Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) serves the Trichy area, 5 km from the city centre.

• By train

  Tiruchirappalli is an important junction on the Southern Railway.

• By road

  The temple is about 24 km from Trichy, on the highway from Trichy to Salem.

Why devotees come here

Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple stands in Gunaseelam village, on the banks of the River Kaveri, near Trichy. The presiding deity, Vishnu as Prasanna Venkatachalapathy, stands in the central shrine. The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnava tradition.

Legend says the sage Gunaseela Rishi stayed at Tirupathi and was drawn to Venkatachalapathy there. He wanted the deity to appear at Gunaseelam as well. After his penance, the deity appeared before him and promised to stay here until the end of Kali Yuga. Legend also says the deity later appeared before a Chola king as Prasanna Venkatesan. For this reason the temple is revered as South Tirupati.

Legend credits the Chola king with building the temple and setting up its daily poojas, as directed by Prasanna Venkatesan. Hereditary trustees have transformed the temple to reflect modern architecture, with devotees' contributions. The conical tower over the central shrine has three tiers and is called a Trinetra vimana. The presiding deity stands in the shrine beneath it, and the temple was designed and built by R. Ranganathan Sthapathy.

Festivals

• Puratasi (September to October)Brahmotsavam

  The major festival of the temple, celebrated for 11 days.

• Chittirai (March to April)Chitrai Theppotsavam

  A float festival of the temple.

• AavaniPavitrotsavam

  A three-day festival in the Tamil month of Aavani.

Tips for your visit

• The festivals follow the Tamil calendar, so check the exact dates with the temple before you plan a trip around one.
• The three poojas have set names: Viswaroopam in the morning, Uchikalam at midday and Ardhajamam at night.

Questions people ask