Adikesava Perumal Temple, Thiruvattar

The Adikesava Perumal Temple at Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district is one of the 108 Divya Desams and one of thirteen in the old Malai Nadu. Rivers enclose it on three sides, and because Vishnu reclines here on his serpent couch it is called the Srirangam of the Chera kingdom. It was once the state temple of Travancore and passed to Tamil Nadu after the reorganisation of states. Tradition says it was consecrated by Parasurama.

The temple blends Dravidian and Kerala styles, with wooden pillars, doors and roofs, inside a fort wall thirty feet high. The reclining god must be viewed through three doors, with Shiva close by in the same shrine. An outer corridor stands on 224 stone pillars, halls carry carvings from the Ramayana, and the Otraikkal Mandapam is cut from a single stone 3 feet thick. Pillars of Virabhadra holding a sword and horn date from Vijayanagara additions of the early 16th century, and the temple is also known for its murals.