He who emerged from Brahma’s sacrifice, the Lord who dwells atop Hastigiri, the King of Boons and the monarch of Kanchipuram – many are the glories of Varadaraja. Invoking these glories onto the kshetram of Pondicherry is the Sri Perundevi Thayar samedha Sri Varadaraja Perumal Koyil on MG Road, merely one block north of the Vedapuriswara Koyil. Perumal sits in his sanctum with Sridevi and Bhudevi, with Garudalvar facing him. Perumal’s primary consort, Perundevi Thayar, sits in her own shrine in the southern prakaram. The temple also holds Pandarinatha, Andal, Anjaneya, Manavala Mamunigal, Vedanta Desika, and – most belovedly – Kodanda Rama. Inside the Kodanda Rama shrine also sit Venugopala, Navaneetha Krishna and Thavazhthal Kannan, although they are seen only once in the year during Janmashtami.
The alankara-priya, or adornment-adoring Perumal is given ample occasions to be adorned. 282 days of the year are dedicated to one or another utsavam, puja or jayanti! – placing it by far among the most festive temples of the town. The temple follows the Vaikhanasa agamic tradition. It is also said to share the relation of an Abhimana Sthalam with the Divya Desam of Thiruvahindrapuram – that is, it associates itself with the Devanatha Swami temple by following its festival patterns, thus placing itself within the broader network of sacred Vaishnava sites. These festivals are supported not only by long-standing individual families, but also by other groups that have consistently served the temple over the decades. The Sri Kodandaramar Swami Bhakta Jana Sabhai, founded in 1972, has been one such and has been very active in its organisation and contribution to the continuation of the utsavams over the past 50 years. Some other groups are the Desikar, Mamunigal and Pandarinatha groups.