page_title: Vanamamalai Perumal temple
section_title: Festivals and religious practices
hierarchical_section_title: Vanamamalai Perumal temple / Festivals and religious practices
caption_attribution_description: English: Vanamamalai Perumal Temple
context_page_description: Vanamamalai Perumal Temple, also known as Arulmigu Sree Vanamamalai Totatri Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, in Vanamamalai or Totadrikshetram, Tamil Nadu, India on the banks of Thamiraparani river. 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 shrines dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshipped here as Vanamalai Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Varamanagi. The temple is believed to have been built by the Pandyas, with later contributions from Vijayanagar kings and Madurai Nayaks. The temple covers an area of 5 acres and has a five-tiered temple tower.
  The temple is one of the eight Sywayambu Kshetrams, the eight temples associated with Vishnu, that manifested on its own. Vanamamalai is believed to have appeared to Adisesha and Garuda. Six daily rituals and a dozen yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the chariot festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Chittirai, is the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Vanamamalai Mutt.
context_section_description: The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis based on Vaiksana Agama. As at other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the 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. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Vanamamalai Perumal and Thayar. 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 temple mast. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The major festival, the twelve-day Brahmotsavam is celebrated during the Tamil month of Thai (January - February).
  Vishnu is considered as alankara priyar (one who prefers decoration), and Shiva as abisheka priyar (one who prefers ablution). Vanamamlai temple is one of the few Vishnu temples where ablution is done for the presiding deity on a daily basis. At around 7 am everyday, ablution is performed on the presiding deity with milk, curd and other pooja items. The ghee used for ablution is poured in the oil well in the temple, which is considered sacred. During the festival occasions, the festival idols are brought to the Vanamamalai Mutt located outside the premises of the temple.
caption: Life size sculptures in the temple
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