Sri Neelamega Perumal Temple

Overview

The temple is situated in Vennathankarai in Thanjavur and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desam Temples.

About the Temple

The temple is a collection of three temples of Lord Vishnu, which is considered as one of the Divya Desam Temple as a whole. The legend says that the Demons got the blessings of Lord Shiva after a sincere penance towards Him. After that, the demons, particularly Thanjagan, Thandagan and Tharagan started disturbing the universe leading to extreme scarcity of food. And they also gave so much of troubles to the Devas and Rishis. By the worship of the Rishis, Lord Neelamega Perumal (Lord Vishnu) decided to kill the demons. As the demon Thanjagan changed his form as an elephant, Lord Neelamega Perumal took Narasimha Avatar (half man and half lion) and killed the demon Thanjagan. And the Lord took Varaha Avatar and killed the demon Thandagan and Tharagan was killed by Goddess Kaali(Goddess Shakthi), the consort of Lord Shiva. As requested by the demon Thanjagan to Lord, the place is named as Thanjavur.

About the Deity

The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Sri Neelamega Perumal, facing the east direction. The other deities of this temple are Lord Krishna, Lord Ventakesha Perumal with His consorts, Lord Varadharaja Perumal, Lord Lakshmi Narasimhar, Goddess Lakshmi Devi, Goddess Andal Naachiyar, Lord Hanuman, and Lord Vishvakshenar. Another legend says that Maharishi Parasara and all other Rishi’s wished to have the dharsan of Lord Narayanan (Lord Vishnu) on the earth. And so, it is said that Lord Narayanan sat on the bank of river Vinnaaru, which flows with ‘Amudham‘ (brings eternity) in Vishnuloga. As Lord Narayanan hold Sengol (Baton) in His hand, signifies the King of the Universe. This is the one and only temple where three temples are worshipped as a one divya desam temple with a distance of one mile each. The Vimanam (the tower above the Sanctum) of this temple is Soundarya Vimanam.

Legend and Stories

Sage Parasara sprayed the nectar he obtained from the milk ocean in the Manimutha River, built a hermitage on the river bank and was performing penance. Three demons Thanjakan, Thandakan and Tharasura with their deathless boon granted by Lord Shiva began to harass the sage and others performing penance with him. The sage advised them to shed their demon traits and reform themselves. They turned a deaf year. The sage appealed to Lord Shiva for protection. Shiva sent Kalidevi to destroy them. But they drank the nectar mixed river water and came back alive to continue their atrocities. Sage approached Lord Vishnu.Mahavishnu took the Narasimha form and defeated Thanjaka who took the elephant form. Lord placed the demon on His lap to kill him when he gained wisdom and shed his cruel traits. He also begged the Lord to stay in the place and bless all. He also begged that the place should be named after him. His boon granted, the place came to be known as Thanjamapuri.Seeing the defeat of Thanjaka, Thandakan hid himself under the earth. Lord became a Varaha, entered the hiding and killed the demon. Tharaka was killed by Kali. After the destruction of the three demons, Lord appeared before Sage Parasara as Neelamega Perumal. Lord is gracing this place in three names in three separate temples.

Festivals

Brahmmotsavam is celebrated for three Perumals successively in the months of Panguni (March-April), Chithirai (April-May) and Vaikasi (May-June). 18 Garuda Seva in Vaikasi-May-June is the great festival of the temple

Dharshan Timings

Morning
From 7.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.
Evening
From 5.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Pradosha time – 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.

Prasad & offering

Devotees offer sweet pudding-sarkarai pongal- nivedhana to Neelamegar and Manikundra Perumal and sweet drink – Panakam to Lord Narasimha. They also offer vastras

Significance

Devotees pray to Lord Veera Narasimha during Pradosha time-4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. to realize their wishes

Nearby Places to Visit

Andalakkum Aiyan Temple

Padikasu Nathar Temple

Gajendra Varadhan Temple

Hara Shaba Vimochana Perumal Temple

Appakudathan Temple

Adhivaraha Perumal Temple

Accessibility

A full-fledged Air Force Station is operational at Thanjavur which has several Fighter (aircraft) including Sukhoi jets. The Air Force Station is set to start function as a major Air base. The nearest international Airport is the Tiruchirapalli International Airport which is about 50 km from the city. Thanjavur railway station is an important railway junction of Southern Railways. Thanjavur is connected by rail with most important CITIES and towns in India like Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, Karur, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Rameswaram, Tiruchendur, Karaikal, Dharmapuri and weekly trains to Vishakapatnam, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Goa, Vizianagaram, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bhubaneshwar and to all main cities. Thanjavur is well-connected with Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Karaikal, Pudukkottai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kumbakonam, Pattukkottai, Bangalore, Ernakulam, Marthandam, Nagercoil, Tirupathi, Thiruvananthapuram, Ooty and Mysore through regular bus services.

Temple Address

Sri Neelamega Perumal Temple,
Thiru Thanjaimaamani
Vennathankarai village
Thanjavur district
Tamil Nadu