Kanchipuram Sri Varadharaja Perumal Temple - 108 Divya Desam

Varadharaja Perumal Temple or Hastagiri or Attiyuran is a famous Vishnu temple that holds the prominent position of Vishnu Kanchi. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams (holy shrines) of Lord Vishnu. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava philosophy ‘Ramanuja’ is believed to have stayed in this temple for a long time. There are a lot of legends associated with the origin of the temple. Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, was separated with his wife Saraswathi in a conflict. He did an ashwamedha worship (with horse) seeking blessings from Vishnu. Vishnu was pleased by the devotion and came out from under Earth as a boar and got Saraswathi united with Brahma.

This is believed to be happening here. Another legend says that Saraswathi cursed the king of celestial deities ‘Indra’ to become an elephant. He was later relieved of the curse with the divine power of Vishnu, who appeared as the mount ‘Hastagiri’. Another story rotates around the disciples of sage Gautama who were cursed to become lizards. They resided in the temple and they attained back their original form by this lord. There is a panel in the temple where the two lizards are depicted on the roof. The foundation of the temple was laid back in 1053 AD by the great Chola rulers. It was on the 17th Century, when the Hindu temples were targeted by the troop of the Muslim ruler Aurangzeb. At that time, the main idol of the temple was shifted safely to Srirangam.

The regular poojas for the deity were continued by the locals there. Since they practised with this, they were not allowed to take back the idol to Kanchipuram. With utmost efforts and pleadings from the saints, the deity was moved back here. The temple covers an area of 23 acres, making it one of the largest temples of South India. Contrary to the other temples, the tower on the western side is the tallest compared to the one on the eastern side. The temple has the paintings of 15th Century Vijayanagar emperors. A huge stone chain inside the temple is another architectural marvel. It is carved out of a single stone of a number of rings strung together without any breaks in-between. The annual temple chariot festival here is pulled by thousands of people. The chariot used was presented by Krishnadevaraya in the 17th Century. Also, there is a 100 pillar hall reading the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata.