The Splendour of Srivilliputtur

The bustling town of Srivilliputtur is well known for its Vishnu temple dedicated to Vatapatrashayee and the adjacent temple for Andal and Rangamannar. The Vatapatrashayee temple is one of the famous Divya Desams or sacred places eulogized in the Tamil verses (pasurams) of the Alwars (twelve important devotees of Vishnu). The deity in this temple has received the encomiums of Perialwar and Andal who belonged to this place.

The first chapter of this book details the traditional story (Sthala Puranam) of Srivilliputtur, while the next is about the two famous Alwars connected with this sacred place- Perialwar and Andal, with special reference to the literary works of Andal, namely the Thiruppavai and Nachiyar Thirumoli. There is a chapter on the Amuktamalyada, a well-known literary work in Telugu by Emperor Krishnadeva Raya of the 16th century C.E.

The chapter on the architecture and sculptures of the Vatapatrashayee and Andal-Rangamannar temples gives the general layout of the two temples situated adjacent to each other and details about the various sanctums, images of deities enshrined therein, sculptures and paintings. Andal's parrot (kili) is famous, especially in the Srivilliputtur temple. Its symbolism, importance, material of which it is made and various other details are the content of a chapter focusing on the parrot. Around Srivilliputtur are some small shrines which are connected with the main temples in this town. These find mention in a separate chapter.