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Srivaikuntam is one of the Divya Desams situated on the
banks of the River Thamparabarani about 35-km from Tirunelveli town in
Tamil Nadu. Srivaikuntam is famous for the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu
" Sri Vaikunta Natha". This temple served as a fort to the
forces during the conflicting days between the East India Company forces
and "Kattabomman".
The Legend
The legend behind the place goes like this a thief used to donate half of
the loot to "Perumal Kalapiraan". Once, when caught stealing in
the Royal palace, he meditated on Lord. Lord entered his body and preached
Vedanta to the king and then displayed his true form to both the king and
the thief. The Perumal came to be known as "Kallappiran" (Kallan
- thief).
Once a demon called "Somakan" took away Brahma's knowledge.
Brahma after praying (meditating) to the Lord here regained the "Srushti
Gnana", which was taken away by the demon.
About The Temple
The architecture of the temple is beautiful. The Thiruvengada Mudayan
Mandapam is rich with sculptures of Yallis, Elephants and Warriors. The
Ekadasi Mandapam is opened only on Vaikunta Ekadasi days and contains
exquisite sculptures. The Kailasanathaswamy temple is another important
temple. It contains six inscriptions of the times of Veera Pandiya
Kattabomman.
The image in the temple is in a standing posture ("Ninra Thirukolam")
facing east. The Lord with Aadhiseshan in Ninra Thirukkolam is special
feature of this Kshetram not seen elsewhere.
Rail: Srivaikuntam railway station is situated on
the Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur line. All
passenger trains from Tirunelveli stop at this station. The temple is
about 1.5 miles from the railway station.
Road: Srivaikuntam is also well connected by road with
Tirunelveli, Tiruchendur and
Tuticorin.
Accommodation is a slight problem, as Srivaikuntam is a small town and it is a convenient starting point to visit the "Nava (nine) Tirupatis". But there are small lodges where visitors can spend a day or two.
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