Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple, Thiruputkuzhi
Thiruputkuzhi
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
The unique site where Rama is said to have personally performed the last rites of Jatayu.
Sthala Purāṇam
The Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple at Thiruputkuzhi, about fifteen kilometres from Kanchipuram, is intimately bound to the Ramayana episode of Jatayu. According to the sthala puranam, while Rama and Lakshmana searched for the abducted Sita, they found the eagle-king Jatayu mortally wounded after his valiant attempt to stop Ravana's chariot. Jatayu recounted the abduction and breathed his last, and Lord Rama, here worshipped as Vijayaraghava Perumal, is believed to have performed Jatayu's funeral rites at this very spot, honouring the bird with the affection due to a father. The place-name derives from this episode: Jatayu belonged to the Pul (bird) clan and was laid to rest in a pit (Tamil kuzhi), giving the site the name Thiru-put-kuzhi. The Lord is depicted in the posture in which he performed those last rites, and the consort is Maragathavalli Thayar. The temple was sung by Thirumangai Alvar in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, and Vedanta Desika composed hymns in praise of the deity; tradition also holds that Yadava Prakasa, the early teacher of Ramanuja, was born here. The temple tank is the Jatayu Tirtham (Jatayu Pushkarini), named for the water body where the eagle fell. Built in Dravidian style with a five-tiered rajagopuram, the shrine bears Pandya inscriptions of the thirteenth century, along with Chola and Thanjavur Nayak patronage.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Vijayaraghava Perumal with Maragathavalli Thayar of Thiruputkuzhi is glorified in 2 pāsurams by:
The Vijayaraghava Perumal temple at Thiruputkuzhi (about 12 km west of Kanchipuram) is a Thondai Nadu Divya Desam associated with the Ramayana — the spot where Rama is believed to have performed the last rites for the eagle Jatayu (the deity is depicted seated with Jatayu on his lap; 'pul-kuzhi' = the pit/grave of the bird). It was sung only by Thirumangai Alvar, who performed Mangalasasanam in two pasurams. Per koyil.org, the references are Periya Thirumozhi 2.7.8 and Periya Thirumadal.
Verses & references (2)
- Thirumangai Alvar glorifies Vijayaraghava — the victorious Rama — enshrined at Thiruputkuzhi, the holy place sanctified by the liberation of Jatayu, the noble bird who fought Ravana to save Sita and was honoured by Rama himself. Exact Tamil verse text not confidently sourced. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi 2.7.8 · source ↗
- Thirumangai Alvar also makes mention of Thiruputkuzhi in his Periya Thirumadal, among the abodes of the Lord he longs for. Exact text not confidently sourced. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumadal · source ↗
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