Tirukaavalanpadi
- Gopalakrishnan Temple
This
is yet another Divya Desam counted among the eleven Tirupathis of Tirunangoor.
It is credited with the appearance of Lord Gopalakrishnan, here and the local
name for Mahavishnu. According to Padma Purana, a certain devout king by name
Hari Mitran, when did penance spreading over a long period, Lord Mahavishnu gave
darsan to him with his consorts Satyabhama and Rukmini holding a stick in right
hand and the left hand placed on the cow standing nearby, which signifies the
role of Gopal - the protector of cows. Hence the name Gopalakrishnan to the
Moolavar. Vishwaka,;ena who did tapas here was also blessed and he
along with the king prayed to the Lord to abide in this place eternally to lift
the devotees, invariably. God said AMEN! Among the Alwars, Tirumangai Alwar
praised this in his beautiful Pasurams laying stress on the glory of Sri Rama in
giving abhayam to Vibhishana and also fighting against Ravana, the ten-headed
demon abductor single-handed and killing in the end. He also brought out the
supreme valour of Sri Krishna in killing the ferocious oxen and saving Nippinnai,
a cowherd girl in his devotion soaked Pasurams.
This
Moolavar is in sthanaka posture flanked by his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama.
The temple is built in Dravidian architectural style. Agamic puja is offered and
annual festivals are conducted on a grand scale.
It
lies 11 km off Sirkali, the famous pilgrim town of Tamilnadu, accessible by four
wheelers.
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