The Adi Jagannatha Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Jagannatha and his consort Lakshmi as Padmasini.
Shrine’s History
The temple is believed to have been initiated during the Medieval Chola period along with many temples dedicated to Rama. The Chola king Parantaka I named himself “Sangrama Raghava” after his conquest of Sri Lanka, while his son Aditya I was called Kothandarama. Some later Pandya kings also made contributions to the temple.A mutilated inscription in the temple made during the 37th year of Maravarman Sundara Pandyan in 1305 records order of a minister by name Arya Chakravarthi. Historians believe some portions of the temple tower might also have been built by Jaffna kings, who were friends of Pandya Empire and also rulers of Rameswaram.
There is one damaged record from 1518 from the period of Mahabali Vanadaraya Naykkar and one another made in 1528 during the reign of Sundarattoludaiyar Mahabali Vanadarayar. There are inscriptions in the temple indicating Arab traders visiting the Pandyan Empire. The traders traded pearl and pepper and in return were allowed to build mosques in the region for their worship. The mosques followed Dravidian architecture with stone pillars and were called Kallupalli.The temple received lot of contributions from the Vijayanagara period, along with other Vishnu temples in the region
Legends Associated with This Shrine
As per Hindu legend, Rama in the epic Ramayana prayed to the Samudraraja to seek the way to reach Lanka. He did a penance lying in Kusa grass, the act of which is described in Sanskrit as Dharbasayanam.
As per another legend, Dasharatha, the father of Rama, performed different sacrifices and did a lot of penance to obtain the sacred payasam . He offered it equally to his three wives, resulting in the birth of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna. Following the legend, childless couple performs a worship called nagapradishta in the temple. Sweet pudding is offered to childless couple praying for a child. It is believed that Adi Jaganatha bestows a child like Rama when such a worship is performed
Architectural Relevance of This Shrine
The temple is located in Thirupullani, a village located 10 km from Ramanathapuram. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram facing east. The shrine of Adi Jagannatha houses the image of Adi Jagannatha, Bhudevi and Sri Devi in sitting posture. The consort of Adi Jagannathar is Padmasini, housed in a separate shrine. There is a shrine for Dharbasayana Ramar in a reclining posture. There is a metal image of Krishna from the 13th century Pandya period. The image depicts Krishna dancing in a snake, a rare historical depiction of Krishna in a metal image.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
The town is located on south-east Tamil Nadu and connected by NH 49 to Madurai from Rameswaram.East Coast Road is the major coastal road which connects the state capital Chennai and Ramanathapuram, and also connects Ramanathapuram with Pondicherry,Tuticorin and Kanyakumari.
By Rail
The Nearest Railway Station is Madurai.
By Air
The nearest airport is Madurai Airport,which is about 125 km.
Shrine Timings
7 AM to 10 PM
Events Celebrated at This Shrine
Panguni Brahmotsavam Festival March or April
Rama Navami Utsavam April or May
Vaikunta Ekadashi Festival December or January
Krishna Jayanthi Festival August or September
Pongal Festival January
Diwali Festival October or November
Extra Information About this Shrine
Nearby Temple
Adhi Ratneswarar Temple
Kothandaramaswamy Temple
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Thiru UthuiraKosa Mangai Temple