Bhagwan Vishnu has taken numerous “Avatara” (Incarnations) to destroy wicked people, save sages and the good, and to establish “Dharma” (righteousness) in the world. The Vamana Avatar is one the Ten (Dasha) Avatars.
One of the most famous temples to Bhagwan Vishnu in his Vamana Avatar is the Sri Ulagalandha Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram Here we see Lord Vishnu in the Form of Trivikrama – i.e Sri Ulagalandha Perumal, - the Lord who measured the World with his three steps.
The temple has an area of about 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) and has a three tiered rajagopuram (main towers) with seven kalasas. There are four Divya Desams in housed in this single temple – they are
The three deities, Thiru Kaarvaanam, Thiru Kaaragam, and Thiru Neeragam probably had separate temples to start with, and the circumstances which led to these deities getting housed in the Ulagalantha Perumal temple complex is not known. The temple tank, Naga Tirtha, is located outside the main temple complex
As soon as one enters the temple the main sannadhi is that of Sri Ulagalandha Perumal. The Moolavar is standing in the Thiruvikrama posture, facing west under a Srikara vimana (Pushpakoti vimanam). At over 30 feet in height, this gigantic Ulagalandha Perumal is special to Kanchipuram, and a deity of this size and in this form cannot be seen in any other Diyva Desam.
The Lord has two fingers of the left hand pointing upwards perhaps conveying the meaning that the lord had already covered the Earth and Heaven in two steps. The right hand stretched finger indicates the question the Lord posed to Mahabali as to where he should place the third step which was promised by him. The left foot is lifted at a right angle indicating that the lord had already measured Earth and Heaven. The right foot is seen pressed on the head of Mahabali. The sanctum vimana has an elevated roof to accommodate the huge image of the presiding deity.
The sthala purana of the Ulagalandha Perumal Koil goes as follows. Mahabali, the grandson of Prahalada, was a great devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu. He had secured a boon from Lord Brahma that he would never swerve from the path of Dharma. He ruled over his kingdom with justice. He was loved by all his people. But even such great man succumbed to the sin of pride, and he decided to conquer Swarga Lok from Lord Indra. Afraid of the powers of Mahabali, Lord Indra abandoned heaven and Mahabali acquired possession over the heavens. Lord Indra went to his mother Aditi for help, and she rushed to Lord Vishnu for his intervention on behalf of Lord Indra. Bhagwan Vishnu incarnated as a son of Aditi in the form of Vamana or dwarf. In all his previous Avataras, the Lord had killed the rakshasas who had created havoc on the world, but as Mahabali was a great follower of dharma, and had done no evil, Bhagwan Vishnu did not wish to kill him in a direct combat. In those times, it was the custom that only those who performed hundred Asvamedha Yagnas could occupy the position of Indra as the ruler of Swargalok. Lord Vishnu therefore felt Mahabali was not qualified to acquire the position of Lord Indra as he had not done the required number of Asvamedha Yagnas. For this one violation of dharmic principles, Bhagwan Vishnu decided to punish Mahabali, but did not want to use force and wanted to achieve his object through another act of Dharma. Bhagwan Vishnu incarnate Vamana went to see Mahabali on the banks of Narmada, and requested him to give him a gift of land which is equal to the area that he could cover with three steps. Mahabali laughed and readily conceded his request as he felt that Vamana could not cover much of an area with his three steps. But Mahabali’s preceptor, Sukracharya who was with Mahabali at that time, knew through his divya drishti that Vamana was none other than Bhagwan Vishnu, and he advised Mahabali restraint and requested him to reject the request of Vamana . Mahabali however felt that as he was widely known for his generosity in bestowing gifts, he could not refuse Vamana. He further added that if Sukracharya was right and Vamana was indeed Bhagwan Vishnu, he would be greatly blessed because he, a mere moral, was placed in a position to grant a boon to the Lord who is the giver of boons. He felt that it was given to very few mortals to offer alms by holding his hand higher level than that of the Lord, who was the Eternal giver of Gifts. Mahabali took his Kamandala to pour holy water on Vamana’s hand to cleanse it before receiving gift. In a last minute bid to stop Mahabali from granting the boon, Sukracharya took the form of a bee and got into the kamandala spout to block the water flow. Bhagwan Vishnu took a darbha grass and pricked the nozzle which poked the eye of Sukracharya and blinded him in one eye. The water flowed from kamandala, the boon was in place, and immediately Vamana transformed himself into mighty form of Trivikrama. With his first step he covered the entire Earth, with his second step he covered the Heavens and then looked at Mahabali asking him as to where he could place his third step. Mahabali offered his own head. The Lord Obliged and pushed him into Patala and asked him to be the ruler of the nether world. Bhagwan Vishnu restored Lord Indra to his kingdom and also blessed Mahabali for all the good things that he had done.
As Lord Vishnu placed one foot on the Mahabali’s head and pressed him down to Patala, Mahabali could not see the full figure of the Lord as Ulagaladha Perumal. In order to enable Mahabali to see him in a smaller size, the Lord took the diminutive form of Adisesha. This sannadhi is known as Thiru Ooragam. Ooragam Means Snake. As Adisesha is the divine couch of the lord, these two sannadhis are always spoken in one breath as Peragam and Ooragam. Alwars have sung in praise of Peragathan and Ooragathan always together. Thirumangai Alwar has sung “mathil kachi uragame, peragame” referring to both these sannadhis as one Divya Desam. The consort of his Deity is known as Aaranavali Thayar.
The central sannadhi of the temple is called the Peragam, and a small sannadhi adjacent and built like a cave, where the image of the snake god, Adisesha has been placed, is called the Ooragam. It is believed that if Couples without progeny perform thirumanjanam to the Lord in the Ooragathan sannadhi and offer Thirukanamudhu (Payasam) as Naivedhya, their wish would be fulfilled.
The temple is mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, by Thirumangai Azhwar in one hymn of Thirunedunthandagam. The temple is classified as a Divya Desam. The temple is unique among Divya desams as it is the only temple complex that houses four different Divya Desams The Nalayira Divya Prabandham is the collective corpus of 4000 (Nalayira means 4000 in Tamil) passionate hymns of the 12 Vaishnavite Alwars (5th-9th centuries CE). It was the scholar-saint Nathamuni who, in the 9th-10th century, retrieved and compiled this bhakti treasure which is the pride of Tamil classical literature.
The deities (and the temples they are housed in) that are sung about in these 4000 hymns are called the Divya Desams. There are 108 such Divya Desams. It is the aspiration of all Vaishnavites to at least visit all 106 Divya Desams on Earth at least once in their lives. The other two Divya Desams are Thiruparkadal, Vishnu's ocean of milk, and Paramapadam, the abode of Para Vasudeva or the supreme Vishnu as well as the destination of those who have attained Moksha.
In the Second Prakram of the Sri Ulagalandha Perumal temple, there is a beautiful 16 pillared Mandapam. Behind the mandapam we have sannadhi of Thiru Neeragam, also known as Lord Jagadeesvara Perumal. He is seen resident under a Jagadeeswara Vimana, in a standing posture facing south. The Lord’s consort here is called Nilamangai Nachiar.
Lord Jagadeesvara Perumal is said to have given darshan to Markandeya maharishi. Markandeya maharishi did penance on the bank of Bhadra river and wanted to see the sight of Pralaya, the end of the world. The Lord, with his maya, recreated the Pralaya scene with himself as a small child sitting in the midst of that Pralaya on a banyan leaf. Neeragam is the place where Perumal gave his darshan to the maharishi.
The sannadhi here is very small. It only has the Utsavar vigraham, the Moolavar is not present. We have no authentic information as to why there is no Moolavar, or where the original temple was. (Moolavar is the main deity form in the temple. The Utsavar vigraha is a smaller form of the Moolavar, which is placed on the vahanams for procession during the Utsavams)
In the Third Prakaram of the Sri Ulagalandha perumal temple, we have the third Divya Desam , Thiru Kaaragam. In this sannadhi, the Lord is known as Karunakara Perumal. He is seen in a Sitting posture on Adisesha, facing north under Ramya Vimana. His consort is known as Padamamani Thayar.
At the location described by the Alwars, Lord Karunakara Perumal gave darshan to Niketana rishi. The Perumal has been relocated to this location, and the original location is not known.
The Karvannam Divya Desam sannadhi is also situated in one of the Prakaras of Sri Ulagalandha Perumal koil. The deity here is also known as Navaneeta Chora Perumal. He dwells under Pushpaka Vimana in the standing posture facing North. The consort is known as Komalavali Thayar.
At the location described by the Alwars the Perumal is said to have given darshan in this form to Parvati, Mahabali and Asvatthama. The Perumal has been relocated to this location, and the original location is not known.
Sri Ulagalandha Perumal Temple is one of the oldest temples in Kanchipuram. On a stone erected in the varanda which goes round the garbhagriha of the sri Ulagalandha Perumal temple, there is a record of the Pallava king, Tellarrerinda Nandipottaraiyar (Nandivarman III 864 AD), which records a royal grant made, permitting a merchant community to start trading in all articles beginning with Karpuram(Camphor) and ending with Cheruppu (sandals).
To the Left of the Front entrance to the Sri Ulagalandha Perumal, there is a record of Sakalaloka Chakravartin Rajanarayana Sambhuvaraya having expired in 1337 A.D.
On the southern wall in the central sannadhi in the Sri Ulagalandha Perumal temple, there is an Inscription in Tamizh, relating to the reign of the Chola king, Kulothunga Chola I, which records that at the request of his queen, Tribhuvanam Udayal, the King made a tax free gift of the village, Sirichchambakkam, after renaming is as Kampadevinallur after the queen, to the temple. The earnings from the village were to be utilized for certain festivals and offerings to the god on the birthdays of the king and the queen.
There is also another inscription on the northen wall of the same sannadhi which refers to the Chola king, Kulottunga I, who is said to have gifted some more lands to the temple during his visit to the temple with his two queens. Those lands were owned by weavers who did not cultivate them. The king acquired them and gifted to the temple to be used for offerings and worship in the temple.
On the base of southern wall central sannadhi in Sri Ulagalandha Perumal Temple, there is an inscription in Tamil which registers an agreement by the 48000 residents of Kanchipuram to supervise everyday the conduct of all services, worship and offerings and also during special festivals in the temple of Thiruvuragattalvar as established by an old custom.
At the same place, there is yet another inscription which refers to a weaver who reclaimed for cultivation, certain lands belonging to the temple, dug a small irrigation tank for 200 kasu and gifted the produce of the land to be used for providing offerings to the Perumal.
