From village to village

August 19, 2004

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From village to village

Vaduvur is a place situated between Thanjavur and Mannargudi, where water from lakes, ponds and canals are used for cultivating both wet and dry lands, which one can find in abundance. Apart from being fertile, this place is famous for Sri Kodhandarama temple.

Here the main deity, Sri Kodandaramar along with Sri Seethapiratti, Lakshmanar and Hanuman appear in 'Thirukalyana kolam' and the special aspect is that utsavar also appears in the same state. The Aadhi Perumal in this place is Rukmani-Sathyabhama samedha Gopalan.

The other holy names for Vaduvur are Vagularanyam (magizhankadu), Bhaskara Kshetram and Dhakshina Ayodhi. Vagula maram (maghizha maram) is the sacred tree of this sthala.

History of Sri Kodandarama temple

This place called Vaduvur was once donated to the vidhwans by the kings of Thanjavur on an Ekadasi day and hence it is also called as 'Ekadasi' village. There is an interesting story about how the Rukmani-Sathyabhama samedha Gopalan temple gave place to Sri Kodandarama temple.

When Rama spent 14 years in the forest and was preparing to leave for Ayodhya, the rishis prayed in earnest asking him to stay with them. The feeling of separation from His holy presence melted their hearts. Torn between duty and love, Rama sends them away for the time being and starts thinking about their request. Then he creates His enchanting divine form as an idol and leaves it outside the ashrama.

The rishis and the munipungars who came to see Rama and Seetha the next day were spellbound by the beautiful statue. They were fascinated by its magnificence and went inside the ashrama to repeat their entreaty to Rama. Rama asked them wheather they wanted Him or the statue placed at the threshold. The rishis, enamoured by the statue's beauty and still under its spell, told Him that they wanted the statue.

Rama, with a smile, agreed to their request and leaving the statue behind, left for Ayodhya. Later, the natives of Thirukannapuram brought the idol and established it in their village. Time passed by and later they themselves, during a certain period, took the Ramar statue and the statues of Seetha, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Hanuman themselves and made it to Thalai Gnayiru, a village near Thiruthuraipoondi and buried them under a tree.

Years rolled by and it was the time when king Sarfoji ruled Thanjavur. One day, Lord Rama appeared in the king's dream and told him to unearth the idols from Thalai Gnayiru. He asked the king to establish and worship the deities. The king woke up in a state of shock and later, with his entourage, went to Thalai Gnayiru, and unearthed the idols.

When the king and his entourage were preparing to leave, the natives of the place prevented the king from taking the idols. The king managed to convince them and as compensation left the statues of Bharatha and Lakshmana behind with them. He took possession of Rama, Seetha and Hanuman statues and on his way rested at Vaduvur.

The people of the village, known for their unity, came to know about the idols and pleaded with the king to establish the deities in their Rukmani-Sathyabhama samedha Gopalan temple. Initially, the king refused but when the villagers threatened to jump from the tower of the temple and commit suicide, he relented. He allowed them to establish the idols and since then Rama has been the main deity in the Gopalan temple.

Later, the statue of Lakshmana was also sculpted by the people of Vaduvur. It appeared like a woman and so the villagers established it as Sundari Amman and built a separate temple for Her. They sculpted the statue of Lakshmana again and today Rama with Seetha and Lakshmana stand majestically to bless the devotees.

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View Comments It is said Kanva Maharishi worshipped in this temple and was blessed with the darshan of Sri Kodandaramar. Likewise, Kulasekara Perumal also was blessed with the Lord's darshan. Of the two Vaishnava holy religious scriptures, Panjarathram and Vaikanasam, the former is followed in this temple.

Apart from this, there are beautiful turrets over the sanctums of Sri Kodandaramar and Sri Gopalan. The 'Mottai Gopuram' was rebuilt as a 61 feet, five-tier rajagopuram by Poovanur Sri Rasu Mudaliar.

Daily pooja like Viswaroopam, followed by Thiruvandhal, Kalasandhi, Uchikalam, Thirumaalai, Irakkalam, and Arthajamam are performed here. It is believed that worshipping Sbi Kodandaramar in this temple relieves one from sufferings - both mental and physical.

KT SriTranslated by Radha N