Koodal Azhagar Temple
Thirukkoodal
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Uniquely houses Vishnu in all three postures - standing, seated and reclining - within its octagonal Ashtanga Vimanam.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thirukkoodal, the Koodal Azhagar temple at the heart of ancient Madurai, is renowned for its unique sanctum, where Lord Vishnu is enshrined in three postures upon three vertical tiers: seated below as Koodal Azhagar (the festival form being Vyuga Sundararajar), reclining in the middle tier as Andhara Vaanathu Empiraan, and standing above as Sooriya Narayanan. The consort Goddess is Madhuravalli, a form of Lakshmi, also called Maragadhavalli. The name Koodal recalls Madurai's ancient identity as Naanmada Koodal, variously explained as the confluence (koodal) of sacred waters, as the Lord standing as a bulwark, or as the assembly of devas and munis. Several legends adorn this kshetra: when Vishnu rose as Trivikrama, Brahma washed the upraised foot, and that water descended as the Kritamala river; the devout Pandya king Satyavrata beheld the Lord as a fish (Matsya) in those waters, the origin attributed to the Pandya fish emblem; and the Lord slew the demon Somuka, who had stolen the Vedas. The shrine is also linked to Periyalvar (Vishnuchitta), who is said to have triumphed in a scholarly contest before the Pandya court and sung the Thiruppallandu here. The vimana is the celebrated Ashtanga Vimana, an eight-membered tower attributed to Vishvakarma, whose shadow is said never to fall upon the ground. The temple tank is the Hema Pushkarini, with the Kritamala and Vaigai as associated tirthams. Periyalvar, Thirumalisai Alvar, Thirumangai Alvar and Andal are associated with the mangalasasanam of this Divya Desam.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Koodal Azhagar with Madhuravalli Thayar of Thirukkoodal is glorified by:
Thirukkoodal — the Koodal Azhagar temple at the heart of ancient Madurai (Naanmada Koodal), in Pandya Nadu — is one of the 108 Divya Desams, enshrining Lord Koodal Azhagar (utsava form Vyuga Sundararajar) with Thayar Madhuravalli, beneath the celebrated octagonal Ashtanga Vimanam in which Vishnu is uniquely shown in all three postures (seated as Koodal Azhagar, reclining as Andhara Vaanathu Empiraan, standing as Sooriya Narayanan). In the Nalayira Divya Prabandham the shrine is revered by the Alvars; the standard Divya Desam canon (as summarised by Wikipedia and the temple's own tradition) names Periyalvar, Thirumalisai Alvar and Thirumangai Alvar, matching the temple record. The strongest single mangalasasanam is by Thirumangai Alvar, who in his Periya Thirumozhi names kUdal (Madurai) among the Lord's sacred abodes. Periyalvar (Vishnuchitta) is bound to this kshetram by the great tradition that he sang the Thiruppallandu here at Madurai after his victory in the Pandya court, beholding the Lord as Koodal Azhagar — hence Madurai is honoured as the birthplace of the Thiruppallandu that opens the entire Prabandham. Several temple-information sources additionally tally the mangalasasanam as 'Thirumangai Alvar 1 + Andal 1 = 2 pasurams', and the temple's sthala account mentions Andal; however, the Nachiyar Thirumozhi 'kUdal' (koodal izhaithal) is the divination-game decad about union with Krishna rather than a verse explicitly naming Madurai's Koodal Azhagar, so the Andal attribution is uncertain. IMPORTANT: no verbatim Tamil verse text for this specific deity could be confirmed from an authoritative source during this research, so all Tamil fields are left empty and must not be invented; exact decad/verse numbers also remain to be verified against divyaprabandham.koyil.org / dravidaveda.org.
Verses & references (3)
- Thirumangai Alvar offers mangalasasanam to the Lord enshrined at Koodal (Madurai), glorifying Koodal Azhagar (Vyuga Sundararajar) who graces the ancient city of Naanmada Koodal. In his Periya Thirumozhi the Alvar names kUdal (Madurai) among the divine abodes the Lord has made His residence (the line linking kOzhi/Uraiyur and kUdal/Madurai as His sacred dwellings), praising the supreme refuge who reclines on the cosmic serpent and protects His devotees. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi (Thirumangai Alvar) 1 pasuram (Periya Thirumozhi); exact decad/verse not verbatim-confirmed in this research · source ↗
- Periyalvar (Vishnuchitta) is traditionally held to have sung at Madurai, where after triumphing in a scholarly contest at the Pandya court he beheld Sriman Narayana as Koodal Azhagar and rendered mangalasasanam, wishing the Lord 'pallandu' (many years, eternal auspiciousness). His verses invoke long life and protection upon the Lord and His divine accoutrements, the soul rejoicing in the Lord's eternal glory. — Periyalvar, Periyalvar Thirumozhi / Thiruppallandu (Periyalvar) Periyalvar's mangalasasanam at Madurai (Thiruppallandu sung before the Pandya court); exact verse not verbatim-confirmed · source ↗
- Thirumalisai Alvar is counted among the Alvars whose hymns revere Koodal Azhagar of Madurai in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, glorifying Vishnu as the supreme Lord and sole refuge. — Thirumalisai Alvar, Nalayira Divya Prabandham (Thirumalisai Alvar) Mangalasasanam attributed in the standard Divya Desam canon; exact prabandham verse not verbatim-confirmed · source ↗
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