Srivilliputhur Andal Temple
| Srivilliputhur Divya Desam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | |
| Other names | Vanpudhuvai, Sri Dhanvipuram, Srivilliputhur andal kovil |
| Proper name | Srivilliputhur Divya Desam |
| Tamil | திருவில்லிபுத்தூர் ஆண்டாள் கோவில் |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 9°30′32″N 77°37′56″E / 9.50889°N 77.63222°ECoordinates: 9°30′32″N 77°37′56″E / 9.50889°N 77.63222°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Virudhunagar |
| Location | Srivilliputhur |
| Culture | |
| Important festivals | Aani Alwar Uthsavam (June–July) Thiruvadipooram (August) Ennaikappu (December–January) |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Dravidian architecture |
| Number of temples | 3 (Sri Vatapathrasayee, Sri Andal and Sri Periyalwar) |
| History and governance | |
| Website | srivilliputhurandaltemple |
Srivilliputhur Andal temple (also called Srivilliputtur Divya Desam) in Srivilliputhur, a town in Virudhunagar district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. It is located 74 km from Madurai. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vadapathrasayi and his consort Lakshmi as Andal. It is believed to be the birthplace of two of the Azhwars, namely Periazhwar and his foster daughter Andal.
The temple is associated with the life of Andal, who was found under a Tulsi plant in the garden inside the temple by Periazhwar. She is believed to have worn the garland before dedicating it to the presiding deity of the temple. Periazhwar, who later found it, was highly upset and stopped the practise. It is believed Vishnu appeared in his dream and asked him to dedicate the garland worn by Andal to him daily, which is a practise followed during the modern times. It is also believed that Ranganatha of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple married Andal, who later merged with him.
The temple has two divisions - the one of Andal located on the Southwest and the second one of Vadapathrasayi on the Northeast direction. 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.
Kumbabishekam of the Andal temple was performed on 20 January 2016 by Tamil Nadu Government.
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