Azhagar Kovil - Lord Meenakshi's brother

Alagar Kovil - Main Gopuram

  Significances:

• It is one of the 108 divya desams.
• This temple belongs to third or fourth century CE based on the construction style.
• It is believed that pilgrims visited this temple even during the early days of Sangam age.
• Around this temple and in Alagar malai(hill), many Jain caves and inscription were found.
• Silapathikaram written in third century CE has references to this temple.
• There is a fort wall surrounding this temple which is in ruined condition and hardly noticeable.
  There are very few rocks remaining in a place which is called as Chola Mandapam. 
• The main tower might have been built by the Pandya kings. There is another tower which is unfinished on southern side of the temple.
• This temple was patronized by son of Kulasekara pandyan and by Madurai Nayaks. The golden vimana of this temple was done by Jatavarman Sundara pandyan.
• Lord Vishnu resides here as a brother of Meenakshi.
• During the divine marriage of Lord Sundareeswarar and Meenakshi every year, devotees carry Lord Azhagar from Alagar kovil to Madurai.
• This temple is also famous for its shrine of Pathinettampadi Karuppa Swamy. This deity receives the first visit by the pilgrims as this shrine considered to be guard deity. The pooja is not performed for this deity instead it is performed for the closed doors of the sanctum. The tower at Karupana Swamy shrine is opened only once a year, Aadi Pathinettu(18^th days of Tamil month Aadi) and it’s believed that Chakrathalvar passes through the door.
• This place surrounded with dense forest is also known for natural springs called Silamboru and Noopura Gangai. Tamilnadu agricultural department has reserved certain part of the hill to grow herbal plants.
• There is another legend that this temple’s lord travelled to Thenur, 20 kilometers from Madurai, to redeem the curse of Mandoga munivar. The curse was imposed on Mandoga munivar by Durvasar Maharisi as Mandoga munivar did not pay heed to Durvasar. Till Nayak regimes, this function was celebrated at Thenur. During Thirumalai Nayak period, this celebration was transferred to Madurai and now it’s celebrated along with Meenakshi marriage. The place where this Mandoga rishi relieving festival celebrated now is called Thenur Mandapam. Still you can find evidences at Thenur that this festival was celebrated at this village.
• Chithirai festival brings huge crowd to Madurai every year.
• This temple is located on the foothill of Alagar malai. Six kilometers from this temple, on the hill,  Pazhamudircholai one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga is located.

Deities:

• God:Azhgaror Paramaswamy or Sundararajan
• Goddess: Kalyana Sundaravalli

Location:

• Located 21 Kilometers from Madurai. 
• One route is from Mattuthavani bus stand, catch 120 feet road to join Alagar Koyil Road.  
• Another route is on Madurai-Trichy road, catch Melur-Alagar Koyil road at Melur.

Nearby Attractions:

• Pazhamudircholai
• Koodal Alagar Kovil, Madurai
• Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
• Tirumalainayakar Mahal, Madurai
• Tiruparangkundram
• Athisayam Theme park
• Kodaikanal
• Viralimalai Murugan temple

Ariyakudi – Rare Perumal and the musician

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple

Significances:

• This temple is more than 100 years old, one of the recently built vast temple complex.
• Ariyakudi means rare land. That’s because the temple works started by bringing things from Tiupati and Tirumayam. This temple is also known as Thentirupati.
• Perumal is a Swayambumurthy.
• The eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu,Garuda, appears with two lions on each side is the specialty here.
• This place is the birth place of famous carnatic musician, Sri Ramanuja Iyengar. His house is nearer to the temple and if you are interested in visiting, you can enquire shastris in the temple. I am not sure who is living in the house right now, but at least you could get to see the house.

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple

History:

• This temple builder got the vision to build this temple. The builder used to go to Tirupati every year. At his old age, God realized that his devote could not walk to Tirupati anymore and gave him a permission to build a temple to near his place. When the builder was looking for a place to build, he accidently found that tulsi plant and coconut in one place. He started digging this place to build the temple and got the swayambumurthy buried under the ground. The God in the sanctum sanctorum is this swayambumurthy only.

Deities:

• God: Tiruvengadam Udayan
• Goddess: Alarmelmangai, Sridevi, Bhoodevi

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple - Entrance

Special Prayers:

• Devotees pray here for marriage, child and academic success.
• Each month special poojas are performed for Garuda on swati star days.

Location:

• Ariyakudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu, INDIA
• 5 kilometers from Karaikudi.
• From Karaikudi, you can catch a bus to Ariyakudi.

Ariyakudi Tiruvenkatamudayan temple - Inside view

Timings:

• 6AM-12PM; 4PM-8PM.

Near by Attractions:

• Tirupathur
• Tirukoshtiyur
• Pillaiyarpatti
• Kundrakudi
• Thayamangalam
• Thirukolakudi
• Mahibalanpatti
• Piranmalai
• Thirumayam

Thirupullani – wash your sins

Tirupullani temple tower

Significances:

• This temple is one among the 108 divya desams.
• This place got significant link with epic Ramayana.
• The Tree in the temple is centuries old.
• The Nagalingam installed by King Dasaratha is still in the temple.
• This place is also known as Pullaranyam or Dharbasayanam. Dharbasayanam is a Sanskrit word meaning bed of holiest grass called dharbai. Pullaranyam means “forest of grass”.
• This place named after grass because three maharishis Pullavar, Kalavar and Kannavar performed severe penance on Lord Mahavishnu sitting on the darba grass and got the god darshan. Also Lord Rama meditated here for three days on the bed of grass.

  

Tirupullani temple god with goddesses

• King Dasaratha received the puthra bagya mahamantra and had Rama as his son. So people come here to get blessed to get children.
• Two times Rama visited this place, before going to Lanka and returning from there.
• This is also celebrated as Saranagathi place, because Vibishana was surrendered to Rama at this place.
• Bathing in the Sethu theertham relieves the sins of the past birth and the adverse effects of planets.
• Annual festival is celebrated in September as Darbha Ashtami.
• Thirumangai Alwar sang hymns on this temple’s deity.

Thirupullani temple theertham

Special Prayers:

• People visit this place to seek child boon. There is a belief that by offering Siva Lingam, childless couples would be blessed with kids.
• People perform pitru homam at Sethukarai(Sethu seashore).

Sethukkarai

 Deities:

• God: Adi  Jagannatha Perumal
• Goddess: Padmasini Thayar

Sethukkarai Anjenaya temple

Location:

• Thirupullani, Ramanthapuram District, Tamilnadu
• 8 kilometers from Ramanathapuram. Bus numbers 1A, 1B, 5, 5A, 5B, 10 and 17 from Ramanathapuram.

Temple Timings:  

• 8AM to 12PM; 3:30 PM to 8PM.

Nearby Attractions:

• Rameswaram temple
• Sethu seashore is 4 kilometers from this temple.
• Dhanushkodi
• Uttarakosa Mangai
• Melakodumbalur murugam temple

Thiruvellarai - Must for vaishnavites

Thiruvellarai - Sri Pundarikashan perumal temple

Significances:

• There are two cave temples, one of them belongs to the period of Nandivarman II and another belongs to the period of Rajaraja I.

• Inscriptions and the architecture at this temple point to periods of Pallava, Hoysala and Vijayanagara kings.

• One of 108 Divya desams.

• This is the place where the famous verse “Om pavitra pavitro va…” had its origin. This temple has been sung by Periyalwar (11 hymns) and Thirumangai Alwar (13 hymns). Vedantha Desikar in his Hamsa Sandesam has done Mangalaasasanam.

• Situated in a sprawling 14 acres site and resembles an old fort; surrounded on all sides by 36-feet-high massive compound walls; there are 5 praharams for the temple. 

Thiruvellarai - Sri Pundarikashan perumal temple - Unfinished Gopuram

• Rajagopuram is unfinished due to a mishap that occurred when it was being constructed. The completion process has not been initiated from that incident.

• This temple is constructed on a small white granite rock. Vellarai means white rock hence the name Vellarai with a prefix Thiru denoting respect.

• Swastik kulam is maintained by Archeological survey of India. This tank is in Swastik shape makes possible that people bathing in one ghat can not view any other ghat.

• There is Aadhi Jambukeswarar temple, a pallava period rock cut temple, is 500 meters from the Vishnu Temple.

• There is a small view point on the wall through which you could see Malaikottai and Srirangam.

Deities:

• The main deity is of Lord Pundarikashan perumal.

• Goddess is Shenbagavalli, also called as “Periya Piraattiyaar Lakshmi Devi.

• This temple has been dedicated to Lord Varaha. So this temple is also called as Swedha varaha kshetharam.

• Here Thayar gets the first rights over Perumal. Only in three divya-desam temples does the Goddess get the first rights over the Lord – Nachiyar temple in Thiru Naraiyur, Aandal temple in Srivilliputhur and here at Thiruvellarai.

• Only a handful of temples have been dedicated to Lord Varaha and this one is called Swedha Varaha Kshethram

Thiruvellarai - Sri Pundarikashan perumal temple - Swastik kulam

Legend:

• The temple is considered the oldest of the Vaishnavaite temples of South, older than Srirangam. This is a very beautiful temple, built by great king Shibi 7 generations before Lord Rama. This is also called Aadhi Vellarai. According to the Puranas, 64 `Chathuryugas’ have passed since the Lord was enshrined here.

• Pundarikan, a great devotee established a garden here and worshipped the Lord with Tulsi leaves grown here. The Lord pleased with his worship gave darshan to him and came to be known as Pundarikaksham.

• Another belief is that no Sri Vaishnava can achieve perfection without visiting Thiruvellarai. Hence, there is this tradition at the temple to call Thiruvellarai Kandeero- Thiruvellarai Kanden Aiyyaa (the devotees informing the Lord that they have seen Thiruvellarai and that they are now ready/eligible for going back to Godhead), a voice that is said to echo to the Lord up there in Vaikuntha.

Location:

• Thiruvellarai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, INDIA
• Trichy to Thuraiyur, 27 kilometers from Trichy.

Temple Timing:            9am-1pm and 3.45pm- 7.45pm

Near by Attractions:

• Uttamar kovil alias pichandar kovil.
• Thirupaingili
• Srirangam
• Samayapuram Mariamman temple
• Tiruvanaikaval.
• Malaikottai
• Vekkaliamman temple
• Vayalur murugan temple