Gopala Krishna Perumal Temple stands in Thirunangur, Tamil Nadu, honours Gopala Krishna Perumal with consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama, Utsavar Rajagopalan. It is also known as Thirukkavalambadi, Sri Rajagopala Swamy Temple, Dakshina Dwaraka, Kannan Koil.
This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu shrines glorified by the Alvar saints in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, and it is also one of the eleven Thirunangur Thirupathis, a cluster of Divya Desams concentrated in the small town of Thirunangur that share a legend of Vishnu appearing in eleven forms to pacify Shiva's furious tandava dance. The sthala puranam holds that Krishna and his consort Satyabhama chose this spot to have their garden, likening it to Indra's celestial palace.
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 10:00 AM |
| Evening | 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
Some sources list slightly different hours (8 to 10 AM and 5 to 7 PM); confirm locally before visiting.
Poojas and daily rituals
Four daily rituals are performed: Ushathkalam, Kalasanthi, Sayarakshai and Ardha Jamam, each involving alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (lamp waving)
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Thirumangai Alwar Mangalasasana Utsavam | New moon day in Tamil month Thai (January to February) | Annual festival featuring Garuda Sevai, in which the festival deities of all eleven Thirunangur Thirupathi temples are brought together on Garuda vahanams. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Dravidian style with a sanctum sanctorum, antarala and ardha mandapam on a raised platform, Brahma kantha pilasters, and a single tiered Swayambhu Vimanam over the sanctum
History
The sthala puranam holds that Krishna and his consort Satyabhama chose this spot to have their garden, likening it to Indra's celestial palace. Another local legend says Krishna searched here for Parijatha flowers to please Satyabhama, meditating on Shiva who revealed a lake of Parijatha flowers at this site. The temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Thirumangai Alvar.
Planning your visit
How to reach
About 10 km from Sirkazhi on the route to Thiruvenkadu; nearest railway station is Sirkazhi; roughly 247 km from Chennai by road.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: High. Confidence level as originally recorded for this entry; no further explanatory note was written at the time