हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Oppiliappan Temple, Thirunageswaram

The Divya Desam near Kumbakonam where Vishnu married Bhumi Devi, born as the daughter of Markandeya, and accepted her saltless cooking. No salt enters the temple kitchen, and vows made to Tirupati may be fulfilled here.

Built: Sung by the Alvars; Chola-period stone temple, enlarged under the NayakasWhere: Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur district)Deity: Bhagwan Vishnu as Oppiliappan (Uppiliappan), with Bhumi Devi10.97° N, 79.43° E
  1. Alvar period
  2. Chola period
Photo: Arunasank · CC BY-SA 4.0

01The saltless offering

The sthala purana tells that Maharshi Markandeya prayed to have Lakshmi as his daughter, and found Bhumi Devi as an infant under a tulsi plant here. When she grew up, Vishnu came as an old man to ask for her hand. Markandeya pleaded that she was too young even to know how to salt food. ‘Then I will eat it without salt,’ the old man said, and revealed himself. So he is Uppiliappan, the lord who takes no salt, and to this day the naivedya is cooked without it. Taking anything salted into the temple is forbidden. Nammalvar praised him as Oppiliappan, the one without equal.

02Elder brother of Venkatesa

Devotees hold Oppiliappan to be the elder brother of Venkateswara of Tirumala, and those who cannot make the climb to the seven hills fulfil their Tirupati vows here. Weddings are performed in the temple in large numbers, after the divine wedding. The temple was sung by Nammalvar, Peyalvar and Thirumangai Alvar, and stands next to the Shiva temple of Thirunageswaram, the shrine of Rahu.

The life of this place

  1. Alvar periodNammalvar, Peyalvar and Thirumangai Alvar sing the temple.
  2. Chola periodThe stone temple is built and endowed.
Visiting

About 7 km east of Kumbakonam. Do not carry salted food into the temple.

Nearby

Naganathaswamy Temple, Thirunageswaram (Rahu)Standing
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Naganathaswamy Temple, Thirunageswaram (Rahu)

The Rahu sthala of the Navagraha circuit, where the serpent-kings worshipped Shiva and Rahu is shown in human form with his two consorts.

Sivagurunathar Temple, SivapuramStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Sivagurunathar Temple, Sivapuram

Ground so holy that Sambandar would not walk on it and rolled round the temple instead; home of the Sivapuram Nataraja, the bronze that was stolen and brought home. Appar and Sambandar sang it.

Swarnapureeswarar (Padikasunathar) Temple, Arisirkaraiputhur (Azhagaputhur)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Swarnapureeswarar (Padikasunathar) Temple, Arisirkaraiputhur (Azhagaputhur)

Where the Lord left a gold coin on the step each day for old Pugazhthunai Nayanar through a famine. All three Tevaram singers sang it.

Mahalingeswarar Temple, ThiruvidaimarudurStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Mahalingeswarar Temple, Thiruvidaimarudur

Madhyarjunam, the middle of the three Arjuna-tree shrines of Shiva, where the Pandya king Varaguna was freed of the sin of killing a brahmin. Its four great streets and corridors make it one of the largest Shiva temples of the Kaveri delta.