Oothukadu Venkata Kavi

Mahakavi Venkata Subba Iyer, popularly known as Venkata Kavi, who is the reincarnation of Sage Naradha is believed to have lived during the pre-Trinity days, that is in early 18th century and he spent his entire life at Oothukkadu composing innumerable songs praising Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Unfortunately, none of the famed twelve Alwars, have mentioned about Lord Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal and about Oothukkadu in any of their verses. It is to pacify this that single person, due to his selfless and pure devotion to the Lord, has composed and sung about the plays enacted by the Lord at Oothukkadu. It is no wonder, even after so many years, whoever listens to these songs, in a trance, find their self to bequeath the Lord. 

According to legends, Shri Oothukadu Venkata Kavi had the fortune of having The Lord Shri Kalinga Narthana Krishna Himself as his Guru, and this is seen in the scholarly treatment seen in His Krithis, and 14 of His Krithis refer to Krishna as His Guru, one of them being His Tamil composition “Guru Paadaaravinda”.

Following is the list of Venkata Kavi's Guru Vishesha Krithis:

1. Enna punniyam seidheno - Reethigoula Ragam - Mishra chapu Thaalam

2. Uyndhadhu Uyndhadhen Maname - Devamanohari Ragam - Aadhi thaalam

3. Innum enna venum solladi - Kambhoji Ragam -Aadhi Thaalam

4. Kan Kanda Deivame - Begada ragam - Aadhi thaalam

5. Guru Paadaaravinda Komalam - Shriranjani Ragam - Roopaka Thaalam

6. Solli Mudiyumamo - Surutti Ragam - Aadhi Thaalam

7. Thiruvadi Malaro - Kharaharapriya Ragam - Aadhi Thaalam

8. aarumiyalaadha thavamaana shukha - Gaurimanohari Ragam - Khanda Chaapu Thaalam

9. Ellaam Gurunaadhan Karunai - Senchurutti Ragam - Aadhi Thaalam.

10. Solli Therivadhillaye - Shriranjani Ragam - Aadhi thaalam

11. Kaadhalaagi Vasamizhandhen - Reethigoula Ragam - Aadhi Thaalam

12. Kodutthu vaitha punniyavan - Natakurinji Ragam - Aadhi thaalam

13. Solla varam tharuvai - sama Ragam - Aadhi Thaalam

14. Thedi kandene - Malayamarutham Raagam - Aadhi thaalam.

Kamakshi Navavarna Krithis:

 Venkata Kavi, in his state of immense Bhakthi, visualised all forms Gods as One, thus following Advaita philosophy. This, he did, composing songs on all Forms of God, such as Shiva, Devi etc, all on the Kalinga Narthana form in Oothukadu. One such group of Krithis are the Kamakshi Navavarna Krithis.

 These are a Set of 11 Krithis, comprising 9 Avarana Krithis, Dhyana and Mangala Krithi, and these Krithis are based on the esoteric Shri Vidhya worship, with each of His song detailing each of the 9 Avaranas.

Shri Vidhya, or the worship of the Mother Goddess in the Shri Chakra is an esoteric tradition of worship having a prominent significance in Hinduism. It is believed that even Lord Krishna had to undergo Shri Vidhya initiation before killing Kamsa Asura.

On these lines, Oothukadu Venkata Kavi took Shri Vidhya initiation from none other than Shri.Bhaskararaya, the commentator on Lalitha Sahasranama, and an authority of Shri Vidhya.

There is a tradition in Hinduism to worship Shri Krishna and Shri Rajarajeshwari Devi as one form, called “Gopalasundari”, or “Shri Vidhya Rajagopala”. This worship is detailed in texts such as “Krishna Karnamrutam”. Oothukadu Venkata Kavi followed this tradition, and visualizing the Goddess Herself in the Kalinga Narthana Swamy, he composed the Navavarna Krithis. The Krithis are as listed below:

1.      Vanchayati yadi kushalam – Kalyani – Adi – Dhyana stuti – Here, he extolls the Devi and uses words like Ajapaa, visualizing the Devi as the Esoteric Ajapa (Hamsah Soham form). In the latter part of the Krithi, he also describes Devi as holding the Veena, enjoying Sweet Music etc.

2.      Santatam aham seve – Deshakshi – Adi - (1st avaranam) – Mentioning the Avarana name (Thrailokya Mohana chakra) in the pallavi itself, Venkata Kavi praises the Goddess as one worshipped by Brahma, Devas and the whole world, and also by the Ashta Mathrikas such as Brahmi, Maheshwari etc.

3.      Bhajaswa shree – Nadanamakriya – Adi - (2nd avaranam) – This is a short yet powerful krithi, where the poet describes the Goddess as the Deity of the second Avarana (The Sixteen-petalled Sarvashaparipuraka Chakra), and also worshipped by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

4.      Sarvajeeva dayapari – Shuddha Saveri – Mishra Chapu - (3rd avaranam) – In this energetic Suddha Saveri piece, the Kavi praises the Goddess as Shiva Bija Mantreshwari, and as the Goddess of the Sarvasamkshobhana Chakra (Third Avarana).

5.      Yoga yogeshwari – Anandabhairavi – Khanda Triputa (2 kalais) - (4th avaranam) – This is one of the most melodious works in the equally melodious Anandabhairavi Ragam, and here, the Saint praises the Goddess in esoteric terms as Shri Vidhya Jnana, and Bhakti Nada Gana, also praising Her as the Goddess of the 14 triangles (representing the 14 universes), and as the Deity of SarvaSaubhagya Dayaka Chakra.

6.      Neelalohita ramani – Balahamsa – Khanda Dhruvam (2 kalais) - (5th avaranam) – This is by length, the longest in the Navavarnam series, and in the rare Raga Balahamsa, the poet describes the Mother in a number of ways, most notable ones being The blue-hued one, The wish-fulfilling One, The one whose soul is the entire universe, and the one who is the form of the “Aham Brahma” tattva. The author has also used the Devi Bijakshara is this krithi. As usual the author also mentions the Avarana, Sarvarthasadhaka Chakra..

7.      Sadanandamayi – Hindolam – Sankeerna Matyam - (6th avaranam) – On mere listening to this song, one would be filled with bliss and serenity. Here, Shri venkata Kavi extolls the Goddess in various forms such as Dasha Trikonayute (surrounded by 10 triangles), The reliever of Dvaita, The Prana of the five Koshas. The madhyamakalam has beautiful alliterations such as “Neerajanaya  Neeraja Neekara Shekhara Ranjani Manjulavachana Niranjani”. He also mentions the Avarana “Sarvarakshakara Chakra”.

8.      Sakalaloka nayika – Arabhi – Adi - (7th avaranam) – Here the poet adreesses the Goddess as the most Auspicious One, The Goddess of all the Sanskrit letters lika A, Ka, Cha etc upto Ksha, The One worshipped with the Hreem and the Kamsehvara Bija Mantras and the Deity of the “Sarvarogahara Chakra” (7^th Avaranam).

9.      Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari – Madhyamavathi – Adi - (8th avaranam) – This stands out as one of the masterpieces of Venkata Kavi, and is also one of the very few Krithis that bear his signature “Venkata Kavi”. Here, he starts with the Avarana (Sarvasiddhprada Chakra), extolling the Devi as the three Goddesses (Kameshvari, Vajreshvari and Bhagamalini) who representing the three Gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, rule over the Eighth Avarana. He then proceeds to praise the Devi in a number of exquisite forms, most notably, The Light inside everything, The One worshipped by Hari, Hara, Brahma and the Devas, The One responsible for the Five Great Works of Creation, Preservation, Destruction, Veiling and Grace, The One who yields Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa Samadhi, The One responsible behind Nataraja’s Dance, and so on.

10.  Natajana kalpavalli – Punnagavarali – Adi - (9th avaranam) – The devotion-intense composition in Punnagavarali is capable of invoking Trance among the devoted. Such is the focus and intensity of Bhakthi in this song, and after submitting himself to the Sarvanandamaya Chakra Goddess of the 9^th Avarana, the Bindu of the Shri Chakra, the composer in a state of ecstasy, invokes the Goddess in a variety of names praising Her as being worshipped by Shiva, Ganas Devas and Sages alike, and extolling Her as the enjoyer of Gana, Dhyana, Yoga, Japa and Tapas.

11.  Haladharanujam praptum - Manirangu - Adi - Phala stuti/Mangalam – In the auspicious conclusion to the Navavarna, Venkata Kavi makes a pleading request to the Goddess, asking Her to bless him and give him Lord Krishna as a gift, also praising the Goddess in a number of ways.

Saptha Rathna Krithis

Oothukadu Venkata Kavi has also composed a set of Seven Krithis called the “Saptharathna Krithis”, seemingly the first composer to do so. One can observe a lot of similarities and differences in the style of the Saptharathna and the Pancharathna of the later day stalwart Shri Thyagaraja Swami, not to mention that Venkata Kavi lived much earlier than the time of Thyagaraja.

Each of the seven Krithis of the saptharatna brings a unique experience, and the composer has shown much variety in these Krithis. Six of the Krithis are in Sanskrit, glorifying the Jnaana Maarga, while the other is in Tamil, glorifying the Bhakthi Maarga.

Five of the seven Krithis are in praise of Shri Krishna, while two others are in praise of Lord Shiva, where Venkata Kavi has visualized the Kalinga Narthana Swami of Oothukadu in the form of Lord Shiva. In one of the Shiva Krithis “Aalaavadu Ennalo” in Paras Raga, he has listed out all the 63 Nayanmars of the Shaivite tradition.

The seven krithis are described briefly below:

1.      Bhajanamrta – Nattai - The Kavi mentions several great devotees like Anjaneya, Prahlada, Azhwars, Nayanmars and so on, who worshipped different forms of God such as Vishnu, Shiva etc. The fact that Venkata Kavi has spontaneously mentioned devotees of both Vishnu and Shiva and worships Kartikeya too is an indicator of “Advaita Vedanta”. Purandaradasa and Tulasidasa are also mentioned.

2.      Aganita mahima – Gowla – Extolling Lord Vishnu, this composition has 8 charanams in all, including an anchor charanam beginning with the words 'Namo namaste' with variations in not only melody but also lyrics in each of its sangatis. The final madhyamakala has 6 cycles. It highlights Venkata Kavi's deep knowledge of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata

3.      Madhava hrdi khelini' – Kalyani - Venkata Kavi was one of the few Carnatic composer to compose exclusive pieces on Radha. He has composed several pieces on Radha including a group of songs describing Radha's wedding with Krishna. In this piece, full of lilting words, he uses lovely  expressions such as 'sarasa rasa rasane'. The piece is scholarly yet charming. One could immerse in the Shringara Rasa here.

4.      Balasarasa murali – Keeravani - A song about Krishna's music, here Venkata Kavi exclaims: balasarasa murali sudharasa bhava madhura lahari vihara (Oh, one who resides in the lovely waves of ambrosia that the music from the flute is...). In this piece, the composer's knowledge of musical subtleties is seen in the 5th charanam where he has mentioned about graces and ornamentation like Ahatam and Pratyagatam

5.      Jatadara – Todi - This beauty is on Lord Shiva and has 7 charanams including an anchor charanam. Venkata Kavi reveals his mastery over epics and mentions Shiva's casual play with Arjuna when he appeared as a hunter (as Kirata) before bestowing him the Pashupatastra. Another lovely facet of the composer is his usage of familiar words in very rare but beautiful contexts.

6.      Alavadennalo – Paras - This is a unique piece for many reasons. It is again on Shiva but composed in lovely Tamil, making it the only Tamil song in the Saptaratna set. It mentions all of 63 Nayanmars in the madhyamakala charanams! These are set around the main charanam line - "innavaril oruvaraippole". The theme is - let me be free of births but if I am born, may it be like one of these 63... The finishes in the anupallavi and 5th charanam bring out the composer's intelligence in wedding rhythm and lyrics.

7.      Sundara nandakumara – Madhyamavathi - A superb theme where each of the 8 madhyamakala charanas offers the 8 main articles of worship like Arghyam, Deepam, Tamboolam etc. It is quite possible that this krithi was part of his daily prayers. The madhyamakala charanams have been set around the 3rd line of the main charanam but the remarkable thing is that this starts a few units before the tala. Thus, the other charanams start on the beat but end before the beat, a clear demonstration of Venkata Kavi's rhythmic command.

Specialty in his Krithis

After his initiation from Shri Krishna himself, the first song Venkata Kavi composed is the famous “Aadathi Ashangaathu Va Kanna” in the auspicious Madhyamavathi Raga. This song consists of a lot of literary and musical beauties, and in this song, he gives references even to Shaivite Gods.

The anupallavi of the song “Adalaik-kANat-tillai ambalattiraivanum tan Adalai viTTu ingE gOkulam
vandAr AdalinAl shiru yAdavanE oru mAmiyilirakaNi mAdhavanE nI” refers to Lord Shiva Himself coming to the Oothukadu Kalinga Narthana temple to visualize the Dance of The young Krishna.

Similarly, the Charanam of the song has a line “panniru kai iraivan Erumayil onru”, where he mentions Lord Murugan.

The popular song “Alaipayuthe” was sung in the last moments of Venkata Kavi, where one can see an emotional outpour of the disappointment of not getting Krishna’s Darshan all through his life. According to legends, it was at this very instant that he was able to feel a child in his lap, and with old age hampering with his eyesight, he could only ask for the whereabouts of the child, to which the child would not reply. Later, when he tries to push the child from his lap, the child tells that He is the one, whom Venkata Kavi was craving for, all his life, and that the child has come to take the poet to his abode, Vaikuntham.

Another of Venkata Kavi’s popular songs “Thaye Yashoda” in Thodi, is part of an opera on Lord Krishna, where Venkata Kavi depicts beautifully, the claims and the complaints that the Gopikas place in front of Krishna’s mother, Yashodha. The very next song in the opera is “Illai, Illai, Illai Amma” in Mohanam, whre Venkata Kavi visualizes himself as Lord Krishna, and in extreme beauty and innocence pleads to His mother Yashoda, asking her not to believe those complaints.

In Venkata Kavi’s first song “Aadathu Ashangathu Va”, the opening lines of the Charanam state that The dance of the small feet of the Lord is so melodious that the poet would come again as a rebirth to experience it. And rightly as referenced, the poet (Narada), after shedding the mortal coil, did reappear as Venkata Kavi in the same place, and on the Lord’s behest composed the evergreen majestic Thillana in GambheeraNattai, wo match the rhythmic steps of the Lord. At one stage when the poet could no longer compose, the Lord transfigured into an idol, which is what one sees as the Uthsava Murthy in the Kalinga Narthana Swamy temple.

The Musical Genius in Shri Venkata Kavi

Venkata Kavi's songs can be divided into Bhakti and Gnana Marga, the former depicted by Tamil songs that even laymen can understand, following the traditional Kavadi chindhu style, and the Tamil folk ragas such as Senjurutti, Punnagavarali, Nadanamakriya, Kamboji, Arabhi etc. Gnana Margam has been depicted in Sanskrit songs in rare ragas like Lalithagandharvam, Balahamsa etc, employing intricate Sanskrit language.

Given below are a few of the examples that give a glimpse of the scholarly approach of Shri Venkata Kavi, which one can easily experience by merely listening to his Krithis.

Shri Venkata Kavi has composed in various musical forms right from the scholarly kriti to the rustic kavadichindu. He has followed both paths of Jnana Marga and Bhakthi Marga, the former being seen in his Navavarna and other Krithis, mostly in Sanskrit and the latter in famous Krithis like Alaipayudhey, Thaye Yashoda, etc in Tamil. He was very well-versed in various Ragas (musical Scales) and has used a lot of popular Ragas (such as Kalyani, Kambhoji etc) as well as rare Ragas (such as Balahamsa, Lalithagandharvam etc) in His Krithis. He has also employed the Raga Mudra, where the Krithi bears the name of the raga used. He was also well-versed with the swaras and the relationships between them, as one sees lot of Vadi-Samvadi (Perfect Fifths and Fourths) relationships employed in his songs. Venkata Kavi has also composed shlokas, Sthuthis and poems, and even metric pieces similar to Thiruppugaz.

One can also see the scholarly genius in Venkata Kavi, who was very well-versed in Thala (Rhythm cycles), and in His Krithis, is seen periodic structural arrangements such as the Thala cycles ratio being proportional like 2:2:4 (pallavi:anupallavi:charanam). Also in such Krithis like Senapathe in Gowla, we can see deshadi and Ateeta Thalas being used, which show the poet’s capability to handle such exotic rhythms. He has also used Madhyamakala sections (fast sections) in his songs, again considered to be one of the earliest in this. Examples can be seen in Mahashaya Hrudaya in Abhogi and the eighth Avarana, Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari in Madhyamavathi. In Mahashaya Hrudaya we can see yet another aspect of the poet’s creativity, where he has employed variations in the Madhyamakala Sahitya couplet, retaining the first line and changing the second. Another facet of this genius is in his usage of Swaraksharas (lyrics matching the Solfiege), as seen in Sarasijabhava jaye  in Kalyani.

But all this seems trivial when one starts to explore the Thalas and Gathis that Venkata Kavi has used. He has used complicated Thalas like Khanda Dhruvam and Sankeerna Matyam and also Gathi shifts with such disdain that one could see the Divine intervention of Shri Kalinga Narthana Swami’s rhythmic feet. Venkata Kavi has also used Yati or lyrical patterns, yet another rarity in Carnatic music.

When one starts to see the lyrics in Venkata Kavi’s compositions, one wonders in awe at the lyrical beauties. He has used unparalleled poetry, rhyme and alliteration in his lyrics. His play with the Navarasas (9 emotions) are akin to Lord Manmatha’s (Cupid) play with the five flowery arrows. The poet has also made lots of references to great saints, incarnations and poets before his time, and one can see as the saying goes “the union of the Devotee, God and Devotion”.

A careful observation of such scholarly aspects in his Krithis clearly indicates that Shri Venkata Kavi was a scholarly composer par excellence, and such creativity could come only through the grace of the Lord, Shri Kalinga Narthana Swami, and who else but Venkata Kavi, the sage Narada incarnate, could praise the God in such detail!

Even today, the presence of Shri Venkata Kavi and the Gopikas can be felt in the temple, and one can listen to their soothing lilting melodies every night In the temple.

Temple History

Sthalapuranam

Respected devotees of Lord Sri Krishna,my humble salutations to you. I stand before you as a humble messanger of Lord Sri Krishna to speak about the holy history behind the origin of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal Temple, Oothukkadu. For the past thousand years Oothukkadu has been blessed by the heavenly presence of Lord Sri Krishna, as it is here that the Lord has chosen as His heavenly abode. With His everlasting presence, the Lord, after enacting His drama with His devotees, continues to bless His devotees by not only fulfilling their prayers, but also redeem them of their woes and sorrows and finally grants them moksha by merging their athma with Him. Unfortunately, none of the famed twelve Alwars, have mentioned about Lord Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal and about Oothukkadu in any of their verses. It is to pacify this that single person, due to his selfless and pure devotion to the Lord, has composed and sung about the plays enacted by the Lord at Oothukkadu. It is no wonder, even after so many years, whoever listens to these songs, in a trance, find their self to bequeath the Lord. As mentioned in these songs, Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, even now, continues to bless Oothukkadu by imprinting His Lotus feet all over the place and enacting His plays. The sound of paadaswara, eminating from His Lotus feet is the sole proof of His heavenly presence at Oothukkadu. I consider it as a previlage to unfold before you the true history underlying the origin of Oothukkadu Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal temple and about His Holiness Sri Venkata Kavi, that is unknown to all of you.

It is my sole responsibility to disclose to you the true facts behind the origin of Oothukkadu Temple. It is the practice of my father, who is the cheif priest of Oothukkadu temple to close the shrine after performing the afternoon prayers. One fine day, as he was about to close the shrine, he heard a soft rumbling voice. On turning back my father my father saw an old man, aged about 90 years who had come from Brindavan, to offer his prayers to Lord. On heeding to his humble request, my father without any hesitation performed the arathi and told the story about the origin of the temple that he had learned from hearsay. After offering the old man the holy water, he once again started to close the shrine. At that moment, the old man requested my father to explain in detail regarding the history of the temple. To his humble request my father disclosed that he has only hearsay knowledge regarding the same and that he has been praying to the Lord to know about the true facts. To this, the old man told in a majestic manner that the main purpose of his visit was mainly to tell my father regarding the true history behind the origin of Oothukkadu Temple. My father, realizing that his sincere prayer to the Lord, is going to be fulfilled, with sincere devotion, implored the old man to narrate the same. It is based on this testimony that I am going to narrate the true history underlying the origin of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal Koil. 

The story is as follows. About 100 decades back two calves of the divine cow Kamadhenu named, Nandhini and Patti came from their heavenly abode to dwell in earth as a result of the curse inflicted upon them by the Lord Brahma, the preserver. The two divine calves started observing sincere devotion towards Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. As the testimony to their staunch devotion to Lord Shiva of Patteeswaram Temple, situated near Oothukkadu, the two divine calves were engrossed in their daily routine of collecting flowers for the Lord. The flowers that they offered to the Lord were brought by them from Oothukkadu. During that period, Oothukkadu was populated by around 200 brahmins and was centered around Lord Veda Narayana Perumal Temple which had only small premises then. As part of their daily routine work, the two calves used to visit Oothukkadu daily to take rest during afternoon. It was a common practice during that period to spent the afternoon session fruitfully by listening to various religious discourses from pandits who were especially enlightened. The two divine calves had the fortune of listening to these spiritual discourses from a learned person well versed in the same. As the time passed by, during one particular day the two calves were not able to locate that learned person. In their futile attempt in search of the learned person, the two calves became dejected. The divine Sage Naradha, who was silent spectator to these events approached the two divine calves in disguise as a Brahmin at the behest of the divine cow, Kamadhenu. On enquiring about the reason behind their dejection the two calves replied that they were not able to locate that learned person who used to enlighten them daily through his divine lectures. Sage Naradha, disguised as the brahmin rejunuvated the two calves by becoming their guru. The two calves as dutibound disciples became immersed in the divine nectar of the bliss that engulfed them from their Guru. Sage Naradha in his discourse on divine Bagavatham, started telling about Dasamaskandam that dwells on the birth and the childhood days of Lord Sri Krishna. The two calves surrendered the soul under the Lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna on hearing the divine miracles enacted by Lord Sri Krishna during his childhood days. 

At their behest, when sage Naradha started narrating about divine Kalinga Narthana enacted by Lord Shri Krishna, when he was a five year old boy, the two calves plunged into deep sorrow on hearing about the hardship experienced by the divine child during the ferocious battle with deadly poisonous serpent, Kaliya. Sage Naradha tried in vain to pacify the two calves. Even after disclosing their birth secret and even after disclosing his true identity as sage Naradha from his disguise, the two calves found it difficult to get redressed of their deep sorrow. Then sage Naradha implored with the two calves, they vehemently told him that until Lord Shri Krishna once again enacts as Kalinga Narthana Perumal they will not be redressed from the deep sorrow that engulfed them. They further told sage Naradha that they wanted to know from Lord Shri Krishna himself regarding the hardship faced by him during the same. To their query sage Naradha replied that this is a task which cannot be accomplished by him and asked the two calves to call their divine mother, Kamadhenu to intervene with the same. Eventhough Kamadhenu tried to pacify the two calves, the divine cow failed in her attempt. On seeing that both sage Naradha and Kamadhenu were not able to redeem the two calves from their deep sorrow, both of them went to Vaikunta and implored Lord Mahavishnu to pacify the two calves. On heeding to this humble prayer, Lord Mahavishnu, on calling Kaliya and after creating a small pond near the Veda Narayana Perumal Temple at Oothukkadu, once again enacted the divine play of Kaliya Narthanam in front of the two calves. Thus Lord Mahavishnu blessed the two calves and redeemed them from their deep sorrow. This divine play once again enacted by the Lord was not only witnessed by sage Naradha, Kamadhenu and the two calves but also by the entire clan of the celestial Devas, who had thronged at that place. The entire clan of celestial Devas praised the Lord in one voice for having enacted the divine play once more for the sake of the two calves and worshipped the Lord by showering flowers. The two calves, bearing witness to the divine play implored to the Lord to bless Oothukkadu by his everlasting presence. The Devas also did the same. At their behest the Lord Mahavishnu, who is the omnipotent and the selfless form of the entire cosmos transformed himself into the Panchaloha idol of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Sage Naradha himself installed the divine Panchaloha idol of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal at the Veda Narayana Perumal Temple at Oothukkadu with great pomp. As a result of this divine intervention of the Lord, the two calves got redeemed from the curse of Brahma and attained salvation. Even after the Devas returned to their heavenly abode Sage Naradha, who became very much attracted by the divine presence of Lord Mahavishnu as Lord Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, beseeched with the Lord Mahavishnu to worship the divine idol in mortal form at least once. On hearing this humble submission of Sage Naradha, Lord Mahavishnu asked Sage Naradha why he wanted to go to Oothukkadu when he had the previlage of worshipping the selfless form of the Lord at Vaikunta. To this, with deep devotion, Sage Naradha implored the Lord by pointing out that once again Lord Sri Vishnu had doned the divine Avtar of Lord Sri Krishna at the humble request of his devotee. On heeding to the humble request of Sage Naradha who wanted to worship Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal in mortal form, Lord Mahavishnu granted him the boon that he had craved for. Lord Mahavishnu blessed Sage Naradha that once he would be reborn as divine Venkata Kavi, who would garland Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal with his famous songs in praise of the Lord. 

After some years had passed, Sage Naradha incarnated at Oothukkadu as the divine Venkata Kavi, a sixteen year old Brahmin boy, during one midnight in the month of Aavani. As foretold by Lord Mahavishnu, Sage Naradha incarnated as Venkata Kavi , sung numerous songs portraying the divine avtar of Lord Sri Krishna. Captivated by his songs the Brahmins who were residing at Oothukkadu enquired about him, to which the sixteen year old Brahmin boy replied that he is nomad. Venkata Kavi further expressed his desire of composing numerous songs praising Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. “Aadathu Asangathu Vaa……” is the first song composed and sung by Sri Venkata Kavi, who composed numerous songs that captivates one’s mind towards the divine form of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal even now.

During that period one of my forefathers was the chief priest of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal and who bore witness to the divine life span of Sri Venkata Kavi at Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal Temple. It was the practice of Sri Venkata Kavi to compose his songs after offering pradakshina to the Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Venkata Kavi very much craved in his mind to witness the divine bliss of selfless form of Lord Sri Krishna in person. Lord Sri Krishna has this uncanny virtue of not appearing before His devotee as craved by the devotee, there by testing the ultimate faith of him and in the end bless His devotee with His divine presence at the proper moment. 

Bearing witness to this, in spite of the staunch faith of Sri Venkata Kavi, Lord Sri Krishna did not bless Sri Venkata Kavi with His divine presence. Unflinched by this, Venkata Kavi reached the pinnacle of his staunch faith of the Lord by secluding himself from the rest of the world forsaking all the worldly desires including food. Due to his prolonged starving over many months, Venkata Kavi was reduced to skelton like form and there by found very difficult to perform his daily chore of pradakshina even a weebit. Slowly he began to loose his eye sight. Even when his life was ebbing out of him, unflinched by this and remaining deep routed in his staunch faith to the Lord, he decided to compose for the last time in praise of the Lord. The famous “Alaipayuthe …Kanna……” song is his last composure in mortal form.[It is my humble pleading to you to remember about his last breath when you listen to “Alaipayuthe..” song]. Even when his last composure of “Alaipayuthe..” neared its end Lord Sri Krishna did not appear before Venkata Kavi. Even when confronted by the ultimate truth of death, Venkata Kavi, undetered from his staunch faith in the Lord won over the fear of death and continued his singing in praise of Lord Sri Krishna. 

Lo and behold, the entire place was filled with the sweet aroma of the divine scent of Jawadh and Nagalinga flowers. The divine breeze that spread all over the place immersed Sri Venkata Kavi in divine bliss. At that moment he completely lost his eye sight and was not even able to utter a sound in praise of Lord. At this penultimate hour of his life, Sri Venkata Kavi felt the presence of a small child lying in his lap. Even after his repeated request he did not receive any reply from the child. In this penultimate hour, irritated by the non response of the child, Sri Venkata Kavi pushed the child from his lap. Immediately Venkata Kavi heard a sweet voice that proclaimed that the owner of that voice was the divine hero upon whom he has composed and sung all the songs in his life time. The divine voice wanted Venkata Kavi to see and recognize the owner of the voice as Lord Sri Krishna. To this, Venkata Kavi implored to the Lord by expressing his grief that when he was hale and healthy, Sri Krishna did not appear before him, but appeared before him when he was not even able to prostrate at the Lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. During this time, the life was slowly ebbing out of Venkata Kavi. As a result of his undeterred and staunch faith towards Lord Sri Krishna, Sri Venkata Kavi was blessed by the glory of merging his soul with the Lord. Thus Lord Sri Krishna took the divine soul of Venkata Kavi along with Him to His divine abode Vaikunta, where He in turn started worshipping the divine soul of Venkata Kavi with utmost devotion and thus granted the divine soul of Venkata Kavi, a place not even achieved by Kuchela, another stauch devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. Thus the invincible Lord Sri Krishna surrendered Himself to the divine soul of Sri Venkata Kavi and went on addressing the Venkata kavi as one of the foremost among His devotees. On seeing the enthusiasm with which Lord Sri Krishna worshipping His devotee, Rukmani and Sathyabhama, the two consorts of Lord Sri Krishna became astonished. At Vaikunta, when Lord Sri Krishna blessed Sri Venkata Kavi with any boon that he desires, Sri Venkata Kavi expressed his desire to go to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal Kovil once again and wanted Sri Krishna to dance to the tunes of his songs. Thus Lord Sri Krishna and Venkata Kavi once again came to the Kalinga Narthana Perumal Temple, Oothukkadu. There, Lord Sri Krishna challenged Sri Venkata Kavi such that if Sri Venkata Kavi was not able to compose and sing to the various dancing postures of Lord Sri Krishna, he would turn into an idol. Thus at the behest of Sri Venkata Kavi, Lord Sri Krishna once again enacted the divine play of Kaliya Narthana. To the various dancing postures of Lord Sri Krishna, Sri Venkata Kavi started to sing his composure “Tham Theem Thanana Tham…….”. At one stage, Venkata Kavi was not able to compose to the dancing posture of Lord Sri Krishna. As per the challenge, Lord Sri Krishna turned into an idol in the dancing posture of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Sri Venkata Kavi, after accepting his defeat, worshipped the Lord to which Sri Krishna revealed to Sri Venkatasubba Iyer that he is none other than Sage Naradha and that he may go back to Vaikunta. Hearing this, Sri Venkatasubba Iyer wanted to know what Sri Krishna would be doing next. The Lord replied that throughout Kaliyuga Sri Krishna would be blessing His devotees who come to Oothukkadu as Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, thereby making Oothukkadu as Bhooloka Vaikunta. With folded hands, Sri Venkatasu bba Iyer implored to the Lord that instead of going back to Vaikunta, he would also like to make Oothukkadu temple as his abode. He further expressed his desire to continue singing in praise of the Lord, to which Sri Krishna granted him the boon. Every night to this day, Lord Sri Krishna as Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal danced to the emelodies tones of Sri Venkatasubba Iyer, accompanied by His gopikas. Many people residing near the temple have heard the melodious sound of the padaswara eminating from the Lotus feet of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal at night. This is a testimony that Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal along with Sri Venkatasubba Iyer, with His physical presence, has made Oothukkadu as Bhooloka Vaikunta. The entire clan of celestial devas also reside near the sanctrum sanctorum of the temple. As a result of the boon that Sri Venkatasubba Iyer obtained from Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, Sri Venkatasubba Iyer still continues to be the mediator between Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal and His staunch devotees. Lord Sri Krishna continues to bless His devotees in that same dancing posture of Kalinga Narthana Perumal at Oothukkadu. There are several factors that throw light upon the fact that the Panchloha idol of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal is not made by a sculptor. In the dancing posture of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal idol, the feet of the Lord do not touch the head of the serpent. There is a small gap between the sepent’s head and the left foot of the idol. The right leg of the idol is in mid air. The left hand of the idol does not fully hold the serpent’s tail for support. The entire weight of the idol is supported upon a slight contact between the left thumb of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal idol and the serpent’s tail. The remaining four fingers are not touching the serpent’s tail. On a closer look, one can also find scars on the right leg of Lord Krishna, below the knee, formed due to the voilent beating of the Kaliya, the serpent with its tail. This is an extraordinary form of sculpture that is not possible with the skill of any sculptor.

As Lord Sri Krishna in the avatar of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal has made Oothukkadu as his ‘Booloka Vaikundam’, the Gopika’s who always flock around Lord Sri Krishna, continue to visit Him every night at Oothukkadu temple. The sound eminating from the ‘padaswara’ of Lord Sri Krishna during every night holds testimony to this. The old man thus completed the true history about the origin of Oothukkadu temple, with laughter as he mentioned about the visit of Gopikas to Oothukkadu temple during every night. The old man after completing the history of Oothukkadu foretold my father that very soon Sri kalinga Narthana Peruma lwould put to test the staunch devotion of my father just as He did for Venkata Kavi. At that moment, the old man advised my father to tell the true history of Oothukkadu temple to me and baptize me with the name of “Krishna Dasan”. The old man further foretold that soon after that incident my father would only remember that he heard the true story from the old man and that he would completely forget what the old man had conveyed. After conveying this the old man took leave. After that incident the old man was not found any where in spite of our several attempts to trace him. Just as the old man has predicted long back, one fine day my father had gone to Chennai to collect money for performing the Krishna Jayanthi festival that we used to conduct at Oothukkadu temple every year with great pomp. At about noon, while my father was walking along with a friend of his, completely lost his eye sight. Not knowing what to do, my father disclosed this matter to his friend. His friend admitted him to a famous eye hospital at Chennai. The eye speacilists of that hospital were not able to diagnose why my father had lost his eye sight in this manner. My father then recollected what the old man had conveyed to him at Oothukkadu temple long back. Immediately, my father called me to his place and conveyed to me the true history of Oothukkadu temple that he had heard from the oldman. After narrating the story my father became unconscious. When he regained consciousness after some time he was able to see with some difficulty. That problem continues till now. My father very much wanted to know the true reason behind his eye sight ailment. As an answer to his prayers, during one Rohini nakshatra pooja at Oothukkadu temple, an eye speacilist named Mr.Krishna Moorthy visited Oothukkadu temple. When my father confided to Mr.Krishna Moorthy about his ailment, Mr.Krishna Moorthy asked for the medical case sheet. After conducting some premilinary test Mr. Krishna Moorthy diagonized that the reason for the diminished eye sight for my father is due to a small block in the very delicate nerve that connects the eyes and the brain. He further added that there is no medical remedy for this type of ailment. As the old man had predicted, my father even now has only a vague remembrance regarding the true history of Oothukkadu temple.

Kalinganarthana Perumal Idol is found from this pond (Kalinga Madu)
Kalinga Madu (without water)	Kalinga Madu (with water)

With this I complete the first task of sharing the true history behind the origin of Oothukkadu temple with all of you. The second task given to me by Lord Kalinga Narthana Perumal is to share with you few miracles that happened to some of the staunch devotees of the Lord. Prominent among them is the miracle experienced by Dr. Krishnan of France. Even after eleven years of marriage, his elder daughter did not come to the family way. Even after consulting many doctors and offering prayers to many temples, proved futile. On one occasion, when Dr.Krishnan came to Oothukkadu temple and confided to my father regarding the same, my father, after getting permission from Lord Sri Krishna during the pooja , told him that he would pray to Lord Sri Krishna during each Rohini pooja and send the prasadams to which Dr.Krishnan agreed. By the grace of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, his daughter came to the family way just after three Rohini poojas. Finally, his daughter was blessed with a child born at the midnight in Rohini nakshatram and Ashtami thithi, which is a testimony to the blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. The same incident happened in the case of his son also. Similiarly, his daughter-in-law gave birth to a child at the midnight in the Rohini nakshatra and Ashtami thithi, after nine years of marriage. Thus Dr.R.Krishnan continues to be a staunch devotee of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal.

In a similar way, Mr.Sivarama Krishnan hailing from Singapore, was also blessed with a child at midnight in the Rohini nakshatram and Ashtami thithi after fourteen years of marriage. From these three incidents it is clear that those who sincerely pray to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal regarding Puthra dosha will be blessed with a child by the grace of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Thus, Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal is the presiding diety for redeeming one from puthra dosham and his sole blessing alone has the power to change one’s destiny, whatever may be the dosha in one’s horoscope. 

I take the pride in narrating how Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal cured ailments through His blessings. The betterhalf of Mr.K.K.Mohandas, residing at Kongalampatti of Salem district was suffering from spinal cord ailment, which was giving her immense pain. Even after consulting with many speacilists she was not cured from the same. Completely dejected by this, she finally took refuge at Oothukkadu temple seeking the blessing of Sri kalinga Narthana Perumal. Seeing her sad plight, when we enquired about her problem, she confided to us about the same and told that she no longer can control the pain and hence wanted to end her life. We pacified her saying that all her worries and ailments would be cured if she part take in the ensuing Krishna Jayanthi festival within two days. Rejunuvated by this, she part took in the Krishna Jayanthi festival with great zeal and devotion to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. On her return trip to her house, she came across a temparory tent where one local physician was selling herbal medicine. Seeing this she felt an inner urge to consult that physician. By considering this as a cue from Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, she confided to that physician about her ailment. After giving her four dosage of medicinal herb, he asked her to take one dosage every day. He further told her that by the end of the fourth day she will not find any solace to her ailment, she could contact him at the afore mentioned address. Within two days of taking the medicine she found great relief from her ailment and by the end of four months she became completely cured. In order to express her gratitude to that physician she decided to meet him at the address given by him. Only then she came to know that the name of the physician was Mr.Muthu Krishnan. Then she recollected what we had told her. She realized this to be a miracle of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal and thus became one of the staunch devotee since then. I would like to bring to your kind notice of how Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal extended the life span of one of His devotees. One fine afternoon we received a phone call from Chennai from a devotee’s wife saying that her husband who was seriously ill was admitted in a hospital. The doctors had no hope of saving his life and hence she was very much distressed. She wanted us to perform an archana in the name of her husband and sent her the prasadam. As she had desired we performed the archana and sent her the prasadam. After two to three days time, we received another phone call from her saying that she had received our prasadam and that her husband is recovering from his ailment. As a result of her staunch devotion to the Lord, her husband lived for another five years after which he died. Nobody has the power and the right to surpass the ultimate truth which is death. It is against dharma even for God to win over death. At the same time God has to heed sincere devotion of his devotees. As a testimony to this, Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal answered the prayer of His devotee by extending the life span of her husband by five years and finally merged her hunband’s soul with His. 

I would like to share with you an incident that occurred at Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal temple itself. One fine day, a devotee who was doctor, came to the temple to us that he was not able to get a suitable alliance for his marriage. While in pooja, we got assurance from Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal not to worry about this. No sooner had we conveyed this to him, than there came two elderly couple that they were not able to find a suitable alliance for their daughter. We understood this as the divine intervention of the Lord. Due to the blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, the alliance between the doctor and the daughter of the elderly couple was fixed then and there and later the marriage between them also took place. This is the testimony that who so ever has difficulty in finding their alliance partner, if they pray sincerely to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, there marriage will surely take place by the blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Like this, we have been witness to thousands of miracles performed by Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. I consider it as my bounded duty to share each of these miracles with you. I have dedicated my entire life as Krishnadasan to narrate the miracles performed by Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal to you.

With regards,
Krishna Dasan alias
J.Sundarrama Battachar

About Oothukkadu Temple

About Temple

Name of the Place	:	Oothukkadu
Location	:	Approximately 11k.m. from Kumbakonam. Northern side of Vettaru
Route	:	From Kumbakonam, one can reach Oothukkadu via Patteeswaram-Avoor
Presiding Diety	:	Sri Veda Narayana Perumal along with His consorts  Sridevi and Boodevi.
Utsavar Idol	:	Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal along with His two consorts Rukmani and Sathyabhama.
Other Names of Oothukkadu	:	Dhenuswasapuram, Then Gokulam, Moochukkadu, which later changed to Oothukkadu
Other Dieties	:	Narthana Vinayakar at the main entrance, Panchamukha Hanuman, Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi, Aandal and Varadarajan inside the temple.
Temple Timings	:	9 A.M.  To 12 P.M. 5 P.M.   To   8 P.M.

Temple History

This historic temple is 1000 years old with Sri Veda Narayana Perumal as presiding diety. At its early stage, the temple premise was very small. This temple was renovated to its present form by the King Nalakonda Chozhan after the advent of the Utsavar idol, Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal.

Here, Lord Krishna is seen in the dancing posture with His left foot on the serpent’s hood. Sri Krishna is depicted holding the tail of the serpent with His left hand and showing Abhaya Mudra with His right hand, which is a rare feast for the eyes of His devotees. The dancing posture of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal adorned with the chubby legs, sparkling eyes, His dancing style, tightly held headlock, His curly hair, tiny fingers of His lotus feet and the captivating smile, one can infer immediately that such an idol cannot be created by a sculptor as envisaged by Venkata Kavi. The curves on the body of the serpent and the human form of Kalinga beneath five headed hood of the serpent make one think that the serpent is begging the Lord to spare its life. The most amazing part is that the feet of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal do not touch the head of the serpent. There is an hairline gap between the serpent’s hood and the left foot of the idol. The right leg of the idol is in the mid air. The left handof the idol does not fully hold the serpent’s tail. This enchanting idol of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal was found by Sage Naradha from a small pond named Kalinga madu near this temple and was later installed at the sanctrum sanctorum of Sri Veda Narayana Perumal Temple. It was here that, Sage Naradha reincarnated as Sri Venkata Subha Iyyer composed and sang numerous songs praising Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal.

Temple Structure

The temple is small but captivating. The main Gopuram is depicted as Adi Seshan. The presiding diety of this temple is Sri Veda Narayana Perumal along with His consorts Sridevi and Boodevi. Near to the sanctrum sanctorum, there is a small shrine of Goddess Lekshmi Devi. The idol of Lord Vinayaka in the dancing posture adorns the left side of the main entrance of the temple. At present, the renovation work is in progress.

Renovation of the temple

Renovation

After a long gap of 25 years the renovation work of Sri Kalinganarthana Perumal Temple is being carried out at at estimate of 1.5 crores. We implore all the devotees and well wishers to contribute in cash or in kind and be a part in the facilitation of the proposed kumbabishekom of the temple. We bring to your kind notice that the renovation work is being undertaken by Oothukkadu Sri Kalinganarthana Krishnan Kaingarya Trust. 

Acknowledgement of the same will sent to your address.

Trust Details

For details regarding renovation work and donation, Please contact:

OOTHUKKADU SRI KALINGA NARTHANA KRISHNAN KAINGARYA TRUST,
2/210, SHRI KRISHNA VILASAM, AGRAHARAM
OOTHUKKADU P.O., AVOOR(VIA)-612 701
VALANGAIMAN (T.k.) THIRUVARUR (Dt)
MOB NO: +91 - 9442699355
LAND LINE NO: +91 - 4374-268549

Bank Details

TAMILNADU MERCANTILE BANK LTD., (GOVINDAKUDY BRANCH),
OOTHUKKADU SRI KALINGA NARTHANA KRISHNAN KAINGARYA TRUST
IFS CODE: TMBL 0000085
A/C NO. 085100710400133

NOTE: I REQUEST ALL THE BLESSED DEVOTEES OF SRI KALINGA NARTHANA PERUMAL TO HUMBLY INFORM THE TRUST THROUGH PHONE OR BY MAIL ALL THE DETAILS REGARDING DONATION TO WHICH RECEIPT OF THE SAME WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WOULD BE SENT TO THEIR CONTACT ADDRESS.

Message of Shri Sundarrama Bhattacharyar

Sundaramar

Hare Krishna! Without the blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, nobody can write or speak about his divine self. For the past thousand years my forefathers have been dedicatedly offering pooja to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. I am deeply indebted to my forefathers, without whom I would not have got the divine opportunity of performing pooja to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Mere words of thanks giving does not suffice for getting this divine opportunity. Hence at the behest of my Guru and with the blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, I dedicate my entire life with humility, to speak about the true history of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal Temple and also the divine miracles enacted by the Lord at this Holy place. I very well know that I alone cannot fulfill the divine will of the Lord. For this, I also need the help of all the blessed devotees of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal. Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal has chosen me as His humble servant and messanger which is guiding me to pacify the devotees who come to the temple. Being Krishna Dasan, His humble servant, has made it possible for me to find solution to some of the queries of the devotees, which has been continuing for quite some time. This inspired me to ponder over the true karma of my life. With the blessing of Lord, I realize that whatever I am doing now does not fulfill the job that God has given me to serve His blessed devotees. It has finally dawned to my mind that the true essence of my life is to spread the true history of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal temple, the divine miracles enacted by the Lord at this holy place and last but not the least the life history of Sri Venkata Subba Iyer and various songs composed and sung by him in praise of the Lord. Perhaps, this might be due to my sincere prayer to the Lord everyday to make it a reality to share the above mentioned facts with the blessed devotees of the Lord. I know realize that it is His divine will not to let the above mentioned true facts to be curtailed to the knowledge of my ancestors alone. It is my sincere prayer towards the Lord to spend not only this life, but also every birth that I might take after this as flowers offered to the Lotus feet of Sri Kaslinga Narthana Perumal or as dust clinging to the blessed feet of His true devotees or as small saplings growing near the premises of this Bhooloka Vaikundam. It might be this thought that would have inspired Venkata Subba Iyer to compose the famous song, “Pullayi piravi thara vendum………”, that dwells upon the divine thoughts of a true devotee. 

By the divine blessing of Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal, after so many years of patient waiting, the God has finally given His consent to start the renovation work of this temple. As His humble servant, I am indeed blessed to play a role to the progress of the renovation work. It is further my humble desire to offer prayers , pooja , abhishekom and bhajans to Sri Kalinga Narthana Perumal in the same way as my forefathers used to conduct the Rohini Nakshatra pooja (birth star of Sri Krishna) once in every month. Moreover, I would also like to take part in the Sri Krishna Jayanthi festival with hordes of His sincere devotees by conducting akhand bhajans, pooja, abhishekom, homam, annadhanam, without splundering money and by garlanding the Lord throughout the day with carnatic music performed by famous musicians via vocal and using various percussion instruments. I also would like to construct a magnificient Brindavan as a tribute to Maha Kavi Venkata Subba Iyer and also to conduct Annadhanam and bhajans with great pomp and glory. By the blessing of the Lord and with the help of His sincere devotees I am sure that all these wishes will be fulfilled. 

With the blessings of the Lord, our clan has been witnessing various miracles of the Lord enacted at this temple. I request all of you to humbly spread this divine play enected at Oothukkadu temple to every nook and corner of this world and hence attain salvation, redeeming from samsara sagara. 

Last but not the least,I thank both Mr.and Mrs.Ganapathy and Sai Venkatesh for having hosted this website.