Thirumal

Kesava Perumal idols with flowers, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Perumal (Tamil: பெருமாள்) or Thirumal (Tamil: திருமால்), also known as Mal or Mayon literally refers to a deity of "black complexion". Thirumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora, who consider Thirumal to be the true name of Śrī Vishnu.

Some of the earliest known mention of Tirumal, and Tamil devotional poems to him, are found in Paripāṭal – the Sangam era poetic anthology.^[1]^[2] He is a popular Hindu deity particularly among Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora, and in Vaishnava temples.^[3] One of the richest and largest Hindu temples and monasteries complex dedicated to Tirumala is the Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.^[4]

Popularity in Tamil Nadu[]

Perumal/Thirumal was the only deity who enjoyed the status of Paramporul (achieving a oneness with Paramatma) during the Sangam age. A reference to "Mukkol Pakavars" in Sangam literature indicates that only Vaishnavaite saints were holding Tridanda and were prominent during the Sangam age. Thirumal was as glorified as "the supreme deity" whose divine lotus feet could burn all evils and grant Moksha (Maru Piraparukkum Maasil Chevadi). During the post-Sangam period, his worship was further glorified by the Alwars.

Perumal Temples[]

Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram

Of the 108 Divyadesams according to the Alwar Saints, 106 of which are in the Earthly Realm. Prominent among these Divyadesams are:

Sri Navamukundan Temple in Thirunavaya, Kerala, India
Sri [[Ranganathaswamy Temple, thiruvarangam kallakurichi india
Sri Ananthapadmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Sri Thirupalkadal temple in Keezhperoor, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Sri Oppiliappan Perumal Temple near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
Sri Narashima Perumal Temple in Ahobilam, India
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, India
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
Thirumaliruncholai (Kallazhagar Temple) in Madurai, India
Thiruvengadam (Sri Venkateswara Temple), in Tirupathi, India
Thiru Narayanapuram (SelvaPillai Perumal Temple) in Melkote, India
Aadhi Thiruvellarai (Pundarikatchan) in Thiruvellarai, India.

Prominent Thirumal Temples in India[]

Sri Sathya-Narayana Perumal Temple in T-Nagar, Chennai, India
Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (TTD), in T-Nagar, Chennai, India
Sri Vinavaraya Perumal Temple, in Ambattur, Chennai, India
Sri Santhana Srinivasa Perumal Kovil, in Mogappair, Chennai, India
Udumalai Tirupathi, Dhali Road, Udumalpet, India

Sri Lanka[]

Perumal temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Malaysia[]

Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple Klang, Malaysia
Sri Alarmelamanga Samedha Shri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia
Sri Renganathar Temple, Kawasan Institusi Bangi, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Sri Varatharajah Perumal Temple, Persiaran Kewajipan, SS13, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Sri Perumal Temple, Simpang Morib, Selangor, Malaysia
Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple Devastanam, Pusat Bandar Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia
Hari Krishna Perumal Temple, Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
Sri Krishna Temple, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, Jalan Kasipillay, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

United States[]

Sri Venkateswara Perumal temple in the USA
Sri Ranganatha temple in the USA

Singapore[]

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Singapore

References[]

^ Kamil Zvelebil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL Academic. p. 124. ISBN 90-04-03591-5.
^ V.N. Muthukumar; Elizabeth Rani Segran (2012). The River Speaks: The Vaiyai Poems from the Paripatal. Penguin Books. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-81-8475-694-4.
^ Sykes, Egerton. Who's who in non-classical mythology. Kendall, Alan, 1939- (2nd ed.). London. ISBN 9781136414442. OCLC 872991268.
^ Michael D. Coogan (1998). The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. Oxford University Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-19-521997-5.

External links[]

Sri Vaishnava Home page

[1] Kamil Zvelebil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL Academic. p. 124. ISBN 90-04-03591-5.

[2] V.N. Muthukumar; Elizabeth Rani Segran (2012). The River Speaks: The Vaiyai Poems from the Paripatal. Penguin Books. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-81-8475-694-4.

[3] Sykes, Egerton. Who's who in non-classical mythology. Kendall, Alan, 1939- (2nd ed.). London. ISBN 9781136414442. OCLC 872991268.

[4] Michael D. Coogan (1998). The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. Oxford University Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-19-521997-5.

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