page_title: Tiruththanka
section_title: Legend
hierarchical_section_title: Tiruththanka / Legend
caption_attribution_description: English: Thiruthanka
context_page_description: Tiruththanka, or Tooppul located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Deepa Prakasar and his consort Lakshmi as Maragathavailli.
  The temple is believed to have been expanded during the Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. The temple has inscriptions on its walls dating from the period of Rajaraja Chola III. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all the shrines and two bodies of water. There is a two-tiered rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower, in the temple.
  Deepaprakasar is believed to have appeared to Brahma. Six daily rituals and three yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Brahmotsavam festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Puratassi, being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
context_section_description: As per Hindu legend, once there was an argument between Saraswathi, the consort of Brahma and Lakshmi on superiority. They went to Indra, the king of celestial deities. Indra judged Lakshmi as superior and not satisfied with his argument, Saraswathi went to her husband, Brahma. He also chose Lakshmi to be the superior one. Saraswathi was unhappy with the decision and decided to stay away from Brahma. Brahma did a severe penance praying to Vishnu and did an Aswametha Yagna. Saraswathi was still angry that the yagna, which usually is done along with consorts was done alone by Brahma. She tried to disrupt the penance, but Vishnu interfered. Another version of the legend states that Saraswathi sent raakshakas to spoil the penance, which was spoiled by the stream of light from Vishnu. Since Vishnu appeared as light to overcome the darkness of the situation, he was termed Deepaprakasa Perumal.
  Vedanta Desika (1268 - 1369 CE) was an ardent devotee of Deepa Prakasa Temple at Thoppul. The devotion of Desika is mentioned in Varadaraja Panchasat in 50 verses.
caption: Stucco image of legend
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