Aaduthurai Perumal Temple, Thirukkoodalur
Thirukkoodaloor
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Sthala Purāṇam
Thirukkoodaloor, near Kumbakonam, is praised in the Brahmanda Purana and Padma Purana and is known as a Sangama Kshetram, for here the sacred waters and the divine hosts gathered together, koodal meaning joining or confluence, from which the place takes its name. The presiding deity is Aaduthurai Perumal, also called Jagathrakshaka (Jakath Rakshaka) Perumal, the protector of the world, with Thayar Padmasani (Pushpavalli). The principal sthala puranam relates that all the devas, together with the sage Nandaka (Nandhaga Rishi), performed devout worship and prayed for the Lord's darshan; pleased by their devotion, Vishnu appeared in splendour and, at their entreaty, resolved to destroy the asura Hiranyaksha who had carried off the earth goddess. In his Varaha (boar) avatar the Lord rescued Bhumi and is honoured here as the world's protector. Tradition also holds that the River Kaveri came to this kshetram to purify herself and regained her sanctity through the Lord's worship. A devout parrot is said to have been graced and liberated here, showing that the Lord descends for every living being. The temple, once buried by floods, was revealed in a dream to Rani Mangammal of Madurai, who had it excavated and rebuilt. The vimana is the Suddha Sattva Vimanam, the tirtham associated with the Kaveri, and the shrine is glorified by Tirumangai Alvar.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Aaduthurai Perumal (Jagathrakshaka) with Padmasani of Thirukkoodaloor is glorified by:
Thirukkoodaloor's Aaduthurai Perumal (Jagathrakshaka) received Mangalasasanam from Thirumangai Alvar alone, who composed a decade of 10 pasurams in his Periya Thirumozhi. The verses invoke the Lord's Varaha avatara and his role as protector (Jagathrakshaka / Rakshaka), praising the Cauvery-bank shrine. No exact Tamil text is asserted here because a verbatim, primary-source verse for this decade was not confidently obtained.
Verses & references (1)
- Thirumangai Alvar sings a full decade (10 pasurams) on the Aaduthurai Perumal of Thirukkoodaloor, the Jagathrakshaka (protector of the world). He recalls the Lord's Varaha (boar) incarnation - calling the place where the Lord 'went inside the earth' to lift up Bhudevi - and glorifies Him as the saviour who resides on the banks of the Cauvery. — Thirumangai Alvar, Periya Thirumozhi (Thirumangai Alvar) · source ↗
Plan your visit
📍 10.92528, 79.20333
Routes, distances, hotels and restaurants open in Google Maps with live data. Build a phased pilgrimage plan →