Adikesava Perumal Temple, Kanyakumari

Adikesava Perumal Temple, Thiruvattar
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictKanyakumari
Deity
FestivalsVaikuntha Ekadashi, Krishna Janmashtami
Location
LocationThiruvattar
StateTamil Nadu
CountryIndia
Adikesava Perumal Temple, Kanyakumari is located in Tamil Nadu
Adikesava Perumal Temple, Kanyakumari
Adikesava Perumal Temple, Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu
Geographic coordinates8°19′47″N 77°15′57″E / 8.32972°N 77.26583°E / 8.32972; 77.26583
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture Kerala Style
Temple(s)One

The Adikesava Perumal Temple is a Perumal temple located in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India and is one of the 108 Divya desams, the holy sites of Hindu Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the seventh and eighth centuries C.E. The temple is one of the historic thirteen Divya Deshams of Malai Nadu. The temple is a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, (River Kothai, River Pahrali and River Thamirabarani) It was the Rajya Temple and Bharadevatha shrine of Erstwhile Travancore. After state reorganisation, the temple handed over to Tamilnadu H&RCE Dept. The presiding Vishnu in the form of Ananthapadmanabhan/Adikeshavaperumal is believed to be older than Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram city. Since Vishnu resides here in a reclining position, and is surrounded by rivers, the temple is called as "The Srirangam of Chera Kingdom".

The temple was consecrated by Parasurama and is admired by Veda vyasa in the sections which deal with temples in Padma Purana. As per the stone inscriptions which dates back to 779 KE the temple is established in the Treta yuga. The Adikeshava temple is also where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, discovered the lost manuscript of the Brahma Samhita.[citation needed]