Thiruvazhmarban Temple, Thiruvanparisaram
Thiruvanparisaram
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Nammalvar's mother, Udayanangai.
Sthala Purāṇam
The Thiruvazhmarban Temple at Thiruvanparisaram (Thirupathisaram), near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district, enshrines Vishnu as Thiruvazhmarban, also called Kuralappan. The name Thiruvazhmarban is read through Tamil etymology, 'Thiru' (the auspicious Lakshmi/Sri), 'vazh' (to dwell) and 'marban' (chest), the Lord upon whose chest Sri Lakshmi eternally dwells. His consort, Lakshmi as Kamalavalli Nachiyar, uniquely has no separate shrine, for she resides on the Lord's chest, signifying the inseparable union of divine grace with the Supreme. The Saptarishis, the seven sages, are believed to have worshipped Vishnu here, and the Lord manifested, pleased by their devotion. According to the founder-legend, King Kulasekara, who would become Kulasekhara Alvar, lost his horse after a campaign and found it grazing peacefully on the banks of the temple tank, the Soma Tirtham; bathing there and worshipping the Lord, he felt rejuvenated and established the shrine. The place name Thiruvanparisaram is connected to 'pari,' the Tamil word for horse. The sthalam is especially dear to Sri Vaishnavas as a place tied to Nammalvar's family: his mother, Udayanangai, is associated with this region and is said to have observed vratas before the Lord of this kshetra. A Divya Desam, the temple was glorified by Nammalvar in the Divya Prabandham.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Thiruvazhmarban (Kuralappan) with Kamalavalli of Thiruvanparisaram is glorified in 11 pāsurams by:
The Thiruvazhmarban (Sri Kuralappa Perumal) Temple at Thiruvanparisaram / Thiruppathisaram, in Malai Nadu, is glorified by Nammalvar alone. Per Sri Vaishnava accounts the temple receives a single mangalasasanam pasuram from Nammalvar. The place holds added significance as the birthplace of Udaya Nangai, the mother of Nammalvar, who performed penance here at the direction of the Lord of Thirukkurungudi (Nambi).
Verses & references (1)
- Nammalvar offers mangalasasanam to Thiruvazhmarban (Kuralappan) of Thiruvanparisaram / Thiruppathisaram. Authorities note that this kshetra receives only a single pasuram of glorification by Nammalvar (rather than a full ten-verse decade). The site is especially revered as the birthplace of Udaya Nangai, Nammalvar's mother, who undertook penance here. — Nammalvar, Thiruvaimozhi (Nalayira Divya Prabandham) single pasuram (not a full decade) · source ↗
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