Uthamar Kovil

Coordinates: 10°52′38″N 78°42′11″E / 10.877161°N 78.703141°E / 10.877161; 78.703141
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Sri Purushothaman Temple
Sri Purushothaman Perumal
The shrine of temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictTiruchirappalli
Deity
Location
LocationTamilnadu, India
State
Cholas

Uthamar Kovil (also known as Thirukkarambanoor or Bhikshandar Kovil) in Uthamarkoil, a village in the outskirts of

Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Purushothaman Perumal (also called as Purushothamar) and his consort Lakshmi
as Poornavalli Thayar.

Purushottamar is believed to have appeared to Hindu gods Brahma and Shiva, to relieve Shiva off his sins committed while cutting one of Brahma's heads. The temple is one of the few historical temples in India where the images of the Trimurti, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are housed in the same premises. It is one of the two temples in Chola Nadu where the trinity can be seen in the same premises, the other being Hara Saabha Vimocchana Perumal Temple at Thirukkandiyur.

The temple is believed to have been built by the

Madurai Nayaks
. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines, while the temple tank is located outside the main gateway.

Six daily rituals and four yearly festivals are held at the temple for each of trinities. The major festival of the temple, the Brahmotsavam, is celebrated during the Tamil month of Kartikai (November – December) when festival images of both Purushotamar and Bikshadanar are carried together in the streets surrounding the temple. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Etymology and legend

Uthyanga Vimanam, the roof of the sanctum

As per Hindu legend, the god Vishnu emerged as a Kadamba tree here, giving the name Kathambanur, which later became Karambanur. The name Karambanur is mentioned by Thirumangai Alvar in Nalayira Divya Prabandam, in which he refers to the presiding deity as "Karambanur Uthaman". The temple is commonly called "Uthamar Kovil" derived from the presiding deity. The temple is also called Bhikshandar Kovil as the god Shiva is present in the form of Bhikshandar (a mendicant) and believed to have attained cure by worshiping Vishnu at this place.[1]

As per Hindu legend, once Vishnu wanted to test the devotion of the god

Poornavalli Thayar (the one who filled the grail).[1]

As per another legend, Brahma and Shiva both had originally five heads. Parvati, the wife of Shiva, once got confused and worshipped Brahma, instead of her husband. Shiva got enraged and cut off one of Brahma's heads; the head stuck in Shiva's hand due to Brahma's curse. To atone for the sin, Shiva worshipped Vishnu here; Shiva was fully relieved of the curse after worshipping Vishnu at Hara Saabha Vimocchana Perumal Temple.[2][3]

According to another Hindu legend, the temple is believed to have been constructed by

Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple
.

Temple

Inside Uttamarkoil seen with the Sthalaviruksham – Kadhali(red banana)

The temple is believed to have been built by the

French in 1751, the temple acted as an infantry for both the troops.[1] There was no damage done to the temple during the war.[4]

A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temples has images and separate shrines for Purushottamar (

Dakshinamurthy (Shiva as the Teacher), Durga (warrior-goddess) and Chandikeswarar (a saint and devotee of Shiva). The shrines of Brahma and his consort Saraswati are located in the south west corner of the temple complex.[citation needed
]

The Saptaguru or seven gurus (teachers) are identified in the temple. The seven are Bhikshadanar (representing Sadasiva Guru, Shiva as a guru), Brahma (Brahma Guru), Soundarya Parvati (Shakti Guru, the Goddess as a guru), Brihaspati (Deva Guru, the teacher of the gods), Varadarajaperumal (Vishnu Guru), Murugan (Gnana Guru, the guru of knowledge) and Shukra (Asura Guru, the guru of demons).[1][5][6]

Festival and administration

An aerial view of the temple

The temple priests perform the

pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi for Bhikshadanar. The major festival of the temple, the Brahmotsavam, is celebrated during the Tamil month of Kartigai (November – December) when festival images of both Purushothamar and Bhikshadanar are carried together in the streets surrounding the temple. Kadambha Tiruvila is a festival celebrated in the temple when the festival image of Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu) is brought to the Kadambha tank of the temple for Theerthavari. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[1]

Religious significance

Sculpture of Vinayaga on the wall of the temple

Uthamar Kovil is one of the two temples in Chola Nadu where the trinity can be seen in the same premises, the other being Hara Saabha Vimocchana Perumal Temple at Thirukkandiyur. Trimurti in Hindu mythology refers to the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction. They are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer.[2]

The temple is revered in

pasuram (hymn).[7]

Periyavachan Pillai, who translated the verses of Thirumangai Alvar, glorifies the temple as "the one without doors where devotees can always visit and worship".[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Thirukoyil". 1. 15. Hindu Religious And Endowment Board Tamil Nadu. January 2013: 14–15. Retrieved 17 March 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b T.A., Srinivasan (21 March 2003). "Temple for the Great Trinity". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 October 2003. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  3. ISBN 9788120601512
    .
  4. ^ R., Dr. Vijayalakshmy (2001). An introduction to religion and Philosophy - Tévarám and Tivviyappirapantam (1st ed.). Chennai: International Institute of Tamil Studies. pp. 464–5.
  5. ^ M., Balaganessin (21 November 2010). "A seat to shun ego and seek wisdom". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Sri Uthamar temple". Dinamalar. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Thirumangai Azhwar pasuram on Uthamar Kovil". Srivaishnava.org. Retrieved 17 March 2013.

External links

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