SRI ANJANEYA TEMPLE, NORTH BANK, POTRAMARAI TANK, KUMBAKONAM, TAMIL NADU..
gk kaushik
Kumbakonam or Kudanthai
According to Hindu philosophy a particular period is ended with the
pralaya-deluge. Brahma the creator has the responsibility of recreating
the universe again. The present cycle of creation was to be done by Brahma,
therefore He had placed the seeds of creation during the last deluge along
with Amertha - nectar in a pot called kumbam in Sanskrit. The
coconut was placed on the mouth of kumbam and was sanctified with a
yagnopavetha before the deluge. During the deluge the kumba had
floated from Himalayas down south and settled in a place presently located in
Tamil Nadu. Since the kumba had come to rest and the Amertha-nectar
had flown through the nostril of the Kumba the location is known as
Kumbakonam. In Tamil kumba is known as kudam and nostril as
mooku hence the place is known as Kudanthai in Tamil.
According to legend, Lord Shiva in disguise of a hunter came to the location
and broke the kumba with the arrow. The Amertha-nectar had
fallen on a spot and a water body - tank was created. The tank is known as
Mahamaha theertham. Once in twelve years on the particular day (in the
solar month of masi - Feb-Mar) it is considered as auspicious to take
bath in the tank. People from all over India come to take bath during this
time to Kumbakonam.
The place where the kumba came to rest and Lord Shiva appeared to
ensure recreation of current cycle of creation is presently where Kumbeswar
temple is located. The maha maham tank is just around two kilometers.
Potramarai theertham
A variant to this is that the nectar spill in two places in Kumbakonam,
one forming Mahamaha theertham and other Potramarai theertham.
The Potramarai theertham tank is just in front of Sri Kumbeswar temple
and just back of Sri Sarangapani temple. The Potramarai theertham had
been claimed by both Saivets (followers of Lord Shiva) and Sri Vishnavets
(followers of Lord Vishnu). On the banks of this theertham there are
two beautiful small temples for Lord Anjaneya. The legends of the temples are
very interesting.
Sri Vijayindra Tirtha (1490 - 1592)
Sri
Vyasaraya who had built 732 temples for Lord Anjaneya had initiated a
brilliant young man into sanyasa under the name "Sri Vishnu Tirtha". He was
considered as an incarnation of Sri Vibhudendra Tirtha who was Vidya-Guru of
Sri Sripadaraja-Sri Madwachariya. This young sanyasi with virtue and master
of all the sixty-four arts, had been on pilgrimage and was returning from
Rameswaram via Kumbakonam.
The Kumbakonam Mutt was then headed by Sri Surendra Tirtha. Sri Surendra
Tirtha, a devoted dwitha philosopher was debating on the dwitha
philosophy with one of the scholars. He had the feeling that he was not
convincing the scholar with the supremacy of this philosophy. He prayed to
the God to give him strength to debate. He was directed to hold the debate
next day and ask the new sanyasi coming next day to continue the
debate. Next day in the morning Sri Vishnu-Thirtha came to Kumbakonam Mutt on
his return from Rameswaram. Sri Surendra Tirtha had told him about the
direction of the divine order to continue the debate with the scholar.
Accordingly Sri Vishu Tirtha debated with the scholar and won in the debate.
Sri Vishnu Tirtha was given the name Sri Vijayindra Tirtha by Sri Surendra
Tirtha. Then on Sri Vishnu Tirtha came to be known as Sri Vijayindra Tirtha.
On the request of Sri Surendra Tirtha requested Sri Vyasaraya Tirtha to spare
Sri Vijayindra Tirtha to head the Kumbakonam mutt. Accordingly he was made
head of the Kumbakonam Mutt. For nearly fifty years in the mid of sixteenth
centaury he stayed in Kumbakonam and spread the dwitha philosophy.
Potramarai theertham ownership
The
Potramarai theertham had been claimed by both Saivets and Sri
Vishnavets. During Sri Vijayindra Tirtha time also there were claims and
counter claims as to Potramarai tank belongs to Sri Adhi Kumbeswar
temple or Sri Sarangapani temple.
It is said that disciples of Sri Linga Rajendran (a Saivet guru) had claimed
that the tank belongs to Sri Adhi Kumbeswar temple as there are many Shiva
symbols drowned in tank and the Sri Vishnavets claims are wrong. The news
spread and argument ensued and Sri Vijayindra Tirtha was requested to
mediate. While it is known that the disciple had been on rage since his guru
had been defeated by Sri Vijayindra Tirtha, it was agreed that the next day
the so-called Saivet symbols will be fished out from the tank. If any such
symbols were to be found the tank will said to be property of Sri Adhi
Kumbeswar temple.
Miracle of Sri Vijayindra Tirtha
To achieve this, the disciple had drowned few vigraha of Nandi and
Linga in the tank overnight. Next day in presence of the gentlemen of the
Kumbakonam, divers were asked to fish out any symbols they could found in the
tank. Before the divers were to plunge into the tank water they took the
blessings of the Sri Vijayindra Tirtha. On the first round the divers came
out with few saligrams and idols of Lord Anjaneya. Since the disciple
had put few Nandi and Linga in the tank previous night, he did not agree at
the first and wanted the search to continue. On the second round the divers
again came out with some more saligrams and idols of Lord Anjaneya.
Now the disciple had no other go but to accept that the tank belongs to Lord
Sarangapani temple.
One such vigraha of Lord Anjaneya had been installed by Sri Vijayindra
Tirtha in the Northern bank of the Potramarai tank wall. People of
Kumbakonam were worshiping this Lord Anjaneya from the day of installation.
Temple for Lord Anjaneya
Lord Anjaneya vigraha installed by such a great saint, Sri
Vijayindra Tirtha who happens to be disciple of great saint Sri Vyasaraja
Tirtha, has been now made a temple with the help of philanthropies Sri
K.G.Sarangapani Chettier and Sri K.G.Ananthapadmanabha Chettier. Today the
temple houses shrines of Lord SriRama, Sri Lakshmana, and Sri Sita also.
The Lord is seen with His right hand raised in Abhaya mudra, left hand
is holding the sowhandi flower and resting on the left thigh. The
lonkoolam (tail) is raised above the head. The eyes are glowing and
bestowing blessings on the devotees.
Though the murthi is small the Lord Anjaneya here sure to energise the devotee with power to win the worldly mighty.
[Ed. July 2007]