Azhagar Kovil — Madurai

Tamilnadu being endowed with 38,000 temples provide ample opportunities for the religiously bent Sadhakas. One such temple is “Thirumaliruncholai — Azhagar Kovil”. It is located in the outskirts of the happening city like Madurai; Hence, it is well connected to visit. The temple is maintained very well and maintained very clean. This part of the year, being the rainy season, receives a limited set of people. Hence, one could spend more time, there in the temple.

The presiding deity, “moolavar” Sundararaja Perumal steals our heart with his radiance & beauty. We can safely conclude that since the Lord is bathed in Thailam/Oil, it should be a pre-Ramanuja temple. Aptly, worshipped by 6 Alwars. The devotees are not allowed to enter the main sannidhi. Even, from a distance, needless to say, that, we are spell-bounded. It follows the “Thenkalai” sampradaya and “Vaikanasa” agama. Hence, there is more stress on the Mantras — be it Sanskrit or Tamil.

Divine mother Sundaravalli has her presence in the temple as well as in the heart. I may be chastised for saying this. She acts as an intermediary between us and the Lord, continuously helping us in our sadhana. One can give up all and stay there to see the mystical, benign smile on her face. Unlike the Vaishnavite Achyar Sri Parasara Bhattar, I do not have the ability and clarity to decide on who has the best smile — Lord or Divine mother. Either way, I am bowled over

The hallways are lengthy. One can circumambulate the shrine with the names of the lord in our mind. Just behind the main sannidhi, we can worship the stone image of Jwala Narasimhar. It is a rare sight to see the presence of Lord Narasimha right behind the main deity. There must be a special reason for this. Next to him, we can pray to Lakshmi-Narasimha, Lakshmi-Varaha, Lakshmi-Narayana, and other deities. Again, the sannidhi of Mother Andal helps us to recoup our singing potential of Thiruppavai. Interestingly, again, it is a rare sight to see a special sannidhi for Mother Saraswathi.