Makara Nedunkuzhaikathar Temple, in Thenthiruperai in Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Magara Nedungkuzhaikathar Perumal with consorts Kuzhaikkadhu Valli and Thirupperai Nachiyar. It is also known as Thirupperai, Makara Nedunkuzhai Kannan Temple.
Makara Nedunkuzhaikathar Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu shrines glorified by the Alvar saints in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, and is one of the Nava Tirupati, the nine Vishnu temples strung along the Tamiraparani river near Srivaikuntam. Within the Nava Tirupati group it is associated with the planet Venus (Shukra) in the navagraha tradition. According to the temple's legend, Lakshmi asked sage Durvasa for help acquiring Bhudevi's beauty while Vishnu was away.
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
Published sources do not give a single clean daily window for this temple; see the notes below for what is documented.
Specific darshan hours could not be verified from available sources; visitors are advised to confirm locally before travelling
Poojas and daily rituals
Six daily poojas are performed following Thenkalai Vaishnavite tradition
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Vaikuntha Ekadashi | Margazhi month (December to January) | A ten day annual festival observed during the Tamil month of Margazhi |
| Vaikasi Garuda Sevai | Vaikasi month (May to June) | As part of the Nammalvar birth celebrations at Alwarthirunagari, the festival idols of all nine Nava Tirupati temples, including this one, are taken out in procession on Garuda vahanam |
History and architecture
Architecture
Dravidian style with rectangular granite walls and a three tiered Bhadra type gopuram rising about 36 m (118 ft); the temple has two tanks, Shukra Tirtham and Shankha Tirtham, and the presiding deity stands with Sridevi and Bhudevi on either side
History
According to the temple's legend, Lakshmi asked sage Durvasa for help acquiring Bhudevi's beauty while Vishnu was away. When Durvasa visited Bhudevi and she failed to receive him properly, he cursed her, causing her beauty to pass to Lakshmi. Bhudevi was told to worship Vishnu on the bank of the Tamiraparani river, and during a new moon ritual there she found a pair of fish shaped earrings (makara kundalam), which she offered to Vishnu. On accepting them, Bhudevi's original beauty was restored, and the deity came to be known as Makara Nedunkuzhaikathar. The temple is also associated with the Parasurama avatar of Vishnu and is glorified in Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli within the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, as well as in the Brahmanda Purana's Navathirupathi Mahatmiyam chapter.
Planning your visit
How to reach
The temple is located about 5 km from Alwarthirunagari along the Tiruchendur to Tirunelveli route, on the southern bank of the Tamiraparani river
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Darshan timings, entry fee and dress code could not be verified from available sources; built era is unverified so left blank