Koodal Azhagar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Madurai International Airport is about 12 km from the city.

• By train

  Madurai Junction is the main railway station of Madurai.

Why devotees come here

Koodal Azhagar Temple is a Vishnu temple in the central part of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is the 47th of the 108 Divya Desams. Its nine planetary deities, the Navagrahas, are unusual in a Vishnu temple, since they are otherwise found only in Shiva temples.

Koodal Azhagar Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vaishnavism, the Vishnu shrines that Vaishnavites revere. The temple's own website counts it as the 47th. Legend says Vishnu appeared here to slay the demon Somuka, who had abducted the four Vedas. Another belief ties the name Koodal to Vishnu standing as a bulwark during the Mahapralaya, the cosmic dissolution.

The temple follows the Tenkalai tradition of Vaishnavism. It was expanded under the Madurai Nayaks in the 16th century. The Mathuravalli shrine for the consort was built, and the temple renovated, in 1923 by Muthu K.R.V. Alagappa Chettiar of Devakottai. A kumbabishegam, a consecration ceremony, was held on 20 January 2024. A news report says the temple management submitted an action plan to the Madras High Court to renovate the Teppakulam tank and rebuild its Centre Stone Mandapam.

The five-tiered gopuram, the gateway tower, rises 125 ft (38 m). The sanctum tower is an eight-storied Ashtanga Vimana, which the temple's website calls the rarest of the rare. The vimana is believed to be the work of Vishvakarma, the divine architect. The main shrine houses the presiding deity in sitting, standing and reclining postures.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Vaikasi (May to June)Brahmotsavam

  A fourteen-day festival and the most prominent of the temple. The festive images are carried in a chariot around the streets on all fourteen days.

Tips for your visit

• Visit the Teppakulam tank, which lies outside the temple premises and has a granite centre hall.
• The consort has her own shrine, the Mathuravalli Thayar Shrine.

Questions people ask