Arayars are devotees who sing the praise of the Lord and dance in a state of ecstasy.
An Arayar from Pillai Tirunarayur came to worship Lord Vedanarayana with his wife and six children. With a view to test the depth of the piety of the devotee, Lord caused fire on the palm leaf roof above His shrine. Shocked Arayar laid his wife and six children in the shrine and laid himself across them so that the sparks fall on him and not on the Lord. Lord graced them with His darshan and also granted salvation.
There is a shrine for Pillai Tirunarayur Arayar in the prakara. Those ambitious of liberation from the cycle of births and deaths and protection from any catastrophe pray to Arayar.
A place of remedy from evil effects: Lord Vedanarayana graces in a reclining form with four Vedas below His head, teaching the Vedas to Brahmma the Creator on His naval part. When the Lord took incarnation as Narasimha, He graced Prahlada in the form of a child in this place. Prahladha appears here as a child by the feet of the Lord. Adisesha the snake with his wife is bearing the Lord. Adisesha with ten heads above the Lord and his wife at His feet grace darshan to the devotees. This is a very rare form in Perumal temples.
Those who have adverse marital aspects called Kalathra dosha, worship Lord here along with Adisesha and his wife for remedy.
Sri Ramanuja in saffron: When Sri Ramanuja visited the place, Lord advised him to have a dip in Cauvery and come back dressed in saffron. Ramanuja did accordingly. The Acharya comes in procession in saffron on Tiruvadhirai star day in the month of Chithirai, April-May. He is dressed in white on other days.
Nakshatra Deepa: As this is the sacred place where Lord Vishnu taught Lord Brahmma, devotees pray here for achieving excellence in their academic pursuit. Special pujas are performed on Tiruvonam star day and Ekadasi and new moon days. Those with weak Jupiter in their hosroscopes causing delay in marriage, offer Tulsi garlands to Lord and light 27 ghee lamps in his shrine. This worship is done on Thursdays or on the birth star day of the person.
Satya Anjaneya: There is a light post in front of the temple graced by Sri Anjaneya. He is called Kambathadi Anjaneya – Anjaneya under the post. People of the place gather here to solve disputes among them through dialogue. Anybody speaking lies or cheat others are demanded to prove their innocence by swearing before Anjaneya. The tradition continues even today. |