thirumazhisai

thirumazhisai is the avathAra sthalam of thirumazhisai AzhwAr. This kshEthram is historically called as mahIsAra kshEthram. mahisAra means mahimA (greatness) sAram (essence) – essence of all greatness. It is also known as madhya jagannAtha kshEthram.

jagannAtha perumaL with ubhaya nAchchiyArs

thirumangai valli thAyAr

After the birth of thirumazhisai AzhwAr (also known as bhakthi sAra yOgi) as the son of bhArgava rishi, this kshEthram becomes to be famously known as thirumazhisai.

emperumAn is giving dharsan in a seated position with rukmiNi (SrI dhEvi) and sathyabAmA (bhU dhEvi). This emperumAn is said to be madhya jagannAthan. thiruppullANi kalyANa jagannAthan (Adhi/dhakshiNa jagannAthan) and puri jagannAthan emperumAn are the other two temples for jagannAthan emperumAn.

In the thaniyan for thirumazhisai AzhwAr‘s thiruchchandha viruththam, thirukkachchi nambi says that:
ulagum mazhisaiyum uLLUrndhu thammil pulavar pugazhk kOlAl thUkka
ulagu thannai vaiththeduththa pakkaththum mAnIr mazhisaiyE vaiththeduththa pakkam validhu

உலகும் மழிசையும் உள்ளூர்ந்து தம்மில் புலவர் புகழ்க் கோலால் தூக்க
உலகு தன்னை வைத்தெடுத்த பக்கத்தும் மாநீர் மழிசையே வைத்தெடுத்த பக்கம் வலிது

When the assembly of rishis were meditating on the best place to perform their thapas (austerities), they compared the glories of rest of the world with mahIsAra kshEthram (thirumazhisai) in a measuring scale. The side which had the thirumazhisai’s glories lowered and was established as the greatest place in this world.

This incident is also explained as follows:
Once many brahmarishis (great sages) such as athri, brugu, vasishta, bhArgava, etc., went to sathyalOkam and asked brahmA “Of the many planets, bhUlOkam is the best place for performing thapas (penance). We are thinking to perform penance there. In bhUlOkam, which is the best place for such penance?”. brahmA then gets the measuring scale and keeps mahIsAra kshEthram in one side and rest of the world in the other side. The side which had thirumazhisai lowered highliting that it is greater than the entire bhUlOkam. The rishis saw that and become astonished about the glories of this small town in comparison to other places. brahmA spoke “As you can yourself see, mahIsAra kshEthram is the best place for your penances. So you all go there and perform your penances that will fulfill your desires”. The rishis then arrived at mahIsAra kshEthram and performed their penances and were greatly blessed.

Such is the glories of this great kshEthram.

Summary

perumAL: jagannAthan

mUlavar posture: sitting

thAyAr: thirumangai valli thAyAr

sthalAdhipathi/AchAryan: thirumazhisai AzhwAr

pushkariNi: brugu pushkariNi

sthala vruksham: pArijAtha vruksham

Agamam: srI vaikAnasam

Read article on thirumazhisai AzhwAr:

• thirumazhisai AzhwAr’s archAvathAra anubhavam – http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-thirumazhisai-azhwar.html.
• bhakthi sAra, thathva sAra and upadhEsa sAra – http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/01/sara-thrayam.html

There are several sannidhis and uthsavams that happen for the emperumAns, AzhwArs and AchAryas in this dhivya dhEsam.

Inside the temple:

• Presiding deity
  • mUlavar – jagannAtha perumAL with rukmiNi (SrI dhEvi) and sathyabAmA (bhU dhEvi) nAchchiyArs
  • uthsavar – jagannAtha perumAL with SrI dhEvi, bhUmi dhEvi and nILA dhEvi nAchchiyArs
  • thirumazhisai AzhwAr
• thanikkOyil nAchchiyArs (separate thAyAr sannidhis)
  • thirumangai valli thAyAr
  • ANdAL
• lakshmi narasimhar
• sEnai mudhaliyAr
• AzhwArs
• emperumAnAr
• maNAvALa mAmunigaL

Outside the temple:

• thiruvadi (hanumAn) sannidhi
• Separate temple for vIRRiruntha perumAL is also present in the close vicinity of jagannAtha perumaL/thirumazhisai AzhwAr temple. This temple also has many sannidhis and AzhwArs/AchAryas with separate uthsavams, etc.

uthsavams

• chithrai
  • emperumAnAr uthsavam on thiruvAdhirai
• vaikAsi
  • lakshmi narasimhar uthsavam 10 days completing on narasimha jayanthi
• Ani
  • jagannAtha perumAL 10 days brahmOthsavam completing on sravaNam thIrthavAri
• Adi
  • ANdAL uthsavam – 10 days completing on pUram
• AvaNi
  • SrI jayanthi – rOhiNi/ashtami followed by uRiyadi uthsavam on the next day
• purattAsi
  • navarAthri uthsavam – 9 days
  • vijaya dhasami
• aippasi
  • maNavALa mAmunigaL 10 days uthsavam completing on thirumUlam
  • dhIpAvaLi
• kArthigai
  • kArthigai dhIpam
• mArgazhi
  • dhanur/mArgazhi mAsam kramam
  • adhyayana uthsavam
  • vaikuNta EkAdhasi (rA pathu beginning)
• thai
  • sankarAnthi
  • thirumazhisai AzhwAr – 10 days uthsavam completing on magam
• mAsi
  • thirukkachi nambi uthsavam on mAsi mrgasIrsham
• panguni

Thanks to thirumazhisai srIkAnth swamy (parichArakar) for providing the details

Timings

• 7.30am – 12 noon
• 4.30pm – 8pm
• Morning
  • nAnmugan thiruvanshAdhi during thiruvArAdhanam
• Evening
  • thiruchchansha viruththam during thiruvArAdhanam

puRappAdu kramam

• Only during uthsavams

Special notes

• thirumazhisai AzhwAr is seen with third eye in his toe – this signifies the incident when he revealed the third eye to suppress the anger of rudhran who showed his third eye in his fore head.
• thirumazhisai AzhwAr visits his avathAra maNdapam which is nearby the temple on thai magam (his annual thirunakshathram/appearance day) and enjoys thirumanjanam, etc there.