Uthamar Kovil, Tiruchirappalli

Uthamar Kovil, also called Thirukkarambanoor or Bhikshandar Kovil, stands in Uthamarkoil village on the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli. Sung by Thirumangai Alvar, it counts among the 108 Divya Desams, with Vishnu worshipped as Purushothaman Perumal and Lakshmi as Poornavalli Thayar. Unusually, it houses images of all three gods of the Trimurti, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma; in the Chola country only the temple at Thirukkandiyur shares this. Tradition credits the Medieval Cholas with building it towards the end of the 8th century, with later additions under the Vijayanagara kings and Madurai Nayaks.

Legend tells that Vishnu appeared here as a Kadamba tree, giving the old name Kathambanur, later Karambanur, and that the water of Brahma's worship filled the Kathamba Theertham. Shiva, carrying the sin of cutting off one of Brahma's heads, came here as a mendicant, and Lakshmi filled his bowl with alms, earning the name Poornavalli. The temple also identifies seven gurus, the Saptaguru, among its images. During the Anglo-French fighting of 1751 troops of both sides used it, yet it came through unharmed. A granite wall encloses the shrines, with the tank outside the main gate.