Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple, Thiruthangal

Ninra Narayana Perumal Temple sits on a granite hill about 100 ft high at Thiruthangal, part of Sivakasi, and is one of the 108 Divya Desams praised by the Alvars. Vishnu is worshipped as Ninra Narayana and Lakshmi as Arunakamala Mahadevi. Tradition credits the present temple to the Pandya king Devendra Vallabha, and two rock-cut caves hold three inscriptions, two of them from the 8th century. Later dynasties added to it. One legend holds that Ranganatha of Srirangam stopped here for the night on his way to marry Andal, giving the place its name.

A granite wall encloses the shrines and water bodies, and the Shiva temple of Karunellinathar is on the opposite side of the hillock. On the third tier the deity stands facing east among eleven images, including Bhudevi, Sridevi, Markandeya and Aniruddha. They are made of stucco, so no ablution is performed. Garuda is shown holding a pot of amrita and a serpent, and the goddess has her own shrine on the second tier.