Thiruvazhmarban Temple, Thiruvanparisaram

Sthala Purāṇam

The Thiruvazhmarban Temple at Thiruvanparisaram (Thirupathisaram), near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district, enshrines Vishnu as Thiruvazhmarban, also called Kuralappan. The name Thiruvazhmarban is read through Tamil etymology, 'Thiru' (the auspicious Lakshmi/Sri), 'vazh' (to dwell) and 'marban' (chest), the Lord upon whose chest Sri Lakshmi eternally dwells. His consort, Lakshmi as Kamalavalli Nachiyar, uniquely has no separate shrine, for she resides on the Lord's chest, signifying the inseparable union of divine grace with the Supreme. The Saptarishis, the seven sages, are believed to have worshipped Vishnu here, and the Lord manifested, pleased by their devotion. According to the founder-legend, King Kulasekara, who would become Kulasekhara Alvar, lost his horse after a campaign and found it grazing peacefully on the banks of the temple tank, the Soma Tirtham; bathing there and worshipping the Lord, he felt rejuvenated and established the shrine. The place name Thiruvanparisaram is connected to 'pari,' the Tamil word for horse. The sthalam is especially dear to Sri Vaishnavas as a place tied to Nammalvar's family: his mother, Udayanangai, is associated with this region and is said to have observed vratas before the Lord of this kshetra. A Divya Desam, the temple was glorified by Nammalvar in the Divya Prabandham.

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