In Perungulam, Tamil Nadu, Srinivasa Perumal Temple honours Srinivasa Perumal, also called Mayakoothar, with consorts Alamelumangai Thayar and Kulandhai Valli. It is also known as Thirukkulandai, Tirukulandhai, Sri Mayakoothar Temple.
The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu shrines glorified by the Alvar poet-saints in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, and it is also one of the Nava Tirupati, the nine Tirupatis strung along the banks of the Tamiraparani river near Srivaikuntam. Within the Nava Tirupati group it is regarded as the sthalam associated with the planet Shani (Saturn). The temple's legend tells of Kumudhavalli, wife of the Vaishnava devotee Vedasaran, who was abducted by an asura; Vishnu vanquished the asura, dancing on his severed head, which is why the deity here is worshipped as Mayakoothar (the divine dancer).
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 | 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM |
| Evening | 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM |
Sources give slightly different minute-level figures (for example 7:30 AM opening in one listing); the ranges above reflect the most commonly cited hours.
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Vaikunta Ekadasi | Tamil month of Margazhi (December to January) | Major festival period shared across the Nava Tirupati temples. |
| Garuda Sevai | Tamil month of Vaikasi (May to June), around Nammalvar's birth star celebrations | Festival deities from all nine Nava Tirupati temples are taken out in procession on the Garuda vahana. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Dravidian style temple with a three tiered, east facing rajagopuram, two prakarams, and a sanctum, antarala, artha mandapam and maha mandapam sequence; the mandapa has yazhi pillars and the vimana over the sanctum is named Ananda Nilayam
History
The temple's legend tells of Kumudhavalli, wife of the Vaishnava devotee Vedasaran, who was abducted by an asura; Vishnu vanquished the asura, dancing on his severed head, which is why the deity here is worshipped as Mayakoothar (the divine dancer). A related tradition holds that the couple's daughter, Kamaladevi, performed penance to Vishnu at this forest site, afterwards renamed Tirukulandhai, and that the Lord placed her image upon his chest in recognition of her devotion. The temple tank, Perungulam, gives the surrounding village its name.
Planning your visit
How to reach
About 15 km from Srivaikuntam, 26 km from Thiruchendur and 46 km from Tirunelveli; the nearest railway station is Srivaikuntam, about 15 km away.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Consort names vary across sources (some describe four consort forms including Sridevi, Bhudevi and Niladevi alongside Kamaladevi rather than the two named here); exact darshan minute-level timings differ slightly between listings; bestTimeToVisit could not be independently verified for this specific temple so was left blank