Pandava Thootha Perumal Temple / ஸ்ரீ பாண்டவ தூதர் பெருமாள் கோயில் / திருப்பாடகம் பாண்டவதூதப் பெருமாள் கோவில், Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

25^th March 2018

Sri Pandava Thootha Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram ( Padagam – Periya Kanchi )  is one of the 108 Divya Desam.

Mangalasasanam of this temple was done by Bhoothathalvar, Pei Alwar, Thirumangai alwar and Thirumazhisai alwar.

கல்லார் மதிள்சூழ் கச்சி நகருள்

நச்சிப் பாடகத்துள்,

எல்லா வுலகும் வணங்க விருந்த

அம்மான், இலங்கைக்கோன்

வல்லா ளாகம் வில்லால் முனிந்த

எந்தை, விபீடணற்கு

நல்லா னுடைய நாமம் சொல்லில்

நமோநா ராயணமே 

…. திருமங்கை ஆழ்வார் ( 1541 )

சேர்ந்த திருமால் கடல்குடந்தை வேங்கடம்

நேர்ந்தவென் சிந்தை நிறைவிசும்பு, - வாய்ந்த

மறையா டகம்அனந்தன் வண்டுழாய்க் கண்ணி,

இறைபாடி யாய இவை.

… பேயாழ்வார் மூன்றாம் திருவந்தாதி -(2311 )

உற்று வணங்கித் தொழுமின், உலகேழும்

முற்றும் விழுங்கும் முகில்வண்ணம், - பற்றிப்

பொருந்தாதான் மார்பிடந்து பூம்பா டகத்துள்

இருந்தானை, ஏத்துமென் நெஞ்சு.

….. பூதத்தாழ்வார் ( 2275 )

நின்றதெந்தை யூரகத்தி

ருந்ததெந்தை பாடகத்து,

அன்றுவெஃக ணைக்கிடந்த

தென்னிலாத முன்னெலாம்,

அன்றுநான்பி றந்திலேன்பி

றந்தபின்ம றந்திலேன்,

நின்றதும் மிருந்ததும்கி

டந்ததும்மென் நெஞ்சுளே.

… திருமழிசைஆழ்வார் ( 815 )

Moolavar  : Sri Pandava Thootha Perumal.

Thayar     : Sri Rukmani Thayar

Some of the important details are as follows...

The temple faces east with a 5-tier Rajagopuram ( built during Vijayanagara Period ) on the south. Dwajasthambam, Balipedam, and Garudalwar are in front of the main sanctum sanctorum.  Moolavar is big & tall in size about 25 feet high made of stucco. The Perumal is in sitting posture with his left leg down and right leg in folded position. The hands are in abhaya and varada hastam.

ARCHITECTURE

The Vimana is of Bhadra Vimana and the sanctum has a big space to accommodate the huge size of Perumal. The sanctum has both Bhoothavari and Yazhi vari-like Shiva temples. The front Mandapam was built during the Chozha period.  Sannadhi for Sri Rukmani Thayar and Sudarshan Chakra ( Yoga Narasimhar is on the back) are in the prakaram. Urchavars and images of  Alwars are kept in Artha mandapam. I was told that in the Urchava murtis,  one special murti is  for Yagnamurthy,   who lost in a debate with Sri Ramanujacharya and later became a student of Sri Ramanujar and called  Arulala Perumal Emperumanar.

 Vimanam

 Bhoothavari 

 Bhoothavari 

 Bhoothavari & Yazhivari

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

There are inscriptions on the south and north walls of the sanctum belonging to Kulothunga Chozha –I, and Rajadhiraja – II ( 1167 CE ), which records the donation of  32 cows for burning of Lamps and loan given for land at an interest rate of one paisa.

No. 68. INSCRIPTION IN THE PANDAVA PERUMAL TEMPLE.

This inscription ( No. 17 of 1893 ) is engraved on the north wall of the Pandava Perumal temple at Kanchipuram. The ancient name of the temple was Tiruppadagam (1, 3 ), and it is mentioned under the name of Padagam in the Nalayiraprabandham.

The date is the 5^th year of the king, who is now styled Kulothunga Chôladêva -I. while in the inscriptions of his 2nd, 3rd, and 4^th years  ( Nos. 61 to 67 and 77 ) he still bears the name Rájêndia-Chôladêva- II.

The new inscription refers to his early victories at Sakkarakottam and Vayirågaram" It then states that he vanquished the king of Kuntala, ie the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya -VI., that he crowned himself as king of the country on the banks of the Kaveri, ie, of the Chôla country, and that he decapitated an unnamed Pandya king. An inscription of the 6^th year of his reign adds nothing new to these statements.

Kulothunga Chozha-I’s 5^th reign year inscription records that Kumara Peruvaniyan Devan Erinjodi alias Arulaladasan a merchant of Kanchipuram provided the temple with a flower garden called Flower Garden of Arulaladasan and purchased from the villagers of Orirukkai some land for the benefit of the gardeners. I cannot find Orirukkai on the map, but it must be looked for near Uttiramélûr (1. 4 ) in the Madurautakam taluka of the Chingleput district. As boundaries of the land are granted, the inscription mentions also the river Alichchiyâru and apparently the village of Sattamangalam. A village of this name I find 8 miles east of Madurântakam.

No. 74. INSCRIPTION IN THE PANDAVA PERUMAL TEMPLE.

This inscription ( No. 18 of 1893 ) is engraved on the south wall of the Pandava Perumal temple at Kanchipuram. As in No. 68 above, the name of the temple is given as Tiruppâdagam (1. 3).

The date is the 39^th year of the reign of Kulôttunga Chozha-I. But the historical introduction agrees almost literally with an inscription of the 5^th year in the same temple ( No. 63 above), while the intervening inscriptions ( Nos. 69 to 73, 78, and Vol. II. No. 55 ) contain much additional matter.

Kulothunga Chozha-I’s 39^th reign year inscription, records that a merchant Tottangilanadan Soman of Kânchipuram paid two kalanju and two mañjadi of gold to the Ninranarayana Bhattan of Bharvaja gotra and Thiruvarangamani Bhattan Pujaris of the temple, who pledged themselves to have the god supplied daily with two nali of curds.

Ref:

South Indian Inscriptions Volume -3, 68 and 74.

Inscriptions on kumudam

LEGENDS

As per the legend Lord Vishnu as Krishna went to Kauravas as a messenger  to get the share of the Kingdom for Pandavas. Duryodhana built a false throne made of bamboo and kept  wrestlers under the throne with false flooring to kill Krishna. When Krishna  took the Viswaroopa and destroyed the wrestlers. Since Krishna went as a messenger or Thoothu in Tamil,  for Pandavas, Moolavar is called Pandava Thootha Perumal. Sri Pandava Thootha Perumal gave the Viswaroopa darshan to Janamejayan and Haritha muni in this temple.

This is a lifelong worship temple for Rohini Nakshatra devotees. Also, Devotees took Anga Pradakshina for prayers.

TEMPLE TIMINGS:

The temple will be kept open between 07.00 hrs to 12.00 hrs and 16.30 Hrs to 20.30 Hrs.

HOW TO REACH:

This temple is located on the same Ekambaranathar temple street in Thiru Padagam or Padagam.

Autos are available from the Bus stand.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE:    CLICK HERE

 Rukmani Thayar Sannidhi

 Sudharsan Sannadhi 

 ---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---