Vatapatrasayi Temple (Srivilliputhur Andal Temple)

Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams

The Lord Vatapatrasayi with Andal (Sri Andal Nachiyar) of Thiruvilliputhur is glorified by:

Thiruvilliputhur (Srivilliputhur), the abode of Sri Vatapatrasayi, holds a singular place among the 108 Divya Desams: it is the only one that is the birthplace of two of the twelve Alvars — Periyalvar (Vishnuchittar) and his foster-daughter Andal (Kothai/Goda), the sole woman among the Alvars and an incarnation of Bhudevi. The Lord reclines (sayana / bhujanga-sayana thirukkolam) upon Adisesha facing east, with Sridevi and Bhudevi at His feet; the name parses as vata (banyan), pathra (leaf) and sayi (one who reclines). The shrine is also known as Vadaperungoyil (the great northern temple). Both Periyalvar and Andal performed mangalasasanam for this Divya Desam. Periyalvar, who served the temple by cultivating a flower-garden for the daily garlands offered to Vatapatrasayi, composed the Periyalvar Tirumozhi (and the opening Tiruppallandu of the entire Prabandham); the closing phalasruti verse of nearly every decad of his Tirumozhi carries his hometown signature — pudhuvai / villiputhUr (e.g. periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.4.10 'viNNin mIdhu', 3.1.11 'kArAr mEni'). Andal composed the Tiruppavai and the Nachiyar Tirumozhi here; Sri Vaishnava tradition records that she regarded Srivilliputhur itself as Sri Gokulam, her companions as the cowherd-girls, the temple as the home of Nandagopa, and the Lord residing in vadaperungoyil as Krishna. In the Sri Vaishnava framework these constitute two complementary levels of mangalasasanam — Periyalvar's Tiruppallandu as the initial (prathama) salutation to the Lord, and Andal's Tiruppavai as the ultimate (charama) salutation directed to His devotees. The deity is therefore among the few glorified directly by the Alvars who were native to the very kshetram they sang.