உலகளந்த பெருமாள் திருக்கோயில், திருக்கோவிலூர்
This is an important temple in the ancient town of Thirukoilur or Thirukovilur on the banks of the Then Pennai River (தென் பெண்ணை ஆறு). It is one of the 108 Divya Desam temples that are very sacred in Tamil Vaishnavite Hinduism. Divya Desams are temples venerated in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( நாளாயிர திவ்விய பிரபந்தம்), the 4000 verses sung by the 12 Aalwar (ஆழ்வார்) poet saints. The Aalwar were similar to the Saivite Nayanmar and lived around the same time. They sang in praise of Lord Vishnu.
The term Ulagalantha Perumal denotes the Lord who measured the earth. The other well-known Ulagalantha Perumal temple is in Kanchipuram. The wooden idol of Lord Mahavishnu in the sanctum has his right leg lifted up with which he measures the earth. The 21 foot idol is one of the tallest idols in India.
At 5 acres or 20,000 square meters it is the largest temple in Thirukoilur. With two towering rajagopurams and multiple prakarams it is a huge complex. The first rajagopuram is 192 feet (59 m) and is the third tallest in Tamil Nadu after the ones in Srirangam and Srivilliputhur. It has 11 tiers and the inner one has 7.
It is located in Tamil Nadu. 88 km or 2 hours from Pondicherry and 35 km or 30 minutes from Thiruvannamalai. The nearest big town is Vilupuram. We visited in May 2023. We were based in Pondicherry.
Credits: Google Maps.
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