Sree Adikesava Perumal Temple – Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari District

Abstract

Kanyakumari is the Southernmost part of India.  It is located in the South West portion of the Indian Peninsula by forming an irregular triangle with its apex at Cape Comorin.  It is situated in the coastal strip between  North and East by the Mahendragiri mountains and  on the South by Indian Ocean and the West by Arabian Sea.  Kanyakumari District consists of four Taluks.  They are Agasteeswaram,  Thovalai, Kalkulam and Vilavancode.  This district presents a striking contrast to the rest of Tamil Nadu in point of physical features and Agricultural conditions.

Thiruvattar is a small town situated in Kalkulam Taluk in Kanyakumari District.  One can reach this place by travelling 47 kms  South from Thiruvananthapuram on the National Highway.  Then turn left on Azhakiyamandapam road branch.  From there six km travel is enough to reach Thiruvattar, a small town situated on the base of hill. Otherwise from Marthandam

7 kms travel is enough to reach Thiruvattar,  It is a hilly region.  On this region there is one police station and some public offices.  The river paraliyar encircles the place.  The abundances of water in this place has been described as ‘Valaneer Vattaru' by poet-‘Malkudi Kilar' in a verse of ‘Purananuru'.  The old Tamil anthology says that the famous Vishnavite shrine of Sri Adikesava Perumal Temple at Thiruvattar is about 18 miles from Nagercoil and 28 miles from Trivandrum.

The place Thiruvattar is originally known as ‘Adi Ananthapuram' or the ancient city of Ananta.  It later became as Thiruvattar – ‘Vattar' means the curved  river as it flows encircling the temple.  It got prefix ‘Thiru' because it is a holy place.  The tributaries of Paraliyar make this location highly fertile and beautiful.  The temple of Adikesava Perumal is situated here.