Who was Jatayu?

In Ramayana, Jatayu was believed to be the son of Aruna and a nephew of Garuda. A demi-god in the form of vulture, Jatayu was an old friend of king Dasharath, father of Lord Rama. Jatayu was the first person who tried to rescue Sita from the clutches of Ravana while he was taking her to Lanka. He fought valiantly with Ravana. However, Ravana clipped his wings and severely injured him. Even as Jatayu was battling with life, he managed to inform Lord Rama about Sita's abduction. Sensing that Jatayu won't survive, Lord Rama, a Vishnu incarnate, decided that Jatayu must attain salvation. In present day Kerala, Chadayamnagalam, a few kilometers from the Kollam district, is believed to be the place where Jatayu fell after his wings were clipped.

After narrating about the Sita's abduction to Sri Rama and Lakshman , the wounded Jatayu dies. Sri Rama then performed the final funeral rites of Jatayu. At this place the Sri Rama is worshipped as the Vijayaraghava Perumal in the Vijayaraghava Perumal temple.The water body where Jatayu fell is called Jatayu Theertham.

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