Parikkal Lakshmi Narasimha

Ancient temple built by Vasantharaja of Vriddachalam is one of the four Narasimha temples in the Villupuram region
Prarthana Sthalam- Debts, Enemies and Diseases are said to go away if one offers prayers at this temple

Located around 25kms South West of Villupuram and 3kms west of the Kedilam Cross Road off the Chennai-Trichi National Highway is the1800 year old Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Parikkal.

This is one of the four Narasimha temples in this region. The others being Anthili (near Thiru Kovilur), Poovarasan Kuppam (15kms North of Panruti) and Singiri (12kms South of Pondicherry).

Also, there is the Sayana Narasimha in Thiru Vathigai in Panruti.

The Story

Vasantharaja ruled this place with his capital at Vriddachalam and wanted to build a temple for Lord Narasimha. Constantly troubled by Parakalasura (said to be a relative of Hiranyakashipu), Vasantharaja undertook a penance here as directed by his Guru. Answering his prayers, Lord Narasimha is said to have appeared here and killed the Asura.

Having only seen the destructive mood of an angry Narasimha, Vasantharaja invoked the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi to provide darshan with the Lord displaying his softer form.

Kanakavalli Thaayar is said to have sat on his lap, cooled him down and provided darshan to Vasantharaja, the Devas and the Rishis at this place.

Delighted at the darshan of Lord Narasimha in this form, Vasantharaja requested that this place be named after the asura who provided the king with the opportunity to have a darshan of the Lord.

Hence, this place was referred to as ‘Parikala’puram, which in course of time became ‘Parikkal’.

While the original temple was built by Vasantharaja using red bricks, lime and wood, it is believed to have been destroyed during the Mughal invasion. The temple that one sees today is said to have been built by Veera Narasimha of Karnataka using granites. Parikkal Lord Narasimha is said to be the Kula Deivam for the Madhwas of Karnataka.

Presence of two Anjaneya idols
An interesting feature at this temple is the presence of two Anjaneya idols in the same Sannidhi. Unlike other temples, Anjaneya gets the 2nd right of Thirumanjanam after Lord Narasimha (in other temples, Thaayar is the one who gets the Thirumanjanam after the Lord).

Prarthana Sthalam
This is a Prarthana Sthalam – Three kinds of worries for human beings- Debts, Enemies and Diseases - are said to go away if one offers prayers at the Parikkal Narasimha temple.

Inscriptions on the temple walls
Confirming the rich history behind this temples are the several inscriptions found on the outside walls of the temple dating back several hundred years, prominent among them include the fish shaped inscriptions. This leads one to two inferences: One, the Pandya kings, whose symbol was a ‘Fish’, may have contributed to this temple in a big way. The other is the story relating to Vasantharaja, who one night saw in his dreams fishes near this place…an indication of impending victory in his battle against the asura.

Some of the other prominent inscriptions:

13th Century AD inscription indicating contribution by Pallava king Koperichingan

14th Century AD inscription that describes the contribution of Thiru Bhuvanam Chakravarthy Konerinmai Kondaan

Another inscription shares light on the tax exemption in nearby villages -Thiruvennai Nallur, Aanathur and Sithanthur and using these funds for the improvement and maintenance of this temple

Raja Raja Chozhan I is said to have constructed the temple tank

Renovation of the temple by Pallava and Nayak kings

Festivals
There are festivals round the year at this temple.

On the 5th day of Thai, Lord Narasimha goes on a procession to Pennai River and stays there the night.

On Maasi Magam - full moon day- the Lord goes on a 10km procession to the Kedila River.

On Panguni Uthiram, the Lord is taken on a procession to Orathur Village.

Every month on Swathi Nakshatram, there is a special Thirumanjanam in the evening and a Sannidhi procession inside the temple.

It is believed to be good to visit the temple on Puratasi Saturday

Quick Facts
Moolavar : Lakshmi Narasimha East Facing Sitting Posture
Thaayar : Komalavalli Thaayar
Temple Time : 6am-1pm and 4pm- 8pm
Priest Contact: Krishnamurthy Bhattar @ 96004 55395

How to reach the temple:
Take the Madras- Villupuram-Ulundurpet- Trichy GST National Highway
21kms after Villupuram, Get down at Kedilam Junction

There are 30 share autos plying between Parikkal and Kedilam Junction- Rs.5 per head.
Auto will charge Rs.30-40/- from Kedilam Junction.

If travelling by car from Madras/ Villupuram, take a right(towards West) just before Kedilam Cross Road, cross the railway line to reach the temple (about 2kms from the railway line).

By Train
Passenger train from Villupuram and Vriddachalam stop at Parikkal railway station.