Divya Darshan 360
Vaikunta Perumal Temple
Photo: Bikash Das from bangalore, india, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Famous temples · Tamil Nadu

Vaikunta Perumal Temple

Vishnu in three postures across three floors, in the old Pallava capital

Checked 19 Oct 2026 with 2 sources2 min read

DirectionsShare

Getting there

  • By air

    Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the nearest airport.

  • By train

    Kanchipuram Railway Station (CJ) is the nearest railway station.

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Rules to know

  • The lying image on the first floor is open to devotees only on Ekadashi days.
  • The standing image on the second floor is not open to devotees.

Why devotees come here

Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a Vishnu temple in Kanchipuram, the old Pallava capital in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams and one of fourteen in this town. Its three floors hold Vishnu in three postures: seated, lying and standing.

The Sri Vaishnava canon lists this temple among the 108 Vishnu temples called Divya Desams. The Nalayira Divya Prabandham, a Vaishnava collection from the 7th to 9th century, has ten hymns on it by Thirumangai Alvar. Local tradition says the sage Bharadvaja did penance on this spot before any temple was built here.

The Pallava emperor Nandivarman II Pallavamalla built the stone temple in the 8th century. It was first called Paramechuravinnagaram. One scholar dates it to 690 CE, while others place it in the late 8th century. The Archaeological Survey of India protects it as a heritage monument.

The temple is laid out as a three-dimensional lotus and wheel mandala, known as chakrabja-mandala. It is made of granite mixed with sandstone and has three storeys. On each floor a different image of Vishnu is shown: seated on the ground floor, lying on the first and standing on the second.

Festivals

  • Tamil month of Vaikasi, May to JuneVaikasi Brahmotsavam

    Held in the Tamil month of Vaikasi.

  • Tamil month of Margazhi, December to JanuaryVaikunta Ekadashi

    An Ekadashi day. The first-floor image is open to devotees only on Ekadashi days.

Tips for your visit

  • The first-floor image is open to devotees only on Ekadashi days, so plan the visit for an Ekadashi if you want to see it.
  • Search for either name, Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal Temple, because both refer to this temple.

Darshan at home

Not in the app yet

Vaikunta Perumal Temple is not in the Divya Darshan 360 app yet. These Famous temples temples are, with darshan videos you can watch at home:

In the appChamundeshwari Temple, MysuruChamundi Hill, Mysuru, KarnatakaIn the appDakshineswar Kali Temple, KolkataDakshineswar, North 24 Parganas, near Kolkata, West BengalIn the appShirdi Sai Baba Temple, MaharashtraShirdi, Rahata taluka, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra
Get the appAndroid

The app is free, Android only. For darshan as if you are standing there, see the VR box (₹899, or ₹949 cash on delivery).

Questions people ask

Can devotees see the lying Vishnu image?

Yes, but only on Ekadashi days, when the first-floor sanctuary is open to devotees. The standing image on the second floor is not open to devotees.

What was the temple first called?

It was first known as Paramechuravinnagaram. It is also called Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram.

Who looks after the temple?

The Archaeological Survey of India administers it as a protected monument. It is declared a heritage monument.

When was the temple built?

The Pallava emperor Nandivarman II Pallavamalla built the stone temple in the 8th century. One scholar dates it to 690 CE, while others place it in the late 8th century.

What is the temple built from?

It is built of granite mixed with sandstone, and it has three storeys. Three sanctuaries each hold an image of Vishnu in a different posture.

How we checked this page

On 19 Oct 2026 we checked every fact on this page against these sources, official ones first. Anything we could not confirm is left out.

  1. Sri Vaikunta Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram, Incredible India (Government of India) incredibleindia.gov.in
  2. Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org

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