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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00105 Jun 2004

 
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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 





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