The Divine Grace of Yoga Narasimhar Perumal in Pallakkal

This divine temple of Arulmighu Yoga Narasimhar is located somewhat remotely, amidst the lush-green rice fields of village Pallakkal (with an area slightly less than 300 hectres) in Ambassamudram Taluk of Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu. The presiding deity of the temple is Arulmighu Yoga Narasimhar Perumal. The Lord is kula-deivam to a large and well spread-out family, some of whom lived in the vicinity of the temple, less than a century ago. Many others then lived in the surrounding villages of Ravanasamudram, Kadayam, Kallaraikurchi etc. Sadly, today there are hardly any in these areas. Way back in 1947, independence of the country offered them all opportunities hitherto unknown to many. Most, if not all, in the family ventured out in the late forties and fifties, in search of greener pastures in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi and beyond. The exodus continued into the sixties and seventies, till most households in these areas were virtually empty in the eighties.

With nobody left behind, the family was unable to maintain and upkeep the temple. Someone left behind in the family then (probably in the eighties) seems to have requested the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HRCED) of the Government of Tamil Nadu, to take over and administer the temple. In the process, the family lost effective control of their cherished kula-deivam temple.

Nevertheless, the family continued to support its maintenance and upkeep, though not on any regular or sustainable basis, through periodic (annual, biannual etc.) visits to their kula-deivam temple by its members from wherever their avocations took them. During such visits, many family members undertook certain essential repairs and also made arrangements for the supply puja samagris to the Bhattar in the temple for daily pujas and pujas on special occasions like Narasimha jayanthi etc., besides supplementing the support they received from HRCED.
The family actively continued its support till the last kumbabhishekam of the temple on June 24, 1999, about 22 years ago.