Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple

Introduction

Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple is a Divyadesam, the sacred shrine of Lord Narayana or Vishnu, which the Azhwar saints have praised in their hymns. Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam is believed to have rested for a while in this temple, during his journey to Srivilliputhur, to seek the hand of Andal. ‘Thangal’ means ‘staying’ in Tamil, and so, this place where Ranganatha stayed came to be known as Thiru Thangal. The hillock on top of which the temple is located also came to be called ‘Thalagiri,’ since then. Thiruthangal temple is situated on the outskirts of Sivakasi town in the Virudunagar District of Tamil Nadu state. The presiding deity is Ninra Narayana Perumal, and his consort is Arunakamala Mahadevi.

Temple Legends

Once there was stiff competition among the consorts of Lord Vishnu, Sridevi, Bhoodevi, and Neeladevi as to who was most devoted towards the Lord. In order to prove her devotion, Goddess Sridevi descended on earth at the place where this temple stands now, created a water body as a source of freshwater for her austerities, and meditated and propitiated Lord Vishnu with great piety. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Vishnu appeared before Sridevi and was followed by his other consorts Bhoodevi and Neeladevi, who accepted Sridevi as the most devout. And Vishnu stayed here along with his consorts, and this is also cited as a reason for the place getting the name ‘Thiruthangal.’

As per another legend, once the Pandya king Devendra Vallabha went hunting in the forest here when he shot an arrow at a tiger but heard a divine voice. It told him that the tiger was king Chandraketu in its previous birth, but as he did not perform penances as per the norms, he had to be reborn as a tiger. Vishnu is said to have appeared before both, king Devendra Vallabha and the tiger, and blessed them. Since then, the hillock came to be called Puliparai, with ‘Puli’ meaning tiger, and ‘Parai,’ the rock.

It is also said that Krishna’s grandson Aniruddha got married in this place.

The History and Architecture of Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple, Thiruthangal

This is an ancient temple believed to have been built by the kings of the Pandyan dynasty. At the same time, the present structure is said to have been erected by king Devendra Vallabha with later contributions from Vijayanagara and Nayak kings. Perumal devotees Ramanujadasa and Narayanadasa also constructed some mandapams, the halls here, subsequently. Several inscriptions in the temple shed light on the art, architecture, and culture of the people during the Pandyan reign.

The temple stands on a 100 feet tall rock and is surrounded by a granite wall, along with its water bodies. But there is no entrance tower, the Rajagopuram, like other temples here. The temple is situated adjacent to Karunellinathar temple, a renowned shrine of Lord Shiva, which is also on the same hillock. Ninra Narayana Perumal can be worshipped in the sanctum sanctorum in his standing posture along with his consorts. The tower above the sanctum is ‘Somachandra Vimana,’ which looks very similar to the famous Srirangam temple Vimana. Goddess Aruna Mahadevi is in a separate shrine along with the processional deity Shenbagavalli. Garuda, the bird mount of Lord Vishnu is seen with a pot of Amrita, the divine nectar in one hand and a serpent on the other. All poojas are conducted first to the Goddess and then only to the Lord.

Temple Festivals

Vaikasi Vasanthotsavam is a major celebration during May-June when the chariot festival is conducted in the temple amidst the reciting of the Divyaprabandham hymns. Pillai Lokacharyar festival and Kurathazwar festival are the other celebrations held with piety here. During the Adi Puram festival, the deity is taken in Garuda mount to the Srivilliputhur temple, along with the deities of a few other temples.

Benefits of worshipping Ninra Narayana Perumal

It is believed that worshipping this Lord and the Goddess can clear marriage obstacles and ensure that the eligible singles are united with suitable life partners of their choice. It can also fulfill their sincere desires.