Introduction :

 The 108  temples In which Alzhwars , the holy saints of Vaishnavism sang hymns in praise of Lord Vishnu, they have been elevated to the status of a Thirupathy. Bramanda-purana identifies 108 of them. However 

Among the 108 Thirupathys only 102 temples are known to exist physically on this earth and in tact. Of the rest some are in ruins and cannot be identified.
The last three are beyond the realms of this earth- in the heavens. These are Par-kadal (ocean of milk) , Vaikundam (abode of sri Narayana and Sri lakshmi) Paramapatham ( the ultimate - the origin and the end). When the soul is liberated through god realisation "Paramapadam" is its destination. God realization comes through directly experiencing the presence of god by worshiping truthfully. God incarnates on the earth to fulfill two purpose: First to inspire and secondly to liberate.
He inspires mankind through examples. He willingly takes upon himself all human limitations. Then through intense spiritual practice he goes beyond them and manifests His spiritual perfection. He goes through various spiritual disciplines and thereby manifests his perfection to set an example for mankind, just as a hen which even when not hungry picks and gobbles up birdseed just to teach its young ones how to eat; so also a divine Incarnation for sake of mankind, goes through various spiritual austerities in order to teach us how to attain perfection through spiritual practice.

The aim of the Gita propounded in the Krishna avathar is not so much to teach a theory as to enforce practice of dharma. We cannot separate in theory what is not separable in life. The duties of civic and social life provide religion with its tasks and opportunities.

OM TAT SAT SARVAM SRI KRISHNAR-PANA-MASTHU.

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Kannan at Thirukanakudi

Name of this place	Thirukannakudi
Deity in sanctum	Loganatha perumal (and Neelamega vannan - east facing in standing pose )
Diety for festivals	Dhamodhara Narayanan with Sri devi and Boo devi keeping left hand on his hip
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Aravindha-Nayaki
Tower is called	Udbalavidhaga-vimanam
Holi tank	Sravana-pushkarani
Devotee who has seen the god here	Brahma, Gowdhamar,King Upari Saravasu Vasishtar, Brugu and Thiru Mangai Alwar
Sthala Viruksham (tree)	Vakula tree - other name is Makila tree

Legend:

This temple, one of five Krishna temples (Pancha-Krishna) has a huge tower in five stages.Two corridors give access into the temple and four Mandaps inside. There is a peculiar custom by which on the seventh day of the Chitra festival the god is decorated with holy ash on its forehead. All the vaishnavate devotees also have the holy ash on their foreheads on this day. Wearing the holy ash is a saivaite custom. This is an excellant example to symbolise that Hari and Siva are both one and the same. The King Ubarisaravasu was a devotee of Lord Siva. He used to go to siva temple every day before sunrise. One day he was a little late. So in hurry he entered the Thirukannakudi Vishnu temple. He did not know that the temple was a vaishnavaite one. Every body was amazed looking at him. But he did not notice any one and went fast to the sanctum. Lord Vishnu took pity on the king and wanting to help him do his pooja to Siva in time before sunrise amazingly gave dharshan to him as Siva. The king did pooja and wore the holy ash on his fore head and came out. The people were watching him inquisitively and asked how he came to Vishnu temple instead of a Siva temple. Surprised he turned and saw that the god he had worshiped was sitting on his mount Garuda with Sridevi and Boodevi. The king ran into the sanctum and with great fervour worshiped Lord Vishnu for his miraculous deed. From that day on vaishnavaites wear ash on their foreheads on the seventh day of the festival of god Loganatha-perumal in the month of 'Chitrai' (April) On the south bank of the tank there is another shrine for Loganatha perumal. The idol is in a sitting pose here. A devotee must have a darshan of the diety here after visiting the main temple. Loganadha perumal is inspirational to all the mankind for their unity. Important Information: There are five Krishna Kshetrams Thirukannakudi Thirukkannamangai Thirukannapuram Kabisthalam  Thirukoilure              Home

Kalyana Narayana at Dwaraka

Temple features:
Name of this place	Dwaraka
Deity in sanctum	Kalyana Narayanan west facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Kalyana-Thayar, Ashta-Mahishi and Sri Rukmini devi
Tower is called	Sri Hemakooda- Vimanam
Holi tank	River Gomathi
Devotees who have seen the god here	Drowpathi and citizens of Dwaraka
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar Namalzhwar, Periyalzhwar Thirumazhisai alzwhar and Sri Andal.
Legend says that because of demon Jarachanda's botheration there was no peace in Madura. Hence Sri Krishna wished to construct a kingdom in the middle of the ocean.The Lord invited king of the ocean and requested him for some place so that he could construct a kingdom in it. Later at the end of the yuga before the lord left from this world he would surrender the place to the king of the ocean . Accordingly Samudra-raja gave some place to the Lord. Sri Krishna asked Viswakarma to construct a kingdom for him and he did so. It was named Dwaraka. Sri Krishna shiffted to Dwaraka with his brother Balarama. Sri Krishna married Sri Rukmini . The Lord ruled over the kingdom. He killed Jarachandhan and other Rakshasas and protected the citizens of Madura and Gokulam. At last at the end of his incarnation he handed over the kingdom of Dwaraka to king of the ocean as he had promised and the kingdom sank into the ocean. The present temple in Gujarat state was built one thousand and five hundred years ago. But it is not known who built this temple. The sailors of Oga harbour ferry the people to the middle of the sea to an island in which there is a temple called Dwaraknatji. This moving world is a creation of the Lord. the Divine accepts the world and acts in it; Vartha eva ca Karmani" From this cosmic end the supreme is Isvara, the highest person Purushothama the lord of the universe who dwells in the heart of every creature.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This Temple is located in Gujarat state on the banks of river Kabila. Home

Balakrishna at Mathura

Temple features:
Name of this place	Mathura
Deity in sanctum	Balakrishna east facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Satyabama-Thayar
Tower is called	Sri Govardhana- Vimanam
Holi tank	Indira-Theertham, Govardhana-Theertham and River Yamuna
Devotees who have seen the god here	Gopis, Indiradhi devas, Vasudever, Devaki,Yasodha and Kamsa
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar,Namazhwar, Periyalzhawar Andal Thondaradi-Podiyar
Legend: This is again recalling epic Ramayana. Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Madu and was ruled by a demon named Lavanasuran.He was very cruel and troubling all sages and citizens of Madu. One day all the citizens and sages went to Sri Rama and appealed to him to solve their problems. Rama sent his brother Satrukana and he destroyed the demon . After that Satrukana made the kingdom very big and he ruled over it for many years later the kingdom passed on to the heirs of Vasudeva. Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva but was brought up by Yasodha. There are very many aspects to him. As a child he played his pranks in Gokulam. He was a cow-herd. He saved the city from a deluge by raising Govardahana hill as an umbrella. He was the solace, adviser and messenger to the Pandavas. His life from an young age was in destroying evil - Boothaki, Kamsa, and then the 100 Duryodhana brothers. He revealed Gita to Arjuna. He was a preacher to the whole world .   Cetasa sarvakarmani Mayi samnyasa matparah Buddiyogam upasritya Maccittah satatam bhava.   Meaning:- Surrendering in thought all actions to me. regarding me as the supreme and resorting to steadfastness in understanding, do thou fix thy thought constantly on me. Essence of this:- "Be always one with me in heart, will and consciousness." A perfect self-giving to the Universal Lord makes him the spirit of our life.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha Location: This place is enroute from Madras to Delhi and the temple is located 8kms from Mathura railway station Home

Sri Moorthi at Salagramam

Temple features:
Name of this place	Salagramam
Deity in sanctum	Sri Moorthi north facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Devi
Tower is called	Sri Kanaga -Vimanam
Holi tank	River Kantaki
Devotees who have seen the god here	Brahma, Sivan, and Kantaki
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Periyalzhwar
Legend: Thulasi ardently desired to become the consort of Sri Narayana and was in deep penance for over 1000 years. But she married Sanga-choodan, an aspect of Narayana but of 'asura' descent. He was sage-like and very pious. He established a great empire covering this world and the heavens. All 'devas' panicked at his ascendancy and prayed to Rudhra to destroy him There ensued a fight between Rudhra and Sanga-Chooda. The power of Tulasi's chastity and devotion to her husband was the armour protecting Sanga-chooda. Mid-way in the war Vishnu impersonating Sanga-Chooda went to Tulasi and outraged her modesty. With her chastity gone the protection to sanga-chooda was lost and he died in the war. Tulasi realized that the person who got intimate with her was not her husband Sanga-chooda but Sri Narayana. She cursed Narayana that he would become a stone - a hill. Narayana explained to Tulasi that he came to her in the garb of her husband only in answer to her penance earlier praying to become his consort. However Narayana became a hill according to Tulasi's curse. For their association to be more permanent, Narayana said that Tulasi would become a river washing the foot of that hill which he himself became as hill.. Thus Tulasi became the river 'Kantaki' and Narayana became the 'Saligrama' hill Narayana further said that millions of insects would bore into the hill side and chisel small 'saligrama' that would fall into the Kandagi river. People all over would take these home and worhship them as a representation of Narayana   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located in nepal on the banks of river Kantaki.                                     Home

Badri-Narayanan at Badri-Nath

Temple features:
Name of this place	Badri-Nath
Deity in sanctum	Badri-Narayanan east facing sitting pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Aravindhavalli-Nachiyar
Tower is called	Sri Dapthakancha -Vimanam
Holi tank	Daptha-Kundam
Devotees who have seen the god here	Nara- Narayanan
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar & Periyalzhwar
Legend: This Vishnu abode is a very famous one. The Lord is self-incarnated here. Sri vishnu is showing all his differant aspects here. The Lord is the preceptor and at the same time he is the disciple. He is the god as well as a human being and so on. He is the supreme but he is also the humble   "Om poorna-madah Poorna-midam Poornaat Poorna-mudachyate | Poornasya Poorna-maadaaya Poorna-mevaa-vasishyate ||" Meaning: What is zero is zero ; What has come out of zero is also zero When zero is taken out of zero , zero still remains zero.   This is the supreme aspect of Paramathma.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 10,500 ft from the sea level in Mountain Himalayas                                         Home

Prahaladha-Varadhan at Foot hill Ahobilam

Temple features:
Name of this place	Foot hill Ahobilam
Deity in sanctum	Prahaladha-Varadhan east facing Bujanga Sayanam
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Amirdhavalli-Thayar
Deity for festivals	9 deities Narasimha
Consort for festivals	Sri Senjulakshmi-Thayar
Tower is called	Sri Gugai- Vimanam
Holi tank	Indira-Theertham, Narasima-Theertham Pabahara-Theertham Gajatheertham and Pargava-Theertham
Devotees who have seen the god here	Garudan and first Jeear
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar
Legend: Once Garuda wished to have the darshan of Vishnu as in Sri Narasimah avathar. So he did penance here for a long time. Once again Sri Vishnu appeared before him as Sri Narasimha. The Lord re-enacted the 9 differant aspects of the Narasimha avathar like, his appearence out of the pillar, the killing of Hiranya, his becoming a "santha-swaroopi" etc. to Garuda. One can see all the nine poses of Narasima here. So it is called Nava Narasimah Kshetram. This place is also called Garudachalam because the Lord's mount Garuda did penance here.   The Hill top temple Temple features: Name of this place Hill top Ahobilam Deity in sanctum Ahobilam Narasimhar east facing Bujanga Sayanam Consort of Vishnu in sanctum Sri Lakshmi-Thayar Tower is called Sri Gugai-Vimanam Holi tank Pabahara-Theertham, Devotees who have seen the god here Garudan and Baktha Prahaladha Devotional song sung on the deity by Thirumangai-alzhwar Legend: In Thredha yuga when Hiranya-Kasibu was ruling over his country he had ordered all his subjects and all around him to pray to himself and not to any god. Hence he was much annoyed by the devotion of his son Prahalada to lord Narayana whom he considered as his enemy. Prahalada was ill-treated and tortured to forget god Narayana. But nothing made the child forget the Lord. The rakshasa Hiranya-kasibu lost all his patience and one day in irritation asked Prahalatha "Ok my boy where is that god Narayana ? Can you show me"? "yes" said Prahalada"He is everywhere and anywhere". The Rakshasa asked his son pointing to a pillar "is he in this pillar ?" "yes he is in this pillar" said the son. Immediately the rakshasa took his huge club and hit the pillar. The pillar broke into two pieces and from it appeared Narasimha neither a human nor an animal. The strange being had the body of a human but the face of a lion. It took the Rakshasa on his lap and tore him to death with its claws. Thus came to end the evil called Hiranya-kasibu. God took Narasimha avathar only to kill evil. One can see the piller that Narasimah appeared in this temple.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 85 kms from Cuddapah railway station in Andra-Pradesh India.                                                                        Home

Navamohana-Krishnan at Gokulam

Temple features:
Name of this place	Gokulam
Deity in sanctum	Navamohana-Krishnan east facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Rukmini and Satyabama
Tower is called	Sri Hemakoota -Vimanam
Holi tank	River Yamuna
Devotees who have seen the god here	People in gokulam
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar Periyalzhwar and Andal
Legend: Srimad Bagavadham says in detail about Lord Sri Krishna's child-hood. The Lord born to Devaki in jail was overnight sent to Gokulam to be brought up by Yasodha as her own son. He was a cowherd. His early years was spent in 'Rasa-Leela' with the Gopikas.The child killed Boothagi and Kamsa. Sri Krishna says he liberates mankind from their sins when they completely surrender to him and helps them attain perfection. He also says in Gita "abandoning all rites and duties take refuge in me alone. Do not grieve for I shall liberate  you from all sins".   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located on the banks of river Yamuna.                                  Home

Neelamega-Perumal at Devaprayakai

Temple features:
Name of this place	Devaprayakai
Deity in sanctum	Neelamega-Perumal east facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Pundareegavalli-Nachiyar
Deity for festivals	Purushothaman
Consort for festivals	Vimala
Tower is called	Sri Mangala-Vimanam
Holi tank	Mangala-Theertham, Ganga-Prayagai
Devotees who have seen the god here	Bharatwaja and Brahma
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Periyalzhwar
Legend:   Sri Matsya-puran, Agni-Puran, koorma-Puran and Padma-Puran elaborately speak about this temple. Once a king named Swedha-Kedu who gave away plenty in charity but did not care about poor-feedings. All his kingdom's priests advised him to do poor-feeding but he did not. One day he died and his soul went to the heavens. But the kings soul could not tolerate hunger. The kings soul went to Brahma and appealed to him about hunger.The creator replied to him "You did not care to do poor-feeding. All your priests advised you to but you insulted them. Hence you are suffering with hunger. Here you can not get what you have not offered during your life time on the earth. So go to the earth and eat your body floating in the tank that you dug." The king's soul ate his dead body which was floating in the tank. But the soul was not satisfied. At last the kings soul met Sage Agasthiya and explained about his suffering. The sage told the kings soul "donate in the form of a ring all the good things that you did during your life time and give me power to sell them and do poor feeding on your behalf." The kings soul did accordingly. The sage Agasthiya told his disciples to sell the ring and to do poor-feeding on behalf of the late king Swadha-kethu. The king's soul attained peace and moksham.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 1700 ft from sea level and 45 kms enroute from Rishi-kesh to Badrinath in North India.                                              Home

Parama-Purushan at Thiruparidhi

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiruparidhi
Deity in sanctum	Parama-Purushan east facing Bujanga Sayanam
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Parimalavalli-Thayar
Deity for festivals	Parama-Purushan
Consort for festivals	Sri Parimalavalli-Thayar
Tower is called	Sri Govardhana- Vimanam
Holi tank	Indira-Theertham, Govardhana-Theertham and Manasarovas
Devotees who have seen the god here	Devathi-Devas
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar
Legend: There is no particular legend on this temple. General talk is it was in Himalayas. Another rumour about this temple is that it is on the way to Badrinath. Exact route is not known.   Om  Narayanaya Namo Namaha    Location: Thiru-Paridhi is said to be located in Himalayas.                                Home

Devarajan At Naimicharanyam

Temple features:
Name of this place	Naimicharanyam
Deity in sanctum	Devarajan east facing Standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sri Hari Lakshmi
Deity for festivals	Sri Hari
Consort for festivals	Sri Hari Lakshmi
Tower is called	Sri Hari- Vimanam
Holi tank	Chakkara-Theertham and River Gomiki
Devotees who have seen the god here	Indiran, Sudharman, Soodhapuranigar and Romesar
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar
Legend: Once all the sages asked Lord Brahma "which in this earth is the best and most tranquil place to do penance". In answer, Vayu purana says (The holy books) Bhrama sent out a mano-maya wheel (chakram) to the earth. It kept rolling a long way. The holy men followed the wheel till it stopped. They called the place 'Neimicharanya' and settled down there to do their penance. There is a belief that all the sages of the yore are doing penance there even today. Naimicharanya also known as Nimsar is on the left bank of the river Gomati. This place has also been visited by Adi-Sankaracharya and Surdas lived here. There are several mythical 'theerthas' (rivers) in Neimicharanya. This forest is so closely linked to Lord Vishnu that he is considered to be an "aranya- swaroopi". (the forest is considered to be the representation of Maha-vishnu) A legend is that sage Dadichi freed himself from his material body so that his bones could be used to destroy the demons. Sri Rama had a dip at the Hatyaharana threetham here and purifed himself after he killed Ravana. The tank refered to is a lake called Chakra Theertham, (where the wheel of Bhrama stopped). It is also the place where Vishnu killed the demons with his discus. The five rivers Godavari, Kasi, Gangotri,Gomathi, and Gomukhi mingle here and it is called 'pancha-prayag' This is only place where the Lord is worshiped as "Aranya-Swaroopi' among 108 Thirupathys.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: Naimicharanya is located 45 miles north of Lucknow in Uttarpradesh.                                        Home

Sri Rama at Ayodhya

Temple features:
Name of this place	Ayodhya
Deity in sanctum	Sri Rama North facing Standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Sita devi
Deity for festivals	Raghu Nayagan
Consort for festivals	Sita Devi
Tower is called	Pushkala-Vimanam
Holi tank	River Sarayu,and Paramapatha Pushkarini.
Devotees who have seen the god here	Devas, Rishis, Bharadhan and citizens of Ayodhya
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar,Periyalzhwar Nam-alzhwar,Kulasegara-alzhwar,and Thondaradi podi-alzhwar
Legend: Sri Rama Janma Boomi On the northern side of Ganga (Ganges) was the great kingdom of Kosala, made fertile by the river sarayu. Emperor Dhasarada ruled over the kingdom from the capital city of Ayodhya. The king fought on the side of the devas in all their battles and his fame spread in the three worlds. The people of the country were very happy , contented and virtuous. The country was protected by a mighty army and no enemy could enter anywhere near. The country contained forts with moats around them as well as many defensive installations and true to its name, Ayodhya defied all enemies( Ayodhi means that which cannot be subdued by war). King Dasaratha ruled over the country smoothly for many years but he had a great regret that he had no children. One day the king consulted his kingdom's religious preceptor Vasishta. He told the king that he should perform "Putrakameshti-yaga". According to the sage's advise the king decided to perform the yaga. Contemporaneously with the Yaga in Ayodhya there was a conference of the devas in heaven. The Devas complained to Lord Brahma that Raavana the king of the demons, drunk with power acquired by the boon granted to him by Brahma was causing them untold misery and hardship. They represented to Brahma, " it is beyond our capacity to subdue or kill Ravana. In the security of your boon he has grown wicked and insolent and ill treats all, even women. Sri Vishnu is our only refuge and it was for him to devise a method by which Ravana can be slain and his despotism ended". Lord Brahma knew that he had granted the boon to Ravana that he would be invincible against devas, asuras, gandharvas and other such others. In his arrogance Ravana did not care to ask for security against mankind. As brahma revealed this fateful omission all the gods rejoiced and turned to Vishnu. All Devas surrendered themselves to Sri Vishnu and begged him to be born as a human being and put an end to Ravana and his atrocities. Sri Vishnu agreed and assured the devas that he would incarnate as the first of the four sons of King Dasaratha who was then performing a sacrifice for progeny. The Yaga was performed in a grand manner. At the noon-time the sun god holding a bowl of gold, called the king by his name and said: "Dasaratha all the devas are pleased with you and are answering your prayers. Here is porridge sent by the gods for your wives. You will be blessed with sons if they drink this divine beverage." Dasaratha's wives partook of the porridge and Sri Vishnu as he had assured the devas, incarnated as a son to King Dasaratha through his wife Kausalya. The child was named Sri Rama.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 3 kms from Faisalabad Railway station in UP                                    Home

Satya-giri Nadhan at Thiru-Meyyam

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiru-Meyyam
Deity in sanctum	Satya-giri Nadhan East facing Bujanga sayanam
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Ujeevana-Thayar
Deity for festivals	Rajagopalan
Consort for festivals	Uyya-vandha -Nachiyar
Tower is called	Satyagiri-Vimanam
Holi tank	Kadhamba-Pushkarini & Satya-Theertham.
Devotees who have seen the god here	Satyamuni,Monarch Pururvan, Aadhi-Sheshan, Chandran & Garudan
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar,
Legend Satya-kshetra puran says this place was called Satyagiri. Aadhi Sheshan, Chandran and Satya-muni all did penance here and became famous. Emperor Bruruva came to this place and stayed here for many years worshipping the deity Satyagiri-Nadhan.He attained liberation achieved through god. The merits of this temple: Chandran worshiped the idol called ' Dhathi Vamanam ' made of Chandra Kandha kal ( magnetic stone )and installed on the south side of Satya-Pushkarini Secondly the deity called 'Sayana-Moorthi' ( in the lying pose) was installed by Adi-Seshan on the Southern side of Thiru-Meyyam hills and worshiped by the 10 hooded snake. The third deity on the top of the meyyam hill made of Garuda Pacchai. (Green Stone) was worshiped by Garuda. It is said that this place is guarded by Aadhi-Sheshan.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located about 8 miles from Pudukotai enroute to Karaikudi in Tamilnadu.                                     Home

Aadhi-Jaganadhan at Thiru-Pullani

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiru-Pullani
Deity in sanctum	Aadhi-Jaganadhan East facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Kalyanavalli Nachiyar
Deity for festivals	Kalyana-Jaganadhan
Consort for festivals	Padmasini Nachiyar
Tower is called	Kalyana-Vimanam ( there are seven vimanas in this temple)
Holi tank	Chakkara Theertham, Aadhi Sethu Hamsa Theertham, Varuna-Theertham, Dharma-Theertham, and Rama-Theertham.
Devotees who have seen the god here	Aswattha-Narayan, Pullar, and Samudra-Rajan.
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar,Thirumazhisai-alzhwar Andal and Kulasegaralzhwar
Legend: Recalling epic Ramayana: Ravana kidnaped Sita and took her accross the ocean to Lanka. So for crossing the ocean to kill Ravana and rescue sita Rama did prayer to Samudra-Rajan lying on the grass ( Dharba-sayanam) for seven days. The Samudra-Rajan appeared before Rama and said "you may build a causeway accross the sea with your monkey warriors to reach lanka." Rama was very happy and went to Aadhi-Jaganathan temple and prayed to the diety. The Lord appeared before Rama bestowed a bow and Arrows (Vishnu Dhanusu) and blessed him. Sri Rama built a causeway with the help of the monkeys and crossed the sea. He defeated Ravana and rescued Sita. It is said that while Rama was returning to Ayodhi as requested by his devotees he performed his 'pattabishegam' (crowning) in this place before his main coronation in Ayodhi.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha     Location: This temple is located 8 kms from Ramanadha-Puram in Tamilnadu. Buses and taxis are available from Ramanadha-puram                                          Home

Ksheerabdhi Nadhan at Thiru-Kotiyur

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiru-Kotiyur
Deity in sanctum	Ksheerabdhi Nadhan      East facing Bujanga sayanam
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Thiru-Magal Nachiyar
Deity for festivals	Sowmya-Narayanan
Consort for festivals	Thiru-Magal Nachiyar
Tower is called	Ashtanga-Vimanam
Holi tank	Deva-Pushkarini.
Devotees who have seen the god here	Brahma, Devas and  Kadhamba-Muni
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-  alzhwar,Peyalzhwar,Periyalzhwar Boodhatalzhwar, Thirumazhisai-alzhwar and Ramanujar
Legend Sri Bramanda puranam says once Demon Hiranyan did penance to Brahma for many years. The creator appeared before him and Hiranya asked Brahma " please grant me this boon thatI should not die." Brahma said to him that "if any one takes birth on this earth and when the time comes he should die.So ask for some thing else". Hiranyan was disappointed but he asked the same boon in a different way. The demon asked Brahma "My lord I should not die by human beings, animals, Devas, Rishis or because of any accident either in the morning or at night." Brahma smiled and said "Yes I grant you this boon." The creater disappeared and Hiranya happily returned home. After this he was ill-treating the devas. They were struggling because of his torture. All the devas went to satyalogam and told Brahma about their problems because of the boon he had given to the demon. Brahma said to the devas "I can do nothing about this. Hence you all go to Vaikundam and tell your grievences to Sri Vishnu." The Devas went to Sri Vishnu Logam and told the Lord about the problems inflicted by demon Hiranyan. Sri Vishnu said to them all to go to the earth and find a good place for discussion about Hiranya vadham. Accordingly all devas and the creator Brahma came to the earth and found a place near Thiruppatoor where sage Kadhamba was doing penance. They decided that this place was good for the discussion. They all went to Vishnu Logam and told the Lord about the place. The trinity of gods and devas came by batches to Thiru Kotiyur. They discussed the strategy to kill the Demon. At last Narayana took incarnation as Narasimha (half-man and half-beast) and killed the demon in the evening time when it was neither morning nor night. Because of the trinity of gods , the Saptha-rishis, and all devas arrived here this place was called Thiru-Goshtiyur. But in due course the name changed to Thirukotiyur. Sri Vishnu came from Ksheerabdhi Sagar to this place. So this deity is called Ksheerabdhi Nadhan.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 10 kms from Karaikudi in Tamilnadu. Buses and taxis are available from Karaikudi                                          Home

Kalamega-perumal at Thiru-Mogoor

Temple features:
Name of this place	Thiru-Mogoor
Deity in sanctum	Kalamega-perumal East facing standing pose
Consort of Vishnu in sanctum	Mohana-vallithayar
Deity for festivals	Thirumogoor-Aapthan
Consort for festivals	Thirumogoorvalli-Nachiyar
Tower is called	Kedhasa-vimanam
Holi tanks	Ksheerabthi-Pushmarini,Brahma-Theertham, Papanasa-Theertham Swargatwaratheertham, Naragasura-Theertham,and Paraman-Theertham.
Devotees who have seen the god here	Brahma, Indiran,Pulasthiyar,and Devas
Devotional song sung on the deity by	Thirumangai-alzhwar Namalzhwar, Manavala-Ma-Muni and Pillai Perumal- Iyangar.
Legend Sri Bramanda-puranam and Matsya puranam speak elaborately about this Vishnu abode. They say in ancient times that it was called Mohana-Kshetram. According to these puranas once all the devas went to Vishnu Loga. They all prayed to the lord and asked for the boon that they should not die for ever and remain immortal. Sri Mahavishnu granted them the boon. For this Vishnu told Brahma and the other gods that they should have a temporary truce with the demons. and the two sides should get together to churn the ocean. Vishnu would ensure that the devas benefited more from this churning of the ocean than the demons did. The truce was agreed upon and the two sides got ready to churn the ocean. The mountain Mandara was used as a churning rod and great snake Vasuki as the rope for churning. The devas grasped Vasuki’s tail and the demons grasped Vasuki’s head. As the churning began, the mountain Mandara which had no base, started to get immersed in the ocean. Lord Vishnu came to the rescue. He took the form of a turtle and the peak was raised and balanced on the turtle’s back. As the churning continued, terrible poison named kalakuta emerged from the depths of the ocean and was swallowed by Shiva. Shiva’s throat became blue from this poison and he is therefore known as Nilakantha, blue of throat. The goddess Varuni, the goddess of wine (sura), came out next. The gods readily accepted her and thus they came to be known as suras. But the demons rejected Varuni and were therefore known as asuras. She was followed by the Parijata tree, a beautiful tree that came to occupy the pride of place in Indra’s garden. A jewel named koustubha emerged and was accepted by Vishnu as his adornment. Three wonderful animals came out next - the cow Kapila, the horse Ucchaishrava and the elephant Airavata. They were followed by the apsaras, beautiful women who became the dancers in the heaven. They were known as apsaras because they emerged from ap (water). Finally the goddess Lakshmi or Shri came out next and was united with Vishnu Dhanvantari emerged with a pot of nector ( Amirtha the life - giving drink) in his hands. Dhanvantari was the originator of medicine (ayurveda). The demons led by Jambha gave half of the amrita to the devas and departed with the remaining half. But Vishnu quickly took the form of a beautiful woman. So beautiful was the woman that the demons were charmed. “Pretty lady,” they said. “ take this amrita and serve it to us. Marry us.” Vishnu accepted the amrita, but he had no intention of giving it to the demons. He served it to the gods instead. There was only one demon who was somewhat clever. His name was Rahu. He disguised himself in the the form of Chandra, the moon-god, and succeeded in drinking some of the amrita. The sun-god and the moon-god noticed what was happening and reported it to Vishnu. Vishnu thereupon cut off Rahu’s head with a sword. But Rahu had drunk the amrita, so he could not die. He prayed to Vishnu and Vishnu granted him a boon. The boon was that occasionally Rahu would be permitted to swallow up the sun and the moon.You can see this happening at the time of the solar and the lunar eclipses. People who give alms during such eclipses are blessed. The gods obtained the amrita and the demons did not. Thus, the gods became immortal Because the Lord incarnated as Mohini this place came to be known as Mohini-Kshetram. Later this name has been changed as Mogoor.   Om Sreem Narayanaya Namo Namaha   Location: This temple is located 2 kms from Madurai enroute to Thiru-vathavoor in Tamilnadu. Buses and taxis are available from Madurai                                 Home