Chidambaram Sri Govindraja Perumal Temple, Cuddalore

Address

ChidambaramSri Govindraja Perumal Temple, Chidambaram, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu 608001,Phone: 09443635280

Diety

Govindaraja Perumal Amman: Pundri Kavali Thayar,

Introduction

Govindaraja Perumal Temple or Thiruchitrakoodam in Chidambaram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is inside the premises of Thillai Nataraja Temple, constructed in the Tamil architecture . The temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Govindaraja and his consort Lakshmi as Pundarikavalli. Theertham : 12 Theerthas Agamam / Pooja : Vaikanasa

Puranic Significance

Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi offered a grand dance performance in Kailash when they were in a happy mood. At the end, they wanted to know the winner. They approachedLord Brahmma. He was not able to decide. They sought the opinion of Lord Vishnu. He suggested a stage be built by divine sculptor Vishwakarma for the dance contest. The contest began. For every type of Thandavas (dancing) Shiva did, Mother Parvathi too did Her part thrillingly. They excelled each other. At the end, Lord Shiva simply lifted His right leg and kept it above His head which Parvathi could not. Lord Shiva was declared winner by Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva stayed in this temple as Lord Nataraja and requested Perumal too to stay with Him. Lord Vishnu is here in His reclining posture.

Beliefs

People pray here to be fair on their part in their endeavours.Devotees perform Tirumanjanam to Lord and offer vastras. The temple ranks among the 108 Divyadesas of Lord Perumal. Lord Brahmma with His four faces generally appears in a sitting posture on the naval chord of Lord Vishnu, here He appears standing. Of the Panch Bhooda Sthalas – Space-Akash, Fire, wind, water and prithvi the earth – this place belongs to Akash. Lord Perumal is facing Akash.

Special Features

The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Kulasekaraazhvaar in eleven hymns and Thirumangai Azhwar in thirteen hymns. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. As per legend, Govindarajan is believed to have descended for sage Kanvar and the 3,000 Dikshidars of the Thillai Natarajar temple.[16] The temple is one of the two rare Divyadesams, with the other being Nilathingal Thundam Perumal temple, that are housed in a Shiva temple.

Festivals

The 10-day Chittirai festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Chittirai (March – April) and Gajendra Moksha festival are the prominent festivals celebrated in the temple.