Thrippuliyoor Mahavishnu Temple, Thiruppuliyur

Sthala Purāṇam

Thrippuliyoor, at Puliyoor near Chengannur in Alappuzha district, is the Divya Desam where the Lord is worshipped as Mayapiran, also known as Thripuliyoorappan. The deity stands in Nindra Thirukkolam (standing posture), facing east, and the Thaayar is Porkodi Nachiyar. The Vimanam is the Purushasukta (Purushothama) Vimanam, and the sacred waters include the Poonsunai Theertham. This is one of the five Pancha Pandava temples of the Chengannur area, attributed to Bhima, the second Pandava, who is believed to have built the shrine and installed the image during the brothers' pilgrimage after the Mahabharata war. The principal sthala purana relates the Saptarishis (the seven great sages) who performed penance here; the legend tells that they had rejected a king's offerings until they witnessed the Lord's divine protection from a demon, after which they received the Lord's seva and attained mukti (liberation) at this place. The temple was sung by Nammalvar, who composed ten paasurams glorifying Mayapiran in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, and a reference also appears in Thirumangai Alvar's Siriya Thirumadal, securing the shrine among the 108 Divya Desams. It is constructed in the Kerala architectural style. Major festivals include the Aarattu in Margazhi and Kavadiyattam in Thai.

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