Kallazhagar Temple

Kallazhagar Temple, known in Sangam literature and the Alvar hymns as Thirumaliruncholai, is a Vishnu temple in the village of Alagar Koyil in Madurai district. The temple counts among the 108 Divya Desams, with Vishnu worshipped as Kallalagar. Legend says Vishnu came down from Alagar Hill to free the sage Suthapava, cursed by Durvasa to live as a frog. The Cilappatikaram names the site as a Vishnu temple.

The temple sits within granite walls and a large fort, part of it in ruins, and has a seven-tiered rajagopuram. Inside are two life-size images of Narasimha and sculptures from the Vijayanagara period. The main gateway doubles as the shrine of the village deity Karuppuswami, worshipped as 18 steps behind a door kept shut and smeared with sandalwood paste; it is opened once a year. Carvings on the Karuppuswamy shrine's gopuram include an Englishman in British police uniform. A large temple tank, buried in sand and undergrowth, was uncovered here during cleaning in 2013.