Near the temple town of Srirangam, a few kilometres away, there is an old temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha, called ‘Kaatu Azhagiya Singar’ shrine.
The presiding deity is Lakshmi Narasimha. The dense jungle made elephants roam about near the place (where the temple now exists.) In order to prevent the elephant herd entering that place, Nedumaran also called Vallaba Deva Pandian, disciple of Periazhwar, (one of the 12 Azhwars) built this temple.
The temple, believed to be hundreds of years old, was renovated by Veera Pandyan (Jata Varman Chandra Pandyan - 1297 A.D.). It faces west and is housed in a sprawling area amidst thick vegetation which resembles a forest. Probably that is why the lord is called Kaattu (of the forest) Azhagiya Singar.
The present-day pontiffs belonging to the lineage of Siranga Narayana Jeeyar visit this shrine on the concluding day of their Chaturmasya vrata. It is only from here that they go out on a ‘pattina pravesam’ (tour of the town).
Goddess Mahalakshmi is seated on the lap of the lord and, hence, he is called ‘Lakshmi Narasimha’. There is a separate enclosure for Garuda (Mahavishnu’s mode of transport).
The utsava murti of lord Ranganatha, called ‘Namperumal’, visits this temple during Navarathri. After a special pooja, he blesses the devotees on the golden horse vahana at a special festival called ‘hunters festival’.
A very interesting and absorbing episode is enacted. A priest dressed as a hunter fires the arrow brought by an elephant, another person in the temple symbolically pierces the ear of a goat. It is believed that this hunter’s drama used to be performed by Devadasis. The lord, accompanied by his consorts, goes out in a procession after the hunter’s festival.
Special pooja is performed to lord Narasimha on his birth star swathi. Mahapradosham is a grand spiritual affair when devotees from far-off places flock to have a darshan of the lord. Jeshtabishekam in the month of Aadi is observed.
There is a tall vimanam (canopy atop the sanctum sanctorum). The descendants of Nambi Sukra Rayars and Nayak rulers constructed several mandapams.
The Kaattu Azhagiya Singar temple is situated 2 km from Ranganatha temple, Srirangam.
There are lots of town buses plying from Srirangam to this temple.
|