What the Cauvery is for Thanjavur, the Tamiraparani is for the Tirunelveli region. The river kindles memories related to people and literary works. The freedom fighter V.V.S. Iyer, tried to save his daughter Subhadra, when she slipped and fell into the Papanasam Falls. According to Tiruppur Krishnan, editor of Amudhasurabi , the young person who was meditating at the spot and received the clothes of the girl, realised that birth was only a cloak for the body. “The young yogi is none other than Swami Chidbhavananda, who was in the process of becoming a monk. He made up his mind to become a sanyasi here,” he says.
Nammazhwar and Madhurakavi Azhwar wanted a sculpture to worship Bhavishya Ramanujar. It was installed in Azhwar Tirunagari, one of the nava Tirupatis, where the Tamiraparani flows. It is also a fact that one of Karan Singh’s forefathers, who was the king of Kashmir, donated a lot of landed properties to the temple, when he prayed for a child. There is a stone inscription to this effect at Cheran Mahadevi.
It was on the banks of the Tamiraparani that the Thondaimandala Adheenam arranged for proof reading when Tirukkural was first printed.
“Once, Tamiraparani flowed up to Sri Lanka,” says Kizhambur Sankara Subramanian, who is a fund of information on the Tamiraparani, which was featured in the series of talks he delivers on rivers. He adds that there is a reference to this in the Tamiraparani Mahatmyam . The land, according to him, was even referred to as Tamiraparani Nadu. “In Jaffna, near Nallur, there are many places having the name of Tirunelveli and names of other towns around Tirunelveli,” he points out.
‘Than’ Porunai (Tamiraparani) and Ghatana Nadhi merge in Tiruvidaimaruthur. ‘Than’ in Tamil means cold. You can feel the difference of the waters here, one cold and the other not so cold.
“It is better to take the advice of those who know the territory before taking a bath in the river,” cautions Kizhambur. “There are currents, which will pull the person,” he says. There is a statue of Agastiyar along with that of Tamiraparani, near Morappa Nadu. The Turavigal Peravai (the Association of Sanyasis) under the guidance of the Sringeri Sarada Peetam pontiff did abishekam to these sculptures.
“You know, siddhars are more in number in Then Podhigai,” says Kizhambur. “There are nine Siva temples and an equal number of Vaishnavite temples, called the Nava Tirupati. On Chithirai Vishu, there is a grand puja. It is also said that if you pray on Chitra Pournami Day, you’ll be blessed with a touch of sandal paste!” he informs.
He continues: “You may be aware that the native vaidyas, come here for herbs, because the Western Ghats abounds in them. There are still many siddhars in this region.
Three prominent adheenams of Thanjavur — Tiruvavaduthurai, Tirupanandal and Dharmapuram — have landed properties in this region! You can find the statue of Tamiraparani Amman in the Kanthimathi Amman Temple.
“Tamiraparani is a jeeva nadhi. One harvest is assured, if not three. For the Saivaite pilgrims this place is considered important and sacred. Nearly ten districts, up to Rajapalayam, benefit from this river.
Freedom fighters
“In the freedom struggle, Tirunelveli offered its quota of patriots, including Subramania Bharati, V.V.S. Iyer and A.N. Sivaraman. On the day Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak passed away, ANS organised a massive Tharpanam ceremony on the banks of Tamiraparani, with the help of the then police inspector, Gopala Iyengar.
“Both in Vyasa’s Mahabharata and Valmiki’s Ramayana , there are references to the Tamiraparani,” says Dr. Sudha Seshayyan.
And she cites references from other scriptures. “In Vana Parvam (Theertha Yatra Parvam) of Vyasa’s Mahabharata , these lines are found: ‘Oh, son of Kunti, listen to what I say about Tamiraparani. With the hope of attaining mukti, even Devas have done penance here.’ When Hanuman and others go searching for Sita, Sugriva describes the glory of the Tamiraparani. Kamban echoes the same spirit in his epic.
“In Tiruvaimozhi , Canto 6, there is a Nammazhwar pasuram, where he attributes the prosperity of the area to the passage of Tamirabharani. In Sekkizhar’s Periya Puranam too, on the chapter on Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar, the words ‘Than poruntha punal naattil’ refer to Tamiraparani.
“In Manonmaneeyam , the poet says that while peacocks dance with abandon, bountiful rain enriches both the banks of sacred Tamiraparani.”
