The Lord waits on the 
            riverbank 
            
            
            
            
            
 
The Moolavar and Utsavar deities with Consorts and 
            Andal ... the holy spot needs a facelift. — Pic. by M. N. Srinivasan 
            
            
            
WHILE THE Lords in places such as Srirangam, 
            Tirupati, Azhagarkoil, Nachiarkoil (Thirunaraiyoor) and 
            Thirukannapuram have been offered garlands of hundreds of verses by 
            Azhwars, there are places like Kapisthalam, in Thanjavur District, 
            which are mentioned in a single poem, and others — Thirunindravoor 
            and Thirukkoodal (Madurai) for example — about which only a passing 
            reference is made in the Divya Prabandam verses. While preceptors 
            have dedicated to the Lord of Kapisthalam a single verse by 
            Thirumazhisai Azhwar in his "Naanmukan Thiruvanthathi," there is no 
            reference at all about the place or the Lord enshrined there in it. 
            But it has been concluded that the name of Aatrankarai Kidakkum 
            Kannan (the Lord on the banks of the river) refers to the Lord in 
            this holy place, which is one of the Pancha Krishnaranya Kshetrams. 
            
Preceptors have hailed the quality of the Lord in 
            Kapisthalam as the remover of one's sins (Paapa Vimochakatvam). The 
            holy place of Kapisthalam is linked to the legend of the Lord saving 
            an elephant from the jaws of death thereby exhibiting His attribute 
            of Paapa Vimochakatvam or removal of one's sins. According to 
            legend, Pandya King Indradyumnan, an ardent devotee of Lord 
            Narayana, earned the wrath of Sage Durvasa (some scholars say that 
            the sage was Agasthya) who cursed him to become an elephant. He told 
            him that he would remain a devoted elephant offering a lotus to the 
            Lord daily. He also told him that he would be liberated. A 
            celestial, Huhu, was cursed by Devalar, to be born as a crocodile 
            and when it caught hold of the elephant the latter raised an alarm 
            and the Lord rushed on His Garuda mount and slew the crocodile. This 
            incident took place, according to scriptures, in Kapisthalam, and 
            the holy water source here is known as Gajendra Pushkarni. The 
            Utsavar idol is known as Gajendra Varadan. However the Moolavar is 
            known by the name of Aatrankarai Kidakkum Kannan as mentioned by 
            Thirumangai Azhwar. 
            
According to the sthalapuranam, the place got the 
            name Kapisthalam, as the Lord gave darshan to Hanuman (the word 
            "Kapi" means monkey) here. 
            
Kapisthalam is situated three km from Papanasam on 
            the Thanjavur-Kumbakonam route via Tiruvaiyaru, between the rivers 
            Kollidam and Cauvery. The temple is rather small with a single 
            prakaram and a Rajagopuram. 
            
The Moolavar is found in the Bhujanga Sayanam pose 
            under the Kanagakruthi Vimanam. Besides the Gajendra Pushkarani 
            there is another holy water source known as Kapila Theertham. The 
            Goddess, Ramamani Thayar, is worshipped in a separate shrine to the 
            right of the main sanctum sanctorum. She is also known by the 
            pure Tamil name of Potramaraiyaal. There are shrines for Yoga 
            Narasimhar, Sudarsana, Garuda and the Azhwars. 
            
Gajendra Moksham festival is celebrated on a grand 
            scale in the Tamil month of Panguni. The ancient temple presents a 
            pitiable sight today due to lack of patronage and long years of 
            neglect. The temple is in urgent need of repair though the recently 
            whitewashed small Rajagopuram presents a slightly healthy look. 
            
            
T. A. SRINIVASAN 
            
            
            
Printer friendly page   
            
Send this 
            article to Friends by E-Mail 
            Entertainment