Kanchipuram Athi Varadhar

Kanchipuram Athi Varadhar 

1st July 2019 to 17th August 2019 Athi Hill in Kanchipuram. 
Awakening and rising every forty years from the depths of ‘Ananthasaras,’ the temple tank. 

Athivaradhar emerges to remain with his devotees for 48 days.
The last time he came out was on July 2, 1979, and earlier on July 12, 1939. 
When he emerges, he brings with him strength and prosperity, which dispels darkness. 

Athivaradhar is actually a seven and a half feet long idol, made out of the divine fig tree. 

According to legend, Brahma created the moorthi of Athi Varadhar.  
Brahma was performing a yagnam in the Athi forest (Fig forest) now Kanchipuram.
Forgot to invite his wife Goddess Saraswati and concluded the yagnam with Gayathri & Savithri devi 
Angry Saraswati came in form on a raising river to destroy the Yagam at the same time Perumal lied down on the Anathasheyam to stop the river flow, seeing Perumal in this position Devi Saraswathi changed her direction. And Brahma completed the Yagam successfully and after Brahma and other 
gods paid respects to Perumal and asked him Varam which Perumal happily granted. So he was called as Varadar.

This moorthi was the main deity (Moola Moorthi) in the Grabhagraha until early 16th century. 
Due to fear of Muslim invasions and to preserve the valuable moorthi, Athi Varadar was immersed inside 
the Pushkaranai (Anatha Saravora) inside the temple premises secretively, such that only one family knew the exact place.

For nearly 40 long years the temple had no moorthy in the grabhagraha and no pooja was being performed in the temple. 
The two brothers in Dhatacharya lineage, who were the Dharamakartha of the temple at that time and under whose 
supervision of this Moorthy was hidden, passed away.
Unable to find the Athi Varadhar, the authorities decided to place a vigraham made of stone from the near by place called PazayaSeevaram. 

Around the year 1709  due to some reasons (which is unknown till the date), the Pushkarani was emptied and the Athi Varadar was seen lying inside.
 Then Authorities decided that this moorthi has to be taken out every 40 years for pooja for 48 days and again to be immersed in the kalyani for another 40 years and so on. This decision was based on the fact that, Kaliyuga pooja for Varadhar is done by Sesha devuru and Anatha sarovara has sesha devaru sannidhana , it was gods WILL that HE immersed himself inside the Kalyani because of this very reason.