Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, Tamilnadu:
The Hindu deity Vishnu is the subject of the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, which is located in the town of Srivilliputhur in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, South India. Madurai is 80 kilometers away from this place. Built in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is exalted in the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the sixth to the ninth centuries CE known as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Dedicated to Vishnu, who is revered as Vatapatrasayi and his spouse Lakshmi as Andal, it is one of the 108 Divya Desams. It is thought to have been the birthplace of Periyalvar and Andal, his foster daughter.
Srivilliputhur Andal Temple History:
The Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, which honors Andal, is at the center of the town’s history. The temple of Vatapatrasayi is said to have existed since the eighth century, however the earliest extant epigraphic texts date only to the tenth century CE. It is highly disputed to say that the Andal temple was constructed in the fourteenth century. From the tenth to the sixteenth century, the temple bears inscriptions from the Chola, Pandya, and Vijayanagar Nayakkar kings. There are stories that claim Tribuvana Chakravarthy Konerinmai Kondan Kulasekaran erected the initial edifice, while Barathi Rayar, the Vijayanagar king, built the Andal temple and the 194-foot Rajagopura.
This city gained great popularity under the rule of Thirumalai Nayak (1623–1659) and Rani Mangammal (1689–1706). Every temple in this city was rebuilt by Thirumalai Nayak. Within the temple, he erected gilded towers, paintings, temple tanks, and choultaries. He also created the statues in the hallway that lead to Andal’s shrine. Srivilliputhur was a maravarpalayam and was ruled by Nerkattumseval Palayakkarar from 1751 to 1756 CE.Then Mohammed Yousoof Khan came into possession of it. The Trivancore king was in charge of the Sri Andal shrine till 1850. India was governed by the British until 1947, when it gained its independence. At 192 feet (59 meters) in height, the temple’s gateway tower is thought to be the official emblem of the Tamil Nadu government (Sri Vatapatrasayi Temple Tower).The designer of the Tamil Nadu state symbol, Thiru.Krishna Rao, refuted claims that the West Gopuram of Meenakshi Temple is the Srivilliputhur temple. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government is currently in charge of maintaining and overseeing the temple.
Legend of Srivilliputhur Andal Temple:
According to the historical writings, the location was called Varaha Kshetra. The sages Bhrgu and Markandeya were performing penance and maintaining their hermitages in a dense forest known as Champaka. The sages were being troubled by a demon called Kalanerai, so they prayed to Vishnu to save them from evil. Their dedication delighted Vishnu, who then showed up to kill the monster. It is thought that he ascended to the forest and rested on Adisesha, his serpentine bed, perched on a banyan tree leaf. As a result, the area became known as Vadaveshwarapuram.
Periyalvar, formerly known as Vishnuchittar, was a devout follower of Vishnu who would offer a garland to the god on a daily basis. Being childless, he beseeched Vishnu to deliver him from the yearning. He once came upon a young girl playing in a garden inside the temple, hiding beneath a tulasi plant. The infant, who was raised as a devotee of Vishnu’s avatar Krishna, was given the name Kothai by him and his spouse. It is thought that she wore the garland before giving it to the temple’s presiding god. When Periyalvar discovered it later, he was furious and chastised her. In his dream, Vishnu requested him to consecrate only the garland Andal was wearing to him.Hence, the girl Kothai was called Andal and called Chudikodutha Sudarkodi (the lady who offered Vishnu her garland). The custom is still observed today, when on the day of Chitra Pournami, the garland worn by Goddess Andal is sent to Azhagar Koyil, where the presiding deity Lord Kallazhagar enters the River Vaigai with it. This occurs during [Garudostavam during the Tamil month of Puratasi (September – October)].It is also thought that Andal, who thereafter united with the idol, was married to Ranganatha of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple. Before the marriage, Andal was transported from Srivilliputhur to Srirangam in a palanquin. Rangamannar is the ruling deity because Andal wed Ranganatha, who appeared as a king (named Raja).
Srivilliputhur Andal Temple Timings:
The opening and closing timings of Srivilliputhur Andal Temple is 5.45 am to 12.45 pm and 4.00 pm to 8.45 pm
Pooja Details:
1 Viswaroopa Pooja (Normal) – 06:30 AM to 06:30 AM
2 Kalasandhi pooja (Normal) – 08:30 AM to 09:00 AM
3 Uchikkala Pooja (Normal) – 12:00 PM
4 Sayaraksha Pooja (Evening) (Normal) – 06:00 PM to 06:15 PM
5 Aravanai (Normal) – 09:00 PM
Pooja fee Details at Srivilliputhur Andal Temple:
1 Archana kattanam – Rs.5.00
2 Kannadi Mandapam Entrance – Rs.2.00
3 Thirumanjana kattanam – Rs.8000.00
4 Thirumalai Sannathi Archanai Kattanam – Rs.5.00
5 Thirumana kattanam – Rs.500.00
6 Kadukuthu Kattanam – Rs.10.00
7 Kunguma Archanai Kattanam – Rs.500.00
8 Vellikilamai Unchal Sevai Kattanam – Rs.3000.00
9 Kili Prasatham – Rs.500.00
10 Mudi Kanikkai – Rs.30.00
11 Viraivu Entrance – Rs.100.00
12 Special Entrance – Rs.10.00
13 Thanga radham kattanam – Rs.1500.00
14 Kalyana Prarthanai poojai kattanam – Rs.3000.00
15 Aravanai prasatham – Rs.900.00
16 Thirumalai sannathi thirumanjanam – Rs.8000.00
17 Ubaya thalikai kattanam – Rs.15.00
18 Ubaya Kanikkai porulkal kattanam – Rs.5.00
19 Thirumalai Sannathi Special Entrance – Rs.10.00
srivilliputhur andal temple official website – https://hrce.tn.gov.in/hrcehome/index_temple.php?tid=35740
Festivals Celebrated at srivilliputhur andal temple:
The temple worships according to the Thenkalai tradition. Poojas, or rituals, are carried out by temple priests both on a daily and festival basis. The priests at this and other Vishnu temples in Tamil Nadu are Brahmin priests from the Vaishnava sect. Six times a day, at seven in the morning (Ushathkalam), eight in the morning (Kalasanthi), twelve in the afternoon (Uchikalam), six in the morning (Sayarakshai), seven in the afternoon (Irandamkalam), and ten in the evening (Ardha Jamam). For both Vatapatrasayi and Andal, there are three steps in each ritual: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering), and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps).In the final stage of devotion, priests recite religious passages from the Vedas, a sacred text, while nadasvaram, a pipe instrument, and tavil, a percussion instrument, are played. Worshippers then prostrate themselves in front of the temple mast.
The temple performs ceremonies on a weekly, monthly, and fortnightly basis.The Andal Temple hosts the “Aadi Pooram” festival, which attracts thousands of participants from over the state. Following special pujas in the early morning, the presiding deities, Goddess Andal and Sri Rengamannar, are carried to the automobile in painted palanquins. The event commemorates Periyalvar’s adoption of the ruling goddess, Andal, on the eighth day of the Tamil month of Adi, when he discovered her next to a tulasi plant in the yard of the Vatapatrasayi Temple at Srivilliputhur.
Srivilliputhur Andal Temple Address:
Mada St, Mangapuram, Srivilliputhur, Tamil Nadu 626125.
srivilliputhur andal temple contact number – 04563 – 260 – 254
How to reach Srivilliputhur Andal Temple:
By Air: The closest airport to the temple is Madurai Airport, which is 75 kilometers away.
By Rail: Sriviliputhur boasts a railway station of its own. Additionally, the temple is 76 miles from the Madurai railway connection.
By Road: There are plenty of public and private buses that travel from Tamil Nadu’s major cities to Srivilliputhur.
srivilliputhur andal temple gopuram height – 59m tall
srivilliputhur andal temple distance:
srivilliputhur andal temple to tamilnadu distance – 4 hr 56 min (257.2 km) via NH38
madurai to srivilliputhur andal temple distance – 2 hr (81.6 km) via NH744
srivilliputhur andal temple to bangalore distance – 9 hr 7 min (500.5 km) via NH 44
srivilliputhur andal temple to hyderabad distance – 18 hr 34 min (1,073.1 km) via NH 44
srivilliputhur andal temple photos:
