Don’t forget to touch the lizard craving three times without fail when you go there.
The Golden Lizards of Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram
Varadharaja Perumal Temple, also known as Hastagiri or Attiyuran, is one of the sacred 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. A major pilgrimage centre for Vaishnavas, the temple is deeply associated with the traditions of Sri Ramanujacharya.
One of the temple’s most fascinating features is found above the sanctum — two lizard reliefs, one large and one small, accompanied by representations of the Sun and Moon. Devotees traditionally touch these sacred carvings after having darshan of Varadharaja Perumal.
According to temple tradition, two disciples of Gautama Maharishi accidentally offered water containing a lizard to the sage. Angered by this, the sage cursed them to become lizards. He later directed them to Kanchipuram, where they would ultimately attain liberation through the grace of Varadharaja.
Another tradition connects the lizards with Indra’s penance at Hastagiri. It is believed that the two lizards eventually attained salvation here, while their forms remain represented in the temple.
Why do devotees touch them?
A long-standing belief holds that touching the sacred lizards along with the Sun and Moon after Varadharaja Perumal’s darshan removes doshas and protects devotees from ailments and misfortune. This is a religious belief and temple tradition, rather than a medically established cure.
