Thiru Nagai Nagapattinam.
There are 15 vimanams in this temple besides the Rajagopuram, which is the tallest building in the town.
Nagapattinam was a port town with considerable trade activities during the seventeenth century with the Portuguese and Dutch. In 1659 the Dutch appointed Jagul Nayakar son of Nagamulla Mamudi Nayakar as their liaison man and he was stationed in Nagapattinam. The temple did not have a Rajagopuram then. Jugal Nayakar was a staunch Vaishnavite. The ships which would berth at the port needed a lighthouse. The dutch gave a lot of money to Jugal Nayakar to build a light house. he utilized the money very thoughtfully serving a double purpose. He built a seven tired Rajagopuram and used the top most tier had a light built in to serve as a light house for the ships which had to come to the port. he also built the rampart walls mandapam etc and gifted lands for meeting the expenses for conducting the pooja to the deity. he also built statues of himself and his wife offering prayers to the Lord here the idols are seen in the temple even today.
The idol of Ashta Bhuja Narasimha in the temple may have given the devotee his idea of constructing a Rajagopuram and lighthouse. The idol of Narasimha with eight hands is seen performing a two fold duty here Dushta Nigraham and Sishta Paripalanam. that of destroying Hiranyakasapu on one side and blessing Prahalada on the other side.
There are 15 vimanams in this temple besides the Rajagopuram, which is the tallest building in the town.
Nagapattinam was a port town with considerable trade activities during the seventeenth century with the Portuguese and Dutch. In 1659 the Dutch appointed Jagul Nayakar son of Nagamulla Mamudi Nayakar as their liaison man and he was stationed in Nagapattinam. The temple did not have a Rajagopuram then. Jugal Nayakar was a staunch Vaishnavite. The ships which would berth at the port needed a lighthouse. The dutch gave a lot of money to Jugal Nayakar to build a light house. he utilized the money very thoughtfully serving a double purpose. He built a seven tired Rajagopuram and used the top most tier had a light built in to serve as a light house for the ships which had to come to the port. he also built the rampart walls mandapam etc and gifted lands for meeting the expenses for conducting the pooja to the deity. he also built statues of himself and his wife offering prayers to the Lord here the idols are seen in the temple even today.
The idol of Ashta Bhuja Narasimha in the temple may have given the devotee his idea of constructing a Rajagopuram and lighthouse. The idol of Narasimha with eight hands is seen performing a two fold duty here Dushta Nigraham and Sishta Paripalanam. that of destroying Hiranyakasapu on one side and blessing Prahalada on the other side.
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