Sikkal (Thirusikkal)

Sikkal (also spelled Thirusikkal) is a Divya Desam in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, enshrining Trivikrama Perumal, who is also lovingly known here as Singaravelan — the 'Beautiful Youth', an epithet that emphasises the graceful, youthful aspect of Vishnu's cosmic form. Thirumangai Alvar sang pasurams here in his Periya Thirumozhi, describing the deity with great warmth and devotion. The temple stands in a lush agricultural landscape of paddy fields near the Bay of Bengal coast. The Nagapattinam district is remarkable for its concentration of Divya Desams — eleven of the 108 fall within this district alone — and Sikkal is one of the pivotal shrines in this cluster. The consort goddess here is Komalavalli Thayar. The Chola kings were significant patrons of this temple, and Chola-period inscriptions document their endowments.

Singaravelan — the Beautiful Youth — is a name that reflects the local theological emphasis on Vishnu's aesthetic grace. The myth holds that a young cowherd who tended cattle near this site once witnessed a vision of the three-striding cosmic Vishnu and fell into a trance of devotion. Vishnu, touched by the purity of the young man's vision, revealed his gentle, youthful face rather than the terrifying cosmic form, and promised to remain here in that approachable, beautiful aspect forever.