Top 2 Must Visit Temples in TamilNadu for Education And Knowledge Boon
There is a famous Thirukkural “Kedil Vizhuchelvam Kalvi Oruvarkku Madalla Mattrai Avai”, meaning, A man’s learning is an imperishable and precious wealth. All other possessions are considered as Less Golden. This one Thirukkural is more than enough to signify the importance and greatness of education in ones’ life. These days, education is not only considered a basic requirement but it also gives a perfect shape to Life. For people who face any sort of difficulties in the line of education, here are the Top 2 must visit temples in TamilNadu that shower the blessings of good education and knowledge.
Tiruvahindrapuram Sri Hayagrivar Temple
Tiruvahindrapuram is a place that is situated 5 km to the west of Cuddalore. The Vishnu temple here is one of the ‘108 Divya Desams‘ and also among the two “Nadu Naattu Thirupathigal”. The main deity of this temple is ‘Devanathan or Devanayagan’ meaning “Lord of Gods”. The Thayaar (Goddess) here is Hemambujavalli or Vaikunthanayaki.
The Lord in this temple is also praised for having established Himself as Momoorthigal (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva) in one form. So, Thirumangai Alvar sings in the praise of Devanayaka Perumal as Moovar Agiya Oruvan. Also, the Lord Devanayaka is popularly considered an elder brother of Tirupati Srinivasa Perumal and so it is believed that the offerings to Lord Srinivasa can also be done here.
The Sthala Purana says that when Lord Devanayaka was feeling thirsty he asked for water. Garuda(Eagle) made Garuda Nadhi (River) by plowing the earth with his beak and Adisesha (Snake) did so by carving into the earth. Adisesha was the first to come back with water and the Lord quenched his thirst with that. On seeing this Garuda was sad and to cheer him up, the Lord chose the water from Garuda Nadhi (Water body brought up by Garuda) for his Thirumanjanam (holy bath) and from Sesha Tirtham (Water Body brought up by Adisesha) for nivedanam (offering). Even today, people offer pepper, salt, milk, honey, turmeric and others into the Sesha Tirtham as part of their prayers and you won’t believe, the water is still used for preparing the daily nivedanam to the Lord (It’s indeed a Divine Wonder !!)
There are also many minor shrines of great beauty and significance in this temple. One among them is the shrine of Sri Hayagrivar. The deity of Sri Hayagrivar is located on the Aushadha Giri (Medicine Hill). This Hill is considered as one of the herbal pieces of land that dropped from Lord hanuman’s hand while he was carrying the Sanjeevi Hill to the battlefield of Srilanka.
Lord Hayagrivar is an Avatar (Form) of Lord Vishnu with a Human Body and head of a Horse. He is always considered as the God who bestows education, knowledge, wealth and wisdom upon His devotees. It is said that Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Hayagrivar in order to restore the Vedas that was stolen from Lord Brahma by two Demons namely Madhu and Kaitabha. Lord Hayagriva then tore apart those two demons into 12 pieces (2 heads, 2 Torsos, 4 arms and 4 legs).
As per the temple history, the Great Acharya Vedanta Desikar has meditated the Garuda Mantra while sitting on Aushada Giri. As a result, Sri Garuda appeared before him and instructed him to chant Hayagriva Mantra and worship the Hayagriva Avatar of Lord Vishnu. Later, Lord Hayagriva appeared before Vedanta Desikar and blessed him for composing the ‘Hayagriva Stothra’ and many other Hymns in several Languages.
People who are seeking the blessing of Lord Vishnu for Good Education, Knowledge and Wisdom, can visit this temple and perform special pooja by offering Kalkandu, Dry Grapes, Honey and Ghee. Also, the parents who are seeking Good Education for their children can buy a set of stationary items and ask the temple priest to keep the same in the foot of Lord Lakshmi Hayagrivar.
Koothanur Saraswathi Temple
The next temple to visit for getting good knowledge and education is Shri MahaSaraswathi temple located in Koothanur, in Thiruvarur Dist, Tamilnadu. This is one and only temple in the whole state of TamilNadu that is dedicated for Goddess Saraswathi.
As we all know, the Lord Brahma who is considered as ‘The Creator’ does not have a temple. But it is equally strange that neither there are temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi who is considered as the Better-half of Lord Brahma. (Since Indian wives share their husband’s struggle, it’s quite natural that she does not have any temple for her as her Husband himself is left without one). But in TamilNadu, we do have a temple that is solely dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi in Koothanur. According to the history, this place was donated by the Chola King Rajaraja Chola to the renowned Poet Ottakoothar, so that he could do his compositions in peace. Hence the place is called Koothanur (Koothan – Poet’s name, Oor – Place).
The Sthala Purana says, that once there was a dispute between Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswathi which got escalated and then both cursed each other to be born as ordinary human beings on Earth. Unfortunately, they were born to the same couple and became brother and sister. Soon their parents tried to arrange their marriage to other partners. Suddenly they remembered their original forms and relationship. Now they approached Lord Shiva for a solution to this problem. Lord Shiva made Saraswathi as a part of River Ganga and brought her to Koothanur as Arasalar River. He also brought the River Yamuna to get converged with Ganga and Saraswathi and flow as Arasalar River. Hence the Holy river in Koothanur is called ‘Dakshina Triveni Sangamam’ (confluence of 3 holy rivers in South). Lord Shiva also blessed the Goddess Saraswathi with a temple in this place.
Goddess Saraswathi is considered as the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, education, arts, music, creativity, intelligence, skills and alertness. The Goddess in the temple is seen seated in a White Lotus, draped in white saree and carrying a Veena (Musical instrument) in her hand. In two of her upper hands, she holds ‘Japamala’ (chain of Holy beads) and a Pot containing Amruth (nectar) respectively. In one of her lower hands, she holds a divine book of Vedas and the other hand represents the symbol of protection and blessings.
Devotees can worship the Goddess on all days, but Wednesdays are special since that’s the day of Planet Budhan who is considered to be the authority of knowledge. Many of them bring their children here and the sacred word “OM” will be written on their tongue with a Honey dipped stick. It is strongly believed that by doing so, the children will blossom into fine orators, poets, and musicians.
On the day of Vijayadasami (10th Day of Navratri), special poojas will be performed for the children who are beginning their education. This procedure is called Vidhyarambam where the children write on the slate or Rice Grains for the first time in front of the Goddess. By doing so, it is strongly believed that the Goddess Saraswathi will bless them with good education, Knowledge, and Wisdom.
Also, people whose children are facing any sort of difficulties in Education, can visit this temple and perform special pooja by offering Kalkandu, Dry Grapes, Honey and Ghee. They can also buy a set of stationary items and ask the temple priest to keep the same in the foot of Goddess Saraswathi to seek her blessings.
P.S – It is always advisable to visit the Tiruvahindrapuram Hayagrivar temple first and then go to Koothanur Saraswathi temple. This is because Lord Hayagrivar is considered as the Guru of Goddess Saraswathi. (Guru-Bhakti !!)
