Oppiliappan Temple

Oppiliappan Temple, known by its old name Thiruvinnagar, is a Vishnu temple near Thirunageswaram on the outskirts of Kumbakonam. Among the 108 Divya Desams praised by the Alvar saints it is numbered 60th; Vishnu is worshipped as Oppiliappan and Bhudevi as his consort. Its origins are believed to lie with the Medieval Chola rulers of the late 8th century, and the Nayak minister Govinda Dikshitar later added much to it.

The sage Markandeya raised Lakshmi, found as a baby under a tulasi plant, and when Vishnu came as an old man to marry her, the sage protested that she could not even cook with the right amount of salt; Vishnu replied that he would gladly eat unsalted food. Offerings here are always prepared without salt. The temple tank, Ahoraathra Pushkarani, is held to be the only one where ritual bathing is possible by night as well as by day. The sanctum's roof is gold-plated, and the chariot festival in Panguni (March–April) is the main festival.