Thirukkurugur

Thirukkurugur — now known as Alwarthirunagari — is the birthplace of Nammalvar, unquestionably the greatest of the twelve Alvars and one of the most celebrated poet-saints in all of Indian devotional literature. Nammalvar's Tiruvoimozhi — four thousand Tamil verses addressed to Vishnu — is revered as the Tamil Veda and is recited at all major Sri Vaishnava festivals. The presiding deity here is Polindu Ninran Perumal (Aadhinathan) — Vishnu who stands in resplendent, luminous grace. Nammalvar spent his entire life under the tamarind tree at this temple, seated in samadhi, composing hymns that transformed Vaishnava theology. The tamarind tree (the Divya Prabandha Tamarind) is still revered at the temple. Nammalvar composed hymns for this kshetra as for all 108 Divya Desams, but this temple holds a special personal intimacy — it is the ground from which his entire spiritual vision unfolded. The town is now officially renamed Alwarthirunagari (the sacred city of the Alvar) in his honour.

Nammalvar is said to have been born without the five senses activated — in a state of pure divine absorption. He sat beneath the tamarind tree in the Aadhinatha temple compound and remained in deep trance. When Mathurakavi Alvar, who had seen a light in the south, arrived and tested him, Nammalvar responded with the celebrated riddle-verse: 'The small eats the smaller; that which arose has reached; the corpse living in the water' — to which the answer revealed Nammalvar's complete knowledge of the soul's relationship with Vishnu.