Thiruvenkatamudayan temple

The Thiruvenkatamudayan temple is located in Ariyakudi and is dedicated to Thiruvenkatamudayan. The temple is as famous as all Perumal Kshetras and referred to as South Tirupathi. It is around 400-500 years old. The presiding deity of the shrine is Thiruvenkatamudayan with Sridevi and Bhoodevi thayar and there is a separate sannadhi for Alamelumanga. One can easily associate the place with Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, a famous musician. Located at about 4 kilometers to the South East of Karaikudi Railway Station on a huge 3-1/2acre land, the temple is the biggest Perumal temple in the Chettinad and one where there are festivals all round the year just like in Srirangam. Sevukan Chettiyar used to walk to Tirupathi with a group of devotees on the Thiruvonam day in Puratsi for a darshan of Srinivasa Perumal. On one such trip, when ill health seemed to disrupt his trip to the hill temple, he heard an invisible voice- that of God Srinivasa Perumal- say that He, the God, would himself provide darshan at the devotee’s place rather than the devotee coming all the way here. He was directed to Srirangam to collect the idol, one which was the Abhisheka Murthy of Ramanuja. He came back here to this dense forest area of Ariyakudi and installed the idol of Srinivasa Perumal and built the first prakara. Subsequently, the 7-tiered 80 feet tall Raja Gopuram was built along with a separate Sannidhi for Alarmel Mangai Thaayar. The speciality at this temple here at Ariyakudi is that the idol is from Srirangam, the Shatari is from Tirupathi and Agni (the sacred fire) is from Thirukoshtiyur. In memory of the construction by Sevukan Chettiyar, his idol can be seen on one of the main pillars inside the first prakara. On the North East corner of the temple is the Garuda Sannidhi. Every month on the Swathi star day, a special Thirumanjana with 108 sacred Kudam is performed for Garuda who is said to remove doshams and enemies.