SREE SARANGAPANI TEMPLE, KUMBAKONAM

SREE SARANGAPANI TEMPLE, KUMBAKONAM

This temple is near to the Pottramarai Kulam and is between the rivers Cauvery and Arasalaru.   Sarangapani temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams and also one of the Pancharangams along the Cauvery River.  (Other rangams are Srirangapatna near Mysore, Srirangam in Trichirapalli, Appakudathan at Koviladi near Anbil, Trichirapalli and Parimala Ranganathar of Indaloor in Mayiladuthurai).   This is the third among the 108 Divya desams.  The glory of the Lord is sung by almost all the alwars - Poigai Azhwar, Madurakavi Azhwar, Kulasekara Azhwar, Tirupanazhwar, Thondaradipodi Azhwar, Peyazhwar, Bhoodhathazhwar, Tirumazhisai Azhwar, Periyazhwar and Sri Andal.  This temple gopuram is one of the tallest at 150 feet with 11 tiers, only next to Srirangam at 236ft and Srivilliputtur at 192 feet, among the Divya desams.  The temple is very well connected by bus and also only 2 kms from Kumbakonam railway stations.  Pottramarai Kulam or Hema Pushkarani.

Lord Sarangapani is in reclining posture.   Though not in full sayana posture with an attempt to get up as desired by Thirumazhisai Alwar.  This posture is termed as Uddhana Sayana.     The sanctum sanctorum outside has the shape of a ratham with two entrances as Dakshinayana and Uttarayana.  This is to represent the Lord who came on the rath to wed Thayar.  The Utharayana entrance is open between 15th of January and 15th of July and the Dakshinayana on the other half of the year.  Lord faces the East. The sculptures of Narasimha Avatar are set beautifully around the sanctum sanctorum.  Lord Santhanakrishna blesses the devotees from a shrine before the sanctum sanctorum.  

                                                         Aravamudhan

                                                 Uttarayana Vasal opening

When one of the Vaishnava Acharya Sri Nadamuni came to worship in this temple, he saw devotees singing 10 verses out of the 1000.  Sri Nadamuni wondered where to get the rest of the 1000s.  The lord was the force behind the compilation of the hymns.  Lord appeared in the dream of Sri Nadamuni and asked him to go to Alwarthirunagari and meet Saint Nammazhwar to get the hymns to enable compiling the same.  He have Sri Nadamuni the collection of 4000 hymns and thus the work of one of the greatest for vaishnavites the Nalayira Divya Prabandham could be had.

The Lord is also known as Aravamudhan, as initially the verses which were found referred to him as such.

There is a separate Sannidhi for Komalavalli thayar.  Komalavalli Thayar is the daughter of Sage Hemarishi and Mother Mahalakshmi.  The thayar does not come out of her place and also called as Padi Thanda Pathini.  Opposite to the Thayar Sannidhi is Pathala Srinivasa Perumal and as the name implies, on has to go down a few steps to have darshan of the perumal.

Periyazhvar praises the Lord Sarangapani in Tamil Hymn thus:
தூ நிலாமுற்றத்தே போந்துவிளையாட

வான் நிலா அம்புலீ! சந்திரா! வா என்று
நீ நிலா, நின் புகழாநின்ற ஆயர் தம்
கோ நிலாவக் கொட்டாய் சப்பாணி,
குடந்தைக் கிடந்தானே! சப்பாணி

There is a story on the Rajagopuram of Sarangapani Perumal temple - Lakshminarayanan a commoner was a fervent devotee of Perumal and he used to wonder that the kings have big palaces but the temple gopuram alone is too small.  Between Kanchi and Vandavasi, in a place called Navalpakkam, a Mahan called Sree Ayya  Kumaradadha Desikan who was reciting Vedas three times a day.  He was also teaching whatever he learnt to others including the Pasurams of Perumal and also conducted Yagnas for the welfare of everyone.   Achuthappa Nayak of the Nayak dynasty after knowing about these, requested him to be the Guru for his dynasty.  He acceded to the request and three generations of the Nayak Dynasty namely Achuthappa, Ragunatha and Vijayaraghunatha Nayaks got benefitted by his advice.  When Lakshminarayanan used to talk about the Gopuram to be bigger, the local people used to laugh at him and say even to wear you do not have proper vesti and you want to build the temple Gopuram.  His single minded devotion to Sarangapani made him not to affect by such comments.  He used to ask others when would Sree Ayya Desikan come? and in return he would only be taunted.  Even as days passed by, he got his answers when he could hear the hymns being sung and people approaching towards the temple.  He was surprised and also happy to see his manaseega Guru coming with the group of people.   He was overwhelmed with emotion and fell on the feet of Sree Ayya Kumaradadha Desikan and the Mahan just smiled and continued his way.  Lakshminarayanan now started helping the Guru and as days passed by he told the Guru that he lost his father and mother in his early age and Perumal was all for him.  Just as I would have built a home for my parents, was it not his duty to construct a big gopuram for perumal.  He also said to the Guru that he has put his request to Lord himself for him to build a rajagopuram and that Guru should help in that.  The Guru merely said - I would go and tell; he would do everything to you; after yourself too he would do everything for you.  

Hearing this Lakshminarayanan went to his place happily and but heard the sad news after a few days that the Guru has left this mortal world.  He cried and told the lord that he could not make what the Guru was telling the other day, that he would go and tell.  He also felt then who would help him?   But on the eleventh day after the demise of Sree Ayya Kumaradadha Desigan, the Nayaka King came with his parivar and an old man was pointing towards Lakshminarayanan to him. The King came to Lakshminarayanan and asked him what did he ask you.  He would have spoken a lot to you.  To that,  Lakshminarayanan said that the Guru did not ask anything from him and only  he asked the Guru to help in constructing the bigger Gopuram for the Lord.  The King felt ashamed that what he should have done had come from Lakshminarayanan.  King said that Lakshminaryanan would build the Gopuram and he would provide the necessary finance for it.  With the blessings of Aravamudhan and the Guru, the temple Gopuram was built fast and it had 11 tiers to indicate the blessing of the Guru's 11 th day on which the necessary money and materials were received from the King.  Lakshminarayanan did not stop with the construction of the gopuram and continuing his Kaingaryams to the lord.  As he became old, on a Deepavali day after seeing the gaiety with which the celebrations had been done, he just took rest sitting next to a pillar of the temple.  He left this mortal world. There was no relation or anyone to do the last rites.  The Lord himself did it and no one noticed that.  Next day when the Bhattacharya opened the temple, he was in for a shock.  The sacred thread of the Perumal was on the Pracheenaveedhi (on the left) as for doing apara Karya and the sanctum was strewn with dharbais and till seeds.  The lord did not have any mark on his face and it was barren. There was an Asareeri - " I would do the yearly rites of Lakshminaryanan, the Srartham. That would happen every Aaippasi (Thula) month Amavasya." 

Till date this is being carried on all Aaippasi Amavasya day in front of the sanndihi of SreeAyya Kumaradada Desikan which is next to the Komavalli Thayar Sannidhi.   The temple would be closed during this period.

Temple Timings:
7.00 AM to 12.00 Noon
4.30 PM to  09.00 PM