Siddharth Darnal at 21:25, 26 February 2026

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{{Short description|Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox temple
| name = Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple
| image = tirupullani1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| map_type = India Tamil Nadu
| map_caption = Location in [[Tamil Nadu]]
| coordinates = {{coord|9.282745|78.824445|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| other_names =
| proper_name =
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| district = [[Ramanathapuram]]
| location = [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| elevation_m = 35
| deity = {{Plainlist|
* Adi Jagannatha Perumal ([[Vishnu]])
* Padmasini Thayar ([[Lakshmi]])
* Dharbasayana Ramar ([[Rama]])
* Pattabhi Ramar ([[Rama]])
}}
| primary_deity_Godess =
| utsava_deity_God =
| utsava_deity_Godess=
| Direction_posture =
| Pushakarani =
| Vimanam =
| Poets =
| Prathyaksham =
| festivals=
| architecture = [[Dravidian architecture]]
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity=
| inscriptions =
| year_completed =
| creator =
| website =
|temple_tank=Chakra Theertham}}

The '''Adi Jagannatha Temple''' is a [[South Indian]] Hindu temple in [[Tiruppullani block|Thiruppullani]], a village in the outskirts of [[Ramanathapuram]] in the South Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]], is dedicated to the Hindu god [[Vishnu]]. It is believed that Rama used grass ('pul' in Tamil as a pillow (thalai annai in Tamil) to sleep and hence the village attained the name Thiruppullani. Constructed in the [[Cholan architecture|Cholan style of architecture]], the temple is glorified in the ''[[Divya Prabandha|Naalayira Divya Prabandham]]'', the early medieval [[Tamil literature|Tamil]] canon of the [[Alvars|Alvar]] saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 ''[[Divyadesam|Divya Desam]]'' dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Jagannatha and his consort [[Lakshmi]] as Padmasini.

The temple is believed to have been built during the late 8th century CE, with later contributions from [[Medieval Cholas]], [[Pandyan Dynasty#Pandya revival and zenith .2813th and 14th centuries CE.29|later Pandyas]], Madurai Nayak kings, Sethupathi Palayam of Ramnad. As per Hindu legend, [[Rama]] is believed to have done penance to worship the god of ocean to seek way to [[Lanka]] in grass, giving the name Dharbasayanam to the place. The temple is maintained and administered by the Ramanathapuram Samasthan Devasthanam a Trust under the control of the Ramnad Palayam Sethupathi successor and at present Her Highness the Raja Rajeswari Natchiyar as Hereditary Trustee and the accounts were audited by [[Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department]] of the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]].

==Legend==
[[File:Tirupullani10.jpg|Set of [[Naga (Hinduism)|Nagar]]s|200px|left|alt=Images of Snake deity, Nagar|thumb]]
As per Hindu legend, [[Rama]] in the epic ''[[Ramayana]]'' prayed to the Samudraraja (God of Ocean) to seek way to reach [[Lanka]]. He did a penance lying in Kusa grass (Dharba grass), the act of which is described in [[Sanskrit]] as ''Dharbasayanam''.<ref name="epic">{{cite book|title=Indian Epic Values: Rāmāyaṇa and Its Impact : Proceedings of the 8th International Rāmāyaạ Conference|page=85|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVnK3q48dL0C&q=veeraraghava+perumal+temple&pg=PA86|publisher=Peeters Publishers|year=1995|last1=K.V.|first1=Raman|last2=T.|first2=Padmaja|isbn=9789068317015|ref=K.V.}}</ref><ref name=Meena>{{cite book|title=Temples in South India|last=V.|first=Meena|publisher=Harikumar Arts|location=Kanniyakumari|page=13}}</ref>

As per another legend, [[Dasharatha]], the father of [[Rama]], performed different sacrifices and did a lot of penance to obtain the sacred ''[[payasam]]'' (sweet pudding). He offered it equally to his three wives, resulting in the birth of [[Rama]], [[Lakshmana]], [[Bharatha]] and [[Shatrughna]]. Following the legend, childless couple perform a worship called ''nagapradishta'' (installing a statue of snake god) in the temple. Sweet pudding is offered to childless couple praying for a child. It is believed that Adi Jaganatha bestows a child like Rama when such a worship is performed.<ref>{{cite book|title=Disappearing Daughters: The Tragedy of Female Foeticide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7XgqCyEB5QC&q=tirupullani&pg=PA51|pages=51–52|last=Aravamudan|first=Gita |publisher=Penguin Books India|year=2007|isbn=9780143101703}}</ref><ref name="dinamalar">{{cite news|title=Sri Adi Jagannatha Perumal temple|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=837|newspaper=Dinamalar|access-date=2013-08-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=RBS Visitors Guide INDIA - Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu Travel Guide|date = May 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c2E7CQAAQBAJ&q=thirupullani&pg=PT354|page=354|publisher=Data And Expo India Pvt Ltd, Ashutosh Goyal|isbn=9789380844817}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Tirupullani7.jpg|Corridor of the temple|200px|right|alt=Long pillared hall|thumb]]
The temple is believed to have been initiated during the Medieval Chola period along with many temples dedicated to Rama. The [[Chola]] king [[Parantaka I]] named himself "Sangrama Raghava" after his conquest of [[Sri Lanka]], while his son [[Aditya I]] was called Kothandarama. Some later [[Pandya]] kings also made contributions to the temple.<ref name="epic"/> A mutilated inscription in the temple made during the 37th year of [[Maravarman Sundara Pandyan]] in 1305 records order of a minister by name Arya Chakravarthi. Historians believe some portions of the temple tower might also have been built by [[Jaffna kingdom|Jaffna kings]], who were friends of [[Pandya Empire]] and also rulers of [[Rameswaram]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ancient Jaffna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k9DpMY206bMC&q=tirupullani&pg=PA346|page=346|last=C.|first= Rasanayagam|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=1993|isbn=9788120602106}}</ref> There is one damaged record from 1518 from the period of Mahabali Vanadaraya Naykkar and one another made in 1528 during the reign of Sundarattoludaiyar Mahabali Vanadarayar.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Nayaks of Madura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXdyGtJH6E0C&q=tirupullani&pg=PA334|pages=333–4|last=Aiyar|first=R. Sathyanatha|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=1991|isbn=9788120605329}}</ref> There are inscriptions in the temple indicating Arab traders visiting the Pandyan Empire. The traders traded pearl and pepper and in return were allowed to build mosques in the region for their worship. The mosques followed [[Indian architecture]] with stone pillars and were called Kallupalli.<ref>{{cite book|title=Frontiers of Embedded Muslim Communities in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MKIT9muBRuoC&q=thirupullani&pg=PT154|page=154|last=Jairath|first=Vinod K.|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=9781136196799}}</ref> The temple received lot of contributions from the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara period]], along with other Vishnu temples in the region.<ref name="epic"/> Madhwa sampradaya saint Shree [[Vadiraja Tirtha]] have mentioned about Darbashayana Temple in his work [[Tirtha Prabandha]].

==Architecture==
The temple is located in Thirupullani, a village located {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Ramanathapuram]] and {{convert|64|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Rameswaram]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Top Ten Temple Towns of India|publisher=Mark Age Publication|first=S.C.|last=Karkar|location=Kolkota|isbn=978-81-87952-12-1|year=2009|page=39}}</ref> The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram (gateway tower) facing east. The shrine of Adi Jagannatha houses the image of Adi Jagannatha, [[Bhūmi|Bhudevi]] and Sri Devi in sitting posture. The consort of Adi Jagannathar is Padmasini, housed in a separate shrine. There is a shrine for Dharbasayana Ramar in a reclining posture.<ref name="dinamalar"/> There is a metal image of [[Krishna]] from the 13th-century Pandya period Vijayanagara Kings and Madurai Nayak kings. The image depicts Krishna dancing in a snake, a rare historical depiction of Krishna in a metal image.<ref>{{cite book |last=T. |first=Padmaja |title=Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: history, art, and traditions in Tamilnāḍu |year=2002 |publisher=Shakti Malik |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-7017-398-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzgaS1wRnl8C&q=adi+jagannatha+temple&pg=PA116|pages=116–7}}</ref>

==Festivals, religious practices and significance==
[[File:Tirupullani9.jpg|Chakra Theertham, the [[Pushkarini|temple tank]]|200px|right|alt=Temple tank|thumb]]
The temple priests perform the ''[[puja (Hinduism)|pooja]]'' (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavaite]] community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day: ''Ushathkalam'' at 7 a.m., ''Kalasanthi'' at 8:00 a.m., ''Uchikalam'' at 12:00 p.m., ''Sayarakshai'' at 6:00 p.m., ''Irandamkalam'' at 7:00 p.m. and ''Ardha Jamam'' at 10:00 p.m. The Vaikhanasa Agama Shastrams and Thengalai Vaishnava traditions are followed in all the temple rituals. Each ritual has three steps: ''alangaram'' (decoration), ''neivethanam'' (food offering) and ''deepa aradanai'' (waving of lamps) for both Adi Jagannatha and Padmasini. During the last step of worship, ''[[nagaswaram]]'' (pipe instrument) and ''[[tavil]]'' (percussion instrument) are played, religious instructions in the ''[[Vedas]]'' (sacred text) are recited by priests, and worshippers prostrate themselves in front of the [[Iconography of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu#Dvajasthamba and Pali Peedam|temple mast]]. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The two major festivals celebrated in the temple are the Panguni Brahmotsavam for Adi Jagannathar and Rama Navami Utsavam during the [[Tamil calendar|Tamil month]] of ''Chittirai''. Other major festivals celebrated in Vishnu temples in South India like [[Vaikunta Ekadashi|Vaikuntha Ekadashi]], [[Krishna Jayanthi]], [[Thai Pongal|Pongal]] and [[Diwali|Deepavali]], are also celebrated.<ref name="dinamalar"/>

The temple is revered in ''[[Nalayira Divya Prabandham|Naalayira Divya Prabandham]]'', the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by [[Thirumangai Alvar]] in one hymn. The temple is classified as a ''[[Divyadesam|Divya Desam]]'', one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book. The temple is revered in 20 verses of Thirumangai Alvar in his ''[[Periya Tirumoli]]'' in ''Naalayira Divya Prabandham''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://divyaprabandham.in/listdivyadesampasuram.php|title=Thiruppullani in nalayira divya prabandham|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-date=18 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318200758/http://www.divyaprabandham.in/listdivyadesampasuram.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The epic is also described by [[Kambar (poet)|Kambar]] in his work ''[[Kamba Ramayanam]]''.<ref name="epic"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Famous Vishnu temples}}
{{Ramanathapuram district}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Divya Desams]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Ramanathapuram district]]
[[Category:Rama temples in Tamil Nadu]]

Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple - Revision history

Siddharth Darnal at 21:25, 26 February 2026