Vanamamalai Perumal Temple
Thiruvaramangai (Vanamamalai)
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eight Swayam Vyakta Kshetras (self-manifested shrines) of Vishnu.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiruvaramangai, the Vanamamalai Perumal temple at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli, enshrines Lord Thothadrinathan (Vanamamalai Perumal), seated upon Adisesha and facing east, with the festival deity Deivanayaga Perumal. It is revered as one of the eight Swayam Vyaktha (self-manifest) kshetras of Vishnu. The principal consort Goddess is Srivaramangai Nachiyar, a form of Mahalakshmi born here, after whom the place is named Thiruvaramangai; Bhudevi and Neeladevi are also present. The name Nanguneri is commonly traced to the four (naangu) lakes that once surrounded the town, and Thothadri denotes the sacred hill, the name carrying the sense of the removal of sins. The temple's most famous feature is the daily oil-abhishekam: the Moolavar receives an ablution of sesame and sandalwood oil, which drains into the Setru Thamarai well that holds oil and clay rather than water; the oil is believed to be curative, especially of skin ailments, and the Lord is called Aadhi Maruthuvan, the primordial physician. The other tirtham is the Indira Theertham, where Indra is said to have bathed to be cured of disease. The vimana is the five-tiered, golden Nanda Varthana Vimana. This Divya Desam was hymned by Nammalvar alone; here, in the padhigam beginning nORRa nOnbilEn (Thiruvaimozhi 5.7), the Alvar performs his first saranagathi, his self-surrender, and remarkably he has no separate vigraha here, being present within the Satari of the Lord Himself. The temple is the seat of the Vanamamalai Mutt, whose founding pontiff, Ponnadikkal Jeeyar, was the foremost disciple of Manavala Mamunigal.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Thothadrinathan (Vanamamalai Perumal) with Sri Varamangai Nachiyar of Thiruvaramangai (Vanamamalai) is glorified in 11 pāsurams by:
Thiruvaramangai (Vanamamalai / Sri Varamangala Nagar, the Thothadrinathan / Thothadri Perumal temple at Nanguneri) is a Pandya Nadu Divya Desam glorified solely by Nammalvar, who dedicated 11 pasurams to it - the entire Thiruvaymozhi decade 5.7 ('nORRa nOnbilEn'). This decade is a great prapatti (surrender) hymn in which the Alvar declares he has no other means (upaya) and falls at the feet of the Lord reclining at Sri Varamangala Nagar; the temple still recites 5.7 as a special daily sthala-pasuram.
நோற்ற நோன்பிலேன் நுண்ணறிவிலேன் ஆகிலும் இனி உன்னை விட்டு ஒன்றும் ஆற்றகிற்கின்றிலேன் அரவின் அணை அம்மானே! சேற்றுத் தாமரை செந்நெல் ஊடு மலர் சிறீவரமங்கல நகர் வீற்றிருந்த எந்தாய்! உனக்கு மிகை அல்லேன் அங்கே
nORRa nOnbilEn nuNNaRivilEn Agilum ini unnai vittonRum / ARRagiRkinRilEn aravin aNai ammAnE! / sERRuth thAmarai sennel Udu malar sirIvaramangala nagar / vIRRirundha endhAy! unakku migai allEn angE
'I have observed no penance and possess no subtle wisdom; yet now I cannot bear to live for even a moment apart from you, O Lord who reclines on Adisesha! O my Father seated gloriously in Sri Varamangala Nagar (Vanamamalai), where lotuses bloom amid the muddy paddy fields - I am not beyond your saving reach; I am not an outsider to you.' A foundational hymn of total self-surrender.
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
Read the pāsurams ↗Gallery
Tap an image to view it larger — use ‹ › to browse, ✕ to close. Images via Wikimedia Commons.
Plan your visit
📍 8.49192, 77.65736
Routes, distances, hotels and restaurants open in Google Maps with live data. Build a phased pilgrimage plan →