. Making a trip to Goa and Mangalore. Shall be away for few days.

Mridula said...

Nice pictures as always Chitra.

HaRy!! said...

Madam... enaku intha kovil pona nyabagam iruku.... I'll call my mom and brag abt the story now :)! Bet she doesnt know the story of siva and the skull!... nandri ngo

chitra said...

Mridula
Thanks for the comment.

chitra said...

Hary vanakam,
So you have visited this place. Good. I would like to get in touch with your mom someday. May be during one of my Karur visits.

Shall be away for a few days.. Goa beckons. See you. Take care.

SG said...

We have been to Uthamar Koil. And also the neighboring Bikshandar Koil. I thought this was the only temple of Brahma in the whole world.

chitra said...

SG
Thanks for the comment. There is a temple near Trichy and presiding deity is Brahma. I think it is approximately 30 kms from the Trichy . I would like to visit that temple too but summer time is not suitable for visiting temples..

R. Ramesh said...

hey buddy have a gr8 vacation..but forget us not ok? nanri meendum varuga

chitra said...

Ramesh
Thanks a bunch dear friend. see you!!!

R. Ramesh said...

hey friend thanks again ya...nanriyo nanri..hehe cya..me in chennai in a fortnight god willing...tc.wishes

Krishna said...

The temple of trinities - Brahma, vishnu, mahesh(shiva),
Many people told me that there is only one temple of lord brahma on earth i.e. Pushkar (in ajmer),
Ajmer - The city in which I live... presently...
Gained some new knowledge another time....

Vintage Obsession said...

Oh i would so love to go here next time i am around tamil nadu :) what architecture !!

Dr.Kanam Sankar Pillai MS DGO said...

kindly visit maddy06 site to learn all about chempakaramanpillai
http://maddy06.blogspot.com/2009/07/champaka-raman-pillai-forgotten-freedom.html

Anya said...

Have a Happy Weekend

Kareltje & Anya
=^.^=

Urmi said...

Very nice and beautiful pictures with wonderful description. Interesting place to visit.

Saras said...

I had been to this temple sometime back. Your nice post brought back the memories.

SG said...

Can't wait for you to come back and write more posts.

Aps Kitchen said...

This blog is so devotic....I loved it :)

FranE said...

How do they get those beautiful colors on the temples? Is it colored stone or colored pigment?

itsyvitsy said...

Wow! This temple is set on a sprawling campus as I see from the aerial view. Also, I like the rich history behind this temple. I am awed by your description and the photographs. Also, being in the auspices of the trinity make this temple really sacred and special. I am sure you were awed being there as I sense from your description. :-)

P.S.: I have been busy lately and hence the delayed visit. I promise to read all posts. :-)

Traci said...

As much I love your pictures, which I do, I adore the stories ebhind the temples. I learn so much from you. I love the image of the skull being carried around the world always emptying before he ate. That's a stunning image.
I hope you are enjoying your break but I will be glad when you are back.
:-)

chitra said...

Dennise Monca
thanks for the visit.

chitra said...

SKM
I too have heard abt. the famous Pushkar temple. there's one more temple in Tamil Nadu. thanks for the comment

chitra said...

Vintage Obsession
thanks for the visit and the comment. Keep visiting.

chitra said...

Dr. Pillai
Shall read definitely

chitra said...

Anya
thanks for the comment.I had a wonderful vacation.

chitra said...

Babli
thank you.

chitra said...

Saras Sir
Nice to know you have visited this place. thank you.

chitra said...

SG
thanks .I had a wonderful time.

chitra said...

Aps
thanks for the comment.

chitra said...

hummer
they are not coloured stones. Usually natural dyes are used to give colour to the structure.

chitra said...

Hi Vittal
I was in Mangalore. spent 3 days there,thought abt.you too when I visited the Venkatramana temple. You can see my posts on Karnataka and Goa temples soon. see you.

chitra said...

Traci my dear friend
I am back now shall become active soon. Thanks a lot.

chitra said...

My friend from China,
thanks for the comment.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Just stopping by to say hello.

satya said...

hi chitra , i m very glad of ur effort. but there is no mention of lord hanuman.he is my favourite god. :-).pls try to add some of the pics of his shrine.

chitra said...

Satya, sure..., I have already made one. Shall post one soon.

adithya said...

Wonderful blog & good post.Its really helpful for me, awaiting for more new post. Keep Blogging!

Hotels in Trichy

chitra said...

Adithya
Thank you so much.

Nitheesh said...

Hey, nice site you have here! Keep up the excellent work!


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Steffi said...

I actually enjoyed reading through this posting.Many thanks.




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Unknown said...

UTHAMAR KOIL, Pl confirm whether this temple is meant for pidthur thirupthi sthalam. If so, where and how to perform the rituals at uthamar koil.
Thanks