Pavala Vannar Perumal Temple, Thiruppavalavannam

Sthala Purāṇam

The deity at Thiru Pavala Vannam is Pavala Vannar Perumal, the coral-hued Lord (pavalam meaning coral), with Thaayar Pavalavalli, who has a separate shrine. The Lord's coral-red colour gives the kshetram its name, Thiru Pavala Vannam. This Divya Desam is unusual in that it comprises twin shrines that must both be worshipped to complete the pilgrimage: Pavala Vannar (coral-hued) and, a short distance away, Pachai Vannar (green or emerald-hued, also called Maragatha Vannar), the two together counted as a single Divya Desam. In the Sri Vaishnava account the two colours carry symbolism, the coral and the emerald hues representing complementary aspects of the divine. The temple stands in Kanchipuram near the Kamakshi Amman temple and the railway station. The lore explaining precisely why the Lord is coral-coloured is thin and not firmly documented in the primary Sri Vaishnava sources, so it is not asserted here as canonical. The shrine is venerated through the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, with Mangalasasanam by Thirumangai Alvar; the broader Pavala/Pachai Vannam tradition is also associated with the early Mudhal Alvars. (Sources differ on the moolavar's posture, some describing a standing form facing west and divyadesam.com describing a seated/reclining form on Adisesha facing west.)

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