Thiruvaazhmaarban Temple

The Thiruvaazhmaarban Temple (also known as the Sri Kuralappa Perumal Temple) at Thiruvanparisaram, in the village of Thiruppathisaram in the Malai Nadu region bordering the southern Tamil and Kerala country, is honoured as one of the 108 Divya Desams sung in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham. The presiding deity, the Moolavar, bears the evocative name Thiruvaazhmaarban, ‘the Lord upon whose sacred chest resides Sri Mahalakshmi,’ for the goddess of fortune, worshipped here as Kamalavalli, is ever borne upon his breast, signifying that grace and prosperity flow inseparably from him. The Lord is enshrined here in a standing posture, granting darshan to his devotees with the assurance of the divine consort eternally at his side; the principal image is fashioned of a lime-and-granite compound, while the festival utsava murti is cast in panchaloha. The temple follows the Thenkalai ritual tradition, and its oldest surviving inscription, dated 1139 CE, records gifts to the shrine, with further inscriptions from 1613 and 1785 attesting to its continued endowment; the stepped temple tank is traditionally attributed to the Madurai Nayak king Thirumalai Nayak (1623-59 CE). Built in Dravidian style across roughly two acres with a five-tiered gopuram, the temple was sung by Nammalwar, the most exalted of the Alwar saints, whose verses in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham secure for Thiruvanparisaram its enduring place among the divine shrines of the Lord. A local tradition also holds this site to be the birthplace of Nammalvar himself, though the more widely followed tradition places his birth at Thirukkurukur, present-day Alwarthirunagari. As one of the Divya Desams of the Malai Nadu, the temple forms part of the small but cherished cluster of southern abodes that the tradition holds dear, and pilgrims journeying through this region come to behold the Lord whose very form proclaims the union of Vishnu and Lakshmi, the eternal source of auspiciousness and the refuge of all who seek him.

Festivals

At Thiruvanparisaram, sacred to Lord Thiruvaazhmaarban, the traditional Srivaishnava festival calendar shapes the temple’s devotional year. The ten-day Chittirai Brahmotsavam (April-May) is the foremost celebration, marked by daily processions of the utsava murti, ceremonial vahanas, and the chanting of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. An Aadi Swati festival honours Kulasekara Alvar. Navaratri (September-October) and Vaikunta Ekadasi (December-January, in Margazhi) draw large gatherings for special darshan, following the cherished custom observed across Perumal temples. Pavithrotsavam, the festival of ritual purification and renewal, and a Float festival (Theppotsavam) on the temple tank are also traditionally kept where the sthala custom allows. Krishna Janmashtami, Sri Rama Navami and the Tamil New Year are observed with abhishekam and special offerings, sustaining the temple’s living tradition of worship through the seasons.

Location & Access

Thiruvanparisaram (Thiruppathisaram) lies in the Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, in the old Malai Nadu region near the Kerala border, about 5 km northeast of Nagercoil and 20 km northwest of Kanniyakumari town. It is maintained and administered by the Kanyakumari Devasthanam. As with most Vishnu temples, it generally observes morning and evening darshan hours with a break during midday. Verify current darshan timings and travel details with the temple or official sources before visiting.