Kanchipuram · Tamil Nadu
Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple (Devarajaswamy / Hastagiri) — Vishnu Kanchi, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
Sri Varadaraja Perumal / Devaraja Swamy — included in the 108 Divya Desams; the foremost Vishnu temple of Kanchipuram; the second-largest standing Vishnu form (after Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwara); among the Vaishnava 'three principal Perumal Koils': Srirangam (Koil) + Tirumala Tirupati + Kanchi Varadaraja (Perumal Koil); the Vishnu of the Kanchipuram Mumurtivasam (Vishnu+Shiva+Shakti) trinity
अन्य नाम: Varadaraja Perumal · Devaraja Swamy · Hastagiri · Attigiri · Perarulalan Perumal · Thirukkachi
इस मन्दिर की विशेषता
Sri Varadaraja Perumal — a large standing Vishnu form on Hastagiri (the elephant-shaped hill; lotus-form vimana); the second-largest standing Vishnu form after Tirumala Venkateshwara; 24 stone steps lead up to the sanctum; consort Perundevi Thayar (Lakshmi) in a separate shrine; the name 'Varadaraja' means 'King who bestows boons'
The traditional moolavar (principal idol) is the standing-Vishnu stone form atop Hastagiri (24 steps up); a second unique idol — 'Athi Varadar' — is the ~3 m / ~9 ft standing form carved from athi (fig) wood, submerged in a silver casket in an underground chamber beside the Anantha Sarovaram; brought out for 48 days of darshan once every 40 years; the most recent was July-August 2019 (>1 crore devotees); next ~2059
सम्प्रदाय: Sri Vaishnava sampradaya — Sri Ramanujacharya's principal residence for much of his life; the central site of the Vishishtadvaita doctrine; the origin of the 'Six Words (Aaru Vaarthaigal)' delivered by Sri Varadaraja Perumal to Ramanuja through Thirukkachi Nambi
An ashariravani told Brahma that 100 Ashwamedha yajnas would grant Vishnu's darshan; the same voice revealed that one yajna at Satyavrata Kshetra (Kanchi) was equivalent to 100 elsewhere. Brahma began the yajna at Kanchi. The Vegavati river (a form of Saraswati; the modern Palar) tried to wash away the yajna site; Vishnu lay flat to stay its flow; Brahma completed the yajna; Vishnu emerged as Varadaraja from the homa kunda.
Cursed by Saraswati, Indra became an elephant; Vishnu liberated him as Hastagiri (the elephant-mount itself); Indra installed gold and silver lizards on the sanctum-corridor ceiling as witnesses for Saraswati — to this day devotees touch them as a sin/dosha-removal sankalpa.
The athi-wood ~9 ft standing idol is preserved in a silver casket submerged in the Anantha Sarovaram tank; brought out for 48 days of darshan once every 40 years. The most recent emergence was 1 July - 17 August 2019 (1 crore+ devotees); next ~2059.
Mangalasasanam of the 'Thirukkachi' Divya Desam — sung by Thirumangai Alvar
06:00 से 20:00 तक
विशेष नियम: Photography forbidden in the garbhagriha; 24-step climb up Hastagiri to the sanctum; Athi Varadar darshan is 40-yearly (most recent 2019; next ~2059); Vaishnava darshan style of a Thirumangai Alvar-sung Divya Desam
23-acre walled complex; 24-step climb up Hastagiri to the sanctum.
Special-queue tickets from the HR&CE counter.
Most recent 2019 (1 crore+ devotees); the silver casket is brought out from the Anantha Sarovaram underground chamber for 48 days.
Vijayanagara style; horse-yali-warrior pillars; Ramayana-Mahabharata carvings; the famous stone-chain sculpture.
Gold and silver lizards installed on the sanctum-corridor ceiling by Indra; touched for a sin/dosha removal sankalpa.
70-foot wooden chariot procession with Lakshmi and Bhudevi; Day-3 Garuda Sevai 04:00 (highly famous).
25 May - 5 June 2026; Day-3 Garuda Sevai on 30 May 2026 at 04:00 — Bhagavan Varadaraja exits on Garuda Vahanam, returns by noon; 70-foot wooden chariot procession with Lakshmi and Bhudevi.
Most recent: 1 July - 17 August 2019 (48 days; 1 crore+ devotees); next ~2059; the silver casket is brought out from the Anantha Sarovaram underground chamber.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi + other Ekadashis + Vishnu Jayanti.
Sri Ramanujacharya's birth anniversary — a remembrance of his Kanchi years.
A 'Thirukkachi' Divya Desam sung by Thirumangai Alvar; part of the Vaishnava yatra chain
स्रोत: Divya Prabandham
'Varadaraja' = the boon-bestowing king; a boon-attainment tirtha by name; per the Brahma boon-bestowal narrative
स्रोत: Brahma Ashwamedha narrative
Srirangam (Koil) + Tirumala Tirupati + Kanchi Varadaraja (Perumal Koil) — Vaishnava three-principal-tirtha yatra
स्रोत: Vaishnava tradition multi-source
The only Vishnu temple in the world with a wooden idol preserved in water and 40-yearly darshan; a once-in-a-lifetime rare darshan sankalpa
स्रोत: Bharatpedia + Atlas Obscura multi-source
The lizards installed at the site of Indra's curse-relief; touched for sin/dosha removal per the Indra narrative
स्रोत: Go Tirupati + Business Today + Tamilnadu Favourite Tourism multi-source
Varadaraja Perumal delivered the 6 foundational Vishishtadvaita doctrines to Ramanuja through Thirukkachi Nambi; a Vishishtadvaita-diksha tirtha
स्रोत: Ramanuja List Archive + Ramanuja Wiki Foundry
Vishnu (Varadaraja) + Shiva (Ekambareshwar) + Shakti (Kamakshi Amman) trinity; one city, three sampradayas
स्रोत: Wikipedia + Madras Musings
Darshan of Varadaraja on Garuda Vahanam — the highly famous day of the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam
स्रोत: News Today + Skanda News
Earth element among the 5 Pancha Bhuta Sthalams (the Shiva-five-element temples); the Shiva of the Kanchipuram Mumurtivasam trinity
An Adi Shakti Pitha (Nabhi Sthana); the Shakti of the Kanchipuram Mumurtivasam trinity; the Lalita-Tripura-Sundari form
An 8th-century Pallava architectural masterpiece
Included in the 108 Divya Desams; Pallava era
Other Divya Desams of the Vishnu Kanchi cluster; a one-day combined darshan
Athi Varadar's silver-casket water-preservation site; a sacred-bathing tank
The 'Thirukkachi' Divya Desam; the principal of the Kanchipuram-Vishnu-Kanchi-Divya-Desam cluster
108 मंदिर
Srirangam (Koil) + Tirumala Tirupati + Kanchi Varadaraja (Perumal Koil) — Vaishnava three-principal-tirtha yatra
3 मंदिर
Varadaraja (Vishnu) + Ekambareshwar (Shiva) + Kamakshi Amman (Shakti) trinity; a one-day darshan combination
3 मंदिर
Varadaraja + Vaikuntha Perumal + Ashtabhujam Perumal + Yathothkari Perumal + other Vishnu Kanchi Divya Desams — a one-day yatra
14 मंदिर
The principal Vishnu tirtha of the Kanchipuram Mokshapuri — Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi, **Kanchi**, Avantika, Dwarka
7 मंदिर