After a gap of nearly two decades, the consecration ceremony of the Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram is set to take place on Thursday.
The ancient temple, the third among the 108 sacred shrines of the Vaishnavites, has inscriptions and murals that date back to the Chola period of 1073 AD. Over the centuries, a diverse number of kings, hailing from different dynasties including the Vijayanagara, have been patrons of the temple, which is considered one of the epicentres of the Bhakthi movement in the Vaishnavite tradition. It is also claimed that Robert Clive, the British general, had visited the temple and gifted a necklace, which is now termed as ‘Clive Maharkandi’ and adorn the deity on special occasions.
Executive officer of the temple, Thyagarajan, said that four Rajagopurams, including the East, West, Thondaradipodi and Azhagiyasingar, along with the vimanas of Deveraja Swamy, Perundevi Thayar and Chakaratazhwar shrines, would undergo the Samprokshanam ritual between 11 am and 12 pm on Thursday.
While such a consecration previously took place in 1991, Thyagarajan said that this was the first time in over 200 years that more than two towers have undergone the renovation process simultaneously.
The highlight of Thursday’s event would be the Kumbabishekam of the Perundevi Thayar vimana, which has been plated with gold worth Rs 10 crore. “The plating has been done with money donated by devotees,” said the official. The process of renovation, which began in 2007, was completed three months ago.
Spread over an area of about 24 acres, the temple has over 20 different shrines inside its premises. Each of the tower has intrinsically carved sculptures that has seen additions and subtractions based on the preferences of different kings.
A Srinidhi, a Vaishnavite scholar hailing from Kanchipuram, said that local legends attribute the construction of the temple to lord Brahma. It is said that he performed the Aswameda Yaga at the temple in his eagerness to get a sight of lord Vishnu, who is the main deity in the shrine. Many of the Alwars, the saints in the Vaishnavite bhakthi tradition, have sung in praise of the deity and hence the temple has been designated as a divya desam. The temple is said to have been frequented by great philosophers such as Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika.
Thyagarajan said about 400 priests are expected to participate in the consecration rituals, which will include the chanting of vedic hymns and the Divyaprabandhams. The administration has geared up to deal with a crowd of over one lakh, with special buses being operated by the state transport corporations and facilities created for sanitation. The renovation process in total cost about Rs 12 crore, he said.