Wednesday 4 December 2019

Vyaghrapureeswarar / Vyakrapureeswarar Temple, Thirupulivanam, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu.

16th November 2019.
It was around 13.00 hrs when we reached Thirupulivanam and the temple was found closed. Gurukkal was kind enough to open the door and had the Darshan of Lord Shiva. The ancient name of Thirupulivalam  was corrupted to the present name of Thirupulivanam. In Kanchi purana the place was mentioned as Vyaghrapura vanam. Vyaghrapada For the pulikal Munivar is usually related to the places with “Puli – Tiger”.


Moolavar  : Sri Vyaghrapureeswarar
Consort    : Sri Amirthagujalambal

Some of the salient features of this temple are….
The temple is facing east with a 3 tier Rajagopuram. In front of the Rajagopuram the temple tank and a mandapam are on the right side. Balipeedam, Dwajasthambam base and Rishabam are in front of the Rajagopuram. The temple complex consists of Sanctum, antarala, artha mandapam, maha mandapam and a mukha mandapam. The sanctum is at an elevated level of about 4 feet from the maha mandapam. Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar and Vinayagar are at the entrance of Maha mandapam entrance after the steps. In koshtam Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Mahavishnu, Brahma and Durgai. 

The Dakshinamurthy panel is little different. Dakshinamurthy is sitting under a kallala tree with akkamala / rudraksha mala and Pokkanam / ( Vibuthi or holy ash bag ) are shown hanging. Dakshinamurthy is in sitting posture, keeping both legs down. While right leg is resting on muyalagan and the left leg rests on a Simham. On both sides instead of Sanakatha munis, Suryan & Chandran are on Simhas, Rishis, Kinnaras and King & Queen are in worshiping posture.
  
At the artha mandapam entrance on both sides are the bas-reliefs of Ashtabhuja Durga and Bhairavar.

Vahanas are in maha mandapam. In the inner prakaram / Circumambulatory path Vinayagar, Subramaniyar, Sri Valli Devasena Subramaniar, Bhairavar, Suryan, Navagrahas, Nalvar and Chandikeswarar. In the outer prakaram Vyaghrapada Jeeva Samadhi  and Ambal. Both are temple like sannadhi with sanctum and artha mandapam.

ARCHITECTURE
The front mandapa was built during Vijayanagara period. The reliefs of Vyaghrapada worshiping Lord Shiva, Ambal worshiping, Kannappa Nayanar Story, Snake worshiping Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva, Hanuman and the usual deities of Vijayanagaras.
 
The east out side entrance of the maha mandapam has two squatting lion pillars. The mandapa and the Prakara are supported by the cylindrical pillars with a simple Pallava / Chozha period pothyals / corbels. The Prakara pillars has the donor names inscribed.

The Vimana is of Gajaprishta vimana constructed with brick. The Kalasas are also of stucco. One of the kalasam and the Shiva’s stucco image on the mahaNasi of the Vimana was found damaged. The sanctum was built on adhisthana comprises of Upana, Jagathi, Tripatta kumuda, Pattikai, bitti, prastaram and Vimana. Bhuta ganas are in the valabi and Yazhivari is on the prastaram.  The inch bas reliefs are in kandam looks beautiful. The Koshta Thoranas has the reliefs like Dancing Nataraja, Maha Vishnu with Sridevi and Bhudevi.





 Ashtabhuja Durga

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS
The original Temple, ( a brick temple ) belongs to Pallava period and the same was rebuilt by Kulothunga Chozha-I's ( 1070 - 1125 CE ) period. As per the inscriptions this place was called as Jayangonda Chozhamandalathu Kazhiyur kottathu thaniyur Sri Rajendra Chozha Chaturvedi Mangalam. Lord Shiva was called as Thirupulivalamudaiya Nayanar and Aaludaiyar Thirupulivalamudaiyar.

The earliest inscription belongs to Kulothunga Chozha-I.  and an another inscriptions belongs  Sri Raja Narayana Sambuvarayar, Sri Viruppanna Udayar, Sri Veera Prathapa Devaraya Maharaya, Rajathi Rajan and some more inscriptions are there.  The inscriptions records the gift of lands, Cows ( 32 ), to wards burning of Perpetual Lamps. Another inscription records the gift of 15 Cows for burning of perpetual lamps  for killing of person inadvertently  during hunting. 60 veli land was donated as irayili during Kulothunga Chozha period, when Kulothunga was sitting under a pearl pandal at Vikrama Chozha mandalam Temple abhisheka mandapam.

A Sambuarayara inscription record the rectification a Eri  and land was donated to irrigate the land.  Another 17th Century Sambuvarayar period inscription records the removal / abolition of tax on the Thari ( Hand weaving machine ) for a period of 5 Years, when the weavers tried to vacate the village due to burden  tax. 

The Koperunsingan’s inscription records that Thevaradiyal Pichiyar’s son Jayanayanan   donated 60 Cows and 2 Bulls/ Rishabas to provide one uri of ghee towards burning of 2 perpetual lamps. 
No. 96.
(A. R. No. 396 of 1923).
Tiruppulivanam, Conjeeveram Taluk, Chingleput District.
On the west wall of the kitchen in the Vyaghrapurisvara temple.

This record of Tribhuvanachakravartin Tribhuvanaviradeva (i.e. Kulottungachola III), dated in his 37th year (corresponding to A.D. 1215, June 7, Sunday), is included here because it notices an inscription of Aparajita engraved on the walls of the temple of Tiruppulivanam-Udaiyar. A copy of this record is also found at Uttaramallur (A. R. No. 67 of 1898). The assembly of Uttaramelur alias Rajendrasola-chaturvedimangalam, an independent village in Kaliyur-kottam, a subdivision, of Jayangondasla-mandalam, agreed to maintain before the god Tiruppulivanamudaiya-Nayanar, all the perpetual lamps for which inscriptions were found in the temple. One such record belongs to Aparajitavikramavarman dated in the 14th year and it gives Rajamattandan as the surname of Aparajita. This epigraph stats that on the day of solar eclipse, the king made a gift of 100 kalanju of gold for burning four lamps in the temple. The solar eclipse cited in the record is, however, not helpful in fixing the initial date of Aparajita.

The 10th CE inscriptions on the pillars of the inner prakaram records the Names of Nayanamars ( 63var ) and Chola kings with their titles. 

Vijayagandagopala’s 13th  century CE, inscription records that a lady dancer gave a gift of cows, a lamp stand, a gold necklace, a silver plate, and a chariot to the temple in nearby Uttaramerur and in return She should be given the privilege of waving the chamara (fly-whisk) in front of the deity during the chariot festival. Further this was also made as a hereditary right.

LEGEND
Vyaghrapada was the son of sage Madhyandhanar. He used to worship Lord Shiva with fresh flowers before  honey bee touches. So he prayed Lord Shiva to turn his legs and eyes like Tiger to climb trees and plug flowers in early hours, before dawn. Lord Shiva blessed him as per his wish. Therefore he was called as Pulikal munivar, in Sanskrit Vyaghrapada. Since Vyaghrapada circled around the Shiva Linga, the place was called as Thirupulivalam and same was corrupted to the present name of Thirupulivanam.
   
It is believed that Lord Indra came to this temple and worshiped Lord Shiva. Parantaka Chozha and Kulothunga Chozha also worshiped Lord Shiva.

 The sthala purana - Tiger worships Lord Shiva

FESTIVALS.
Apart from regular poojas, special poojas are offered on Pradosham, Karthigai Deepam.

TEMPLE TIMINGS:
The temple will be kept opened between 08.00 hrs to 12.00 hrs and 16.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs.

CONTACT DETAILS:
Santhosh Gurukkal may be contacted on his mobile +91 9787117740 may be contacted for further Details,

HOW TO REACH:
The Temple Vyaghrapureeswarar is at Thirupulivanam.
Thirupulivanam is on the Uthiramerur to Kanchipuram bus route. 6.2 KM from Uthiramerur, 23 KM from Kanchipuram, 50 KM from Arakkonam and 84 KM from Chennai.
Nearest Railway station is Kanchipuram ( for Local Trains to Arakkonam and Chengalpattu ) and Arakkonam is the main Junction for express Trains.  

LOCATION: CLICK HERE





 Vyaghrapadar Jeeva Samadhi














   Nandhi and Rishabam
 Dwarapalakas
---OM SHVAYA NAMA---

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