108 Divya-deshams: Thiruvattaru

BY: SUN STAFF

Adikesava Perumal Temple, Thiruvattar

Mar 07, 2024 — CANADA (SUN) — A tour of the 108 Divya-desams, the divine abodes of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi.

The Adikesava Perumal Temple resides in Thiruvattar, in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here in His form of Nanthapadmabhan / Adikeshavaperumal. The temple is believed to be older than Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Lord Adikesava Perumal is lying on Adishesha and has to be viewed through three doors. Lord Shiva is close by inside the sannidhi. Deepalakshmis are many, and no one resembles the others.

An old view of the temple

One of thirteen historic Divya Deshams in Malai Nadu, Adikesava Perumal Temple is in a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, River Kothai, River Pahrali and River Thamirabarani.

Lord Adikesavaswamy's name means 'Foremost Friend'. When the Lord defeated the demon Kesi, the demon's wife prayed to the River Ganges and River Thamirabarani to create a destraction but it was in vain, and she surrendered to the Lord. Thus, the formation of the rivers made in a circle here came to be known as Thiruvattaru.

This temple was consecrated by Parasurama and is admired by Veda Vyasa in the sections of Padma Purana which deal with temples. As per stone inscriptions which date back to 779 CE, the temple was established in the Treta yuga. The place is known as the Srirangam of Chera Kingdom, and it was the Rajya Temple and Bharadevatha shrine of erstwhile Travancore. Adikeshava temple is also where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discovered the lost manuscript of the Brahma Samhita.

In his Foreword to Sri Brahma-samhita (1932), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati wrote the following:

"This booklet is only the fifth chapter of the Hymns of Brahma which were recorded in a hundred chapters. The Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya picked up this chapter from the temple of Adi-kesava at Tiruvattar, a village lying under the government of Travancore, for the assurance of all God-loving, and especially Krsna-loving, people in this conditioned jurisdiction. This booklet can easily be compared with another book which passes by the name of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Though it has got a reference in the pantheon of Puranas, the Bhagavatam corroborates the same idea of this Pancaratra."

In the Introduction to the most recently published BBT edition of Sri Brahma-samhita, we read:

"At the time of His discovery of the text, Sri Chaitanya was touring south India, preaching His message of love of Krishna and promulgating the practice of sankirtana congregational singing of the holy names of God. Sri Chaitanya commenced this tour shortly after becoming a monk (sannyasi), at age twenty-four. and the tour lasted approximately two years. After a southward journey from Puri (in Orissa State) to holy places such as Sri Ranga-kshetra, Setubandha, Rameshvaram, and finally Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin), He turned northward and, traveling along the bank of the Payasvini River in Travancore State, reached the temple of Adi-keshava in Trivandrum District."

The temple architecture is Dravidian with wooden pillars, doors and roofs. The Temple is surrounded by a 30 ft. high fort wall. The outer corridor stands on 224 stone pillars. The adjacent forward facing mandapams include sculptures and artworks which depict events from Ramayana. It also portrays images of Sri Krishna, Shiva, Parvati and others.

The Otraikkal Mandapam (single stone hall), made of a single stone 3 feet thick, is a marvel. Oorthuva Thandavam, Venugopala, Rathi, Manmatha, Lakshmana and Indrajit are excellently carved. The temple is also renowned for its murals.

The composite columns of Virabhadra holding sword and horn are found to be additions of the Vijayanagara kings during the early 1500s. Similar columns of Virabhadra are found in various temles.

Pillared halls around the second precinct

The temple complex includes an Ayyappan temple behind which stands the Ksetra Bala Balikkal. It also includes Sree Bali Prakaram and the Yanaikottil. Other deities are located in the south-western corner. The flagmast is located at the west at the Sree Balippura. Stone inscriptions in the pedestal of the flag mast show it was renovated 1071 CE. The granite entrance of the Chitra Sabha includes sculptures of the Dwara Palakas, Jaya and Vijaya. Sculptures of Lakshmana and Pathanjali Tandava are carved to the left of Sabha Mandapam, while those of Muralidhara, Indrajith and Kalabairava are carved to the right. The image of the chief deity in his sayana posture, is sculpted on the wooden entrance door. Vatteluttu incriptions of Shilpa Shastra are found in adjacent walls along with details about the 11th Century Chola king, Rajendra Chola.

Sculptures of Rati and Manmadan are found opposite Udaya Marthanda Mandapam. The epic scenes of Vinayaka Kalyanam, Bharata War and deities Varuna, Niriyati, Yama, Kubera, Indra, Agni, Brahma and monks in penance are sculpted in a row above the Mandapam. A variety of mural painting are found along the walls of the inner prakarams. A secret passage leading to the Palace is found beneath the west of the inner prakarams, which is covered with a large stone slab.

According to temple legend, this temple is closely associated with the famous Sree Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram's Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy deity lies in the direction so as to see the Thiruvattar Adi Kesava deity.

The main deity was originally covered with gold kavachams in which diamonds and other precious stones were embedded, which the Kerala kings had presented to the temple. There is also a small shrine for Lord Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy near the river and opposite to the Adikesava Perumal Temple.

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