Varadharaja Perumal Temple

Varadaraja Perumal Temple
Varadaraja Perumal Temple Location in Tamil Nadu
Name
Other names	Thiru Katchi, Aththigiri, Kovil, Vezhamalai
Proper name	Varadaraja Perumal Kovil
Geography
Coordinates	12°49′10″N 79°43′29″E / 12.819417°N 79.724693°E / 12.819417; 79.724693Coordinates: 12°49′10″N 79°43′29″E / 12.819417°N 79.724693°E / 12.819417; 79.724693
Country	India
State/province	Tamil Nadu
District	Kanchipuram
Locale	Kanchipuram
Culture
Primary deity	Varadaraja Perumal (Vishnu) Perundevi Thayaar (Lakshmi)
Architecture
Architectural styles	Dravidian architecture
History and governance
Creator	Chola Kings, later Achutaraya Nayak

Varadharaja Perumal Temple or Hastagiri or Attiyuran is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the holy city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. It is located in a suburb of Kanchipuram known as the Vishnu Kanchi that is a home for many famous Vishnu temples. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava VisishtAdvaita philosophy, Ramanuja is believed to have resided in this temple. The temple along with Ekambareswarar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram is popularly known as Mumurtivasam (abode of trio), while Srirangam is referred to as ‘ The Koil’ (meaning: "temple") and Tirupathi as the ‘Malai’ (Meaning: "hill"). Among the Divya Desams, Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal temple is known as the ‘Perumal Koil’. This is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnavites. There is another famous temple of Varadarajaswamy in Kurmai, of Palamaner mandal in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, called the Kurma Varadaraja Swamy Temple.

Indra, the king of celestial deities, after getting released from the curse of Goddess Saraswati, installed the silver and golden lizards who were the witness of the ordeal.Brahma performed a yagna here, which was about to be washed away by the fast flowing river Vegavathi. The temple deity, Vishnu laid himself flat to stay the flow and the yagna was successfully performed. Vishnu emerged with brilliance of thousand Suns as Devarajaswamy and stayed here permanently. As is the case with the association of South Indian temples with a sacred tree, the name of the temple, Attigiri is derived from Atti tree, considered sacred to Vaishnavas.