Thiruevvul, also called Thiruvallur is a temple near Arakkonam

Arakkonam

Arakkonam is a mid-sized City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a population of about 101,626 as per the census 2011...

, Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. The Moolavar (deity) here is Lord Veeraraghava Perumal with his Thayaar (consort) Kanakavalli . It is one of the 108 Divya desam. The Lord here is in reclining posture on Sesha facing east and his right hand blessing the devotee. Lord Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

 is also seen meditating on a lotus from the Lord's navel.

The temple

The temple is under Ahobila Mutt

Ahobila Mutt

Ahobila Mutt is a Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava religious institution established 600 years ago at Ahobilam in India by Athivan Satakopa Svami...

. It has five tiered Rajagopuram (main gate). It was built by Pallavas. There are separate shrines for Kanakavalli, Ganesha, Alwars, Gajalakshmi Thayaar. Here, the Lord married Vasumathi the daughter of a king Dharmasena.

Legend

It is told that Lord Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 revealed the Vedas

Vedas

The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

 to Lord Brahma here. Lord Vishnu had come in guise of an old man and had asked food and shelter to the Sage Salihotra. The Lord had asked the sage "Evvul" (where to stay), the Sage had replied pointing to his hut as "Ivvul" (inside the hut). Hence the name is called "ThiruEvvul".
It is also said that Lord Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 got rid of his Brahmahatti Dosha on account of killing Daksha by worshiping Lord Vishnu here. There is a small temple for Lord Shiva near the temple tank.
The vimanam is called Vijaya Koti Vimanam, a symbol of the victory of Lord Vishnu against the Asura

Asura

-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...

 Madhukaidapas.

Healing properties

Healing properties are ascribed to bathing in the temple tank, hence the deity is also known as Vaidya (doctor) Veeraraghava Perumal.

Prasadam (gifts to the deity)

Puliyodharai (Tamarind Rice), Dhadhyonam (Curd Rice), Pongal, Chakkarai Pongal, Vada

Vada

Vada ; also known as wada or vade or vadai , is a savoury fritter-type snack from South India.-Description:Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.Vada is a...

, Adhirasam

Adhirasam

Adhirasam is a type of Indian sweet from Tamil cuisine. The doughnut like pastry has a long history of popularity in Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape to vadai, but are not savoury and are eaten as a dessert....

, Murukku are offered to Lord as Prasadam.

Darshan, Sevas and Festivals

New Moon Day is auspicious for this Kshetram. During Fridays Thayaar will be taken to a separate mandapam for puja. Two annual festival are celebrated. Chitra Festival is also important here.

Composers

Thirumangai Alvar

Thirumangai Alvar

Thirumangai Alvar or Tirumangai Alvar or Tirumankai Alvar or Thirumangai Mannan is the last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. He is considered one of the most learned Alvar and the most superior Alvar in the context of...

, Thirumalisai Alvar

Thirumalisai Alvar

Thirumalisai Alvar is a tamil mendicant-saint revered in the srivaishnavism school of south india between the 4th to 9th century CE in Tondai Nadu [now called Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts]. There are only little historical records of this alvars. The legend of this saint devotees of...

 have composed beautiful Paasurams on Lord Veeraraghava Swami. It is one of the compositions in Naalayira Divya Prabandha.

Travel and Stay

There are many lodges at Thiruvallur and also bus service available from Arakkonam and Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

.

External links

• About Thiruvallur Temple
• DivyaDesam
• Ashtalakshmi.com

http://svdtiruvallur.com - official web site of the temple