| Thiruvaikunda Vinnagaram | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Mayiladuthurai |
| Deity | Vaikunta Nathan Perumal (Vishnu), Vaikunta Valli (Lakshmi) |
| Festivals | adi magam |
| Features |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Thirunangur |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location in Tamil Nadu | |
| Coordinates | 11°10′39″N79°46′45″E / 11.17750°N 79.77917°E /11.17750; 79.77917 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
Thiruvaikunda Vinnagaram orVaikunta Nathan Perumal Temple is dedicated to Hindu godVishnu located in Tirunangur, a village in the outskirts ofSirkazhi in the South Indian state ofTamil Nadu. Constructed in theDravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in theNalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medievalTamil canon of theAlvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vaikuntanathan and his consortLakshmi as Vaikuntavalli.
It is one among the eleven Divya Desams ofThirunangur Tirupathis and is closely associated withThirumangai Alvar. The temple is open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m and has four daily rituals at various times of the day. The Thirumangai Alvar Mangalasasana Utsavam celebrated annually during theTamil month ofTai is the major festival of the temple during which the festival images of the elevenThirunangur Tirupatis are brought on mount designed likeGaruda, called GarudaVahana, to Thirunangur.
The legend of all the eleven temples of Thirunangur are closely associated with each other. As per legend, the Hindu godShiva started dancing in fury at this place after the death of his consort Uma due to theyagna (sacrifice) of Daksha. Each time his lock of hair touched the ground, there were eleven other forms of Shiva who appeared. The celestial deities were worried that if the dance continues, it would result in decimation of entire creations. They prayed toVishnu for help, who appeared at this place. On seeing Vishnu, Shiva's anger was reduced and he requested Vishnu to appear in eleven forms like he did. On his request, Vishnu appeared in eleven different forms at Tirunangur. The eleven places where Vishnu appeared are believed to be where the eleven temples in Tirunangur are located.[1] As per another variant, Shiva requested Vishnu to appear in eleven different forms like him to control the eleven Shiva forms he created.[2] The elevenRudras, called Ekadas Rudras and king ofdevas,Indra, are believed to have worshiped Vishnu at this temple.[3]
The temple complex has a singleprakaram (closed precincts of a temple). The sanctum here is believed to be on par with celestialVaikuntham. It is located in Thirunangur, a small village, 10 km away fromSirkali en route to Thiruvenkadu. The temple tank is located to the north of the temple. The presiding deity is believed to have worshiped by sage Uthankar and King Uparisarvasara.[4][5] The presiding deity, Vaikuntanathar (also called Thamaraikannudiyabiran - the one with lotus eyes), his consort and the festival images are housed in the sanctum. The temple has only one shrine. The walls around the temple are a modern addition. The Garuda Mandapa is located axial to the central shrine and located close to the entrance.[6]
The temple is revered inNalayira Divya Prabhandam, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, byPeriyalvar,Thirumalisai Alvar andThirumangai Alvar. The temple is classified as aDivya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the temple finds mention in several works like108 Tirupathi Anthathi by Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar.[7] As per another variant, Shiva requested Vishnu to appear in eleven different forms like him to control the eleven Shiva forms he created.[2] The elevenRudras, called Ekadas Rudras and king ofdevas,Indra, are believed to have worshiped Vishnu at this temple.[8]
The temple is open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The temple priests perform thepooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to theVaishnava tradition, from the Brahmin community. The temple rituals are performed four times a day:Ushathkalam at 8 a.m.,Kalasanthi at 10:00 a.m.,Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m. andArdha Jamam at 7:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps:alangaram (decoration),neivethanam (food offering) anddeepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vaikuntanathan and his consort Vaikuntavalli. During the worship, religious instructions in theVedas (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of thetemple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple.[7]
During the new moon day of the Tamil monthThai, thefestival deity of Thirumangai Alvar is brought to the temple fromThiruvali-Thirunagari.[9] The Thirumangai Alvar Mangalasasana Utsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month ofThai (January–February). The highlight of the festival isGarudasevai, an event in which the festival images of the elevenThirunangur Tirupathis are brought on mount designed likeGaruda, called Garuda Vahana, to Thirunangur. The festive image of Thirumangai Alvar is also brought on aHamsa Vahanam (palanquin) and hispasurams (verses) dedicated to each of these eleven temples are recited during the occasion. The festival images of Thirumangai Alvar and his consort Kumudavalli Naachiyar are taken in a palanquin to each of the eleven temples. The verses dedicated to each of the eleven temples are chanted in the respective shrines. This is one of the most important festivals in the region which draws thousands of visitors.[9][10]