Photo Courtesy: Sri KEB Rangarajan
Pancha Narasimha Kshetram: Ugira Narasimha, Veera Narasimha, Yoga Narasimha, Hiranya Narasimha and Lakshmi Narasimha
Two temples north of ThiruNangur, and within a km of each other, Thiruvaali and Thirunagari, make up one Divya Desam. This is a Pancha Narasimha Shetram. There are 5 Narasimha temples in and around Thiruvaali and Thirunagari.
Goddess Lakshmi wanted the Lord to recognize the efforts of Thirumangai Mannan. Granting her wishes, Lord Vishnu asks her to be born as the daughter of Sage Poorna with the promise that he would come there to provide darshan to Thirumangai Mannan.
Quick Facts
Deity : Lakshmi Narasimha East Facing Sitting Posture
Goddess : Poorna Valli Thaayar
Utsavar : Thiruvali Nagaraalan
ThiruMangai way lays the Lord!!
At Vedarajapuram, a village in between Thiruvali and Thirunagari, Thirumangai Mannan stops the Lord in an effort to relieve him of his belongings. It is here that the Lord reveals his true form and utters the Astaachara Mandiram in the ears of Mangai Mannan. This entire event is enacted here every year on the first day of Panguni Uthiram.
Being the place where Lord Vishnu appeared to share the Thiru Manthiram, Thiruvaali is said to be equivalent to Badri.
Accepting the prayers of the Devas (they wanted Goddess Lakshmi to help protect the world from any further destruction after the Lord had slain Hiranyakashipu), the Goddess came here and sat on the Lord’s right thigh. Hence, this place came to be called ‘Thiru’Vali.
Pancha Narasimha Kshetram
With five Narasimha temples in and around Thiruvali-Thirunagari, this Divya Desam is called a Pancha Narasimha Kshetram. At Kuraiyalur, the birth place of Thirumangai Azhvaar, one finds Ugira Narasimha. At Mangai mutt, where Mangai Mannan fed a 1000 Vaishnavites as per the wishes of Kumudavalli, there is Veera Narasimha.
At Thirunagari, there are two Narasimha arcah vigraham- Yoga Narasimha and Hiranya Narasimha and here at Thiruvali, one sees Lakshmi Narasimha with the Goddess on his right lap.
Kulasekhara Azhvaar and his reference to Thiru Vali
Kulasekhara Azhvaar praises the Lord here referring to him as ‘The Ruler of Aali Nagar’
“ Aalin Ilai Baalaganaai, Anru Ulagam Undavaney
Vaaliyai Konru Arasu Ilaya Vaanarathukku Alithavaney
Kaalinmani Karai Alaikkum, Kanapurathu En Karumaniye
Aali Nagaruku Athipathiye, Ayodhimaney Thaaleylo”- 725
