Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thiruppullani

Leaving Rameswaram after a brief visit, I was heading to Madurai, on the way, I went for a darshan (worship) at the famous Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thiruppullani [அருள்மிகு ஆதிஜெகந்நாதப்பெருமாள் கோயில், திருப்புல்லாணி].

Instead of going to Madurai by Madurai to Dhanushkodi highway (National Highway 87), I was advised to take the Rameswaram to Thoothukudi Road (State Highway 717), this smaller road reaches directly the temple in Thiruppullani. I loved taking this road-since it had been only a few months after the seasonal rains, there was greenery all around this road which had no traffic and it was beautiful. On the way, I saw the towers of the Arulmigu Mangalanathi Swamy temple in Uthirakosamangai [திரு உத்திரகோசமங்கை கோயில்], I couldn’t go inside the temple for worship today.

Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thiruppullani

Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thiruppullani [அருள்மிகு ஆதிஜெகந்நாதப்பெருமாள் கோயில், திருப்புல்லாணி] is a South Indian Hindu temple in Thiruppullani. It is believed that Lord Rama used grass (‘pul’ in Tamil) as a pillow to sleep and hence the village attained the name Thiruppullani. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam (listed as 44th Divyadesam) dedicated to God Sri Vishnu, who is worshipped as Sri Adi Jagannatha and his consort Sri Lakshmi as Padmasini.

When I went today, being a working day around 11 AM, the temple was void of any crowd. There were only a few other devotees and I was able to worship and pray without any hurry. The main idol of the God here is quite large, the size resembling how Sri Garuda Azhwar gets represented in temples.

The temple also has a sannidhi (Sanctum Sanctorum) for God Sri Rama in a reclining pose resembling the style we normally see with Srirangam Sri Ranganatha Swamy, he is called here as Sri Dharbasayana Ramar (ஸ்ரீ தர்ப்ப சயன ராமர்). There is also God Sri Rama in his coronation pose (ஸ்ரீ பட்டாபிஷேக ராமர்)