Sowri-Rajan at Thiru-Kannapuram

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiru-Kannapuram
Deity in sanctum	Neelamega-perumal ( East facing standing pose)
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Kannapura Nayaki
Deity for festivals	SowriRajan
Consort for festivals	Kannapura Nayaki
Tower is called	Utpalavadhaka-vimanam
Holi tank	Nitya pushkarini
Devotees who have seen the god here	Sage Kanva, Sage Dhandaka, Garudan and Upari-saravaka
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thiru-Mangai-Alvar sang 100 poems Nammalvar 11 Kulasegara alzhwar 10 and Andal one
Legend: Once sages of Naimicharinyam asked the sage Soodar "pray tell us in which place one should live and pray to attain liberation". The Sage said "virtuous sages I will explain to you all the wonders of Thiru Kannapura. This place is holier than Venkadam ( Thirupathi ), Sri mushnam, Srirangam, Thothatiri, Salagramam, Badrika-Aasramam and even this Naimicharinya. If you pray to the deity in Kannapuram that same minute the lord will grant 'moksham'. All the sthalams I have mentioned above conntain only one letter from 'ashtashksharam'. But Kannapuram deity is Sri Ashtaksharam's Aadhi-moolam ( source of Ashtaksharam ). King Upari-saravaga had power of flying. During the war between devas and Asuras all devas requested him to help them. Because of Uparisaravaga's help the devas won the war. Uparisaravanga was very thirsty and came down to the earth. There were lots of hermits doing deep penance for years without any food and water. So their hair was dry. Thinking they were bunches of grain stalk Uparisaravaga's soldiers cut of all the hermits head. The hermits died invoking Sriman Narayana. Hearing this Sri Narayana appeared as an young teen- age boy and came to fight with Uparisaravanga. The king threw all his weapons on the boy. But he could not win. At last he prayed to lord vishnu with" Ashtakshra japam" (hymn with 8 letters) and he fired a missile but that went and fell at the boy's feet . The king realised that the boy was sri vishnu and surrendered to him. He prayed to God for his mistake . The Lord said " all my devotees worshiped me here with dried skin and hair. Hence my vimanam will be called 'Utpala-vadhaka' and I will be called Sowri." Further the lord said to the king "I Pardon you. Ask for your wish." The king asked the lord that he should marry his daughter. The Lord agreed and married the king daughter. When the sages heared this from Soodhar they all went to Thiru-Kannapuram to have Lord Sowri-Rajan's Dharsan. The tradition is that those sages still live here. Om Namo Lakshmi Narayanaya Namaha   Location This place is near Thiru-Varoor, Tamil Nadu Buses are available.                                                    Home