Kunnuvarankottai Kasi Visalakshi-Viswanathar Temple Explained

Kunnuvarankottai Kasi Visalakshi-Viswanathar Temple
Map Type:	Tamil Nadu
Coordinates:	10.1068°N 77.7793°W
Country:	India
State:	Tamil Nadu
District:	Dindigul
Location:	Kunnuvarankottai (Kannapatti)
Elevation M:	232.81
Deity:	Kasi Viswanathar
Festivals:	Maha Shivaratri
Architecture:	Dravidian architecture
Temple Quantity:	One

The Kasi Visalakshi Viswanathar temple is in the village of Kunnuvarankottai, which is a neighbourhood in Dindigul in the State of Tamil Nadu in India. This village is served by three rivers - Vaigai, Maruda and Manjalaru - called the Triveni Sangam (tri = three, veni = river, sangam = confluence). The river Vaigai takes a slightly northern course (Tamil: உத்தரவாஹினீ) near this village, like the Ganges takes at Varanasi.^[1]

Kunnuvarankottai

Kunnuvarankottai is a village near Batlagundu which is on the foothills of Kodaikanal in Dindigul district. The Tamil name for this village is Kundru-Aran-Kottai which now is known as Kunnuvarankottai or Kannapatti.^[2]

Kasi Visalakshi Viswanathar temple

Villagers believe that bathing in the confluence during holy days like Amavasya will enable the devotees to realise the purpose of life. There is a 500-year-old Visalakshi Viswanathar temple in the village by the riverside. The presiding deities are Goddess Visalakshi and God Viswanathar. It is similar in nature to the Kasi Visalakshi Viswanathar temple in many respects. The shrine for the Goddess Visalakshi faces south in this temple. As per the temple legend, the locals say that this idol was brought by a devotee from Kasi or Varanasi.^[3] There are other shrines for Lord Dakshinamoorthy, Bhairava, and Hanuman also.^[4]

The Kumbhabishekam of this temple was completed in 2001. In January 2013, the Punaruddharana Kumbhabishekam of this temple was completed.^{[5] [6]} Shri K. V. Vishwanathan Sivachariyar is the priest. The temple conducts many festivals every year including Sivarathri (பிரதோஷம், சங்கடஹர சதுர்த்தி, சஷ்டி, நவராத்திரி).

Special feature

Sri Sacchidananda Bharati I (1623 - 1663) the 25th acharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham was born in this area and the annual birthday is celebrated in this temple every year in Sravana month Rohini star. A Dhyana mandapam in the memory of this saint is in this village near the Vaigai River.It is pertinent to note that the current and the previous pontiff of Sringeri Sarada Peetam Sri Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Swamigal visited this temple in 1965 and Sri Sri Bharathi Teertha Swamigal have graced this temple twice till date respectively. (Last visit was on 2 June 2012)^[7]

With the blessings and benevolence of Sri Sri Bharathi Teertha Swamigal, the Kumbhabhishekam of this temple was completed in January 2013 and a mandapam was constructed in front of Lord Sri Dakshinamoorthy shrine in this temple with the help of devotees.

Sri Sri Vidhusekhara Bharathi Swamigal visited this village during his visit to the town of Batlagundu in April 2017.^[8]

External links

• GeoHack - Kunnuvarankottai Kasi Visalakshi-Viswanathar Temple

• (29-8-2010, P.7). "Kunnuvarankottayil Sacchidananda Bharathi Jayanthi", குன்னுவாரங்கோட்டையில் சச்சிதாநந்த பாரதீ ஜயந்தி, Dinamalar Tamil daily newspaper, Madurai and Dindigul editions.
• Pandit Re. Ramamurthy and Vidwan Ra. Arangakrishnan. (February 2010. P. 11). "Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsar Aruliya Inkadhai Kavidai', Tamil: பண்டித திரு. ரெ. ராமமூர்த்தி, வித்துவான் ரா. அரங்க கிருஷ்ணன், ஸ்ரீ ராமக்ருஷ்ண பரமஹம்சர் அருளிய இன்கதை கவிதை, சரவணா பதிப்பகம், Saravana Padippagam, Chinmaya Nagar, Chennai-600 092, Collection of Tamil poems and short stories.
• R. Venkataramani. (August 2003. P. 8,9,10,11,12,13). "Sringeri Sarada Peedathin 25th Peetadhipadhi - Mudalam Sachchidananda Bharathi", 'Amman Darisanam', Tamil periodical.
• R. Gopalaiyer. (26-1-2001). Kunnuvarankottai Shri Visalakshi Visvesvarar Thiruchadakam, Kasturi Press, Thirumangalam.
• http://www.sringeri.net/branches/tamil-nadu/vattalagundu - Link to Vattalagundu and Kunnuvarankottai related to Sringeri Mutt branch
• http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/ - Website covering the Vijaya Yatra of Sri Sri Bharathi Teertha Swamigal in 2012
• https://web.archive.org/web/20130506071522/http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/vathalagundu-june-1-2012/ - Visit to Kunnuvarankottai and Vathalagundu on 1, 2 June 2012 of the current pontiff which contains the photographs also
• https://web.archive.org/web/20130228023700/http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/madurai-may-21-2012/ - Visit to Madurai of the current pontiff of Sringeri Sarada Peetam in 2012 and release of the book on "Meenakshi Shatakam" in Madurai by His Holiness.
• (13-10-2013). "Sri Viswanathar Temple", Dinamalar Tamil daily newspaper, - https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=1145 -Website covering the features of this temple on the Vijayadasami day.
• (15-01-2016). "Kunnuvarankottaiyil 13th Century Tollgate", Dinamalar Tamil daily newspaper, https://www.dinamalar.com/malarkal/pongal-malar-tamil-nadu-pongal-festival/13th-century-tolcade-at-gunnuvarayan-fort/28648.

see KVV_Subrahmanyam

Notes and References

1. K Venkateswaran, Madurai (1–15 March 2010. pp. 38, 39, 40, 41). "Kunnuvarankottai Ulaga Naayagan" Tamil: குன்றுவாரங்கோட்டை உலக நாயகன், 'Kumudham Bhakthi Special' Tamil: குமுதம் பக்தி ஸ்பெஷல், Tamil periodical.
2. Sthani, Dindigul (15 January 2016). "- Kunnuvarankottaiyil 13th Century Tollgate" Tamil: குன்னுவராயன் கோட்டையில் 13ம் நூற்றாண்டு 'டோல்கேட , 'Dinamalar' Tamil: ;தினமலர்', Tamil periodical.
3. K Venkateswaran, Madurai (1–15 March 2010. pp. 38, 39, 40, 41). "Kunnuvarankottai Ulaga Naayagan" Tamil: குன்றுவாரங்கோட்டை உலக நாயகன், 'Kumudham Bhakthi Special' Tamil: குமுதம் பக்தி ஸ்பெஷல், Tamil periodical.
4. U Sivaraman. (18 February 2014. pp. 44,45). "Kannapatti Sri Visvanathar Koil - Masi Maga Nannalil Paal Payasa Naivedyam" Tamil: கண்ணாப்பட்டி ஸ்ரீவிஸ்வனாதர் கோயில! - '''மாசி மக நன்னாளில் பால் பாயச நைவேத்தியம்!''', 'Sakthi Vikatan' Tamil: சக்தி விகடன் , Tamil periodical.
5. (January 2013. pp. 13). "Arulmigu Iswarar enra Visalakshi Viswanathar Thirukkoil - Kunnuvarankottai - Sthala Varalaru", 'Harsha Printers and Xerox', Kunnuvarankottai, Tamil Publication.
6. Ku. Ve. Nagabhushanam. (January 2015. pp. 59). "Tamizhagathil Ulla Oru Punniya Thalam Kunnuvarankottai", 'Amman Darisanam', Chennai, Tamil Periodical
7. R.Krishnaswamy Iyer. (1965). Sri Sachchidananda Bharathi Vijayam - Part-II, Sringeri Sarada Peetadhipathi (25th Pattam), Sri Sachchidananda Bharathi Swamigal Avargalin Divya Charitram - Part-II - (Peetarohanam mudal Videha Kaivalyam varai), TAMIL Edition, Srirangam: Vani vilas Press
8. Web site: Vathalagundu – April 20,21 2017 Jagadgurus at Vathalagundu . 9 July 2017 . 31 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180531170252/http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/vijayayatra/vathalagundu-april-20-21-2017/ . dead .