Baburayanpettai Shri Vijaya Varadaraja Perumal temple

Dec 21, 20244 min read

Known as the “Hampi of Tamil Nadu,” Baburayanpettai carries a rich history from the Vijayanagara Empire. Located approximately 100 kilometers south of Chennai, this lesser-known village is home to one of the grandest temples from the 16th century, built by Baburaya, a nobleman of the Vijayanagara Empire. Unfortunately, this magnificent temple now lies in ruins. Dedicated to Shri Vijaya Varadaraja Perumal, a form of Maha Vishnu, the deity’s name signifies "the bestower of boons to those who seek them."

Baburaya, the son of Sri Krishnaji Pandit, a minister in the Hyderabad Samasthanam, lent his name to the village. The temple’s construction, spread over one acre, is chronicled in the Sthalapuranam of Sri Vijaya Varadaraja Perumal Koil of Baburayanpettai. Historical records indicate that the Nawab of Carnatic gifted extensive lands as inam to the temple, a fact later confirmed by the British Government in 1860. The following excerpt from the “Sthalapuranam of Sri Vijaya Varadaraja Perumal Koil of Baburayanpettai, Kanchipuram” gives a picture of history of this ancient temple.

“Sri Baburayar was the Tahsildar at Kancheepuram. He used to visit Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kanchi daily before taking his meals. One day before he could visit the temple, the God was taken out in procession and he could not worship the deity as usual and therefore decided not to take his meals, He remained without food for three days. God appeared in his dream and directed him to build a temple in a village lying South of Kancheepurarn. Sri Baburayar proceeded south and came to Sithamur which he found suitable for the purpose and commenced the construction of a temple. The local residents of the village objected to the raising of a temple in the village and Sri Baburayar was much worried. The God again appeared in his dream and stated that on the following morning he would see a Garuda (kite) flying in the sky and that he should build a temple in the area covered by the Garuda. The dream came true and he saw a kite circling in the sky. As the area covered by the kite was a forest, it was cleared and a temple was built there. All the necessary materials for the construction of the temple, namely, bricks, mud, sand, iron etc., were available in the forest. Sri Baburayar was not sure as to where he should locate the Garbhagraham. The God appeared in his dream for a third time and informed him that he would find an ant-hill where a cow would of its own accord give up its milk and that it was there that he should be installed, On the following morning the ant-hill was destroyed and while digging the ground two Hanuman idols were found which were removed and the Sanctum was built there. Four streets were designed so that people could come and reside in the new village. The design is similar to that of Srirangam in Trichi District. The deity of the Kanchi temple also was brought to this village in a procession and a Kumbabishekam was performed”.

The current dilapidated state of the temple, due to administrative neglect, is disheartening. The temple features two gopurams—one overgrown with weeds and trees, while the other appears either incomplete or broken. Sections of the madhil suvar (outer periphery wall) remain, but the inner walls, though partially intact, evoke memories of their 500-year-old origins. While the complex largely lies in ruins, the sanctum sanctorum of Varadaraja Perumal is the only structure that might survive for a few more years. The Ardhamandap, Mahamandap, and Moolasthana vimanam are in critical condition, and the structures could collapse at any moment.

Two mounds of mud and bricks mark the former locations of the Thayar and Aandal Sannidhis, while the other grand mandaps have eroded into sand, now overgrown with trees and shrubs. Presently, Thayar and Aandal are housed near the sanctum sanctorum in makeshift sannidhis that are themselves deteriorating. The Mahamandap is overgrown with vegetation, and its collapsed roof has left the sanctum exposed to the elements. During rains, the Thayar experiences a natural thirumanjanam (holy bath).

Amazingly, the 16-acre temple complex includes two pushkarnis (temple tanks). One is entirely in ruins, while the other is enclosed within an inaccessible praharam (circumambulatory pathway) overgrown with trees that have flourished for decades. According to the part-time priest, the last major samprokshanam (consecration with physical repairs) was conducted in 1906. Subsequent minor samprokshanam rituals have focused solely on the deity, with no structural repairs. No annual festivals (uthsavams) are celebrated anymore. A village elder recalls witnessing an uthsavam where the uthsavar murti was once taken out in procession.

One can only hope for the day when this temple regains its lost glory, and efforts are made to restore it to its rightful grandeur. May that golden day come soon.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Credits (Pic and Content): Amaruvi Devanathan

References:

1. Sthalapuranam of Sri Vijaya Varadaraja Perumal Koil of Baburayanpettai, Kanchipuram, 1959,pp.2-7.