Srivilliputtur Arulmigu Andal Sametha Rangamannar Temple — Attraction in Thiruvilliputtur state assembly constituency

Our first trip to Srivilliputtur was in August 2007. We left for Madurai from Tiruchi bus stand at 2.00P.M. and reached Madurai at 6.00 P.M. Next morning we left by car and reached Srivilliputtur in about an hour and half.The road was good and all the ice-cream trolleys were heading to Srivilliputtur for Andal's birthday. On that day Tiruvadi Pooram Andal and Rangamannar bless devotess on the chariot or 'Ther'.Before seeing the chariot we had the fortune of offering the saree sent by my mother for Andal and inspite of the crowd and festivities Moolavar Andal accepted and adorned it and we got Her garland as prasadam. Then we got to see the chariot start with the waving of white flags and the whole place echoed to the sounds of" Govinda !Gopala. On the way were many shopsselling bangles and trinkets and toys and turmeric . We saw people distributing butter-milk and water on the way.It was thrilling to be at this spot on this holy day the first time in our life and we still cherish the memories.After this there were several trips accompanying guests and friends but shall tell about two memorable ones. In May 2019 we visited with family and this happened to be during Vasanta Utsavam or 'Goda Stuthi 'Utsavam. We saw Andal and Rangamannar with flowers wound around their crowns and this visit was before the wedding of our son. We offered koorai saree (Divya desams one should offer pure silk 9 yards saree and 9x5 veshtis for Perumal and Garuda) It was in the month of Vaikasi on a pradosham (Trayodasi sunset) that swami Desikan composed Godha stuthi. Incidentally in this sannidhi Rangamannar stands in the middle with Andal to His right and Garuda to His left. They represent Akaram Ukaram and makaram or AUM. Again utsavar Andal is close to the door because She came out to welcome Ramanuja who offered 108 vessels of akkaradisal and 100 pots of butter to SundararajaPerumal of Tirumalirumcholai which she promised if she got to marry Ranganatha. The spot where the temple is today used to be the house of Periazhwar and Andal .As we went around in pradakshinam we saw photos of 108 Divya Desam Perumal and stopped to have vimana darsanam. The well in which Andal saw Herself with the garland meant for Perumal is now used as a Hundi. As we completed the round we saw the Madhavi Pandal. Madhavi flowers are known as Kurukutthi in Tamil . Probably they grew there in Andal’s times. Now we see a beautiful ceiling and carved ventilators adjacent to it We were then went to the Nandavanam where Periazhwar found Andal amidst Tulasi groves .Here Andal is seen as a three year old child. Our next stop was Vatapathrasayee temple. At the ground level we saw a sannidhi for Nrisimha who appeared to be in a cave. As we climbed a few steps we had darsan of Vatapatrasayee. He is in sayana tirukolam or reclining posture with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi at His Feet. At His Headside is Bhrighu Maharsi and a vatapatram or Banyan leaf. At His Feet can be seen Markandeya in standing posture.The divyamangala vigrahams are coloured .Varana kalaapam is the name for such murthis and is quite rarely seen. It was to this Perumal that Periazhwar offered garlands daily and He demanded the garlands worn by Andal. After buying palkova and snana powder we had lunch arranged by our friend before heading out. The next trip the we made in January 2020 during Margazhi when we got to see Tirumukulam or the pond of Andal and see the'Ennai kaapu utsavam' at the 'Ennai kaapu mandapam. This was an amazing experience .First Andal was seen wrapped in a see thru shawl. After teeth cleaning and offering of water the oil ceremony started. . Her hair accessories were removed one by one and shown to us. Then a conical instrument was used to un nentangle knots, the a comb was used to comb the long tresses. The aradhakars massaged Andal's tresses and offered sandal paste and other offerings while music played and fanning continued. Then the hair was tied in a big knot and wound with jasmine strands which we could offer. We followed her to Neeraatal mandapam...

Arulmigu Andal sametha rangamannar Temple is located in Srivilliputhur, Tamil Nadu at a distance of 75 Kms from Madurai is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Vishnu.This is the birthplace of Andal (only female Azhwar) and Periyalwar

Srivilliputtur finds mention in Brahmakaivatsapuranam and Varaha puranam.The city is originally named after its founder, Villi forming the word Sri-Villi-Puthur Srivilliputtur is known by other names such as Varaha kshetram, Thenpuduvai, Vadeswarapuram, Vadamahadamapuram, Shenbagaranya kshetram, Vikrama chola chaturvedhi mangalam, and Sridhanvipur.

Periazhwar (Vishnu Chithar) is considered to be elder to all azhwars and also because he had sung Pallandu for Lord Sri Vishnu Himself, he came to be known as Periazhwar (Elder to all Azhwars).

The temple is associated with the life of Andal, who was found under a tulasi plant in the garden inside the temple by Periyalvar. As per the Legend, .Andal is believed to have worn the garland before dedicating it to the presiding deity of the temple. Periyalvar, who later found it, was highly upset and discarded it and made a new garland for the Lord.. Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream and asked him to dedicate the garland worn by Andal to him daily, which is a practice followed even today. Andal's got the name 'Soodittanda Nachiyar: It is also believed that Ranganatha of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple married Andal and she left her mortal body and merged with Ranganathar.

As per another Legend, this place was a dense forest named Champaka where the sages Bhrgu and Markandeya were doing penance and had their hermitages in the place. A demon named Kalanerai was troubling the sages and they prayed to Vishnu to relieve them from the demon. Vishnu was pleased by their devotion and appeared in the place to slay the demon. He is believed to have taken the abode in the forest reclining on Adisesha, his serpent bed, on the leaf of a banyan tree.

Vatapatrasayi in a reclining posture and his consorts, Lakshmi (Sridevi) and Bhudevi, are shown attending to him at his feet. The Lord’s image is a large and very colourful stucco image (made of brick and mortar), hencedaily Thirumanjanam (sacred bath ) is not performed.

The temple consists of two parts. The first part is called VADABADRA SAYANAR TEMPLE located in the on the Northeast direction and the second part is known as ANDAL SANNADHI located on the Southwest. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines, the garden where Andal is believed to have been born and two of its three bodies of water. The Vijayanagar and Nayak kings commissioned paintings on the walls of the shrine of temple, some of which are still present.

As in Srirangam and Alwar Tirunagari, Araiyar Sevai where the Alwar Paasurams are recited with expression, music and rhythm - is performed here.

Deities: The Moolavar here is Vatapatrasayee in a reclining posture facing east, while Thayaar here is Andal. There are shrines to Andal and Periyalwar Garuda, who brought Ranganathar, the divine bridegroom, from Srirangam is also housed in the same shrine. The walls around the shrine has paintings of the life of Andal. The second hall from the entrance towards the sanctum, the Kalyana Mandapa, houses huge life-size sculptures of Mohini, Rama, Kamadeva, Rati, and many other deities

Andal is the author of Tiruppaavai, the celebrated collection of 30 poems sung especially in the month of Margazhi, the month considered special for the observance of Paavai Nonbu. Andal is known for her unwavering devotion to god Vishnu, the supreme deity of the Sri Vaishnavas. Andal is treated more than a saint and as a form of god herself and a shrine for Andal is dedicated in most Vishnu temples

The temple's gopuram is 192 ft tall and it is believed that this is the official symbol of the Government of Tamil Nadu . Temple Timings: 6.30 AM - 1 PM...

Srivilliputhur Andal Temple The temple has two divisions; the one of Andal located on the Southwest and the second one of Vatapatrasayi (Vishnu) on the Northeast direction. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines, the garden where Andal was found and two of its three bodies of water. The fish emblem of the Pandya dynasty can be seen in the ceiling and Mandapams. The Sukravara Kuradu bears the statues of Thirumalai Naicker, his brother Chokkappa Naicker and their wives.

The tall towers, massive car, huge tank, sculpted pillars, ancient Ramayana frescoes and modern wall paintings depicting the Lords of 108 Divyadesams, numerous inscriptions dating back to the rule of Pandya kings, fine rectangular hall with a wooden roof and above all its unique Thiruppavai Vimanam speak volumes of their rich architectural heritage. Rajagopuram The Rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower, 192 ft (59 m) tall. The tower is originally believed to have been built by Periyalwar with the prize money he obtained from religious debates in the court of Vallaba Pandya in Madurai. It has eleven stages. The Raja Gopuram is one of the tallest in Tamilnadu. The temple tower is 2nd only to Srirangam Temple Rajagopuram (236 ft) among the Divya Desams. It is also the Emblem of Tamil Nadu Government. The great poet Kamban has praises it in lofty terms and the poem finds a place in the Tower.

Vadabadrasayee Shrine: The Temple is also called as Vada Perum Koil and Periya Perumal Koil. This is the Divyadesam Temple. The temple of Lord Vadabadrasayee is a two storied Maadakoil, with a large prakaram full of beautiful paintings and sculptures. A shrine for Lord Lakshmi Narasimha is on the ground floor. The idol is large and brightly painted. There are Shrines for 12 Alwars and Dasavatharam of Vishnu can be found in the ground floor. The sanctum in the second level approached through a flight of steps houses the image of Vatapatrasayi facing east in a reclining posture and his consorts, Lakshmi (Sridevi) and Bhoodevi, are shown attending to him at his feet. Sage Bhrigu stands near his head and sage Markandeya is near his feet. The banyan tree whose leaf is known as Vatapatram, on which Vishnu is said to rest in the form of a baby during deluge, is at his head, behind Bhrigu. The Lord’s image is a large and very colourful stucco image (made of brick and mortar), hence daily Thirumanjanam (sacred bath ) is not performed. Lord Vadabadrasayee was the Lord whom Periyalwar and Andal worshipped with such fervour. Images of Panchamurtis – Thumburu, Narada, Sanathkumara, Kinnara, Sun, Mithuna and Moon are present around the deity as well as representations of Villi and Puttan are seen at his feet. The sanctum has three doorways from which the presiding deity can be seen. Also, on the first floor is a large rectangular hall with ornate woodwork on the walls. It is called Gopala Vilasam and it was built 200 years ago using wood panels from the temple car which was damaged. The intricate carvings on the wood panels depict scenes from the Ramayana and other puranas and scenes from the life of Andal. It is here that the Araiyar Sevai is performed during the Pagal Pathu Utsavam. Vimana over the sanctum is called as Samsana Vimanam. Utsava Idols of Chakrathalvar, Kannan and Allal Thavirtha Piran Utsavars are found in the...