His enchanting smile captivates onlookers

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Krishna Janmashtami, always floods one’s memories with the tales of the mischievous and lovable little Sri Krishna. His image adorns almost every household.

The Sri Sowmya Damodara Perumal temple at Villivakkam — a busy locality in north Chennai, dedicated to Damodara, which is another name of Lord Krishna, is a place where devotees pray for puthrabaakyam.

The deity of this over 650-years-old temple flashes an enchanting smile and is in standing form.

Goddess Amirthavalli Thayar graces from a separate shrine, right of the sanctum sanctorum. There are shrines for Rama and Krishna, Andal, Anjaneya and Azhwars.

The temple is one of the few dedicated to Damodara Perumal where the presiding deity has a scar on His stomach due to the rope tide by His mother Yasodha. The rope scar is also visible on the procession deity.

In Gokulam, Yasodha, unable to control mischievous Krishna, ties Him to a grinding stone (ural) and calls him Damodaran.

As he looked very attractive tied to the stone, he is called Sowmya (beautiful) Damodara. Damodara is the last of Lord Narayana’s 12 names mentioned in the Dwadasa Nama Stotra.

Despite being tied, Krishna drags the grinding stone between two trees and breaks them thus granting salvation to two demons who were cursed to become trees.

The scar of the rope remained on His waist deeply showing His willingness to be bound by a mother’s love.

The Vimana (tower above the sanctum sanctorum) is Ananda Vimanam. The temple has a three-tier rajagopuram. Devotees perform special tirumanjanam to Perumal and offer milk porridge and butter as nivedhanam.

Incarnation festival of Lord Vishnu is celebrated in the month of Chithirai (April-May). As in Tirupati, the Amirtha Pushkarini — sacred spring, is on north side known as Kubera (Lord of Wealth) direction.

The Gajendra Moksha festival signifying the Lord’s benevolent gesture in freeing elephant Gajendra from the clutches of a crocodile, is celebrated on the full moon day during Aadi.