Global InformationMakara Nedunkuzhaikathar Temple information
| Makara Nedunkuḻaikathar Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Thoothukudi |
| Deity | Makara Nedunkuḻaikathar (Vishnu) Kuḻaikaduvalli, Thiruperai Nachiyar (Lakshmi) |
| Features |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Thenthiruperai |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location in Tamil Nadu | |
| Geographic coordinates | 8°36′11.6″N 77°59′09.7″E / 8.603222°N 77.986028°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
| Specifications | |
| Monument(s) | 1 |
| Elevation | 36 m (118 ft) |
The Makara Nedunkuḻaikathar Temple is one of the Nava Tirupathi, nine Hindu temples dedicated to Vishnu located Thenthiruperai along Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli route, Tamil Nadu, India in the southern bank of Thamiraparani river. It is located 5 km from Alvar Thirunagari[1] All these 9 temples are classified as Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 poet saints, or Alvars.[2] The temple is referred to as Sukra sthalam, a location for the planet deity, Sukra. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Makara Nedunkuḻaikathar and his consort Lakshmi as Tiruperai Nachiyar.
A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower, is flat in structure. The temple follows Thenkalai tradition of worship. Six daily rituals and three yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the ten-day annual Vaikuntha Ekadashi during the Tamil month of Margaḻi (December - January) and the Nammalvar birth celebrations with Garudasevai with all nine temple of Nava Tirupati, being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The same place hosts one of the Navakailasams, Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Then Thirupperai, the seventh in the series.[3]
- ^ Adinathar Alwar thirukkoil Sthala varalaru; Temple publication; Page 7
- ^ 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams: Divya desams in Pandya Nadu. M. S. Ramesh, Tirumalai-Tirupati Devasthanam.
- ^ "Arulmigu Kailasanathar Temple Thenthirupperai". Tirunelveli District. Retrieved 18 July 2020.