Thiruthevanartthogai or Madhava Perumal Temple is a temple honouring Lord Vishnu. The reigning god is known as Deivanayakan, and his consort is known as Kadalmagal Nachiyar. Madhava Perumal is the processional god, therefore this temple is also known as the Madhava Perumal temple. Madhava Nayagi is his wife.

Because the Azhwar saints extolled this Lord and the temple in their Divyaprabhandham hymns, this temple is designated as a Divya Desam, a particularly revered abode of Vishnu. This is located in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, between Thirunangur village and Sirkazhi town. This temple is also one of the 11 Vishnu temples in and around Thirunangur known collectively as Thirunangur Tirupathi.

Saint Thirumangai Azhwar is from this area and has written poems in favour of all of these deities, hence these temples have a significant connection to him. The sage Vasishtha is said to have worshipped the Lord in this sanctuary. The temple is mentioned in works such as Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar’s 108 Tirupathi Anthathi, written in the 18th and 19th centuries CE.

Story/Legend of the Madhava Perumal Temple

Vishnu is the highest God of protection and sustenance, and he plays an important role in restoring global balance and fairness. Sati, Shiva’s consort, once murdered herself in the huge sacrifice made by her father, Daksha, unable to take the insult showered on her husband. Shiva became so overcome with grief and rage that he began dancing madly, holding Sati’s body on his shoulders. As he continued his frenzied dance, his dishevelled hair began to touch the ground, and each time it touched, 11 fresh Shiva incarnations sprouted from the location.

Shiva was the God of Destruction, and all of Shiva’s forms can only mean the annihilation of all living things. With the universe on the verge of destruction, the Devas and sages prayed with Vishnu to save it. And the supreme guardian descended on earth at this point, calming Shiva’s rage. Vishnu is also supposed to have taken on 11 forms at the request of Shiva, which are said to be enshrined in the 11 Thirunangur Tirupathi temples. This temple is considered one of the 108 Divya Desams.

What is Divya Desams– A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples recorded by the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava faith. 105 of the 108 temples are in India, one is in Nepal, and the final two are thought to be in space, in Tirupparkatal and Vaikuntham. They are distributed over the Indian states of Tamil Nadu (84), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (2), Gujarat (1), Uttar Pradesh (4), and Uttarakhand (3). Muktinath, Saligramam is Nepal’s sole Divya Desam. The 12 Alvars respect the Divya Desams in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil hymns.

History of Madhava Perumal Temple

Peryalvar, Thirumalisai Alvar, and Thirumangai Alvar worship the shrine in Nalayira Divya Prabhandam, the 7th-9th century Vaishnava canon. The temple is a Divya Desam, which is one of the 108 Vishnu temples described in the book. The temple is mentioned in various publications from the 18th and 19th centuries, including Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar’s 108 Tirupathi Anthathi. Saint Thirumanagai Alvar is said to visit the site every year for the festival to consecrate the eleven deities.

Architecture of Madhava Perumal Temple

The Madhava Perumal Temple is oriented westward. It is in Kichalai, 6.5 kilometres from Sirkali and 1 km from Thiruvali. It is near Tirunangur, a small village 10 kilometres from Sirkali on the way to Thiruvenkadu. The temple is surrounded by concentric rectangular walls and contains a three-tiered raja gopuram. In a standing stance, the ruling god, Deivanayagan, faces east.

The shrine has the images of the consort, Kadalmagal Nachiyar, as well as the festival deities, Madhava Perumal and Madhava Nayagi. The Garuda mandapa is positioned axial to the sanctuary, near the flagstaff. A precinct surrounds the sanctum. In front of the temple lies the temple tank.

Facts about Madhava Perumal Temple

• The Madhava Perumal Temple is situated in Keezhchaalai, close to Thirunangur village near Sirkazhi town, in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu.
• The Madhava Perumal Temple, built in the Dravidian style, is mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, an early mediaeval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th to the 9th centuries CE.
  
• The Madhava Perumal Temple is classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book.
• As per local belief, the fresh winds which swirl the paddy fields before the day of the festival indicate a good harvest for the season.
• Vishnu is a merciful God, and people worship the Lord of this temple for child blessings, good health, and mental power, among other things.
• The temple gate faces west and the shadow of the Vimaanam falls within the Vimaanam itself.
• It is believed that by having a darshan of Lord Perumal, unmarried persons get married soon and childless couples get the boon of childbirth.

Famous Festivals In Madhava Perumal Temple

• Brahmmotsavam is the major festival celebrated in the temple.
• Chitra Poornima is also a major occasion for celebration in the temple.
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi – Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) is the major festival celebrated in the temple.
• The Thirumangai Alvar Mangalasasana Utsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February).
  

How to reach Madhava Perumal Temple

This place Keezhachalai is about 2 KM from Thiruvali Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple.

By Air: The temple is approximately 150 km away from Trichy International Airport, from where people can take road transport and travel to this place.

By Railway: Sirkazhi town has a railway station and is about 7 km from the temple.

By Roadways: People can take buses and private vehicles to go to this temple, from towns like Sirkazhi and Mayiladuthurai.

Also Read – Thiruvellakkulam – Annan Perumal Temple