Aravindalochanar Perumal Temple (Irattai Tirupati - Keezh)
Thiruttholaivillimangalam (Keezh Thirupati)
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the twin Irattai Tirupati shrines among the Nava Tirupati, associated with Ketu.
Sthala Purāṇam
This is the Keezh (lower) shrine of the Irattai Tirupati ('twin Tirupati') at Tholaivillimangalam, on the banks of the Thamiraparani in Thoothukudi district, standing about a hundred yards from the Devapiran temple. Here Vishnu is worshipped as Aravindalochanar, also called Senthamaraikannan ('the lotus-eyed one'), giving darshan in the seated posture (veetrirundha kolam), facing east, sheltered by Adishesha; his consort is worshipped as Karunthadankanni Thayar. The two shrines share a single sthala puranam: the sage Athreya Suprabha, cleaning his ritual ground, discovered a balance (thulaam) and a bow (vil), which on his touch became a man and a woman cursed by Kubera; through the sage they obtained release, and because the thulaam and vil were liberated the place became 'Thulam-Vil-Mangalam', evolving into Tholaivillimangalam. The balance stands for the Lord's impartial justice and the bow for devotion, qualities both deities of the twin temples embody. Within the Navagraha scheme of the Nava Tirupati, the Aravindalochanar (lower) shrine of the Irattai Tirupati is the Ketu sthalam, while the twin Devapiran shrine is the Rahu sthalam. Nammalvar consecrated both twin shrines together in his Tiruvaymoli, expressing the yearning of Parankusa Nayaki; during the Vaikasi Garuda Sevai festival of the Nava Tirupati the Alvar's idol is borne on the Anna Vahanam and his pasurams for each of the nine Thamiraparani temples are chanted in their respective shrines.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Aravindalochanar with Karuntadankanni Nachiyar of Thiruttholaivillimangalam (Keezh Thirupati) is glorified by:
Aravindalochanar Perumal (the Keezh / southern of the twin 'Irattai Tirupati' shrines) at Thiruttholaivillimangalam is one of the Nava Tirupati. It is glorified by Nammalvar in Thiruvaaymozhi decade 6.5 (ten pasurams), in which the Alvar, as the maiden ParankusaNayaki, pines for the lotus-eyed Lord Aravindalochanan. Both twin temples share this single decade, and the Thayar is praised alongside the Lord here. Verbatim Tamil of 6.5.8 sourced from the authoritative divyaprabandham.koyil.org.
thirundhu vEdhamum vELviyum thirumAmagaLirum thAm malindhu irundhu vAzh porunal vadagarai vaN tholaivillimangalam
In the 6.5 decade ('thuvaLil mAmaNi' / the thiruttholaivillimangalam decade), Nammalvar takes the persona of ParankusaNayaki, a love-stricken maiden, who from the day she beheld the lotus-eyed Lord Aravindalochanan at Thiruttholaivillimangalam (on the northern bank of the Tamiraparani/Porunal) keeps crying out 'O Aravindalochana!' until she grows faint and her heart melts. This decade praises both twin temples (Aravindalochanar - the Keezh/southern shrine - and Devapiran), where the Thayar is also extolled along with the Lord. Verse 6.5.8 (thirundhu vEdhamum) names the kshetram explicitly.
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
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