Vanamamalai Perumal Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Thoothukkudi domestic airport is 76 km away, and Thiruvananthapuram International airport is 120 km.

• By train

  Nanguneri has its own railway station, on the Tirunelveli to Nagercoil line.

• By road

  Nanguneri is about 30 km south of Tirunelveli on the Nagercoil National Highway. Frequent buses run from the Nanguneri bus stand to Nagercoil and Tirunelveli.

Why devotees come here

Vanamamalai Perumal Temple stands on the banks of the Thamiraparani river at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district. Vishnu is worshipped here as Vanamalai Perumal, and the temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams. The presiding deity is believed to have manifested on its own.

Vanamamalai Perumal Temple is one of the 108 Vishnu temples called Divya Desams, mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. It is also considered one of the eight Swayambu Kshetras of Vishnu, where the presiding deity is believed to have manifested on its own. Local legend says a childless king worshipped Vishnu at this place. Vishnu directed him to Nanguneri under the earth. When the king dug, blood oozed from the ground, and he was asked to bathe the deity with oil every day. After he was blessed with children, he built the temple. Another legend tells of Garuda, who did penance at Thothadri because he was not given the same status as Adisesha, the serpent on which Vishnu rests.

The earliest of the temple's many inscriptions dates from 1236 CE. In 1447 the temple came under the administration of Vanamamalai Mutt, a Tenkalai Sri Vaishnava mutt whose jiyars are the hereditary trustees. The Hindu describes the temple as the headquarters of this mutt, which is about 600 years old.

The temple has a large five-tiered gopuram, the gateway tower, and two prakarams, the closed precincts. Inside, the presiding deity is seated on Adisesha, the serpent, with Sridevi and Bhoodevi on either side.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Thai, January to FebruaryBrahmotsavam

  A twelve-day festival and the major celebration of the temple.

• Tamil month of Chittirai, March to AprilChariot festival

  The most prominent of the dozen yearly festivals held at the temple.

Tips for your visit

• The oil is poured into a 25-foot open oil well inside the temple.
• Six daily rituals are held at the temple.

Questions people ask