Home
Home
The Grace of Lord Vishnu is spread throughout the country, from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari. There are several temples dedicated to God Vishnu, which are also called Sthalams.
Divya Desam Temples are the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars (saints). ”Divya” means “premium” and “Desam” indicates “place” (temple). Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and last two are outside the Earthly realms.The last two are Thirupalkaddal and Paramapadam. Tirupalkaddal is the ocean of milk and Paramapadam is the Srivaikuntam where lord Narayana presides. The Divya Desams are revered by the 12 Azhvars in the Divya Prabandha, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. While most Divya Desams follow Thenkalai mode of worship, some follow Vadakalai too among others.
The Divya Desams can be divided into 7 categories:
- Thondai Naadu Temples
- Chozha Naadu Temples
- Nadu Naadu Temples
- Pandiya Naadu Temples
- Malayala Naadu Temples
- Vadu Naadu Temples
- Vinnulaga Thiruppathigal
The idols of Lord Vishnu in these Divya Desams can be found in 3 positions:
- Kidantha Thirukkolam (Sleeping Position) – 27 Divya Desams
- Veetrirundha Thirukkolam (Sitting Position) – 21 Divya Desams
- Nindra Thirukkolam (Standing Position) – 60 Divya Desams
In these 108 Divya Desams, the Lord Vishnu can be seen facing one of the four directions: east, north, south and west. On this basis, the Divya Desams can be classified as:
- Towards East direction – 79 Divya Desams
- Towards West direction – 19 Divya Desams
- Towards North direction – 3 Divya Desams
- Towards South direction – 7 Divya Desams
Source : Templepurohit