Adikesava Perumal Temple, Thiruvattar, Tamil Nadu

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The Adikesavaperumal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is located in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The Lord is worshipped as AdiKesavaSwamy means ‘Foremost Friend’ with his consort as Maragathavalli Thayaar. It is one of the 108 Divya desams, the holy sites of Hindu Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the seventh and eighth centuries C.E. The temple is one of the historic thirteen Divya Deshams of Malai Nadu. The temple is a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, (River Kothai, River Pahrali and River Thamirabarani). It is believed that the temple is older than Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram.

Legend

According to the legend, Lord Adikesava defeated the demon Kesi. The demon’s wife prayed to the River Ganges and River Thamirabarani and created destruction. They came in spate to wash off the Lord. Mother Earth simply raised the ground level where Perumal was reclining. Both Rivers went round the Lord, prayed to Him and continued to flow round as two garlands. Thus, the formation of the rivers made in a circle came to be known as Thiruvattaru.

Architecture

The temple architecture is Dravidian style architecture with wooden pillars, doors and roofs. The idol of Adikesava and Sree Padmanabha are facing each other. The lord is lying on his snake couch and has to be viewed through three doors. Lord Shiva idol is found near Lord Adikesava Perumal inside the sannidhi. Deepalakshmis are many but none resembles the other. The Otraikkal Mandapam (single stone hall) made of a single stone 3 feet thick, is a marvel.

Temple Timings

The temple is open from 05:00 A.M. to 12:00 p.m. and 05:00 P.M. to 08:00 P.M.

Pooja Timings

The temple performs the pooja in the Morning Palliyunarttal at 4.00 AM, Temple Opening And Panja kavas am at 5.00 AM, Abishegam at 6.30 AM, Malar Nivethiyam at 7.30 AM, Usha Poojai And Uchi Poojai at 10.45 AM To 11.45 AM and Deepa Aradhana And Aadhala Poojai in the Evening at 6.30 PM.