Purushothama Perumal Temple, Thiruvanpurushothamam
Thiru Vann Purushothamam

Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eleven Nangur Divya Desams.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiru Vann Purushothamam is one of the eleven Thirunangur Divya Desams near Sirkazhi, glorified by Thirumangai Alvar in ten pasurams of his Divya Prabandham. The Lord is worshipped as Purushottaman, the best among men, the supreme being who is foremost among bhaktas, muktas, nityas and all purushas, with his consort Lakshmi as Purushottama Nayaki (Purushottamavalli). The central legend concerns sage Vyaghrapadar (Vyaghrapada) and his infant son Upamanyu. When the child cried out of hunger, the Lord graciously created an ocean of milk at this place, the Thiruparkadal, and Mother Purushottama Nayaki fed the infant with that milk; sage Upamanyu is remembered as having worshipped the deity here. Because the Lord generously granted the milk ocean to Upamanyu Maharishi, the sacred tank is known as the Thiruparkadal Theertham. As with the other Thirunangur shrines, the temple is linked to the legend of Shiva's grief-stricken dance after the loss of his consort at Daksha's sacrifice, which Vishnu pacified by manifesting in eleven forms across Thirunangur. The Moolavar, Sri Purushottaman, stands facing east, with the Thayaar Purushottama Nayaki enshrined in her own sannidhi. The vimana over the sanctum is the Sanjeevi Vimaanam, and the temple celebrates an annual Garuda Sevai after Thai Amavasai, when the Lord gives darshan upon Garuda along with the other Thirunangur perumals.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Purushothaman (Thamaraikannan) with Purushottama Nayaki (Thamaraikkanni) of Thiru Vann Purushothamam is glorified by:
Thiruvanpurushothamam (Purushothama Perumal temple, Thirunangur, Mayiladuthurai district) is the 30th of the 108 Divya Desams and one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathis. It was sung exclusively by Thirumangai Alvar, who performed mangalasasanam in a single decade of 10 pasurams in his Periya Thirumozhi. The presiding deity Purushottaman stands with consort Purushottama Nayagi. Thirumangai Alvar's pasurams for this and the other Thirunangur shrines are recited during the annual Thirumangai Alvar Mangalasasana Utsavam in the Tamil month of Thai.
கம்ப மாகடல் அடைத்து இலங்கைக்கு மன் கதிர்முடி அவைபத்தும் அம்பினால் அறுத்து, அரசு அவன் தம்பிக்கு அளித்தவன் உறைகோயில் செம்பலா நிரை செண்பகம் மாதவி சூதகம் வாழைகள் சூழ் வம்பு உலாம் கமுகு ஓங்கிய நாங்கூர் வண்புருடோத்தமமே
kamba mAkadal adaiththu ilangaikku man kadhirmudi avaipaththum ambinAl aRuththu, arasu avan thambikku aLiththavan uRaikOyil sembalA nirai seNbagam mAdhavi sUdhagam vAzhaigaL sUzh vambu ulAm kamugu Ongiya nAngUr vaNpurudOththamamE
He who dammed the surging great ocean, reached Lanka, severed with his arrows the ten radiant crowned heads of its king (Ravana), and bestowed the kingdom on Ravana's younger brother (Vibhishana) — His abode is the temple of Van-Purushottamam at Nangur, encircled by groves of red jackfruit, shenbagam, madhavi creeper, mango and plantain, where fragrance wafts and tall areca palms rise.
அண்டர் ஆனவர் வானவர் கோனுக்கு என்று அமைத்த சோறு அது எல்லாம் உண்டு, கோநிரை மேய்த்து அவை காத்தவன் உகந்து இனிது உறைகோயில், கொண்டல் ஆர் முழவில் குளிர் வார் பொழில் குல மயில் நடமாட, வண்டு தான் இசை பாடிடு நாங்கூர் வண்புருடோத்தமமே
aṇḍar āṉavar vāṉavar kōṉukku eṉṟu amaitta sōṟu adu ellām uṇḍu, kōnirai mēyttu avai kāttavaṉ ugandu iṉidu uṟaikōyil, koṇḍal ār muḻavil kuḷir vār poḻil kula mayil naḍamāḍa, vaṇḍu tāṉ isai pāḍiḍu nāṅgūr vaṇpuruḍōttamamē
He who ate up all the food the cowherds had prepared as an offering for Indra, king of the celestials, and who then herded and guarded the cattle (lifting Govardhana) — He joyfully and sweetly dwells in His temple at Nangur's Van-Purushottamam, where, to the thunder-drum of the rain-clouds, flocks of peacocks dance in the cool spreading groves and the bees sing their music.
மண்ணுளார் புகழ் வேதியர் நாங்கூர் வண்புருடோத்தமத்துள், அண்ணல் சேவடிக் கீழ் அடைந்து உய்ந்தவன் ஆலி மன் அருள்மாரி, பண் உளார் தரப் பாடிய பாடல் இப் பத்தும் வல்லார், உலகில் எண் இலாத பேர் இன்பம் உற்று இமையவரோடும் கூடுவரே.
maNNuLAr pugazh vEdhiyar nAngUr vaNpurudOththamaththuL, aNNal sEvadik kIzh adaindhu uyndhavan Ali man aruLmAri, paN uLAr tharap pAdiya pAdal ip paththum vallAr, ulagil eN ilAdha pEr inbam uRRu imaiyavarOdum kUduvarE.
At Van-Purushottamam in Nangur, where Vedic brahmins praised throughout the world reside, the Lord of Tiruvali (Thirumangai Alvar) — who took refuge at the feet of the Lord and was redeemed, the rain-cloud of grace — sang these ten melodious pann-set verses. Those who master them will attain measureless great bliss in this world and join the company of the deathless celestials.
More verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar sings a decade (10 pasurams) glorifying the Lord Purushottaman who stands at Thiruvanpurushothamam, one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathi shrines near Sirkazhi. He praises the Lord as the Supreme Person (Purushottama) and offers his surrender, the pasurams being recited annually at the Thirumangai Alvar Mangalasasana Utsavam. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi one decade of 10 pasurams (Thirunangur Tirupathi group, 3rd pathu) · source ↗
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
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