82 km to the southwest of Madurai, about a 90 minutes drive, lies this vast and beautiful twin temple complex. It is a Divya Desam Vishnu temple. One part of the temple is dedicated to the woman Alvaar saint Andaal, who was born here in the 8th century. The main deity Vatapatrasayi is a reclining form of the Lord Vishnu. The idol is large and there are three entrances to the sanctum, one for the head, one for the body and one for the feet. Again it is an ancient temple built over the ages with original Pandian construction with later contributions from Chola, Vijayanagar, Nayakkan and other dynasties. Well worth the trip to those of you who want to go there. Many believe that the Tamil Nadu state government emblem is designed after the rajagopuram here. The last picture is that of the ceiling in one of the inner precincts and has an engraving of a fish, the royal stamp of the Pandian kings.
Visited August 2019
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