Perumal (deity)

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Perumal
Srinivasa Perumal idols with flowers.jpg
Perumal shrine at Mylapore, Chennai; surrounded by consorts Bhudevi and Niladevi (left) and Sridevi (right)
Other namesGovinda, Srinivasa, Narayana, Gopala, Venkateshvara, Vishnu
Venerated inVaishnavism (Sri Vaishnavism)
AbodeVaikuntha and other 108 Divya Desams
MantraOm Namo Narayanaya
SymbolShanku, Chakram
MountGaruda and Shesha
TextsNaalayira Divya Prabandham
FestivalsVaikuntha Ekadashi
Personal information
SpouseSridevi, Bhudevi, and Niladevi (Lakshmi)

Perumal (Tamil: பெருமாள், romanized: Perumāl)[2] or Tirumal (Tamil: திருமால், romanized: Tirumāl) is a Hindu deity.[3] Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India, Sri Lanka, and the Tamil diaspora, who consider Perumal to be a form of Vishnu.[4]

Some of the earliest known mentions of Perumal, and the Tamil devotional poems ascribed to him, are found in Paripāṭal – the Sangam era poetic anthology.[5][6] He is a popular Hindu deity particularly among Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora, and in Vaishnava temples.[7] One of the richest and largest Hindu temples complexes dedicated to Perumal is the Venkateshvara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Other significant institutions include Srirangam's Ranganathaswamy temple, Kanchipuram's Varadaraja Perumal temple, and Thiruvananthapurum's Padmanabhaswamy Perumal temple.[8]

Etymology[edit]

Scholars believe that both Perumal and Tirumal ultimately trace their origin to a tribal confederacy known as the Mallas in ancient India, whose name was Dravidian for "people of the mountains".[9] Both of these terms were originally titles conferred by the Mallas upon their great chiefs and kings. This title was eventually employed as an epithet for the deity Vishnu, until its original meaning was widely forgotten over the course of time. However, in some regions of Kerala, Perumal continued to be employed as its original usage as an honorific for a ruler.[10]

Veneration[edit]

Shrine of Srinivasa Perumal

The deity Perumal is identified with Mayon, literally meaning, "the dark-complexioned one", who is first referenced in the texts Purananuru and Pattupattu. Regarded to be the Tamil equivalent of Krishna, poetry from this period compares his dark skin to the ocean.[11] Originally a folk deity, he was syncretised with Krishna and Vishnu, gaining popularity in the Sri Vaishnava tradition.[12] His consort is stated to be Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, beauty, and prosperity, appearing in even the earliest strata of Tamil poetry.[13]

Mayon is indicated to be the deity associated with the mullai tiṇai (pastoral landscape) in the Tolkappiyam.[14][15] He is regarded to be the only deity who enjoyed the status of Paramporul (achieving a oneness with Paramatma) during the Sangam age. He is also known as Māyavan, Māmiyon, Netiyōn, and Māl in Sangam literature.[16] A reference to "Mukkol Pakavars" in Sangam literature indicates that only Vaishnava saints were holding Tridanda and were prominent during the period. Tirumal was glorified as "the supreme deity", whose divine lotus feet could burn all evil and grant moksha. During the post-Sangam period, his worship was further glorified by the poet-saints called the Alvars.[17][18]

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Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
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Hymns[edit]

Among the most renowned verses that hail Perumal is the Tirupallantu,[19] composed by Periyalvar, one of the twelve Alvars of the Sri Vaishnava tradition:

பல்லாண்டு பல்லாண்டு பல்லாயி ரத்தாண்டு

பலகோடி நூறாயிரம்

மல்லாண்ட திண்தோள் மணிவண்ணா! உன்

செவ்வடி செவ்விதிருக் காப்பு (1)


அடியோ மோடும்நின் னோடும் பிரிவின்றி ஆயிரம் பல்லாண்டு

வடிவாய் நின்வல மார்பினில் வாழ்கின்ற மங்கையும் பல்லாண்டு

வடிவார் சோதி வலத்துறை யும்சுட ராழியும் பல்லாண்டு

படைபோர் புக்கு முழங்கும்அப் பாஞ்சசன்னியமும் பல்லாண்டே (2)

— Periyalvar, Tirupallantu

Reverence, reverence be unto thee, O thou mighty One, who didst overcome the wrestlers, thou like to the sapphire in glory! Infinitely blest be the beauty of thy holy feet for many many years, for thousands of years, for crores of years, for ever!

All hail! Oh may no rift come 'twixt thy slaves and thee! All hail to Sri, who dwells, thy lustre, on thy right! All hail, the glorious discus in thy fair right hand! All hail to Panchajanyam sounding in the fight!

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Temples[edit]

See also: Divya Desam

Of the 108 Divya Desams that are revered according to the Alvar saints, 106 are stated to exist on earth. Prominent among these Divya Desams are:

Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram

Prominent Perumal Temples in India[edit]

  • Sri Sathya-Narayana Perumal Temple in T-Nagar, Chennai, India
  • Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (TTD), in T-Nagar, Chennai, India
  • Sri Vinavaraya Perumal Temple, in Ambattur, Chennai, India
  • Sri Santhana Srinivasa Perumal Kovil, in Mogappair, Chennai, India
  • Udumalai Tirupathi, Dhali Road, Udumalpet, India

Sri Lanka[edit]

  • Perumal temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Malaysia[edit]

  • Sri Sunderaraja Perumal Temple Klang, Malaysia
  • Sri Alarmelamanga Samedha Shri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Sri Renganathar Temple, Kawasan Institusi Bangi, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Sri Varatharajah Perumal Temple, Persiaran Kewajipan, SS13, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Sri Perumal Temple, Simpang Morib, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple Devastanam, Pusat Bandar Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Hari Krishna Perumal Temple, Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Sri Krishna Temple, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, Jalan Kasipillay, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

United States[edit]

  • Sri Venkateswara Perumal temple in the USA
  • Sri Ranganatha temple in the USA

Singapore[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ The Vaikunta Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram. Prakriti Foundation. 2009. ISBN 9781935677208.
  2. ↑ Ramachandran, Nalini (3 September 2021). Gods, Giants and the Geography of India. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-93-91028-27-5.
  3. ↑ Tieken, Herman (28 December 2021). Kāvya in South India: Old Tamil Caṅkam Poetry. BRILL. p. 186. ISBN 978-90-04-48609-6.
  4. ↑ Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial, Industrial and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures. Ed. by Edward Balfour. [Dr.:] Scottish and Adelphi Press. 1873. p. 532.
  5. ↑ Kamil Zvelebil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL Academic. p. 124. ISBN 90-04-03591-5.
  6. ↑ V.N. Muthukumar; Elizabeth Rani Segran (2012). The River Speaks: The Vaiyai Poems from the Paripatal. Penguin Books. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-81-8475-694-4.
  7. ↑ Sykes, Egerton (4 February 2014). Who's who in non-classical mythology. Kendall, Alan, 1939- (2nd ed.). London. ISBN 9781136414442. OCLC 872991268.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ Michael D. Coogan (1998). The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. Oxford University Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-19-521997-5.
  9. ↑ H. Heras (1947). "The Dravidian Tribes of Northern India". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 10: 83 – via JSTOR.
  10. ↑ Oppert, Gustav Salomon (1893). On the Original Inhabitants of Bharatavarsa Or India. Constable. p. 30.
  11. ↑ Raman, Srilata. "Reflections on the King of Ascetics (Yatirāja): Rāmānuja in the Devotional Poetry of Vedānta Deśika". In Dominic Goodall; Shaman Hatley; Harunaga Isaacson; Srilata Raman (eds.). Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions: Essays in Honour of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson. p. 201. JSTOR 10.1163/j.ctv2gjwvrz.16.
  12. ↑ Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. p. 797. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
  13. ↑ Raman, K. V. (2006). Temple Art, Icons and Culture of India and South-East Asia. Sharada Publishing House. p. 141. ISBN 978-81-88934-31-7.
  14. ↑ Hardy, Friedhelm (1 January 2015). Viraha Bhakti: The Early History of Krsna Devotion. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 156. ISBN 978-81-208-3816-1.
  15. ↑ Clothey, Fred W. (20 May 2019). The Many Faces of Murukan: The History and Meaning of a South Indian God. With the Poem Prayers to Lord Murukan. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-11-080410-2.
  16. ↑ Padmaja, T. (2002). Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamilnāḍu. Abhinav Publications. p. 27. ISBN 978-81-7017-398-4.
  17. ↑ Ramesh, M. S. (1997). 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams. T.T. Devasthanams. p. 152.
  18. ↑ Singh, Nagendra Kr; Mishra, A. P. (2005). Encyclopaedia of Oriental Philosophy and Religion: A Continuing Series--. Global Vision Publishing House. p. 34. ISBN 978-81-8220-072-2.
  19. ↑ Zvelebil, Kamil (1974). Tamil Literature. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 103. ISBN 978-3-447-01582-0.
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