Thirupullabhoothangudi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport is the nearest commercial airport, 91 km from Kumbakonam.

• By train

  Kumbakonam railway station provides rail connectivity across South India. The temple is 8 km from Kumbakonam.

• By road

  Regular buses run from Kumbakonam to Chennai, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Salem and Puducherry.

Why devotees come here

Thirupullabhoothangudi Temple is a Vishnu temple in a small village 8 km from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Here Rama is shown with four hands, and this is the only place where he is.

Thirupullabhoothangudi is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, a Vaishnava hymn collection from the 7th to 9th centuries. Kulasekhara Alvar sang one hymn on this temple. Vishnu is worshipped here as Valvil Ramar, with his consort Lakshmi as Sita.

Legend says the temple is the place where Rama performed the last rites of the eagle king Jatayu. Since Sita was not present, Bhumadevi is said to have risen from a golden lotus to accompany Rama. The Brahmanda Purana and the Padma Purana both detail the temple's sthala purana, or local legend.

The Medieval Cholas built the temple, and later kings added to it. King Krita is believed to have worshipped Vishnu here. The shrine is small and in the South Indian style, with a vimanam and a five-tier rajagopuram. It is the only place where Rama is shown with four hands, two of them holding a conch and a chakra.

Festivals

• Margali month, December to JanuaryVaikuntha Ekadashi

  The major festival of the temple, celebrated in the Tamil month of Margali.

Tips for your visit

• Swamimalai, 3 km away, is the site of the fourth of Murugan's six abodes.
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi in Margali is the main festival, so plan around that month if you want to attend.

Questions people ask