Senganmal Ranganatha Perumal Temple, Thiruthetriyambalam
Thiru Thetri Aambalam
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eleven Nangur Divya Desams.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiru Thetri Aambalam, one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupatis near Mayiladuthurai, enshrines Lord Senganmal Ranganatha (also called Pallikonda Perumal and Lakshmi Rangar), reclining in bhujangasayanam upon Adisesha and facing east, with Mahalakshmi at His head and Bhudevi at His feet. It is held to be the only Vishnu Divya Desam bearing the title Ambalam (hall). According to the Thirunangur sthala puranam, when Lord Shiva performed his furious dance after the self-immolation of Dakshayani at Daksha's yagna, eleven Rudras arose from his matted locks; to pacify him, Vishnu manifested in eleven forms across Thirunangur, of which this is one. The name Senganmal derives from the description of the Lord as one whose eyes are red like lotus blossoms (sem-kan). The associated legend recalls the Varaha avatara: when Hiranyaksha stole the earth and hid it in the netherworld, Vishnu descended as the divine boar, slew the asura and lifted the earth aloft, His eyes reddened with the fury of battle; He then reclined here, granting darshan to Mahalakshmi, Shiva and Adisesha. The consort Goddess is Sengamalavalli (Sri Sengamalavalli Nachiyar), enshrined in a separate sannidhi. The vimana over the sanctum is the Veda Vimana, and the temple tank is the Surya Pushkarini. This Divya Desam received the mangalasasanam of Thirumangai Alvar within his Periya Thirumozhi, and the shrine, traced to the Pallava-Chola era, is administered by the Thirunangur Ezhu Koil Adheenam.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Senganmal Ranganatha (Senkanmaal) with Sengamalavalli of Thiru Thetri Aambalam is glorified by:
Thiruthetriyambalam (Senganmal Ranganatha / Pallikonda Perumal temple, Thirunangur, near Sirkazhi) is a Chola Nadu Divya Desam and one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathis, glorified solely by Thirumangai Alvar in his Periya Thirumozhi. The Alvar refers to the place as 'Thiruthetri Ambalam' and to the reclining Lord with lotus-red eyes as 'Senganmal.' It is the only Divya Desam called an 'Ambalam.' During the annual Garuda Seva in Thai, the utsavars of all eleven Thirunangur shrines and Thirumangai Alvar (with consort Kumudavalli Nachiyar) gather at Manimada Koil and the relevant pasurams are recited.
Verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar performs mangalasasanam on the Lord of Thiruthetriyambalam (Senganmal Ranganatha / Pallikonda Perumal), describing the reclining Lord whose eyes are red like the lotus flower (hence 'Senganmal'). The pasurams glorify this Thirunangur shrine, the only Divya Desam known by the term 'Ambalam.' — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi one decade (Thirunangur Tirupathi group, 3rd pathu) · source ↗
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