Temples of Divya Desams
The verses of the Alwars, speak of the glory of Vishnu, of instances from the puranams. of the devotion of the Alwars and of the glory of the temples (and locales) enshrining Vishnu (which they had visited). The entire decad of verses commencing with Amalanaadipiraan praises Ranganathar at Srirangam. Some of these verses only refer to (or address) temples in which Vishnu is enshrined as in the case of Nammalwar's hymns referring to the deity enshrined in Srivaikuntham in two verses in a decad of verses dedicated to Tiruppulinkudi. Pillaipperumaal Iyengar's work Tirupati Andadi captures 108 of the shrines, mentioned in the works of the Alwars. These shrines are hailed as Divya Desams, hallowed by the hymns of the saints.
History of patronage: These shrines have been held in reverence for centuries. In Tamilnadu where 84 of these shrines are situated, the Pallava rulers (as in Mahabalipuram, Nandipuravinnagaram), and the Chola emperors (10th through the 13th centuries) provided for the construction (in stone), expansion and upkeep of these shrines through generous endowments. The Pandyas who followed continued this tradition. It was under the rule of the Vijayanagar emperors that shrines such as Srirangam, Tirukkachhi and Tirupati received the greatest extent of royal patronage. The Nayaka rulers of Madurai continued this glorious tradition after the Vijayanagar rulers.
Thus, 106 temples have been addressed by the Tamil Alwars, who were pillars of the Sri Vaishnava tradition that was to evolve in Tamilnadu. The contrast in the nature of these temples is stunning, given the diversity in the Indian subcontinent. Even a virtual visit to these 106 shrines across the nation, is quite an experience, and is illustrative of this contrast, given the difference in the nature of temples in the various regions such as the Kaveri basin, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, the Tirunelveli region, the Gangetic plains and the Himalayas.
History of patronage: These shrines have been held in reverence for centuries. In Tamilnadu where 84 of these shrines are situated, the Pallava rulers (as in Mahabalipuram, Nandipuravinnagaram), and the Chola emperors (10th through the 13th centuries) provided for the construction (in stone), expansion and upkeep of these shrines through generous endowments. The Pandyas who followed continued this tradition. It was under the rule of the Vijayanagar emperors that shrines such as Srirangam, Tirukkachhi and Tirupati received the greatest extent of royal patronage. The Nayaka rulers of Madurai continued this glorious tradition after the Vijayanagar rulers.
The shrines
47 of the 108 Divya Desams have been addressed only by Tirumangaialwar and 18 only by Nammalwar. While 2 are addressed only by Tirumazhisaialwar, 1 by Kulasekharalwar and 1 by Perialwar, the remaining 39 are addressed by hymns composed by more than one of the saints. In combination with the other saints, Tirumangaialwar has addressed 83 of the 108 Divya Desams and Nammalwar 35. While 247 verses are addressed to Srirangam - 202 are addressed to Tirupati, 128 to Azhagar Koyil and only 7 to Kanchipuram (Tirukkachhi Attigiri). The celestial abodes Tirupparkadal (The Milky Ocean) and Paramapadam (Vaikuntham) get 51 and 36 verses each.Geographic Distribution
40 of the shrines are located in the fertile Chola kingdom and 22 are in Tondainaadu - around Kanchipuram and Chennai. 2 are in Nadu Naadu (Tiruvahindrapuram and Tirukkovilur) and 18 are in Pandyanaadu. 13 of the shrines are in Malainaadu, of which 11 are in Kerala and 2 are in Kanyakumari district; therefore the total number of Divya Desams in Tamilnadu is 84. 11 Divyadesams are in Vada Naadu, or the northern lands - of which two, Tirupati and Ahobilam are in Andhra Pradesh. 7 of these 11 are in Uttar Pradesh (such as Mathura, Ayodhya , Badrinath etc.). , 1 in Nepal and 1 in Gujarat. Two of the Divyadesams - Ksheerasaagaram and Vaikuntham are celestial abodes.Thus, 106 temples have been addressed by the Tamil Alwars, who were pillars of the Sri Vaishnava tradition that was to evolve in Tamilnadu. The contrast in the nature of these temples is stunning, given the diversity in the Indian subcontinent. Even a virtual visit to these 106 shrines across the nation, is quite an experience, and is illustrative of this contrast, given the difference in the nature of temples in the various regions such as the Kaveri basin, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, the Tirunelveli region, the Gangetic plains and the Himalayas.
