KANCHIPURAM ULAGALANTHA PERUMAL TEMPLE

The temple is located in central Kanchipuram, a South Indian town in the state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th through 9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Ulagalantha Perumal, and his consort Lakshmi as Amuthavalli. The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallavas, with later contributions from the medieval Cholas, Vijayanagara kings, and Madurai Nayaks. The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of Indra over Svarga, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a benevolent asura King. Bali was the grandson of Prahlada. King Mahabali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities, winning the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the most powerful being in the world. Vamana, in the guise of a short Brahmin carrying a wooden umbrella, went to the king to request three paces of land. Mahabali consented, against the warning of his guru, Shukracharya. Vamana then revealed his identity, and enlarged to gigantic proportions to stride over the three worlds. He stepped from heaven to earth with the first step, from earth to the netherworld with the second. With all the dominions he held effectively under Vamana’s strides. King Mahabali, unable to fulfill his promise, offered his head for the third. Vamana then placed his foot upon the humbled monarch, banishing him to the netherworld. Some texts also report that Vamana did not step into the netherworld, and instead gave its rule to Mahabali.

In his giant form, Vamana is known as Trivikrama. The legend is associated with the Thrikkakara Temple in Kerala and also with this Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Tirukoyilur.

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