Yoga Narasimha Perumal Temple, Thiruvelukkai

Sthala Purāṇam

At Thiruvelukkai the Lord is Sri Azhagiya Singar, 'the beautiful lion,' enshrined as Yoga Narasimha in a calm, seated yogic posture rather than the fierce (ugra) form, with Thaayar Velukkai Valli (Amruthavalli). The legend recalls the slaying of Hiranyakashipu to protect the devotee Prahlada, the reason Vishnu took the man-lion form. A second strand prominent here involves Brahma's yagna: after a dispute between Saraswati and Lakshmi, the angered Saraswati repeatedly sent demons to obstruct Brahma's Ashwamedha sacrifice, and when ordinary asuras failed she dispatched the powerful Kapali (Keshi). Vishnu intervened, taking the Narasimha form to vanquish the threat and safeguard the rite. Having protected His devotees, Narasimha chose, of His own grace, to remain here permanently in the serene yogic posture rather than depart. This gives the place its name: 'Vel-irukkai' becoming Velukkai, where 'vel' connotes wish or loving desire and 'irukkai' means staying or residing, the Lord abiding here voluntarily by His own will to protect His bhaktas. Swami Vedanta Desika alludes to this in his Kamasika Ashtakam. The Divya Desam is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Pey Alvar and Thirumangai Alvar. (Sources differ on the moolavar's facing direction, with some recording east and the widely repeated tradition emphasising west, to drive away the asuras.)

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