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Masi Makam at Mahabalipuram
Sri Ulaguyya Nindra Piran (Sthalasayana Perumal) and Nilamangai Thayar in the Thirukkadalmallai temple.
MAMALLAPURAM, THE historic port city of Pallava rulers, better known as Mahabalipuram, is a tourist spot with its shore temple, numerous rock-cut images and "Pancha Pandava Rathas" in stone, which are actually temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses. But it is also one of the 108 holy places. The story goes like this: Pundarika Maharishi, used to offer lotus flowers to the Lord and one day he found a lotus with 1,000 petals and wanted to offer it to Lord Narayana reclining on Adisesha in Thiruparkadal. He found the sea standing in the way and tried to bail out the water with his two hands. The effort continued for many days and one day he found a hungry old man seeking food from him. The sage went to his residence to get food for the old man and by the time he returned he saw Lord Narayana lying on the ground on the seashore (Sthalasayanam), instead of the old man. Realising that the old man was none other than the Lord, he offered the rare flower to Him. The place is also famous for its Adivaraha shrine near the seashore, where the Lord is known as "Valavendai Gnanapiran" or the Lord having His Consort on His right side unlike other places with His Consort on the left side like the nearby Thiruvidaventhai. Both the temples built by Chozha and Pallava rulers are storehouses of fine sculptures and stone edifices and also numerous inscriptions. According to some historians, later day rulers built the present Sthalasayana Perumal Temple after the sea swallowed the earlier one. One of the important festivals celebrated in the temple besides the main festival in the Chithirai month is the Masi Makam Festival, and this year's festival assumes special significance, as it is the Maha Makam year. The Uthsava idol in the temple, known as "Ulaguyya Nindra Piran" along with His Consorts, and those of Valavendai Gnanapiran or Adivaraha and Sri Rama from nearby Padavedu temple, will be taken in procession to the seashore at Mahabalipuram where special Poojas will be performed and "Theerthavari" will be offered on March 6 morning. Today "Theppothsavam" or the float festival will take place.
T. A. SRINIVASAN
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