Set in Thiruvellarai, Tamil Nadu, Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple is dedicated to Pundarikaksha Perumal (Vishnu) with consort Pankajavalli Thayar. It is also known as Thiruvellarai temple, Uthamakshetram.
The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham composed by the Alvar poet-saints, revered here by Periyalvar and Thirumangai Alvar. It is considered one of the oldest Vishnu temples in Tamil Nadu, predating the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, and its early Pallava inscriptions make it historically significant. One local legend tells of King Sibi Chakravarthy chasing a white boar to a cave where sage Markandeya was meditating; the sage instructed the king to bring 3,700 Vaishnavas from the north to found a temple, and when one died en route, Vishnu himself took.
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.
Six daily poojas are reported: Ushathkalam 7:00 AM, Kalasanthi 8:00 AM, Uchikalam 12:00 PM, Sayarakshai 6:00 PM, Irandamkalam 7:00 PM, Ardha Jamam 10:00 PM. Exact public darshan opening and closing hours could not be verified.
Poojas and daily rituals
Six daily rituals with alangaram, neivethanam and deepa aradanai; weekly, fortnightly and monthly observances
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Chariot festival (Ratha Yatra) | Tamil month of Chittirai (March to April) | The temple's main annual festival, with a community feast and recitation of Naalayira Divya Prabandham verses during the procession |
History and architecture
Architecture
Dravidian style temple raised on a 15 metre artificial hill, with two seasonal entrances known as Utharayana Vaasal and Dhakshanayana Vaasal, an unfinished rajagopuram, and a vimanam called Vimalaakkruthi. The complex includes Pallava rock-cut caves with sculptures of Narasimha and Varaha, and later Vijayanagara and Nayak period paintings of Krishna and Ramayana scenes.
History
One local legend tells of King Sibi Chakravarthy chasing a white boar to a cave where sage Markandeya was meditating; the sage instructed the king to bring 3,700 Vaishnavas from the north to found a temple, and when one died en route, Vishnu himself took his place, appearing as Pundarikaksha. An inscription of the Chola king Parakesarivarman (907 to 955 CE) records an endowment to the temple's Krishna and Rukmini shrines. The temple's tank is said to have been built around 800 CE by a local chieftain, Kamban Araiyan, during Dantivarman's reign.
Planning your visit
How to reach
About 27 km from Tiruchirappalli on the Thuraiyur road.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Exact public darshan hours, entry fee and dress code could not be verified