Soundararajaperumal Temple, Nagapattinam

The Soundararajaperumal Temple in Nagapattinam is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu, who is worshipped here as Soundararaja Perumal with Lakshmi as Soundaravalli. Legend says Nagapattinam was once a forest where Dhruva, Markandeya and King Saleesa Chola saw visions of Vishnu, and that the town is named for Adisesha, king of the nagas, who worshipped here.

Attributed to the Medieval Cholas, with Pallava contributions and later work by the Thanjavur Nayaks and Marathas, the temple holds two Chola inscriptions. In Nayak times Nagapattinam was a busy port with a strong Dutch presence, and at Dutch request the Nayak king is believed to have raised the temple tower so that it could double as a lighthouse. Jagul Nayakar, a lieutenant in the 1650s, is credited with the tower, halls and outer wall, and images of him and his wife stand in one hall. A granite wall encloses the shrines and tanks, and the chariot festival in Chittirai is the main event.