Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

This is a spot where he is said to have given darshan to the seven rishis along with his consort. Lord Narasimhar took an instant incarnation as human-lion God, answering the prayers of his bhaktha – Prahalada to slay the demon king – Hiranyakasibu. After slaying the king, his anger did not subside and he roamed all over India. On the Northern shore of the river South Pennai in SouthIndia known as Dakhshin Pinnakini, the “Saptha Rishi’ or Seven rishis prayed to the Lord to have his darshan. It is at a spot called Poovarasankuppam, where he gave darshan to these rishis. However, the rishis could not bear the intensity of heat emitting from the Lord and requested his consort to calm him down. Goddess Amirthavalli, obliged and sat on the Lord’s lap and looked at him with one eye and the rishis with the other. This act of the Goddess Lakshmi brought a soothing and tranquil effect on the Lord. To this day, it is only at this temple in the whole world does the Lord Lakshmi Narasimhar appear in such a pose. This pose where the Goddess, looks at the bhakthas and her Lord simultaneously is believed to be having a conversation with the Lord presenting the bhaktha’s petitions to him.

This is how this place got its name, “Poovarasankuppam”. One of the kings of the Pallava dynasty embraced Jainism and started destroying Vishnu and Shiva temples. People were enraged at this act and protested against the demolition of temples. The king imprisoned those who protested against him. ‘Narahari’, a sage who was horrified at the act, spearheaded the movement against the king and was sentenced to death. Furious at the punishment imposed on him, the sage cursed the king with ‘Brahma hathi dosham’. At this juncture, the king was besieged with problems and difficulties. Finally, he repented for his sins and wanted to get rid of the curse by seeking the blessings of the sage. He went in search of Narahari. While taking a nap beneath a ‘poovarasan tree’, the Lord appeared in his dream and declared that he would be redeemed of his curse as the sage would come there to bless him. He woke up from sleep but was unable to identify the Lord. Just then a leaf from the poovarasan tree dropped on the king. He could see the image of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha on the leaf. His happiness knew no bounds when the sage appeared in person to bless him. The king was absolved of the curse. As per the wishes of the sage, the king constructed a temple for the Lord at Poovarasan Kuppam.