Koviladi

Tirupernagar
Tirupernagar Location in Tamil Nadu
Name
Proper name	Appakkudanthaan Perumal
Geography
Coordinates	10°50′26″N 78°53′11″E / 10.84056°N 78.88639°E / 10.84056; 78.88639Coordinates: 10°50′26″N 78°53′11″E / 10.84056°N 78.88639°E / 10.84056; 78.88639
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Thanjavur
Locale	Tamilnadu
Culture
Primary deity	Appakkudanthaan Perumal (Vishnu)
Architecture
Architectural styles	Dravidian architecture

Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple or Thirupper Nagar, is a Hindu temple located in Koviladi, a village 10 miles (16 km) from Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the Divya Desams—the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints or Alwars. This temple is located along the banks of the Kollidam River and is one of the five Pancharanga Kshetrams located on the banks of the Cauvery River.

The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity, with contributions at different times from the Medieval Cholas. The temple is built on an elevated structure and is approached through a flight of 21 steps. The rajagopuram (the main gateway) has three tiers and the temple has a precinct around the sanctum.

Ranganatha is believed to have appeared for king Upmananya and sage Parasara. The temple has four daily rituals; the first begins at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 8 p.m. There are four annual festivals on the temple's calendar; its chariot festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Panguni (March–April) is the most prominent of these.

As per Hindu legend, the king Ubhamanyu earned the wrath of sage Durvasar and lost all his physical strength. To get rid of the curse, he was asked to feed one lakh people everyday. One day, Hindu god Vishnu disguised himself as an old man, appeared before the king and asked for a meal. The king went on donating and the old man consumed all the food prepared for the people. The king was shocked and bewildered at this strange act. The old man asked for a kudam (pot) of Neyyaappam (a sweatmeal), stating that only it can fulfill his hunger. The king fulfilled the wish and later realised that it was Vishnu who had appeared as the old man. The king was relieved of the sage's curse by the blessings of Vishnu. Because of the legend, Vishnu is called "Appakkudathaan" in the temple. It is believed that this temple is where sage Markandeya was liberated from his curse from Yama (god of death), who cursed Markandeya to die at 16 years old. The central deity is Ranganatha, who is believed to have crushed Indira's (a celestial deity) pride. The place is called "Koviladi" because it is located downstream of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, which is referred as kovil in Vaishnava tradition. The temple is called as "Tiruppernagar" because the region was called "Per Nagar" during Chola times. The azhwars refer the place as "Tiruppernagar" in Nalayira Divya Prabandam, a Vaishnava canon.