#AadiPooram and #Srivilliputhur #templestories 8 and the #story of #Andal

We set off from Madurai to the Srivilliputhur Andal temple in Virudhunagar district.  The temple is located at a distance of around 80 Kms from Madurai and takes about one and half to two hours to reach. The sight of the extremely beautiful temple tower (gopuram) signaled that we had arrived at our destination. Interestingly, this 192 feet tall, 11 tiered imposing Raja Gopuram is featured on the emblem of Tamil Nadu indicative of the importance accorded to the temple as one of the 101 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu.

Raja Gopuram

The temple has been in existence since ages and is also associated with the incarnation of Goddess Mahalakshmi as Andal (also known as Kothai or Godha). So it is a two in one temple complex with shrines to Vatapatrasayana Perumal and Andal separately.

The original deity is Lord Vatapatrasayana Perumal. We enter a huge hall and have to climb a flight of steps to reach the main sanctum sanctorum. 

On the way to the sanctum sanctorum

There are three doorways through which one can have the divine darshan of the Lord in a reclining posture on the Adishesha with his consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Sage Brighu is standing near the Lord while Sage Markandeya is praying with folded hands reverently at his feet. 

Perumal Sannidhi

There are also images of Narada, Panchamurthis, Sanatkumara, Surya and Chandra, apart from Villi and Puttan.

Way to Andal Sanctum

There is a garden in the middle where Andal is said to have appeared as an infant near a Tulsi plant and was found by Periazhwar. This is called Andal avatharitha Nandavanam. The temple tank in called Mukkulam and is believed to have the holy waters of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.

The entrance to the Andal temple has a huge Mandapam.

Entrance to Nandavanam where Andal made her first appearance

 The deity of the Goddess is breathtakingly beautiful.  There is a Kalyana Mandapam and Madhavi Pandhal  a little further away. 

Andal Sannidhi

The story of Andal is an exceptional example of devotion.  

The great devotee, Periazhwar, had no children. Once on the day of Aadi Pooram, he found an infant girl child near the holy Tulsi plant in the temple. With the permission of the Lord, he adopted the girl child and named her Kothai/ Godha meaning a garland of flowers. He brought her up with love and affection. Periazhwar used to pluck flowers and tulsi leaves from the garden and weave a garland for Lord Vatapatrasayee with his own hands. He would then present it to the Lord. Kothai used to observe this and help him. One day when Periazhwar left her for a few minutes before leaving for the temple, she had a strange desire to wear the garland. She wore it and then removed it before her father came back. Without knowing that Kothai had worn the garland, Periazhwar offered it to the priest for Lord Mahavishnu.  Kothai started wearing the garland and admired herself every day after that before her father took it to the temple. But one day the priest happened to see a strand of hair in the garland. He was furious. He refused to offer it to the deity. Periazhwar was stunned and sad at the turn of events. He kept a secret watch over the garland and found to his dismay that it was his daughter, Andal, who was wearing the garland before he took it to the temple. He was very angry with her and discarded the garland. He then made another garland to be offered to the Lord. That night he had a dream when Mahavishnu said that he would accept only the garland worn by Andal. This happened when the child was just five years old. 

Andal grew up and her father wanted to search for a suitable bridegroom for her. But Andal’s mind was fixed on her Shri Krishna. Her devotion to the Lord was unshakable. Then it was that the Lord appeared once again in Periazhwar’s dream and bade him bring Andal dressed as a bride to Srirangam. It is believed that, when Andal was taken in wedding procession and reached Srirangam, she just entered the sanctum and merged with the Lord.  

The festivals celebrated at this temple are Aadi Pooram, GodhaRangamannarThirukalyanam, Vasanta utsavam, Brahmotsavam etc.

#Andal #AadiPooram #festival #Srivilliputhur #temple #GodhaRangamannar