Presiding Deity: Adikesavaperumal
Goddess Mother: Alamelmangai, Padmasani
Holy spring: Gajendra Pushkarani
Vimanam (Tower): Chakrakruthi Vimanam
Position: Standing facing west
History:
Yogi Mahasandhan wanted to end his earthly life and reach the feet of the Lord. He had powers equal to Indira, the king of Gods. He plunged himself in penance of the Lord. Indira grew jealous of the Yogi and sent the angels of his land to disturb the penance and spoil the efforts of the yogi but they could not move him from the concentration. Indira himself came before the Yogi in the guise of a white elephant and succeeded. The Yogi also took the form of an elephant and began wandering with the pachyderms.
The Elephant Yogi recollected its past life and regretted it had committed a mistake. It wandered through the Divyadesas seeking a remedy.
Sage Mrikandu advised the elephant to go the Kancheepuram and seek the blessing of the Lord Varadarajaperumal. The elephant took the advice and reached Kancheepuram. One day, it met the Ashtapuja Perumal (Lord with 8 hands) and stood in wonder at the beauty of the Lord. It went to the nearby tank and worshipped the Lord with 14,000 flowers each day. One day, as there were no flowers in the tank, it went to another tank to pluck the flowers when it was caught by a crocodile in the tank.
The grip was tight that the elephant could not free itself from the creature. It shouted loudly, Oh! Adhimoolam Save me.
The Lord hearing the prayer of the Elephant dashed to earth on his Garuda vehicle, sent his wheel on the Crocodile, cut its head and freed the devotee elephant.
The other story linked with this shrine is that Brahmma began an Yagna to regain his puja status. He left Saraswathi for the penance. Saraswathi employed demon Sarabaswaran to spoil the Yagna of Brahmma so that he could come back to him. Brahmma sought protection from the Lord. The Lord appeared with 8 hands (Ashta Puja) drove the demon and the Kali and helped Brahmma complete his Yagna.
Reputation:
This is the 44th Shrine of the 108 Divyadesas of Vaishnava temples praised in the Mangalasasanams of Peyazhwar and Thirumangai Azhwar. The Lord was here even before he became Ashtapuja Perumal. The shrine assumed significance after the Mangalasasanams of the Azhwars. Of the 108 Divyadesas, it is in this temple only the Lord appears with 8 hands.
While generally Mangalasasanam are offered by the Azhwars for the Lord alone, here the Goddess too is praised in the hymns. The Lord holds his wheel, sword, flower and the arrow in the right hand and the conch, bow, shield and the club in the left hand.
Generally the entrance in Vaishnava temple would be in one direction and the Sorgavasal (opened only on the Vaikunda Ekadasi day) in a different direction. In Adhikesavaperumal temple here, both are in the same direction.
Some demons tried to kill Boomadevi but were destroyed by the Lord. Those facing litigations in the Bhoomi-land properties and the houses built, come to the temple for a relief from such troubles.
The temple is open from 7.00 to 12.00 a.m. and 4.00 to 8.00 p.m. The temple is situated in Chinna Kancheepuram Thirukachi Nambi Street, 2 kms. From Kancheepuram. Temple contact No. 044-2722 5242. Nearest railway station is Kancheepuram and the airport Chennai.
EreIn the Adhikesava Perumal temple here In
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