Ulagalantha Perumal temple or Ooragathan Temple or Thiru Ooragam is an ancient Sri Vishnu temple is located in Big Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu State. Kanchi Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple is 350 mt and Kanchipuram Athivarathar Temple is 150 mt from Ulagalantha Perumal Temple. The Moolavar is Sri Thiruvikrama also called Ulagalanthan and Thayar is Amudavalli (Sri Mahalakshmi).
The main deity is Ulagalanthar Perumal temple represents Vaman, the avatar of Sri Vishnu, who is approximately 35 feet tall and 24 feet wide. The lord shows the single finger of the right hand, which symbolizes his first step and shows two fingers of the left hand which symbolizes the second step for the third step which lifts the feet above, which denotes the last step on the head from Mahabali. This form of the idol of Vishnu is known as Trivikrama.
Built-in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified at Divya Prabandha, the medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th to the 9th century CE. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Sri Vishnu. According to the inscriptions this temple was built by Nandiarma III from the year 846 to 869 and was later renovated by the Pallavas and Cholas, Vijayanagar, and Madurai Nayaks.
The temple complex actually houses four Divya Desams in its different enclosures, namely Thirukkarvaanam, Thirukaaragam, Thiruneeragam and Thiru Ooragam, the latter being present in the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple.
Thiru Neeragam:- 47th of 108 divya desam – Moolavar: Sri Jagadeeswarar/ Neeragathan and Thayar: Sri Nilamangai Valli/ Nachiyar.
Thiru Kaaragam:- 52nd of 108 divya desam – Moolavar: Sri Karunakara Perumal / Kaaragathan and Thayar: Sri Padmamani Nachiyar.
Thiru Kaarvaanam:- 53rd of 108 Divya Desam – Moolavar: Sri Kalvar/Sri Thirukkaar Vaanar/Thirukkaar Vaanakkalvar and Thayar: Sri Komalavalli ( Thamaraiyal ) Nachiyar.
Kanchipuram Sri Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Timings:
Morning: 7.00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Evening: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Kanchi Ulagalantha Temple History:
According to Bhagwad Purana, once an Asura king named Mahabali took over the authority of heavens by force and dispelled Indra. Mahabali was the grandson of of Hiranyakshipu, the son of Prahlada. The residents of heaven went to Lord Vishnu to save themselves from the wrath of the asura king, it is then Lord Vishnu took the Vamana avatar and descended to save heaven. The story goes like this, Mahabali was known to be a very generous king and had gained immense power through severe austerities and penance, but he was blind with power so much so that he started considering himself the ultimate king of the world which bought his downfall.
To bring about his downfall, Lord Vishnu once took Vamana avatar (a form of a short priest) carrying a wooden umbrella and went to Mahabali asking for three paces of land. Mahabali consented after which Lord Vishnu took gigantic form and strode from heaven to earth in one step and from earth to netherworld in the second step, no place was left to put the third step of the gigantic Lord, seeing that Mahabali offered his head to keep the third step. Lord Vishnu placed his foot and blessed Mahabali with immortality for the netherworld. Vamana in gigantic form is known as Trivikrama.
Kanchipuram Sri Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Address:
Big Kanchipuram,
Kanchipuram,
Tamil Nadu – 631501.
