Located 20kms North West of Nagapatinam (20kms East of Tiruvarur, 30kms South of Kumbakonam and Mayavaram), this is one of the 5 Krishnaranya Kshetrams. Lord Narayana himself re-incarnated as Sowri Rajan at Kannapuram.
Walking Beauty of the Lord
This is the temple where the Lord showed Vibheeshana, brother of Ravana, his walking beauty. After seeing the sleeping beauty of Vishnu as Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, Vibheeshna wanted to see the walking beauty of the Lord, upon which he was directed by the Lord to his “Keezh(akku) Veedu’ (Eastern Gateway of the Lord). It is believed that Lord Vishnu displayed his ‘walking beauty’ to Vibheeshana here on the new moon day. To mark this event, on every Amavasya day at 12noon, Lord SowriRajan is carried out of the Sanctum and walks to the Vibheeshna Sannidhi.
Sowri Rajan- An extra growth of hair on the Lord
Once a garland of flowers sent by a king to the Lord did not reach the temple and hence the priest could not get the Lord ready in time for the King’s visit. To save himself from the King’s wrath, the temple priest quickly organized a garland of flowers from his house and placed it around the Lord. The king found that there was a hair in the garland and questioned the priest, who told him that this was the Lord’s own.
The priest told the king that he would show it(the Lord’s hair) to him the next morning. Lord here is said to have saved the priest by displaying his long plait to the King. Hence, the lord here is called Sowri Rajan.
Special Pongal every night
A devotee who used to have his daily food only after presenting to the Lord was late one evening and found the temple closed. Hence, he presented the food to the Lord from outside the temple. It is believed that when the temple doors opened the next morning, the entire temple smelt of Sweet Pongal.
To mark this, every night, Pongal is served to the Lord – another feature at this temple.
Lord Narayana in 3 forms
On the 7th day of Vaikaasi, Lord Narayana gives darshan in all his 3 forms
(TriMoorthy Swaroopam)- Maha Vishnu in the day, Brahmaa in the night at around 11pm and Lord Shiva early next morning
Procession to the Sea Shore
Once a year, on the occasion of Maasi Magam, the Lord is taken on a procession to the sea shore near Karaikal, about 20 kms from here.
Quick Facts
Deity : Neelamegha Perumal- Standing Posture facing East
Utsavar : Sowri Rajan
Goddess : Kannapura Naayaki
Mangalasaasanam : 5 Azhvaars – Thirumangai Azhvaar(100), Nammazhvaar(11), Kulasekaraazhvaar(10), Andaal(1) and Periyazhvaar(1)
Paasurams : 123
Temple timing : 7am –12noon and 5pm-830pm
Priest : S. Sowri Rajan Bhattar
Contact Address : North Mada Street, Kannapuram 609 704 Nagapattinam Dist
Tel No. : 04366 270718
Bus : Buses every 10 minutes Kumbakonam-Nagai route
Auto : Auto will charge anything Rs. 20/- for a one way drop from ThiruPugalur bus stop
Place to Stay : Best to stay in Kumbakonam
This is on the Kumbakonam-Nannilam-Nagapattinam route. One has to get down at ThiruPugalur and take an auto (Rs. 30/-) for a 2 km drive to the temple. This place can also be reached directly from Thiruvarur.
