Narayana Perumal Temple, Thirumanimada Koil
Thiru Manimaada Kovil
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eleven Nangur Divya Desams.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiru Manimaada Kovil is one of the eleven Thirunangur Divya Desams near Sirkazhi, sung by Thirumangai Alvar, who composed verses in its praise. The Lord is worshipped as Narayanan, bearing the special name Nanda Vilakku, the eternal lamp, for he stands radiating the unceasing light of Pranava Gnana, the spiritual knowledge of Om, the primal sound of the universe. Temple tradition equates this Lord with Nara Narayana, both forms embodying supreme jnana, which is why he is also associated with Badrinarayana. The place itself is linked to the Mahabharata: the serpent king Parikshit is said to have ruled this region called Nagapuri, a name later corrupted into Nangur. The sthala puranam centres on the eleven Rudras (Ekadasa Rudras) receiving the Lord's grace here, and recounts how Indra, who had lost his wealth, regained his prosperity following the churning of the ocean and obtained darshan at this sacred site. As with the wider Thirunangur group, the eleven shrines are held to have arisen to absolve Lord Shiva of his grief connected with the destruction at Daksha's yajna. The Moolavar, Sri Narayanan (Nanda Vilakku), is seated facing east, with the Thayaar Pundarikavalli (Pundariga Valli). The sacred tanks include the Indra Pushkarani and Rudhira Pushkarani, and the vimana over the sanctum is the Pranava Vimaanam.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Narayanan (Nandavilakku Perumal) with Pundarikavalli of Thiru Manimaada Kovil is glorified by:
Thiru Manimada Koil (Sri Narayana Perumal temple) is one of the eleven Thirunangur Divya Desams, where the Lord is worshipped as Narayanan / Nandavilakku Perumal in seated posture with Pundareekavalli Thayar. Its mangalasasanam was performed solely by Thirumangai Alvar in his Periya Thirumozhi, where he names the shrine 'Thirumanimada Koil' and depicts the Lord as a lamp (vilakku) that spreads divine knowledge (gnana) to the world. This temple holds special importance in the famous Thirunangur Garuda Sevai festival in the Tamil month of Thai, when the eleven Thirunangur utsavars on their Garuda vahanas, together with Thirumangai Alvar and his consort Kumudavalli Nachiyar on a Hamsa vahana, assemble here and the Alvar's pasurams on all eleven Lords are recited.
Verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar glorifies the Lord Narayanan of Thirumanimada Koil at Thirunangur, extolling the deity who shines like a divine lamp dispelling ignorance and spreading spiritual knowledge across the world, the Lord enshrined in this jewel-towered sanctuary. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi · source ↗
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