SRI YATHOKTHAKARI

[Guest guest]

I would like to begin by saying thanks to Dr. Sadagopan for his wonderful

commentary on Lord YATHOKTHAKARI and Vehha Sethu Stotram.

As he correctly said that Desikar's birthplace (Thuppul) is less than

a mile from this divya desam.

His story about the river Veghawati (which was the form Goddess Saraswati)

took is very accurate, but I would like to add that there is an amusing

part to this story that Lord Vishnu used common sense to stop the river.

He simply went and lay in front of the fiery river and Saraswati being a

woman was taken aback by the form of a man lying in her path and she was

overcome with the feeling of shyness, Since she was overcome by the feeling

of shyness she lost her anger. This is depicted by

the humbled Sraswathi Devi

is seen at the foot of the resting Lord (Vishnu Sethu )

with folded hands

as Dr. Sadagopan correctly said.

 

Another important feature that Dr. Sadagopan pointed out is that the Lord is

facing

West which is quite unique from other temples which have our Lord in the

recling posture.

I would like to add that though the Lord is reclining, it is not the typical

'sayanam posture', he is holding a lotus in a very elegant way in his right

hand.

On my request to visit the temple I have been asked by Mani as to the way to

get to the temple. I would begin by saying that Kanchipuram is actually

split into two chinna kanchi (little kanchi or also known as

vishnu kanchi ) and Periya Kanchi (Big Kanchi or Siva kanchi).

 

Sankara Madham and Meenakshi amman temple are in Big Kanchipuram.

 

Sri Yathokthakari temple is in Little Kanchipuram on Sannadhi street.

The main road or artery of Kanchipuram is called Mahatma Gandhi Road

but Mahatma Gandhi road is known by different names at different parts of

the city. Sannadhi street is perpendicular to MG road. The point where

MG road meets Sannandhi street is called Hudsonpet. The temple is less than

ten minutes walk from Hudsonpet part of MG road.

Other geographical details are that Sri Yathokthakari temple is a mile from

Varadaraja Perumal temple and 3/4 mile from Rangaswami Kollam (lake)

Vilakkoli Perumal temple is near Rangaswami Kollam.

So basically Sri Yathokthakari temple is halfway between Vardaraja PErumal

temple and Rangaswami Kollam.

The other close point to the temple is Tirrukachi Nambi street (T.K.Nambi)

street which as I said before is MG road but known as T.K. Nambi street because

of the Tirrukacchi Nambi temple being on this road.

 

I apologize for nearly mapping out Kanchipuram and making this mail to be so

long.

 

 

bhashyam nallappa