Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple, also known as Thirupadagam, is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu and is located near Ekambareshwarar Temple in Big Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. The temple, built in the Dravidian style, is mentioned in the Divya Prabandha, an early mediaeval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th to the 9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesams dedicated to Vishnu as Pandava Thoothar Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Rukmini.

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple is one of Kanchipuram’s three oldest, the other two being Ulagalantha Perumal Temple and Yathothkari Perumal Temple. The Pallavas of the late eighth century CE are said to have built the temple, with additional contributions from Mediaeval Cholas and Vijayanagara kings.

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple walls bear three inscriptions, two from the reign of Kulothunga Chola I (1070-1120 CE) and one from the reign of Rajadhiraja Chola (1018-54 CE). The temple is surrounded by a granite wall, which encloses all of the shrines and two pools of water. The temple has a four-tiered raja gopuram, which serves as the temple’s gateway tower.

Story/Legend of the Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple is related to a Hindu narrative in the epic Mahabharata in which Krishna went to the Kauravas as a Pandava (Pavattar) ambassador. Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava prince, devised a scheme to arrest and kill Krishna when he was in Hastinapura, the Kaurava capital. He built a deep trench and covered it with a carpet and a gem-encrusted chair. He’d concealed wrestlers in the pit to wrangle Krishna. Krishna, as Vishnu’s avatar, adopted his vishvarupa, or cosmic form, in front of all the Kaurava courtiers, as well as Dhritarashtra, the blind king and Duryodhana’s father.

When Krishna offered Dhritarashtra a boon, he requested that Krishna make him blind again because he didn’t want to see anything after witnessing the vishvarupa. Krishna also came in the same manner to Janamejaya, the Pandavas’ great-grandson, who did austerities to obtain the theophany. Pada means large, and Agam means home, referring to Thirupadagam as the location where Vishnu lives in his colossal avatar. 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 Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple is one of Kanchipuram’s three oldest Vishnu temples, the other two being Ulagalantha Perumal Temple and Yathothkari Perumal Temple. The temple was initially thought to have been built during the Pallavas period. The temple contains inscriptions related to the Cholas. A record from the fifth year of the Chola king, Rajakesari Varaman alais Kulothunga Chola I. According to the records, a merchant furnished the temple with a flower garden and purchased some property from the town of Ovirukkai for the benefit of the gardeners.

The cost of the 2,000 kulis(tax-free) was 11 kalanjus equal in the finesse of Madhuranthaka madai and the assembly could not levy in consequences vellikasu, nirallai, silvari, sorumattu etc. Inscriptions of Kulothunga Chola I, dated in his 39th year, can be found on the temple’s south wall. A businessman sent two kalanjus and two manjadi to the pujari (temple priest), who had to deliver two malis of curd every day. Inscriptions from the reign of Rajadhiraja Chola II (1166-78 CE) may be seen on the base of the western wall of the central shrine, suggesting offerings of 32 cows for lighting the temple’s lamps.

Architecture of Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple in Periya Kanchipuram is a neighbourhood in central Kanchipuram, a South Indian town in Tamil Nadu. The temple’s main entrance faces east, and it has a rectangular plan. The temple includes a four-tiered rajagopuram and a single-walled precinct. The Cholas are thought to have erected the Maha mandapa, while the Vijayanagara Empire is thought to have built the next hall.

The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple primary shrine contains a large figure of the presiding god Pandava Tutar, which is 25 feet (7.6 metres) tall. It is unusual to find such a massive historical depiction of Krishna. The deity is seated in Arda Padmasana, with his right leg bent to the ground. Because Krishna took human form, the image has only two arms, as opposed to other temples where he is represented with four or more hands. The right palm represents Abhayamudra for protection, while the left arm represents Varadamudra for blessing. The shrine faces east, and the temple’s vimana is known as Bhadra Vimana.

Mukha Mandapa, the hall before the main shrine, contains bronze representations of the temple’s festival deities and the Alvars. The most prominent is of Ramanuja’s disciple Arulala Permula Emburamanar, whose image is rarely encountered in other Vishnu temples.

The Rukmini Shrine is located to the south of the main shrine and contains an image of Rukmini. Modern additions include the Chakratalvar, which has an image of Narasimha on the backside and is positioned behind the main temple. The temple tank, Matsya Tirtham, is located on the temple’s northeastern side.

Facts about Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

• Sri Pandava Thootha Perumal or Thirupadagam or Pandava Dutha Perumal Temple is a famous and ancient Sri Krishna Temple situated in Periya Kanchi, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
• Sri Krishna is worshipped as Sri Pandava Thoothar with his consorts Rukmini and Sathya Bama.
• The temple is classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book.
•  No temple in India has such a large Perumal in seated form. The tower above the main deity is called Badra Vimana.
• The Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple is considered one of the three oldest Vishnu temples in Kanchipuram, the other two being Ulagalantha Perumal Temple and Yathothkari Perumal Temple.
• Sri Pandava Thootha Perumal temple is very near Ekambaranathar Temple.
• Lord Krishna presses his foot here with his Viswapada Yoga powers. As a result, persons who practise Adi Pradikshina and Anga Pradikshina will have their 72,000 veins energised, allowing them to overcome any obstacle in life.
• Devotees are recommended to pray here on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Rohini star days, Ashtami on the 8th day after the new moon or full moon, and every month on the 8th.
• Saint Emperumalar is said to have been born here; he debated with Saint Ramanuja for 18 days before becoming his disciple. In the temple, there is a shrine dedicated to him.

Famous Festivals In Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

• The major festival of the temple is Krishna Janmashtami, celebrated during the Tamil month of Avani (August–September).
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi – Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) is the major festival celebrated in the temple.
• The Sattrumurai festival is observed for Arulala Perumal Emperumanar, a Vaishnava saint born here, on the Bharani star day, in the month of Karthikai (November-December).

How to reach Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple

Pandava Thoothar Perumal Temple is a Vishnu temple located in the ancient town of Kanchipuram, in the state of Tamil Nadu.

By Air: The nearest airport is Chennai, which is about 80 Kilometers from the temple.

By Railway: Kanchipuram is well connected by rail and has a railway station inside the city. Trains from Chennai, Madurai and Trichy arrive often.

By Roadways: Transport in Kanchipuram is active throughout twenty-four-seven and buses to all important cities are available.

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