Senganmal Ranganatha Perumal Temple, Thiruthetriyambalam

Sthala Purāṇam

Thiru Thetri Aambalam, one of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupatis near Mayiladuthurai, enshrines Lord Senganmal Ranganatha (also called Pallikonda Perumal and Lakshmi Rangar), reclining in bhujangasayanam upon Adisesha and facing east, with Mahalakshmi at His head and Bhudevi at His feet. It is held to be the only Vishnu Divya Desam bearing the title Ambalam (hall). According to the Thirunangur sthala puranam, when Lord Shiva performed his furious dance after the self-immolation of Dakshayani at Daksha's yagna, eleven Rudras arose from his matted locks; to pacify him, Vishnu manifested in eleven forms across Thirunangur, of which this is one. The name Senganmal derives from the description of the Lord as one whose eyes are red like lotus blossoms (sem-kan). The associated legend recalls the Varaha avatara: when Hiranyaksha stole the earth and hid it in the netherworld, Vishnu descended as the divine boar, slew the asura and lifted the earth aloft, His eyes reddened with the fury of battle; He then reclined here, granting darshan to Mahalakshmi, Shiva and Adisesha. The consort Goddess is Sengamalavalli (Sri Sengamalavalli Nachiyar), enshrined in a separate sannidhi. The vimana over the sanctum is the Veda Vimana, and the temple tank is the Surya Pushkarini. This Divya Desam received the mangalasasanam of Thirumangai Alvar within his Periya Thirumozhi, and the shrine, traced to the Pallava-Chola era, is administered by the Thirunangur Ezhu Koil Adheenam.

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