Koviladi Appakudathaan Divya Desam

Pancha Rangam Kshetram 
Only Divya Desam where ‘Appam’ (Sweet rice cake) is offered to the Deity every day
Namazhvaar sang the last of his Paasurams on Thiruper Nagar before attaining Moksham

Located about 25kms East of Trichy on the Kallanai -Thiruvayaru road near Thirukattupalli, Koviladi AppaKudanthan temple in ThiruPer Nagar is situated right on the banks of Cauvery. This is a temple that dates to a period before the Srirangam Ranganatha temple. In centuries gone by, people used to visit Koviladi and walk 2 kms across the Coloroon to reach Anbil Divya Desam

It is said that Appaala Ranganatha led/measured the steps for Srirangam Ranganatha and hence the name ‘Kovil - Adi’ (Srirangam is called the ‘Kovil’ among the Divya Desams, Adi is ‘steps’)

The Story

A King incurred the wrath of Sage Durvaasa and lost all his powers as a result of the curse. To get liberated from the curse, he was asked to feed a lakh people. He undertook this and continued for a while. One day, Lord Narayana came here in a disguised form and asked for food. The Lord ate through the day leaving the King surprised.

Appam Eating Ranganatha

When asked what else he wanted to eat, the disguised Lord asked the king to feed him a pot (Kudam) of ‘Appam’ (a sweet rice cake delicacy). The moment Lord consumed the pot of ‘Aappam’, the king got liberated from his curse. Being the one who had a pot of this sweet delicacy, the Lord here is called ‘AppaKudathan’. The Lord can be seen holding a pot of Appam in his right hand. This is only Divya Desam where Aappam is offered daily to the Lord.

Pancha Rangam Kshetram

This is a Pancha ‘Rangam’ Kshetram - Aathi Rangam(Srirangapatnam), Madhya Rangam (Srirangam), Chathurthara Rangam (Kumbakonam), Pancha Rangam (Indhalur) and Appala Rangam (Appakudathaan- Koviladi)

Thirumangai Azhvaar could not forget Appala Rangan

Thirumangai Azhvaar was so enticed by this Lord that he says he could not forget Lord AppaKudathaan even when he went to Thiruvellarai (another Divya Desam on the other side of Coloroon).

துலக்கம் இல் சுடரை அவுணன் உடல் பிளக்கும் மைந்தனை
பேரில் வணங்கிபோய் அளப்பு இல் ஆர் அமுதை
அமரர்க்கு அருள் விளக்கினை சென்று
வெள்ளரயில்  காண்டுமே 

NammAzhvaar and Koviladi Rangan

Nammazhvaar sang the last of his Paasurams about Appaala Rangan before attaining Moksham.

ThiruMazhisai Azhvaar and his reference to 7 temples

Appakudathaan Ranganathar is one of the 7 temples referred by Thirumazhisai Azhavaar of Lord Vishnu in reclining Posture - others being Srirangam, Thiru Kudanthai (Kumbakonam), Anbil (Vadivazhagiya Nambi), Thiru Vallur, ThiruVekka and Thiru Paarkadal.

Temple Priest

The priest at this temple ranks as one of the best I have seen. He has a sweet and totally ‘devoted’ voice. Despite being located in a non centric place and with very limited facilities, his devotion to Appala Rangan can be seen in the way Srinivasa (Jawahar) Bhattar goes about the daily poojas.

(Since the time this story was first written, he has moved on from here and is currently in Mudikondan Kothandaramar Sannidhi -https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/12/mudikondan-jawahar-bhattar.html )

Quick Facts

Moolavar  : Appa Kudathan in reclining posture facing West

Utsavar    : Appaala Rangan

Goddess    : Indira Devi / Kamalavalli

Azhvaars   : 33 Paasurams - Thirumangai , Thirumazhisai, PeriAzhavaar and NammAzhvaar

Priest       : Ramanujam Bhattar @ 9952468956 / 9344855155 /Murali Bhattar@ 04362 281488
Time        : 630am-12.30pm and 4pm-8pm

How to reach Koviladi:

Take a bus to Kallanai from Chathiram Bus Stand in Trichy. This route takes one along a narrow route right next to the Cauvery. From Kallanai, Koviladi is about 5 kms further East on the way to Thiruvaiyaru, just before Thiru Kaatuppalli. One could take Trichy - Kumbakonam bus going via Thiruvaiyaru, though this service is not that frequent. No courier service to this place.

Where to stay

Best to stay in Trichy and take a bus or a taxi to this temple. No staying facilities available here