Thiruvellakkulam Temple Story: The Temple Where Annan Perumal Blessed a Boy with Long Life
Located in Thirunangur—a village near Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu—Thiruvellakkulam Kovil (also known as Annan Perumal Temple or Annankoil) is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Bhagavan Srihari Vishnu.
The Story of Swetanan and the Boon of Long Life
In the days of old, there lived a king of the Surya vamsa
named Dundhumaran. His son, Svetanan, was told by wise men that he would not
live past the age of nine years. The king and his family were filled with
sorrow on hearing this prediction. But their family guru gave them hope, and
told the young prince to go to the ksetra now known as Thiruvellakkulam and do
penance there.
Svetanan went to this place and reached the asrama of sage
Marutva, who was himself doing penance on the banks of the pond. The sage
taught the boy the mantra for long life, the ayul viddhi mantra, and asked him
to chant it with full faith under the Vilva tree near the tank. Svetanan obeyed
and chanted with devotion. Pleased by his sincerity, Bhagavan Mahavishnu gave
him darshan in person. By this darshan, the boy overcame the fear of untimely
death and lived a long and full life, just like the sage Markandeya did after
his own trial with death.
Because of this story, the temple tnk at this place is considered
very sacred, and devotees still believe that prayer here removes fear of death
and grants a long, healthy life to the family.
Importance and Symbolism
This temple is one of the eleven Divya Desams grouped
together as the Thirunangur Tirupathis, all closely tied to the life and songs
of Thirumangai Alvar, one of the twelve Alvar saints. Among these eleven, Annan
Perumal of Thiruvellakkulam holds a special place, as he is regarded as the
elder brother of Sri Venkatachalapathy of Tirupati. For this reason, many
devotees who are not able to travel to Tirupati come here and offer worship,
believing it gives the same blessings, and the place is sometimes called Then
Tirupathi, meaning Tirupati of the South.
The tank of this temple also carries a story connected to
Thirumangai Alvar himself. It is believed that his wife, Kumudhavalli, was born
from the waters of this very tank, which adds another layer of sacredness to
the place for Vaishnavites.
A Short Note on the Temple
Built in the Dravidian style, the temple is sung about in
the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the Alvar saints of the sixth to ninth
centuries CE. Annan Perumal stands here in Nindra Thirukkolam, facing east, and
his consort Lakshmi is worshipped as Alamermangai. The temple tank is called
Vellakulam, meaning white tank, since its waters were once known for their
white and pure appearance, and this gave the place its name.
A Unique Aspect
A special feature of this ksetra is the way Thirumangai Alvar addressed Perumal here as "Anna," meaning elder brother, in his pasurams, the same word he used only for Perumal of Tirupati. This shared title is why this Perumal is uniquely honoured as the elder brother of Venkatachalapathy, a distinction given to no other deity among the Thirunangur Tirupathis in quite the same manner.