Sri Adikesava Perumal Temple – Thiruvattar

 

Sri Adikesava Perumal Temple is located in Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu State.

It is one of the 108 divyadesam of Lord Vishnu.

Here Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Adikesava Perumal and his consort is Maragathavali Thayar.

It is surrounded by three rivers namely Kothai, Pahrali, and Thamirabarani.

This temple is older than the Anantha Padmanabha temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

This temple has been mentioned in Padma Purana

This temple has a mix of Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture.

The idol of the Lord stands at 22 feet, bigger than Anantha Padmanabhaswamy.

The lord is lying on his snake couch and has to be viewed through three doors. Adikesava Perumal's feet are on the left and head on the right; it is the reverse in Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple. A Shiva lingam is situated near Lord Adikesava Perumal inside the Sannidhi.

There are close to 50 inscriptions inside the temple in both Tamil and Sanskrit including those relating to Kulothunga Chola I and his contribution to this temple. In addition to the inscriptions, one also finds several stunning sculptures on the pillars similar to the ones in Krishnapuram and Srivaikuntam. Another remarkable feature is the Ottakkal mandapam outside the sanctum measuring 18 feet in width and 3 feet in height that has been built on a single stone in the 12th Century AD. Udaya Marthanda mandapam has exquisite wooden carvings; the highlight is Lord Ganapathi's wedding procession. The corridors have 222 salabhanjikas and are unique.

The Lord AdiKesavaSwamy means 'Foremost Friend'. Legend says that Lord AdiKesavaSwamy defeated the demon Kesi. The demon's wife prayed to the River Ganges and to River Thamirabarani and created destruction. But it was in vain and she surrendered to the Lord. Thus, the formation of the rivers made in a circle came to be known as Thiruvattaru.

The sun's rays fall directly on Lord Adikesava Perumal in March-April and September-October.

Vaikunta Ekadasi is observed with great pomp. The delicious prasadams at this temple include Aval, Appam, and Paal Payasam (Milk Kheer). The pujas are performed in the same manner as in the Thiruvananthapuram Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.

 Timings

5.00 am to 12.00 pm

5.00 pm to 8.00 pm

How to reach the Temple

45 km from Kanyakumari