Navamukunda Perumal Temple, Thirunavay
Thirunavay
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Site on the Bharathapuzha historically linked to the 12-yearly Mamankam festival.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thirunavay (Tirunavaya), on the northern bank of the Bharathapuzha (Ponnani river) in Malappuram, is the 65th Divya Desam. The deity Navamukunda Perumal stands facing east, four-armed bearing the Panchajanya conch, lotus, Kaumodaki mace and Sudarsana discus; the consort is Malarmangai Nachiyar (also called Sirudevi), and the tower is the Veda Vimanam. The name Navamukunda arises from the Navayogis legend: nine yogis great in Vedic knowledge sought to install the Lord, but the first eight images sank into the earth, and the ninth descended to its knees before being stopped, so the murti is venerated from the knees upward. The second great legend tells how Gajendra, king of elephants, and goddess Lakshmi both worshipped Vishnu here with lotus flowers from the same lake; when the flowers grew scarce and Gajendra appealed to the Lord, Vishnu seated Lakshmi beside him and accepted Gajendra's worship together. The shrine was glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Nammalvar and Thirumangai Alvar. Uniquely among Kerala Narayana shrines, Lakshmi has her own separate sreekovil. Thirunavay is also famed as a great site for pitru tarpanam (ancestral rites) on the riverbank, likened to Varanasi, and the riverside hosted the historic Mamankam festival held once in twelve years from early medieval times.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Navamukunda Perumal with Malarmangai Nachiyar of Thirunavay is glorified in 13 pāsurams by:
Thirunavay (Navamukunda Perumal temple on the Bharatapuzha, Malappuram district, a Malai Nadu Divya Desam) was glorified by both Nammalvar and Thirumangai Alvar. Nammalvar's Mangalasasanam is the eleven-verse decade Thiruvaaymozhi 9.8 (Nalayira Divya Prabandham 3634-3644), 'numar...'/'aRukkum vinai' theme, which repeatedly names the Lord 'who dwells at good Thirunavay (nal naavaay)'. Its concluding verse, 'vaNNam maNi maada nal naavaay uLLaanai', promises lordship and lasting fame to those who recite it. Thirumangai Alvar added further verses (around NDP 1520 in Periya Thirumozhi and 1856 in the Thirunedunthandakam).
வண்ணம் மணிமாட நல் நாவாய் உள்ளானை திண்ணம் மதிள் தென்குருகூர்ச் சடகோபன் பண்ணார் தமிழ் ஆயிரத்து இப்பத்தும் வல்லார் மண்ணாண்டு மணம் கமழ்வர் மல்லிகையே
vaNNam maNi maada nal naavaay uLLaanai thiNNam madhiL thenkurugUrch chatakOpan paNNaar thamizh aayiraththu ippaththum vallaar maNNaaNdu maNam kamazhvar malligaiyE
Phala-sruti (concluding) verse of Nammalvar's Thirunavay decade. He sings of the Lord residing at good Thirunavay (nal naavaay), whose shrine has beautiful jewel-like mansion walls; this decade of a thousand-fold sweet Tamil verses (one of the thousand) was composed by Sathakopan of southern Kurugur (Alvarthirunagari), whose fort is strong and beautiful. Those who can recite all ten of these tuneful verses will rule the earth and live fragrant like jasmine, i.e. attain glorious, sweet-smelling fame and lordship.
Verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar also sang Mangalasasanam for Thirunavay (Navamukunda Perumal), with verses occurring in his works (referenced around Nalayira Divya Prabandham 1520 in the Periya Thirumozhi and 1856 in the Thirunedunthandakam region). His hymns praise the Lord of this Kerala shrine on the Bharatapuzha river. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi / Thirunedunthandakam · source ↗
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
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