Sri Vaikuntanathan Perumal Temple (Kallapiran Temple),
Srivaikundam, Thoothukudi
Sri
Vaikuntanathan Perumal Temple (also called Srivaikundam temple and Kallapiran
temple) in Srivaikundam, a town in Thoothukudi district in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. It is located 22 km from Tirunelveli. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya
Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of
the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of
the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vaikundanathar
and his consort Lakshmi as Vaikundavalli.
The temple
is also classified as a Navathiruppathi, the nine temples revered by Nammazhwar located in the banks
of Thamiraparani River. The temple is next only to Alwarthirunagari Temple in terms of importance among the nine Navathiruppathi Temple. The temple is one of the Navagraha temples
in Vaishnavism, associated with Surya, the Sun god.
A
granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and two of its
three bodies of water. The Rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower, is 110 ft.
(34 m) tall. The Vijayanagar and Nayak kings commissioned paintings on the walls of the
shrine of temple, some of which are still present. Thiruvengadamudaiyan hall
houses rare life size sculptures commissioned during the 16th century.
Srivaikuntanathar
is believed to have appeared to slay the demon Somuka who abducted the
four Vedas. The presiding deity is called Pal Pandian as a cow
performed ablution daily to the submerged deity during the Pandyan era and
Kallapiran as he helped a thief who prayed to Vishnu while he was in trouble.
The temple follows Thenkalai tradition of worship.
Six
daily rituals and three yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the
ten day annual Brahmotsavam during the Tamil month of Chittirai (April - May) and the
Nammazhwar birth celebrations with Garudasevai with all nine temple of Navathiruppathi,
being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the
Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamilnadu.
A unique
feature of the temple is that every year on two days (in the period of
April-May and October-November) Sun's rays falls directly on Lord
Vaikuntanathan. It is believed that this temple was used as a fort in the fight
between the legendary freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman and the British
in the 1800s. This is 1st among the Nava Tirupathi temple dedicated to the
planet, Sri Surya (God Sun). Out of the 108 Divya Desams, it lies in the 73th
place.
The
temple gopuram which is 110 feet in height and 500 feet in width can be viewed
from the Tamirabarani Bridge. Several poojas are held in this temple and the
most important among them is the pooja done by childless couples. It is
believed that if the childless couple consumes the ghee for 48 nights that has
been offered at the deity's feet, they will be blessed with children.
The
presiding deity is Sri Vaikunta Natha perumal in standing posture with
Adiseshan above his head - a unique feature as normally the Lord is found
only in a sleeping posture over Adiseshan. The Utsavar is known as Kallapiran
as he had given darshan to a king through a thief according to the sthala Puranam.
The Lord is also known as Paal Pandyan. The architecture of the temple is
simply amazing and there are three prakarams in the temple.
There
are nine sacred shrines in this Pandya region equal to those in the Chola
region attributed to nine planets. As Lord Vishnu himself is acting as the nine
planets in these places, there are no separate shrines for the Navagrahas the
nine planets. Those facing any adverse aspect of a planet are advised to visit
the Nava – nine Tirupathis for relief.
It would
be difficult to catch buses for each such place causing more days to complete
this pilgrimage. A cab can be hired to visit the places for completing the tour
in a day. Those in Chennai can avail the services of Tamilnadu Tourism
Development Corporation which is arranging the trip twice a month on the first
and third Friday of the month. They can return by Wednesday morning. The Nava
Tirupathis are related with the nine planets as Perumal himself is the planet
of the particular place.
The List
of Nava Tirupathi Temples and its related Grahas (Planets)
are:
·
Sri
Vaikuntanathan Perumal Temple – Surya (Sun)
·
Thiru
Varagunamangai Perumal Temple – Chandra (Moon)
·
Thirupulinkudi
Perumal Temple — Budha (Mercury)
·
Irattai
Tirupathi Perumal Temple – Rahu (North node)
·
Irattai
Tirupathi Perumal Temple – Ketu (South node)
·
Thirukuzhandhai
(Perungulam) Perumal Temple – Sani (Saturn)
·
Thenthiruperai
Perumal Temple – Shukra – (Venus)
·
Thirukkolur
Perumal Temple – Mangala (Mars)
·
Alwarthirunagari
Perumal Temple – Guru (Jupiter)
With
extensive renovation work being undertaken by the TVS Group, these temples now
have a mark of freshness about them. At each of these nine temples, one finds a
display board with temple timings and route map, which makes it very convenient
for devotees.
Legends
For
brief details, please refer below link;
History
For
brief details, please refer below link;
The Temple
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Temple Opening Time
The
temple remains open from 7.30 am to 12 noon and in the evening from 5.00 to
8.00p.m.
Religious Significance
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Festivals
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Prayers
Prayers
can be offered to overcome the impediments in wedlock, to beget issues and for
good education. The devotees perform Thirumanjanam (sacred bath) to the Lord
and offer new clothes.
Contact
Arulmigu
Vaikundanathar Tirukkovil,
Sri
Vaikuntam – 628 601, Thoothukudi District
Phone: +91 4630 256 476
Mobile: 98656 28681 /
99521 62359
Connectivity
For
brief details, please refer below link;