Description: This Dhivya Desam is located at a distance of 10 km from Sirkazhi enroute to Thiruvenkadu and Poompuhaar and is one of the 11 Thirunaangur Dhivya Desams. This shrine is also known as Keezhchattanaathapuram and Kannan Koyil. Located here is Thirukkuraiyalur, the birthplace of ThirumangaiAzhwar.
Deities: The Moolavar here is Gopalakrishnan with his consorts Rukmani and Sathyabhama portrayed in a standing posture facing East, bearing a rope and with his left arm on a cow. Thaayaar here is Madavaral Mangai (Senkamala Naachiyaar). There is no separate sanctum for Thaayaar. The utsavar here is Rajagopalan. This East facing temple has a single prakaram.
Legends: Legend has it that, to honor the request of Sathyabhama, Krishna went far and wide in search of the parijata flower; after a long search Krishna meditated upon Shiva, who revealed to him a lake filled with parijata flowers at this place. The theertham here is referred to as thatamalar poikai. Given Krishna's presence with Rukmani and Satyabhama, this shrine is considered equivalent to Dwarka.
The Thirunaangur Dhivya Desams: 11 Dhivya Desams in the vicinity of Sirkazhi, Thiruvaali and Thirunagari (the birthplace of ThirumangaiAzhwar) are associated closely with ThirumangaiAzhwar. Legend has it that Shiva performed the Ekadasa Rudra Aswamedha Yagam, to rid himself of the blemish of Bhramahatti; Perumaal is believed to have appeared in his presence with Sree Devi, Bhu Devi and Nila Devi at the end of the sacrifice, and upon Shiva's request, taken up 11 abodes here in the Thirunangur area, which correspond to the 11 Thirunaangur Dhivya Desams held in worship by Rudra.
Only ThirumangaiAzhwar has sung of these 11 Dhivya Desams. The Thirunaangur Dhivya Desam shrines are Kavalampaadi, Thiruvanpurushottamam, Arimeya Vinnagaram, Chemponseikoyil, Manimaadakkoyil (Narayanan), Vaikuntha Vinnagaram, Thirudevanaar Thogai, Thiruttetriambalam, Manikkootam, Thiruvellakkulam, and Parthanpalli.
Festivals: Two worship services are carried out each day; and the Rohini ashterism in the Tamil month of Aavani is celebrated here.
The ThirumangaiAzhwar Mangalasasana utsavam in the month of Thai (after the new moon night) witnesses Garudasevai - a spectacular event in which festival images of Perumaal from the 11 (Thirunaangur) Dhivya Desam shrines in the area are brought on Garuda mounts to Thirunangur. An image of Thirumangai Azhwar is brought here on a Hamsa Vahanam (from Thirunagari) and the his paasurams (verses) dedicated to each of these 11 Dhivya Desams are recited. The image of ThirumangaiAzhwar circumambulates each of these deities, and at the conclusion of the festival, the images are returned to their temples. Prior to this, the image of ThirumangaiAzhwar and his consort are taken in a palanquin to each of the 11 Thirunangur Dhivya Desams, (trampling) through the paddy fields in the area, and the paasurams dedicated to each of the 11 Dhivya Desams are chanted in the respective shrines. The Ekadasa Garuda Sevai is the most important of the festivals in this area, and it draws thousands of visitors.
