Sri Prasanna Venketasar temple, Thiru vaiyavoor

Name : Sri Pranna Venkatesar Perumal Temple

Location :
Sri Prasanna Venkatesar Temple, Tirumalai Vaiyavur, Chengalpat, Kancheepuram district.

Legend :

Prasannam means that which appears in the mind.  There are staunch devotees who attain darshan of Lord in their mind though they could not have it with physical eyes.   King Tirumalai Naicker had such a darshan of Lord Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal and built a temple at Tallakulam in Madurai.  Similarly, a king of the Thondaiman dynasty in Thirumalayavur prayed to Lord Venkatachalapathi for safety to his land.  Lord protected his land.  When the king expressed his gratitude to the Lord, He came to this hill with His scepter and granted darshan.  Thondaiman king built this temple and named the Lord Prasanna Venkatesar.

Description : 

According to rules of worship in Tirupathi, the first worship should be dedicated to Lord Aadi Varahaswami before reaching Lord Srinivasa-Venkatachalapathi.  The same system is followed in this temple too.  There is a separate shrine for Lord.  When Perumal took Varaha Avatar, Garuda Bhagwan could not have this darshan.  Hence, this Varaha darshan was granted to Garuda in this temple.

Lord Prasanna Venkateswara in the sanctum sanctorum looks majestically holding the scepter-Sengole.  Two Mahalakshmis are on His broad chest on both sides.  Divine serpent Adi Sesha has his place in the Tiruvasi frame.   Lord is wearing Ashalakshmi-Sahasranama malas and Dasavatara Odyanam the belt around the waist.  Lord grants Netra darshan (Darshan of eyes only) without any special Alankaras on Thursday mornings.  The view of Lord falls on the devotees.  Of the Dwarapalakas, Jayan is wearing the Simha design ear ring and Vijayan is wearing the Gaja –elephant designed ear rings.  This is a different feature in this temple.  There is a separate shrine for Mother Alarmelmangai Thayar.

Lord Lakshmi Varaha is in a separate shrine with His own Kodimaram-flag post.   He has his right leg on Adisesha’s tail and the left on head head, holding Mother Mahalakshmi on His lap.  The first Deepa Aradhana is dedicated to Him as He is the pradhan murthi in the temple.  Even during festivals to Lord Prasanna Venkateswara, the flag hoisting is done in this shrine only.

Each month on the Tiruvonam Star day, Ona Dheepam is lighted in the temple.  It is said that Emperor Mahabali was a rat in one of his previous births and lived in a Shiva temple.  When a lamp in the temple was about to extinct, the rat incidentally fell on the lamp rekindling the wick of the lamp.  The lamp continued to burn.   This rewarded him with a royal birth as Emperor Mahabali.  He was graced by Lord Vishnu on a Onam Star day.  Remembering the event, a big lamp (Aganda Dheepam) is lit in the temple on each Tiruvonam star day.

Lord Srinivasa offers Darshan on the day in the front mandap.  Yajnas, Tirumanjanam and wedding pujas are performed here.  The Aganda Dheepa is placed at the feet of the Lord.  Those facing problems about marriage, concerned about children offer ghee to the lamp for relief.

There are two procession deities, Srinivasa and Kallarpiran.  The former comes in car procession during the Purattasi festival and later in Chithirai festival.  There are shrines for Chakarathazhwar, Venugopalar and Lord Sri Rama in the temple.  Sri Veera Anjaneya is at the foot of the temple in a flying posture.  Devotees submit their prayers in writing to Sri Anjaneya, cover it in a yellow cloth along with an unstripped coconut.  Lord Lakshmi Ganapathi shrine is nearby.

Moolavar    : Prasanna Venketasar
Urchavar    : Srinivasar, Kallapiran
Amman / Thayar    : Alarmel Mangai
Theertham    : Varaha Theertham
Agamam / Pooja     : Vaikanasam
Old year    : 500 years old

Websites :

http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=405