Varagur, a small village near Thiruvaiyaru in Tanjavur district, is home to a small temple dedicated to Venkatesa Perumal. The main sanctum houses the image of Lakshmi Narayana Perumal (Srinivasa Perumal) with the upper hands holding the sankha and chakra. Goddess Lakshmi is seated on the left lap and is encircled by the deity’s left hand. Perumal’s lower right hand is in abhaya hasta (offering protection to devotees).
According to this temple’s tradition, an ascetic from Tirumala, carrying an image of Venkatesa along with Sridevi and Bhudevi, who was on a pilgrimage reached Varagur, placed these images in a shrine and worshipped them. Subsequently, when he tried to lift the images, he heard a divine command telling him not to do so. Devotees believe that these are the processional deities in Varagur today.
The life of Narayana Tirtha, a great scholar who lived in the 17th century AD, and the author of the famous Samskrit work Krishna Leela Tarangini, is closely connected to Varagur and to this temple. Once, when he was unwell, he went on a pilgrimage to Tirumala to pray to Lord Venkatesvara. Obeying a divine command instructing him to proceed to a temple near Tiruvaiyaru, he reached Nadukkaveri village and slept in the precincts of a temple there. That night he dreamt that he should follow the first animal which he saw in the morning. At dawn he saw a boar (varaha), upon following which, he reached the village of Bhupatirajapuram and the temple of Venkatesvara there. On entering the temple, the boar vanished and Narayana Tirtha, was cured of his illness.
Narayana Tirtha is believed to have completed the composition of the Krishna Leela Tarangini at Varagur. It is said that God Krishna danced when he sang the songs that he had composed in the Krishna Leela Tarangini inside the temple and that Anjaneya kept beat to the songs.
Chithra Madhavan
The writer is a historian who focuses on temple architecture
cityexpresschn@gmail.com
