I'm currently visiting India, and I just went to the Nindra Narayana Perumal Vishnu temple in Thiruthankal. The story of the temple is that Vishnu's three wives Sri Devi, Bhu Devi, and Nila Devi once had a contest to see who had the most devotion to Vishnu. Sri Devi, i.e. Lakshmi, won the contest by meditating upon Vishnu in Thiruthangal. In any case, the Garbagraha of the temple depicts Nindra Narayana Perumal, i.e. Vishnu in a standing position, along with his wives Sri Devi, Bhu Devi, and Nila Devi.
But that's not all the Garbagraha has. (The picture only shows part of it.) It's a crowded Garbagraha; there's also Krishna's wife Jambavati and the sages Bhrigu and Markandeya. Then there is Krishna's grandson Aniruddha along with Aniruddha's wife Usha, daughter of Banasura, because Aniruddha and Usha got married in Thiruthankal. Finally there is Vishnu's bird Garuda along with Garuda's brother Aruna.
I'm interested in the Aruna statue. For those who don't know, the sage Kashyapa had two sons with his wife Vinata, Aruna and Garuda. Aruna is the charioteer of Surya, and he has no legs because his egg was opened by Vinata prematurely. Yet in the Thiruthankal temple, he is shown with legs. The priest pointed this out, and said it's because Krishna gave him legs at the time of Aniruddha and Usha's marriage.
My question is, why did Krishna give Aruna legs for the marriage? The priest said it's because disabled people can't do Hindu rituals. But what role did Aruna play in the marriage of Aniruddha and Usha?
