Vaikuntanatha Perumal Temple, Thiruvaikunda Vinnagaram
Thiru VaiKunda Vinnagaram

Photo: फ़िलप्रो (Filpro) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eleven Nangur Divya Desams.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiru Vaikunda Vinnagaram in Thirunangur is one of the eleven Thirunangur Divya Desams, where Vishnu is worshipped as Vaikuntanatha (Vaikunda Nathan) with his consort Vaikundavalli. Like the other Thirunangur shrines, its origin is tied to a Shaivite legend: when his consort perished in Daksha's yagna, Shiva's furious dance caused eleven forms of Rudra to spring from his falling locks; to calm the cosmos, Vishnu intervened and, at Shiva's request, manifested himself in eleven forms across Thirunangur, of which this temple is one. The temple's distinctive legend is that the sage Udanga (Uthanga) Maharishi and King Uparisaravasu (Vasu) worshipped here and were granted a vision of the Lord exactly as he reposes in Vaikuntam, his celestial abode, seated in amarndha kolam with one leg folded, one hand resting on Adisesha and the other displaying the abhaya-varada hastam. Because the Lord revealed his very Paramapada (Vaikuntam) form here, the place is called Vaikunta Vinnagaram, and devotees believe one can have direct darshan of the heavenly form on earth itself; the Lord is accordingly also praised as Thamarai Kannudaya Piraan, the lotus-eyed one. The sanctum is roofed by the Ananta Satya Vartaka Vimanam, and the temple has two sacred tanks, the Lakshmi Pushkarini and the Viraja Pushkarini. The shrine is sung by Thirumangai Alvar in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham. During the annual Garuda Sevai utsavam in the Tamil month of Thai, the deities of all eleven Nangur Divya Desams gather on their Garuda mounts.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Vaikuntanatha (Paramapadanatha) with Vaikuntavalli of Thiru VaiKunda Vinnagaram is glorified by:
Thiruvaikunda Vinnagaram (Vaikunta Nathan Perumal temple), one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathis near Sirkazhi, was given Mangalasasanam by Thirumangai Alvar in a decad of ten pasurams of his Periya Thirumozhi; the Lord here is Vaikuntanathan with Thayar Vaikundavalli, the deity worshipped as the very Vaikuntham brought to earth. The shrine is central to the famed annual Thirumangai Azhwar Mangalasasana Utsavam (the Garuda Sevai of all eleven Thirunangur temples). Wikipedia notes the temple is also generally counted in the Prabandham praised by Periyalvar and Thirumalisai Alvar, but the dedicated decad is Thirumangai Alvar's.
சலங்கொண்ட இரணியன தகல்மார்வம் கீண்டு தடங்கடலைக் கடைந்தமுதங் கொண்டுகந்த காளை, நலங்கொண்ட கருமுகில்போல் திருமேனி யம்மான் நாடோறும் மகிழ்ந்தினிது மருவியுறை கோயில், சலங்கொண்டு மலர்சொரியும் மல்லிகையொண் செருந்தி சண்பகங்கள் மணநாறும் வண்பொழிலி னூடே, வலங்கொண்டு கயலோடி விளையாடு நாங்கூர் வைகுந்த விண்ணகரம் வணங்குமட நெஞ்சே.
salangoNda iraNiyanadhu agal mArvam kINdu thadangadalaik kadaindhu amudham koNdu ugandha kALai, nalangoNda karumugil pOl thirumEni ammAn nALdhORum magizhndhu inidhu maruvi uRai kOyil, salangoNdu malar soriyum malligai oN serundhi saNbagangaL maNa nARum vaNpozhilin UdE, valangoNdu kayalOdi viLaiyAdu nAngUr vaigundha viNNagaram vaNangu mada nenjE.
The Lord, ever-youthful, who joyfully tore open the broad chest of the wrathful Hiranya(kashipu) and who churned the vast ocean and took the nectar (for the devas) -- that Lord whose auspicious divine form resembles a dark rain-cloud -- this is the temple where He resides, dwelling lovingly and sweetly day after day, in the midst of rich groves fragrant with blossoming jasmine, bright cerundi and champak flowers, where carp-fish dart and play (in the waters). O steadfast heart, worship Vaikunta Vinnagaram in (Thiru)nangur!
சங்கு மலி தண்டு முதல் சக்கரம் முன் ஏந்தும் தாமரைக் கண் நெடிய பிரான் தான் அமரும் கோயில், வங்கம் மலி கடல் உலகில் மலிவு எய்து நாங்கூர் வைகுந்த விண்ணகர் மேல் வண்டு அறையும் பொழில் சூழ், மங்கையர் தம் தலைவன் மருவலர் தம் உடல் துணிய வாள் வீசும் பரகாலன் கலிகன்றி சொன்ன, சங்கம் மலி தமிழ் மாலை பத்து இவை வல்லார்கள் தரணியொடு விசும்பு ஆளும் தன்மை பெறுவாரே.
sangu mali thaNdu mudhal chakkaram mun Endhum thAmaraik kaN nediya pirAn thAn amarum kOyil, vangam mali kadal ulagil malivu eydhu nAngUr vaigundha viNNagar mEl vaNdu aRaiyum pozhil sUzh, mangaiyar tham thalaivan maruvalar tham udal thuNiya vAL vIsum parakAlan kalikanRi sonna, sangam mali thamizh mAlai paththu ivai vallArgaL tharaNiyodu visumbu ALum thanmai peRuvArE.
(This is) the temple where the lotus-eyed supreme Lord dwells, He who bears in His hands the conch, the mace and foremost the discus -- in Vaikunta Vinnagaram of Nangur, prosperous in this ocean-and-ship-filled world, surrounded by groves where bees hum. Those who master these ten verses of this melodious garland of Tamil, sung by Parakalan Kalikanri (Thirumangai Alvar), lord of (Thiru)mangai, who wields his sword to cut down the bodies of his foes -- they will attain the greatness to rule over both this earth and the heavens (Paramapadam).
விளங்கனியை யிளங்கன்று கொண்டுதிர வெறிந்து வேல்நெடுங்க ணாய்ச்சியர்கள் வைத்ததயிர் வெண்ணெய் உளங்குளிர அமுதுசெய்தி வ்வுலகுண்ட காளை உகந்தினிது நாடோறும் மருவியுறை கோயில் இளம்படிநற் கமுகுகுலைத் தெங்குகொடிச் செந்நெல் ஈன்கரும்பு கண்வளரக் கால்தடவும் புனலால் வளங்கொண்ட பெருஞ்செல்வம் வளருமணி நாங்கூர் வைகுந்த விண்ணகரம் வணங்குமட நெஞ்சே.
viLanganiyai iLanganRu koNdu udhira eRindhu vEl nedungaN AychchiyargaL vaiththa thayir veNNey uLam kuLira amudhu seydhu iv vulagu uNda kALai ugandhu inidhu nAL dhORum maruvi uRai kOyil iLambadi naR kamugu kulaith thengu kodich chennel In karumbu kaN vaLarak kAl thadavum punalAl vaLam koNda perunjelvam vaLarum aNi nAngUr vaigundha viNNagaram vaNangu mada nenjE.
The ever-youthful Lord who flung the calf-demon (Vatsasura) against the wood-apple demon (Kapittha) to destroy them both, who ate to His heart's content the curd and butter laid by the spear-eyed cowherd-women, and who also swallowed this whole world -- this is the temple where He resides lovingly and sweetly every day. O steadfast heart, worship Vaikunta Vinnagaram in beautiful Nangur, abounding in flourishing great wealth.
More verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar sang a full decad of ten pasurams on Vaikuntanathan of Thiruvaikunda Vinnagaram in Thirunangur, glorifying the Lord who, though the master of Paramapadam (Sri Vaikuntham), has graciously descended to dwell in this earthly Vaikuntham amid the eleven Thirunangur shrines, and calling devotees to take refuge in Him. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi · source ↗
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
Read the pāsurams ↗Gallery
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