Thiruvanparisaram

Vishnu as Thiruvaḻmarbhan

Consort Kamalavalli

Vaishnava temple

200px|thumb|Soma Tirtham, the temple tank As per Hindu legend, Nammalvar, the most prominent Alvar saint from the 9th century was born in Thirupathisaram. There are other accounts, which place his birthplace as Thirukurukur (modern day Alwarthirunagiri) in the southernmost region of the Tamil country. Some sources consider his to have been a princely family, although of low caste birth. According to legend he was born fully enlightened and as a baby he never cried or suckled and never opened his eyes. The child did not respond to no external stimuli and his parents carried him in a golden cradle from Tirupathisaaram and left him at the feet of the deity of Sri Adhinathar in Alwarthirunagari. The child got up and climbed into a hole in a tamarind tree, sat in a lotus position, and began to meditate. He was in this state for sixteen years when a Tamil poet and scholar, on his trip to North India, named Madhurakavi Alvar saw a bright light shining to the south, and followed it until he reached the tree where the boy was residing. Madhurakavi asked a divine question on existence to the boy for which he responded that if the soul identifies with the body, it will be the body but if it serves the divine, it will stay in Vaikuntha and think of God. The boy was named Nammalvar and he went on to recite verses, which were recorded by Madhurakavi and later went on to be compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabhandam along with the works of other Alvars.

Architecture

Dravidian architecture

First attested

9th century

Details are compiled from Wikimedia projects and published temple sources. Send a correction if something is wrong.

• Wikipedia, Divya Desam
• Wikipedia, Thiruvazhmarban temple

More links

• HRCE Tamil Nadu
• English Wikipedia
• Google Maps