Sri Soundaraja Perumal Temple Location
Sri Soundaraja Perumal temple, Thirunagai Divya desam is located just a little off the coast of the Bay of Bengal near Nagapattinam is a cluster of divya desams scattered around. Three of these small villages/ towns are what we will look into today.
Thirunagai – This is a town located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal 150km south of Pondicherry and 150 km due east of Srirangam.
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Sthalapuranam
Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Vishnu at the local pond. The Lord satisfied with his worship appeared before him glowing in golden colour. Because of this beautiful appearance, he is known as ‘Azhghian or Soundara-raja-Perumal’.
The universal mother is called ‘Soundara-valli’ or she who is of matchless beauty. The pond is called ‘Sara-pushkarani’. The area is known as sundararnyam or beautiful forests.
Legend has it that Adhisesha did penance here to attain Lord Vishnu who agreed to use him for a bed. Hence the name ‘Thirunagai’. Dhruva the son of King Utanapada did his penance guided by sage Narada at a young age to attain the special grace of Lord Vishnu here at Thirunagai.
Special features
There is vigraha (idol) of Lord Narasimha with eight h a n d s here. He is seen in a rare pose that combines Abhaya mudra, blessing Prahlada and tearing into Hiranyakasipu.
The temple has received contributions from Pallavas, Medieval Cholas, Nayaks and Nagars.
Mangalasasanam
Thirumangai alwar in his Peria Thirumozhi (1758-1767) takes on the role of Nayaki and expresses his undying love for the Lord. He says the Lord is staring at her directly and wonders what would happen if her mother found out.
Having identified the Lord as the one who measured the worlds, she extols his charm. As Nayaki, Alwar says it is not possible to think of anyone after seeing the Lord of Nagai. Only a small portion of the 140 plus pasurams are quoted here for lack of adequate space.
