Set in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, Sri Sthalasayana Perumal Temple honours Sthalasayana Perumal, a reclining form of Vishnu, with consort Nilamangai Thayar, also referred to as Boosthalamangadevi. It is also known as Thirukadalmallai.
One of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham composed by the Alvar poet-saints, praised in verses by Bhoothathalvar and Thirumangai Alvar. It is regarded as the birthplace of Bhoothathalvar, one of the twelve Alvars. The temple stands in the town of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) near the UNESCO-listed Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (the Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas and rock-cut reliefs), but it is a separate, still-functioning temple administered by the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Wikipedia's enumeration of the UNESCO site's component monuments does not list this temple among them, so it should not be described as one of the UNESCO-inscribed structures itself, even though some tourism sites loosely describe it that way Temple accounts hold that the shrine originally stood closer to the shore and was relocated inland in the 14th century under the Vijayanagara king Parankusa.
Tamil Nadu carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Land of towering gopurams and living Dravidian temple traditions, from the Chola masterpieces to the great Pancha Bhoota Sthalas.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Evening | 3:00 PM to 8:30 PM |
The temple is relatively quiet outside festival days
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Bhoothathalvar Avatara Utsavam | Aippasi (October-November) | Commemorates the birth of the Alvar poet-saint Bhoothathalvar, who is associated with this temple as his birthplace |
History and architecture
Architecture
Dravidian style temple with a seven-tiered gopuram built in the 15th-16th centuries, two precincts, a Dvajasthambam (flagstaff) and a Garuda Mandapam
History
Temple accounts hold that the shrine originally stood closer to the shore and was relocated inland in the 14th century under the Vijayanagara king Parankusa. It is also venerated as the birthplace of the Alvar poet-saint Bhoothathalvar
Planning your visit
How to reach
The temple is about 100 meters from the Mahabalipuram bus stand and roughly 50 km south of Chennai along the East Coast Road. The nearest airport is Chennai International Airport, and frequent buses run from Chennai via ECR and OMR
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. The temple's precise relationship to the UNESCO listing is ambiguous across sources (some tourism sites claim inclusion, but Wikipedia's list of the site's component monuments does not name it), so that point is stated cautiously; the dress code and pooja schedule could not be fully verified from an official source