VAIKUNTHA PERUMAL TEMPLE OR THIRU PARAMESHWARA VINNAGARAM KANCHIPURAM

THIRU PARAMESHWARA VINNAGARAM OR VAIKUNTHA PERUMAL TEMPLE KANCHIPURAM

Thiru Parameswara (The greatest Lord) Vinnagaram (temple) or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to Vishnu & his concert Vaikundavalli located in Kanchipuram.

 Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple finds mention in the Divya Prabhanda the early medieval tamil literature of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one among the 108 temples dedicated to Vishnu.

 The temple is considered the second oldest extant temples in Kanchipuram after the Kailasanathar temple & is in a straight line facing each other, though seperated by 3.5 KMs.

The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava king Nandivarman (720-796 CE), with later contributions from Chola's and Vijayanagara  Kings.

 The temple is surrounded by a granite wall enclosing all the shrines and a pond of the temple. The outer walls of the inner praharam is full of Kalakrithis related to the lord. And what seems to be like a small moat in between the praharams with a walking corridor. The corridor wallls are also a treasure of sculpture's of Puranic lore.

Nandivarman Pallavamallan was a worshipper of Vishnu. One amongst the many temple he built is the Parameswara Vinnagaram or the Vaikunta Perumal temple. which contains inscribed panels of sculpture portraying the events leading up to the accession of Nandivarman Pallavamalla to the throne.  

The temple has a rectangular plan and approached through a flat granite gateway tower. The Tower over the sanctum has a stepped pyramidal roof and it resembles a Vihara.

 Three levels host the image of Vishnu in different postures in the Tower.
 1. Seated posture (ground floor),
2. Sleeping posture (first floor)
3. Standing Posture (second floor) 
Only two postures are accessible to people. The sitting posture is the Moolavar and can be seen every day. VISHNU in a sitting posture is rare or (unique) phenomena.
The reclining posture or the sleeping posture can be seen only on the Ekadashi day.
The standing Posture is inaccessible, as the steps reaching the shrine has collapsed, as informed to me by a local.
4. The Vaikundavalli shrine is on the outer praharam on the left side facing the lord.
5. The sculpture on the walls around the sanctum show Vishnu in his Avatars.
6. In the inner praharam is the sculpture of a miniature of the tower & what seems to be  the sculpture of a Chinese traveller.(see photos)

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