Thiru Aadanoor Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport is the nearest commercial airport to Kumbakonam. It is 91 km away.

• By train

  Kumbakonam railway station serves the town. Daily express trains link it with major Tamil Nadu cities, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli.

Why devotees come here

Thiru Aadanoor Temple stands in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Vishnu is worshipped here as Andalakkum Aiyan.

Thiru Aadanoor is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Kulasekhara Alvar sings its praise in one hymn of that Sri Vaishnava collection. Legend says Vishnu helped a devotee who had been cheated by his workers. Sand from the Kollidam river turned into precious stones for those who had toiled, and stayed sand for those who shirked work. Indra and Agni are also said to have worshipped Vishnu here, and Hanuman is said to have visited on his way to Lanka.

Stone inscriptions inside the temple say it is 1000 years old, and Aditya Chola is credited with building it. The temple is under the full control of the Ahobila mutt and follows the Vadakalai tradition. The main shrine is topped by the Pranava Vimana, where Vishnu's image is visible up to the knee. The deities are carved from Salagramam stone, a speciality of the temple. The temple has a three-tiered rajagopuram. All the shrines sit inside a rectangular enclosure.

Festivals

• Vaikasi month, May to JuneBrahmotsavam

  The major festival of the temple.

• Margali month, December to JanuaryVaikuntha Ekadashi

  The other major festival celebrated in the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the deities carved from Salagramam stone, a speciality of the temple.
• Brahmotsavam in Vaikasi (May to June) is the major festival.
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi in Margali (December to January) is the other big festival.
• Swamimalai, a nearby town on the banks of the Kaveri, is the site of the fourth of the six abodes of Murugan.

Questions people ask