Manakkal Nambi Temple, Trichy

Address

Manakkal Nambi Temple, Trichy

Manakkal Village,

Trichy district,

Tamil Nadu 621703

Moolavar

Nambi

Introduction

• Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located at Manakkal Village near Lalgudi Town in Trichy District, Tamil Nadu.
• The village is the birthplace of Manakkal Nambi.
• The temple is named after Manakkal Nambi, and it has a shrine dedicated to him.
• Temple is about 300 meters from Manakkal Bus Stop.

Puranic Significance

• Manakkal Nambi (originally Rama Misrar) was an important Vaishnavite Guru born in the 10th century CE in Manakkal Village.
• He served as a caretaker for his Guru Uyyakondar after the death of Uyyakondar’s wife, attending to his Guru and his daughters.
• Rama Misrar became known as Manakkal Nambi after he laid down to form a human bridge for Uyyakondar’s daughters to cross a muddy path, with the girls’ sandy footprints left on his back.
• Uyyakondar entrusted Manakkal Nambi with the task of finding his Guru Nathamuni’s grandson.
• Manakkal Nambi found Alavandar, convinced him to follow the spiritual path, leading to Alavandar becoming a prominent Vaishnavite Guru (known as Yamunacharya).

Special Features

• The temple is small and lacks a tower.
• The presiding deity is Varadarajar in a standing posture, with Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi on either side.
• The temple has a simple layout with a single prakara around the sanctum.
• Utsava idols of Varadarajar and his consorts are found in the sanctum.
• In the Maha Mandapam, a separate shrine contains numerous bronze idols, including those from the nearby Kailasanathar Temple (e.g., Nataraja, Sivakami).
• Another sub-shrine in the Maha Mandapam enshrines Vishwaksenar, Ramanuja, and Lakshmi Narayana.
• Garuda faces the sanctum, and near him is a shrine for Manakkal Nambi.
• Although the presiding deity is Varadarajar, the temple is commonly referred to as Manakkal Nambigal Temple.

References

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/04/manakkal-nambi-temple-manakkal-trichy.html

Century/Period

10th century CE.

Nearest Bus Station

Manakkal

Nearest Railway Station

Lalgudi Railway Station

Nearest Airport

Trichy

Location on Map

lightuptemple