Namakkal Temples
Purana and Temples:
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Purana goes like this. Sri Lakshmidevi was on a penance to subdue the anger and aggressiveness of Lord Narasimaha after annihilation of the demon Hiranyakasibu. Meanwhile Sri Anjaneya, on his way back to sethu, wanted to take rest and do evening prayers at this place. He had a rare saligramam which contained Sri Narasimha and Lord Ranganatha. He with all respect to the Goddess who was on meditation requested her to keep saligramam safely till he could finish his prayers. Sri Lakshmi warned him that he must complete his prayers quickly so that she could back to her meditation. If he were to fail, she would leave the saligramam nearby. But Hanuman failed to keep the time limit only to see that saligramam was kept nearby him. Meanwhile it had grown. He could not lift the saligramam as it had grown into a hillock. But a divine voice instructed Hanuman to leave the saligramam at the same place and come back to do the services after completion of his duty to Lord Rama and Seetha.
From that day onwards the hillock is called Namagiri- in Tamil Namakkal; Sri Lakshmidevi has become to be known as Namagiri Thayar; Lord Narasimha has become Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. |
Lord Anjaneya:
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Lord Anjaneya is the guardian angel of Namakkal. The idol is 18’ high. The eyes of the idol, in constant guard and respect, are fixed – in a straight line- at the lotus feet of Sri Laksmi Narasimha at the hill temple while Hanuman’s legs are firmly fixed on the earth. The super imposing figure of Anjaneya is left open; the sky is the roof. People offer ‘vadai malai’ and flowers to Lord Anjaneya. The other Anjaneya is on the banks of ‘Kamalalaya’ the temple tank. This one is an art of exemplary beauty. |
Sri Ranganatha Swamy:
Sri Ranganatha temple is 250’ away from Lord Anjaneya’s place. The cave temple is believed to have been built by Pallavas. The roof is carved in a style as if it is made of bamboos. The temple has three entrances like Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabha Swamy temple. Sri Ranganatha Swamy is resting on Karakodan-the python king. He has been surrounded by Narada rishi and Devas. He holds conch, chakra, bow, arrow, mace and sword. The idol is 10’ long and 3’ wide.
Sri Lakshminarasimha:
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The other part of saligramam is Lord Lakshmi Narasimha which is inside the same cave temple. The lion faced swami is holding the dying demon Hiranyakasibu. The posture is called veerasana and he faces west. There is fire in his eyes. It is an expression of anger, bravery, victory and annihilation. He holds conch and chakra. He has a punishing wand on his hand for the evil doers. Lord Siva, Brahma and other rishis are there witnessing the annihilation. On the prayers of Sri Lakshmi his rage subdued and he became cool and calm. So he has been called Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. |
Sculpture:
The temple is bestowed with some pieces of precious art: Lord Sankaranarayana- right half Lord Siva and left half Lord Vishnu.
This is a very rare sculpture expressing the oneness of the great philosophies of Saivam and Vaishnavam.
Pujas and festivals:
The pujas are performed as per vaikanasa agama. Thayar is offered with jewels, sarees and garlands in abundance by devotees. The three festivals of importance are Dasara festival for ten days in Purattasi; Car festival is the main attraction with all colors and festivities drawing thousands of devotees from all over Kongu region; Anjaneya Jayanthi is another famous celebration during Margazhi.
History of temple:
The cave temple was believed to be originally carved out by the Adhiyaman clan; later further improved by Pallavas and Madurai Nayakar kings.This temple is taken over and maintained by Archaeological department under monuments and sites act 1958.
Nalla Kanni Amman Temple:
This temple is near Namakkal and it is very famous for its Aadi & Pournami Festival.
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