Devaadi Raja Perumal Temple (Amaruviappan Temple), Therazhundur

Sthala Purāṇam

The Devaadi Raja Perumal Temple at Therazhundur, in Mayiladuthurai district, is a Divya Desam where Vishnu is worshipped as Devaadi Raja, also called Amaruviappan, with Sengamalavalli Thayar, revered as Loka Matha, the universal mother. The temple's name carries a chariot legend: Uparichara Vasu, a king who won from Brahma a chariot that could fly through the air, was crossing the sky when, by one account, his chariot disturbed the penance of a sage; by other accounts the king's neglect of Vishnu's worship halted it. The chariot (ther) sank and stuck fast (azhundu) at this spot, giving Therazhundur its name; the towering processional deity is shown with one foot lower, pressing the chariot down to earth. The deity's name Amaruviappan arises from a Krishna legend: when Brahma drove off the cattle of Krishna, the Lord created another herd, and on the repentant Brahma's request settled here; appearing for the sake of the cattle, he became Amaruviappan. The village is also celebrated as the birthplace of the great poet Kambar, author of the Kamba Ramayanam, whose image with his wives is carved within the Rajagopuram. The processional Lord is housed under the Garuda Vimanam, and the temple tank is the Darsa Pushkarani. The temple was praised by Thirumangai Alvar in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, and is traditionally said to have been built by the Chola king Karikala.

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📍 11.04639, 79.57944

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