Devanayaka Perumal, Tirunangur, Nagapattinam

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Devanayaka Perumal	Ambal / Thayar:	Kadal Magal Naachiyar, Devanayagi
Deity:	Perumal	Historical name:	TiruDevanar Thogai
Vriksham:		Teertham:	Shobana Teertham, Devasaba Pushkarini
Agamam:	Pancharatra	Age (years):	1000-2000
Timing:	8 to 10 & 5 to 7	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Divya Desam	–
Sung by:	Tirumangaiazhvar	Temple set: Ekadasa Divya Desam
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Tirunangur	District:	Nagapattinam
Maps from (click):	Current location	Mayiladuthurai (24 km)	Nagapattinam (61 km)
	Tiruvarur (62 km)	Kumbakonam (62 km)

Location

Tirunangur is located 10 km from Sirkazhi. This temple is located a bit outside Tirunangur and is about 9 km from Sirkazhi.

Sthala puranam and temple information

It will be useful to read this overview of the Nangur Ekadasa Divya Desam and Ekadasa Rudra Peethams, if you have not already done so, to set the context for the eleven temples (including this temple) in Nangur.

This place is considered the location of the celestial wedding of Perumal and Thayar. As a result of the churning of the ocean, Sridevi as Mahalakshmi came out of the Tiruparkadal and resided on Vishnu’s chest. This effectively made it the wedding of Perumal and Thayar, witnessed by all the Devas. Vishnu is to the Devas / celestials, as the Devas are to humans. Hence Perumal here is called Devanayakar. Thayar’s other name here is Kadalmagal Nachiyar, denoting her origin from the ocean.

Thogai means gathering. Since all the Devas were present for the churning of the ocean, this place is called Devanar Thogai. According to a different legend, the Devas gathered to witness Perumal in all his 11 forms (associated with the core legend of Nangur Ekadasa Divya Desam and Ekadasa Rudra Peethams).

It is believed that this Perumal came from Tiruvidanthai (located between Chennai and Mamallapuram).

Another interesting aspect of the temple are the utsava murtis. Mahalakshmi is also known as Maa or Ma. Since she resides in Vishnu’s chest, He is her dhavan (Lord). Therefore, the utsava murti of Vishnu here is called Ma-dhavan. And of course, even in the Paramapadam household, the wife rules, so She is called Madhava-Nayaki! Effectively, they give their names to each other, and both are derived from Lakshmi’s name!

Perumal is in nindra kolam, and the utsava murtis offer kalyana kolam to devotees.

Sage Vasishta is said to have received pratyaksham of Perumal at this temple, after performing deep penance here for many years.

In the Tamil month of Thai (January-February), the Garuda Sevai utsavam takes place at the nearby Badrinarayana Perumal temple at Nangur, where the Perumal and Garuda of each of the 11 Nangur Divya Desam temples arrive here. This festival is a must visit for those who are interested.

Other information for your visit

There are no accommodation options in Nangur. The nearest place for decent budget and mid-range accommodation is Mayiladuthurai. Lately, some hotels and AirBnB type accommodation has come up around Sirkazhi.