Srivilliputtur, a small town in Virudhunagar district, is famous due to it being the birthplace of Andal, one among the twelve Azhvars or famous devotees of Vishnu. Andal, who according to historians, lived in the 9th century AD, was an ardent devotee of Vishnu and finally merged with this deity. Her two well-known literary works are the Thiruppavai and the Nachiyar Thirumozhi.
In Srivilliputtur, are two temples — one for Vatapatrashayee (Vishnu) and the other for Andal — situated next to each other and interconnected. The most eye-catching feature of the Vatapatrashayee temple is the tall and stately gopuram which was constructed during the era of the Nayak kings. An important sanctum in this temple is that of Periyazhvar, Andal’s foster father which has a dwajasthambam (flag-staff) in front. Enshrined therein is a stucco image of this great devotee of Vishnu in anjali hasta (palms pressed together in an attitude of devotion). The main sanctum, reached via a flight of steps, has a huge stucco image of Vatapatrashayee reclining on five-hooded serpent Adisesha. The weapons of Vishnu such as Sudarsana (discus) and Panchajanya (conch) are seen in human form (Ayudha Purushas) at the back. Near the head of the main deity is Brighu Maharishi and near the feet is Markandya Maharishi, both kneeling in a prayerful attitude. Right at the end are the demons Madhu and Khaitaba.
Another important sanctum in this temple is for Lakshmi Narasimha, situated directly below that of Vatapatrashayee.The Andal temple, adjacent to the one for Vishnu, enshrines the image of Rangamannar (Vishnu) in a standing posture with Andal standing next to Him. Between the Vatapatrashayee and the Andal temples is a small shrine for Andal which marks the place where Periyazhvar found Andal as a little girl under a tulasi plant. Every month on Puram nakshatram, which is Andal’s birth star, the image of Andal is brought to this shrine. The Araiyar Sevai — a song and dance enactment of the Pasurams or verses of the Azhvars — is an important part of the worship in the Srivilliputtur temple.
Utsava murti
The processional image of the Vatapatrashayee temple is worshipped as Periya Perumal
Sacred tank
The pushkarini is called Thirumukkulam
Chithra Madhavan
cityexpresschn@gmail.com
The writer is a historian who focuses on temple architecture