Located in the temple town of Kancheepuram, considered one
of the 108 'divyadeshams' of Lord Vishnu is the Ulagalantha Perumal Temple. The
temple celebrates the divinity of Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vamana.
This temple is said to be built by the Pallavas and was later contributed
mostly by the Chola dynasties, Vijayanagar Kings and Madurai Nayakars. The
temple has various inscriptions from these eras. Some of the inscriptions
indicate the visit of Kulothunga Chola to the temple. Inscriptions record the
giving of gifts by later Cholas as well as Sambuvarayar rulers. The temple is
praised in the Divya Prabandha, the Tamil compilation of verses of the Azvar
saints.
Location TamilNadu, Kanchipuram, Chennai
Legend
Fearing King Mahabali's growing power and popularity, on
request of Indra Vishnu incarnated as Vamana, the dwarf brahmin to vanquish
Bali. Vamana asked Bali for 3 feet of land and the King granted it. Vamana
measured the entire earth and sky with one step and the heaven with his 2nd.
There was no place left for the third step, when King Bali,bowed his head and
asked the Lord to place it on him. As the Lord pushed him into the nether
world, Bali requested to see the full form of the Lord who measured the entire
world. Answering his prayers, Lord is said to have appeared before Bali at this
place as Ulagalantha Perumal (the one who measured the entire universe)
This temple is part of Kanchipuram Divya Desam Yatra.
Architecture
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple is built in a Dravidian style of
structure and has a three-tiered temple tower with seven Kalasams (a pot like
structure). Colourful sculptures adorn the towers. The unique aspect of the
temple is the stunning deity of Thrivikraman, 35 feet in height with his right
leg parallel to the ground, placed on the head of the demon King Mahabali. The
two left hand fingers of Lord is stretched out, which indicates that he took
two steps and one finger of His right hand refers to the question that Lord
posted to the demon king
Picture courtesy: "Ulagalantha-perumal1" by
Nsmohan at en.wikipedia.
Culture
Kanchipuram, in the state of Tamil Nadu is one of the
important religious places in India and a holy pilgrimage site for both
Saivites and Vaishnavites. Historically, it was a centre for education and
popular for the architectural beauty of its temples. Silk saree weaving is a
major industry and Kanchipuram pattu(silk) is famous all around the country.
Darsan Info
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple timings : 7.00 AM - 12.00 PM and
4.00 PM - 8.00 PM
The temple also houses four other Divya Desams namely
Thirukkarvaanam, Thirukaaragam, Thiruooragam and Thiruneeragam.
Darsan Dresscode
Devotees are advised to wear clean and conservative attire
Famous Festival
January - Brahmotsavam (Jan/Feb)
April - Chariot festival (March/April)
August - Vamana Jayanti(Aug/Sept)
Temple Rituals
At Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, the temple rituals are
performed six times a day with each ritual having three step: alangaram,
neivethanam and deepa aradanai.
Additional Info
Eateries near Ulagalantha Perumal Temple :-
Hotel Saravan Bhavan
Sakthi Ganapathi
Hotel Srinivasa
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