Aaduthurai Perumal Temple, Thirukkoodalur
Thirukkoodaloor
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Sthala Purāṇam
Thirukkoodaloor, near Kumbakonam, is praised in the Brahmanda Purana and Padma Purana and is known as a Sangama Kshetram, for here the sacred waters and the divine hosts gathered together, koodal meaning joining or confluence, from which the place takes its name. The presiding deity is Aaduthurai Perumal, also called Jagathrakshaka (Jakath Rakshaka) Perumal, the protector of the world, with Thayar Padmasani (Pushpavalli). The principal sthala puranam relates that all the devas, together with the sage Nandaka (Nandhaga Rishi), performed devout worship and prayed for the Lord's darshan; pleased by their devotion, Vishnu appeared in splendour and, at their entreaty, resolved to destroy the asura Hiranyaksha who had carried off the earth goddess. In his Varaha (boar) avatar the Lord rescued Bhumi and is honoured here as the world's protector. Tradition also holds that the River Kaveri came to this kshetram to purify herself and regained her sanctity through the Lord's worship. A devout parrot is said to have been graced and liberated here, showing that the Lord descends for every living being. The temple, once buried by floods, was revealed in a dream to Rani Mangammal of Madurai, who had it excavated and rebuilt. The vimana is the Suddha Sattva Vimanam, the tirtham associated with the Kaveri, and the shrine is glorified by Tirumangai Alvar.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Aaduthurai Perumal (Jagathrakshaka) with Padmasani of Thirukkoodaloor is glorified by:
Thirukkoodaloor's Aaduthurai Perumal (Jagathrakshaka) received Mangalasasanam from Thirumangai Alvar alone, who composed a decade of 10 pasurams in his Periya Thirumozhi. The verses invoke the Lord's Varaha avatara and his role as protector (Jagathrakshaka / Rakshaka), praising the Cauvery-bank shrine. No exact Tamil text is asserted here because a verbatim, primary-source verse for this decade was not confidently obtained.
தாம் தம் பெருமை அறியார் தூது வேந்தர்க்காய வேந்தர் ஊர் போல் காந்தள் விரல் மென்கலை நன்மடவார் கூந்தல் கமழும் கூடலூரே
thAm tham perumai aRiyAr thUdhu / vEndharkkAya vEndhar Ur pOl / kAndhaL viral menkalai nanmadavAr / kUndhal kamazhum kUdalUrE
The Lord who, though the King of kings and omniscient, did not regard His own greatness but went as a humble messenger (for the Pandavas) — His town is Thirukkudalur, where the hair of the noble, soft-natured women, whose fingers are slender like the kaandhal (flame-lily) flower, spreads its fragrance.
செறுந் திண் திமில் ஏறுடைய பின்னை பெறுந் தண் கோலம் பெற்றார் ஊர் போல் நறுந் தண் தீந் தேன் உண்ட வண்டு குறிஞ்சி பாடும் கூடலூரே
seRundhiN thimil ERudaiya pinnai / peRundhaN kOlam peRRAr Ur pOl / naRundhaN thIndhEn uNda vaNdu / kuRinji pAdum kUdalUrE
The Lord who won the surpassingly cool beauty of Nappinnai by subduing the fierce, strong-humped charging bulls — His town is Thirukkudalur, where the beetles that have drunk the fragrant, cool, sweet honey sing the kurinji melody.
பிள்ளை உருவாய்த் தயிர் உண்டு அடியேன் உள்ளம் புகுந்த ஒருவர் ஊர் போல் கள்ள நாரை வயலுள் கயல் மீன் கொள்ளை கொள்ளும் கூடலூரே
piLLai uruvAyth thayir uNdu adiyEn / uLLam pugundha oruvar Ur pOl / kaLLa nArai vayaluL kayal mIn / koLLai koLLum kUdalUrE
The peerless Lord who, in the form of a child, ate the curd and entered the heart of me, His servant — His town is Thirukkudalur, where the cunning herons plunder the kayal fish in abundance from the paddy fields.
More verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar sings a full decade (10 pasurams) on the Aaduthurai Perumal of Thirukkoodaloor, the Jagathrakshaka (protector of the world). He recalls the Lord's Varaha (boar) incarnation - calling the place where the Lord 'went inside the earth' to lift up Bhudevi - and glorifies Him as the saviour who resides on the banks of the Cauvery. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi (Thirumangai Alvar) · source ↗
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
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