Sirkazhi

Sirkazhi (also called Sirkali or Kali) is a historically rich town in Nagapattinam district, known in both Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions. The Divya Desam here is the Trivikrama temple (also called Thirutholaivillimangalam), where Vishnu is worshipped as Trivikrama — the cosmic form who grew to encompass the universe in the myth of Vamana and Bali. Thirumangai Alvar sang Mangalasasanam here in the Periya Tirumozhi. Sirkazhi is also the birthplace of the Nayanmara saint Thirugnanasambandhar, and the town's Brahadeeswarar Shiva temple is one of the premier Shaiva pilgrimage sites in the delta. The juxtaposition of Shaiva and Vaishnava sacred sites in this single town makes Sirkazhi a fascinating destination for students of Tamil religious history. The Trivikrama murti shows the deity with one foot raised high in the cosmic stride, an iconographically dramatic and unusual posture.

The Vamana-Trivikrama legend is the founding myth of this kshetra. The demon king Mahabali, whose generosity was boundless, was performing the Ashvamedha yajna to claim sovereignty over the three worlds. Vishnu took the form of Vamana, a dwarf brahmin, and asked for three paces of land. When Bali agreed, Vamana grew to cosmic size as Trivikrama, stepping over earth with one stride, the heavens with the second, and placing his third foot on Bali's head, sending him to the netherworld while restoring cosmic order.