Kaisinavendhan Perumal Temple
Thiruppulingudi
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the Nava Tirupati, associated with Budha (Mercury); the Perumal is in reclining posture.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiruppulingudi, one of the Nava Tirupati on the banks of the Thamiraparani in Thoothukudi district, is dedicated to Vishnu worshipped as Bhoomipalan (Bhoomi Palakar, 'protector of the earth'), reclining in a majestic bhujanga sayanam posture; the festival deity is called Kaisinavendhan (Kaichina Vendhar). His consort is worshipped as Pulingudivalli. The sthala puranam explains the Lord's distinctive name and pose. While Vishnu rested here on the river bank in the company of Sridevi (Lakshmi), his other consort Bhoomi Devi, the goddess of the earth, felt slighted and believed herself neglected; in her anguish she withdrew to Pathala Loka (the netherworld), and with her departure all life on earth began to wither and grow dark. To restore creation, Vishnu, together with Lakshmi, descended to Pathala Loka, consoled Bhoomi Devi, and assured her that she and Lakshmi were equally dear to him, before returning to this spot. Because he thus protected and reclaimed the earth, the Lord came to be known as Bhoomipalan. A notable feature of the icon is the lotus stalk rising from the deity's navel bearing Brahma, with the feet of the reclining Lord visible through a passage. In the Navagraha scheme of the Nava Tirupati, Thiruppulingudi is the Budha (Mercury) sthalam. Nammalvar glorified the shrine in his Tiruvaymoli, and during the Vaikasi Garuda Sevai festival his idol is borne on the Anna Vahanam and his pasurams for each of the nine Thamiraparani temples are recited.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Kaisinavendhan with Malarmagal Nachiyar of Thiruppulingudi is glorified by:
Thiruppulingudi (Thirupuliyangudi), enshrining the reclining Lord Kaisinavendhan, is the fourth of the Nava Tirupati on the banks of the Tamiraparani (the Budhan/Mercury graha shrine). Its Mangalasasanam is by Nammalvar in the Thiruvaaymozhi; the Nava Tirupati shrines, including this one, are addressed together in the 9.2 decade where the Alvar pleads for liberation, and the dedicated verses are recited at the famous Garuda Sevai festival. A single verbatim Tamil pasuram exclusively for this shrine could not be confidently isolated, so the Tamil field is left empty.
Verses & references (1)
- Thiruppulingudi (Thirupuliyangudi), where the Lord Kaisinavendhan reclines, is one of the Nava Tirupati on the Tamiraparani and is referenced by Nammalvar in his Thiruvaaymozhi. It appears in the cluster of pasurams (notably the 9.2 'pandai nALAlE' decade, which addresses the Nine Tirupati shrines) in which the Alvar appeals to the Lord of Thiruppulingudi, Thiruvaikuntham, Thiruvaragunamangai and the neighbouring shrines to grant him liberation. During the annual Garuda Sevai, the verses dedicated to each of the nine shrines are recited before each Lord. — Nammalvar, Thiruvaaymozhi (Naalayira Divya Prabandham) · source ↗
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