Kudamadu Koothan, Tirunangur, Nagapattinam

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Kudamadu Koothan	Ambal / Thayar:	Amruta Ghata Valli
Deity:	Perumal	Historical name:	TiruArimeya Vinnagaram
Vriksham:	Purasu	Teertham:	Amirtha Teertham, Koti Teertham
Agamam:	Pancharatra	Age (years):	1000-2000
Timing:	9 to 12 & 4 to 6	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Divya Desam	–
Sung by:	Tirumangaiazhvar	Temple set: Ekadasa Divya Desam
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Tirunangur	District:	Nagapattinam
Maps from (click):	Current location	Mayiladuthurai (23 km)	Nagapattinam (58 km)
	Tiruvarur (59 km)	Kumbakonam (61 km)

Location

Tirunangur is located 10 km from Sirkazhi.

Sthala puranam and temple information

It will be useful to read this overview of the Nangur Ekadasa Divya Desam and Ekadasa Rudra Peethams, if you have not already done so, to set the context for the eleven temples (including this temple) in Nangur.

Perumal here is said to have come from Dwarka. After the Mahabharatam war, Krishna was going back to Dwarka, when Sage Uthangar stopped him and asked him about the war. Krishna responded that the Pandavas had won and Kauravas had lost. The sage asked why that was the case, and Krishna responded that it was due to their fate, caused by karmas in their previous birth. The sage persisted, as to why that was the case; again Krishna responded it was due to fate. Through all of this, the sage was effectively hinting that Krishna made the Pandavas win because he liked them. To put an end to this, at least for the moment, Krishna gave the sage a vision of His Viswaroopam. This calmed the sage a bit, and he obtained a boon, that he would get water whenever he wanted to, because it was otherwise difficult to get water in the area. A few days later, the sage was thirsty, and thought of Krishna. Then he saw a man – who appeared to be of lower class – carrying a pot, along with a few dogs. The man said he had water, and asked if the sage wanted some. Based on the man’s appearance, the sage rejected the offer, and the man vanished. Instead, Krishna appeared, saying that the man was Indra and the pot actually had amritam, and it was fate that no human could ever savour it. It was the same fate that made the Pandavas win the war.

A few drops of the amritam brought by Indra fell here, creating the Amrita Teertham.

According to another legend, Sage Uthangar was trained in the Vedas by his guru, Vaithar. The sage wanted to offer guru dakshina, so Vaithar’s wife asked for the queen’s earrings. The sage approached the queen, who gladly gave them to him. On his return, he saw a shepherd boy with a pot, dancing and coming towards him. Assuming the pot contained butter or milk, the sage asked the boy for some. The boy replied that he had only had gosanam (cow dung) and gomutra, which Vaithar had also had some of. The sage kept the earrings inside his kamandalam, which he kept in under a tree, and drank the boy’s offering. At this time, a thief stole his kamandalam and ran away. The sage chased him, but the thief entered a hole in a tree, and the sage could not follow him. Spotting a man on horseback, the sage asked for help. The man got his horse to breathe fire into the hole, and retrieved the kamandalam and earrings. When he finally reached his guru’s place and narrated the incidents, Vaithar told him that this was all a play by the Lord. The shepherd boy was Krishna, the man on the horse was Indra, and the pot of gosanam and gomutra was actually amritam. And if Uthangar had not consumed it, he would not have been able to stand the fire emitted by the horse. Awestruck, the sage prayed to Vishnu to show him His real form, and the Lord obliged.

This temple is also called Arimeya Vinnagaram. In order to free his mother Vinata from Kadru’s hold, Garuda had to bring a pot of amritam from devalokam. When he brought it here, he did not want to give it to Kadru, lest she consume all of it. At that time, Krishna came here, kept the pot on His head, and danced for the benefit of everyone.

Since it is Krishna from Dwarka – who is an acclaimed dancer and is known for his antics with pots of butter – who is here, Perumal here is therefore called Kudam-aadu-koothan (the One who dances with a pot). Since Perumal (Hari) came here, this place gets the name Ari-meya Vinnagaram (Vishnu Nagaram).

Perumal, as Krishna, blesses devotees in amarndha kolam, with one leg placed on a pot of butter! Interestingly, Perumal is seen with four arms, despite being worshipped as Krishna.

In the Tamil month of Thai (January-February), the Garuda Sevai utsavam takes place at the nearby Badrinarayana Perumal temple at Nangur, where the Perumal and Garuda of each of the 11 Nangur Divya Desam temples arrive here. This festival is a must visit for those who are interested.

Other information for your visit

There are no accommodation options in Nangur. The nearest place for decent budget and mid-range accommodation is Mayiladuthurai. Lately, some hotels and AirBnB type accommodation has come up around Sirkazhi.