- Divya Desam
- Second of the 108
- Nearest airport
- Tiruchirappalli (about 10 km)
- Nearest railway station
- Tiruchirappalli Junction (about 6 km)
- Main festival
- Serthi Sevai
The legend
Temple tradition tells of a Chola king named Nanda, who had everything except a child. Vishnu appeared to him in a dream and promised him a daughter who would one day become His bride. While out hunting, the king found a baby girl resting on a lotus flower in a pond in the woods and named her Kamalavalli, from kamalam, the Tamil word for lotus. When she grew up she fell in love with Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam and married him, and the king built this temple to mark the union.
What to see
The presiding deity is seated in the sanctum. The walls carry paintings of Nammalvar and the other Alvars, forms of Vishnu, and a large series of murals, renewed in the nineteenth century, illustrating teachings from the Garuda Purana on right conduct and its consequences. Old inscriptions around the shrine record temple accounts in detail, an interesting glimpse into how temples were administered.
Uraiyur is also remembered as the birthplace of Thiruppanazhwar, one of the twelve Alvars, whose connection with Srirangam is still honoured in ritual.
Rituals and festivals
Worship is offered six times a day to the sound of nadaswaram and thavil. The highlight of the year is Serthi Sevai, when Namperumal, the processional image of Ranganatha, comes from Srirangam and appears together with the goddess. Other festivals include Panguni Uthiram, the swing festival (Dolotsavam), Navaratri and the recitation-based Araiyar Sevai. Couples often visit to pray for a harmonious marriage.
Visiting information
The temple opens early in the morning until around noon and again from late afternoon until about 8–8:30 pm. Wear traditional, modest clothing: men usually dress in a dhoti, or trousers with a shirt or angavastram, and women a saree or a churidar set with a dupatta.
How to reach
Tiruchirappalli airport is about 10 km away and Tiruchirappalli Junction about 6 km. City buses, autos and taxis reach Uraiyur easily, and Srirangam is only a short drive across the Kaveri. Madurai is about 130 km away. We can plan a day of Tiruchi temples from Virudhachalam.
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