Perumal

Perumal (Tamil: பெருமாள்) also Thirumal (Tamil: திருமால்) is the Hindu deity most popular amongst Tamils of Tamil Nadu state in India and in the Tamil diaspora. Perumal is also another name of Lord Vishnu.

Tamil Sangam literature (200BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.

Paripadal(3)by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:

"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"

The last line clearly states that Thirumal (Lord Vishnu) is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glory (mentioned in Vedas) later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries.

Popularity in the Tamil Nadu

Thirumal/Perumal is the only deity who has enjoyed the status of Paramporul during the Sangam age. The reference to "Mukkol Bhagavars" in Sangam literature clearly indicates that only Vaishnavaite saints holding Tridanda existed during the sangam age and Thirumal was glorified as the supreme deity whose divine lotus feet can burn all our evils and grant Moksha (Maru Piraparukkum Maasil Sevadi). During the post-Sangam period, his worship was further glorified by the alwars and great Vaishnavite acharyas.

[edit]Perumal Temples

108 Divyadesams in India

Prominent among these Divyadesams are

Sri Varadaraja perumal temple in Kanchipuram, India

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in SriRangam, India

Thirumaliruncholai (Kallazhagar temple), Madurai

Thiruvengadam (Sri Balaji Temple), Tirumala, Tirupathi

Thiru Narayanapuram (Selva pillai), Melkote

Aadhi Thiruvellarai (Pundarikatchan), Thiruvellarai

Prominent in other parts of the world are

Perumal temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sri Venkateswara perumal temple in the USA