Thiruvellarai

The Thiruvellarai Divya desam experience was a beautiful one. We were driving in our car from Srirangam for quite some time into the countryside. Quite some time later, after one disappointment wherein we mistook another temple as the divya desam, we reached the divya desam.

The temple walls are big, and the imposing and unfinished Raja Gopuram made me feel what a beautiful sight it would have been, had it been completed. I was awe-struck at seeing the unfinished gopuram. It was so huge and old. A couple of unique sights in this temple - one there were two entrances to reach the Pundareekaksha Perumal. The Uttarayana Vaasal and the Dakshinayana vaasal. Each of these entrances are open only during that period - Utttarayanam or Dakshinayanam. The Perumal in the Nindra Thirukolam, along with his consorts is a sight to behold.

Apart from these two entrances, there is also a third one - the naazhi kettan vaasal. According to the bhattar, the thaayar of this sthalam stopped the Perumal when he retuned late one night and asked him why he was late.

On the day we went, the thirumanjanam for the Bali Peedam was conducted. This was a prarthanai that was being fulfilled. The bali peedam is so huge and the thirumanjanam went for more than an hour. The crowning glory was the huge lotus garland for the bali peedam. I had never seen such a garland made of lotus flours till date. The temple also has a tank within the walls and the thirumanjanam was done using this water.

This was the last temple we visited that morning and later in the evening we visited Appakudathaan, Anbil and the Uraiyur temples.