Located 103 kilometres from Tiruchirappalli, the Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple dates back to the 8th century and is the second of the 108 Divyadesams dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is believed that once king Dharma Verman of the Chola dynasty found a baby in a lotus flower in the forest. He brought her up at his palace and named here ‘Kamalvalli’ and as the baby grew she fell in love with the deity of Utsavar placed in the Sri Rangam Ranganathar temple. When the time came for her to be married through the Swayamvar, Lord Utsavar appeared in human form and courted Kamallavalli and on the day before Panguni Uthiram, they got married.

At the time, the King wanted to know the groom and upon the king’s request, Lord Utsavar decided to stay here as Azhagiya Manavalan in this temple. Today, even though the temple is one of the 108 Divyadesams, what sets it apart is that it is one of the few Divyadesam temples where the Goddess is considered to be the main deity followed by other Gods. Hence even during the festive procession at the temple, you can find that the Goddess’s idol is always in front while the idol of Azhagiya Manavalan follows her.

Other highlights of the temple include:

• The beautiful Dravidian architecture of the temple with a 5-tierred Rajgopuram or main entrance.
• Paintings of saint Nammalvar seen on the inner walls of the shrine along with paintings of Matsya, Vishnu avatars, Alwars, Vaishnava Acharyas and different depictions that relate to Dharma and Justice.
• The main shrine of the temple with an idol of Azhagiya Perumal depicted in a seating position.
• The north facing shrine of goddess Nachiyar along with shrines of Ramanuja and Nammalvar.
• The beautiful Pillared hall of the temple along with intricate carvings seen around the temple that portray the marriage of Goddess Nachiyar with Azhagiya Manavala.

• You will need to remove your footwear before entering the temple.
• Do wear modest clothes for your visit.

• By Bus : Eraiyur Sugar Mill Bus Stop
• By Train : Pennadam
• Private Taxis are available for hire.
• By renting a Car/ Bike.

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