Kallalagar Temple

Kallalagar Temple
Kallalagar
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Madurai
Deity	Kallalagar (Sundararaja Perumal) (Vishnu) Kalyana Sundaravalli Thayar (Lakshmi)
Festivals	Float festival Chitirai Thiruvila Navaratri Vaikunta Ekadashi
Features	Tower: Somachandra Vimanam
Location
Location	Madurai
State	Tamil Nadu
Country	India
Location in Madurai
Geographic coordinates	10°04′27″N 78°12′52″E / 10.074136°N 78.214356°E / 10.074136; 78.214356
Architecture
Type	Dravidian architecture
Website
https://alagarkoilkallalagar.hrce.tn.gov.in

Kallalagar Temple or Kallazhagar Temple, also known by its own toponym Thirumaliruncholai,^[1] is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu in Alagar Koyil, a village in Madurai district in the South Indian 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–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshiped as Kallalagar, and his consort Lakshmi as Thirumagal.^[2] This temple is called as Thirumaliruncholai in Sangam literatures and Naalayira Divya Prabandham sung by Tamil Alvar saints.

A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram. The temple is surrounded by a large fort, part of which is dilapidated.

Kallalagar is believed to have appeared to redeem sage Suthapava off his curse from Sage Durvasa. The temple follows Tenkalai tradition of worship. Six daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the float festival during the Tamil month of Masi (February–March), Navrathri during September–October and Vaikunta Ekadashi during Margali (December–January) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.^[3]