Srivilliputhur Andal Vatapatrasayee Vishnu Temple Srivilliputhur, TamilNadu

The village of Srivilliputhur, occupying the district of Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, is one of the most renowned 'Temple Towns' in the state. It is located close to the Virudhunagar- Shenkottai railway line, at a distamce of about 74 kilometers to the south of Madhurai. The cities of Madhurai, Sivakasi,,Shenkottai, Thirunelvelli, Tenkasi and Sattur are connected to the village by road and railway.

As per ancient tradition, the Lord took refuge here in the form of a pig. Two brothers, by the names of Villi and Kandan, who were hunters by profession, ruled a part of the place. One day when they were out hunting, a tiger attacked Kandan, the younger brother, and he succumbed to his injuries. Not knowing about what had happened, Villi searched up and down for his brother. Eventually, he was exhausted and he fell asleep. God came to him in his dream and told him about what had happened to his younger brother. He also revealed to the king, the avatar that he had taken to destroy Kalanemi, the asura. He also told him that he lives under the banyan tree, in the vadabadra vimanam and he also guided him to a town and asked him to build a temple there, in his name. The king put together the town and also erected the temple. It came to be known as Villiputhur and it was the birthplace of Devi Andal.The temple is divided into two sections. The first part is called the 'Vadabadra Sayanar Temple' and the second one is 'Andal Sannadhi'. The temple dates back to the 8th century. It was constructed by King Villi who was the monarch of the village. The soaring citadel was built by Peria Alwar, and he was assisted by the Pandya King, Vallabadevan according to the Guru Parambara. Andal Sannadhi was built by various emperors who belonged to the different generations of the 'Pandi dynasty '. Even today, one can see the fish emblem, which used to be a symbol of the Pandya monarchs, o the canopy of the temple. King Thirumalai Naicker had restored the temple on numerous occasions. The 'Sukravara Kuradu' carries the effigies of his brother, Chokkappa Naicher, himself and their wives. The statue of Raja Gopuram which is here is the tallest in the entire state of Tamil Nadu and it is also a symbol of the Tamil Nadu government.

Tirumukkulam is the Punniya theertham for all the followers. It is believed that after the 'Srichakra' of Lord Patrasayee destroyed Kalanemi, it immersed itself in this reservoir to purify itself. The temple has nine more reservoirs inside. At the time of festivals, abhishekams garner significance. The Abisheka thailam, which contains the essence of 61 herbs, is believed to have healing attributes. People smear this oil on their bodies to cure several illnesses. Srivilliputtur has an arid climate. Monsoons are the only source of water. Usually wells dry up over the summers, but the well in the temple has never dried up. It is believed that Goddess Andal used the well as a mirror to gaze at her reflection and hence the well is known as the mirror well – 'Kannadi Kinnaru'.

Lakhs of devotees flock to the temple to pray to Goddess Andal for education, success in business, marriage and for the birth of a child. The devotees usually present festoons made of tulsi, they also provide butter, clothes and lamps. Today, devotees provide "Food donation" in their name by paying a certain amount, to the less fortunate.

APART FROM force majeure INCIDENTS, ALL SATURDAYS, ALL SUNDAYS, CHRISTMAS-NEW YEAR WEEK (24TH DECEMBER TO 2ND JANUARY), 14TH & 15TH JANUARY, NATIONAL HOLIDAYS (26TH JANUARY, 14TH APRIL, 15TH AUGUST, 2ND OCTOBER), 9 DAYS NAVARATRI, DIWALI WEEK,

WE CAN ARRANGE SERVICES ON BLACKOUT DAYS ALSO, SUBJECT TO GUEST TOLERATING HEAVY CROWDS AT TEMPLE