Thrichittatt Maha Vishnu Temple, Thiruchengundrur

Sthala Purāṇam

Thrichittatt, at Chengannur in Alappuzha district (also called Thiruchenkundrur), is the Divya Desam where the Lord is worshipped as Imayavarappan, a form of Krishna. The four-armed deity stands in Nindra Thirukkolam (standing posture), bearing the conch Panchajanya and the discus Sudarshana. The temple rises on the banks of the Chittar, a tributary of the Pamba river. As one of the five Pancha Pandava shrines of the Chengannur region, it is attributed to Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, who is said to have installed the image during the brothers' pilgrimage after crowning Parikshit at Hastinapura. According to the sthala purana, Yudhishthira performed penance here to atone for the half-truth he uttered to his guru Drona during the Kurukshetra war. The name Imayavarappan is explained by the tradition that the devas (imayavar) worshipped the Lord at this spot before the Pandavas arrived. The sage Bhrigu is associated with persuading the Pandavas to consecrate the shrines of this region in the Dvapara Yuga. The temple was sung by Nammalvar in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, placing it among the 108 Divya Desams of the Sri Vaishnava tradition, and it is built in the distinctive Kerala architectural style.

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