Sthalasayana Perumal Temple at Mahabalipuram

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Sthalasayana Perumal Temple at Mahabalipuram
How long and how many times have you been to Mahabalipuram? I bet scores of times. As you drive into the town, you see on the right side the bus terminus and behind that an ancient temple. Often, with friends and relatives, we are focused to see the great sites of the town that we never make the effort to visit this old and beautiful temple.

This is the Sthalasayana Perumal Temple and dates back to a 1000 years. The story of the temple dates back to a time when the Gods used to walk the earth and men could interact with them. This would be time of extreme righteousness. Today, all that you have is a God to talk with and he listens.

Let us look at this old story. The next time you are Mahabalipuram you will be able to visit the temple and understand the significance of the land you are standing upon.

"Mahabalipuram" as the town was once called got its name from its Raja Mahabali Chakravarthy. This land was gifted to his as a "Varam" by Lord Vamaana one of the avatharas or incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

The famous Saint Pundareeka used to live in this town. He had planted and maintained a beautiful garden. The lotus tank once bloomed with hundreds of lotuses. The Sage was thrilled and gathered 1008 lotuses. He then decided to find Lord Vishnu and offer the lotuses at his feet. As he reached the seashore he spotted Lord Vishnu seated on his bed of the snake. He was in the middle of the ocean and the Sage decided to approach him. The waves of the sea were violent and huge. They would not allow the Sage to enter the water. The Sage tried in vain to empty the water and reach the Lord. After years of struggle he cried out to the Lord in despair....“Oh Lord Parandhama, if I am your true devotee, let the sea dry and make way for me and till such time I reach you these flowers should not fade off.”

The Lord heard the words of his devotee and appeared before him disguised as an old man. The Old man requested the Sage for some food as he was very hungry. By tradition, the sage could not refuse the request of a guest. He reluctantly gave the lotus flowers in his custody and went to find some food.

When returned he was not able to spot the old man........ but in his place there was Lord Vishnu in the reclining pose on the ground. He was facing East and his body was fully decorated with the lotus flowers.

In keeping with the desire of the Sage, the Lord gave him dharshan in the reclining pose. As Lord Vishnu gave darshan in His reclining position, He is praised as Sthala Sayana (reclining) Perumal.

The Sage fell at the Lord's feet and thanked him for giving him this divine vision.

The story is told that there were seven temples built on the sea shore. One of them was Sthala Sayana Perumal. The waters in this part of the shore are well known to be rough and the waves are high and strong. Soon, six of the temples were washed away........ to protect and preserve the unique statues of Lord Sthala Sayana Peruma,l the Vijayanagar king, Parankusa, shifted the temple to its current location away from the shore. He further built the four Mada streets that circumvent the temple.

The temple has been constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. The temple is referred to in the old text, Divya Prabandha. This text is the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. . This town is also believed to be the birthplace of Bhoothathazhwar, the 2nd Azhwar.

It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Sthalasayana Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Nilamangai Thayar. The temple is believed to have been built by Pallavas, with later contributions from Medieval Cholas, Vijayanagar kings and Madurai Nayaks.

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