VARADARAJA PERUMAL TEMPLE - KANCHIPURAM

 Varadaraja Perumal Temple - Kanchipuram

Varadharaja Perumal Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the holy city of Kanchipuram.

It is one of the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava, Ramanuja is believed to have resided in this temple.

The name of the temple, Attigiri is derived from Atti maram (fig tree), considered sacred to Vaishnavas.

As per a legend, the disciples of sage Gautama were cursed to become lizards. They were relieved off the curse by the divine grace of Vishnu.

There is a panel in the temple where the two lizards are depicted in the roof of the temple

The temple has around 350 inscriptions from various dynasties like Chola, Pandya, Telugu Chodas, Kandavarayas, Cheras, Kaaktiya, Sambuvaraya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara.

Varadharaja Perumal Temple was originally built by the Cholas in 1053 and it was expanded during the reigns of the great Chola kings Kulottunga Chola l and Vikrama Chola. In the 14th century another wall and a gopura was built by the later Chola kings.

The temple covers an area of 23-acre (93,000 m2) complex. The temple has three outer precincts (prakarams) named Azhwar Prakaram, Madai Palli Prakaram and Thiru Malai Prakaram.There are 32 shrines, 19 vimanams, 389 pillared halls (most having the lion type yalisculpture) and sacred tanks some of which located outside the complex. The temple tank is called Anantha Theertham.

The main sanctum faces west and can be entered through a 130 feet tall, 7-tiered rajagopuram (main gateway tower). The eastern gopuram is taller than the western gopuram, generally,the rajagopuram is the tallest one.

One of the most famous architectural pieces in the temple is the huge stone chains sculpted in a single stone. There is a 100 pillared hall which has sculptures depicting Ramayana and Mahabaratha. It is a masterpiece of Vijayanagara architecture.

The temple has the wooden image of Varadarajaswamy preserved within a silver box from which water is pumped out every 40 years. It is kept back in the silver casket and immersed in the water. It is believed that there is a heavy downpour after the idol is immersed to fill the tank.

The presiding deity is a 10 ft (3.0 m) tall idol made of granite in standing posture, while Thayar is a 4 ft (1.2 m) image in sitting posture. There is a shrine of Narasimha on the base of the hillock.

The third precinct has the shrine of Goddess Perundevi Thayar The goddess is visited first before visiting Perumal.

There is a shrine of Chakratazhwar (Sudarshan Chakra)with six hands on the eastern side of the temple tank. seven different images of Sudarshana depicted within the same Chakra. There are two entrances to the shrine as the two images are considered to be separate. The shrine is believed to have been constructed during the time of Kulothunga IIIduring 1191 CE by Ilavazhagan Kalingarayan of Nettur as seen from the inscriptions in the temple.

The later additions are presumably made by Vijayanagar Empire during the 13th or early part of 14th century. The kings also added pillared columns in the leading hall sculpted with figures from Ramayana and various forms of Vishnu.

What to see:

1.100 pillared hall with chains carved in rock. Ramayana & Mahabharata sculptures.

2.Lord Narasimha on the base of the Hastagiri hillock.

3. Paintings leading to the Sanctum, they are of later addition as I saw the painting of Jagannath of Puri. The puri temple was built in the 12th century.

4.Perundevi Thayar sannidhi,see her before you see Perumal.

5. Varadaraja Perumal standing (10ft) & Thayar sitting (4ft).

6.Silver & Gold Lizard.(Palli).

7.Saint Ramanujan sannidhi.

8. Chakratazhwar sannidhi, (Sudarshan Chakra). The Chakra looks different from both sides. To me one side looked like the Panchajanya (Shankha).