India is a land of many temples; the most prominent being the 108 Divya Desams revered by Sri Vaishnavas- worshippers of Lord Mahavishnu. This blog is my humble attempt to spread information about the legends surrounding the origins of these 108 Divya Desams in a simple, easy-to-understand language especially for the benefit of the younger generation.
Divya Desam means Divine Place. Sri Vaishnava culture celebrates and reveres 108 Divya Desams or Vishnu Sthalams – places where Lord Vishnu or Sriman Narayana is worshipped as the Supreme Being – which exist in our vast motherland, India, from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari.
According to Sri Vaishnavism, a Divya Desam is a temple whose presiding deity has been worshipped by at least one of the 12 Azhwars through songs or mangalaasaasanam (poems sung in praise of the Almighty).
These 108 Divya Desams have been divided into groups according to the region:
- Chozha Naadu Divya Desams (present day Tanjavur, Trichy) – There are 40 Vishnu sthalams located in this region.
- Nadu Naadu Divya Desams (present day Cuddalore) – There are 2 temples in this district.
- Thondai Naadu Divya Desams (present day Chennai, Kanchipuram) – There are 22 temples located in this area.
- Vada Naadu Divya Desams (parts of north India) – There are 11 Vishnu temples in the northern parts of India
- Malai Naadu Divya Desams (Kerala) – There are 13 Vishnu sthalams located in Kerala
- Pandiya Naadu Divya Desams (present day Madurai, Srivilliputhur, Thirunelveli) – 18 temples grace these regions.
The above make up 106 Divya Desams of Sri Vaishnavism. The 2 remaining Divya Desams – Thiruppaarkadal and Paramapadam are said to be in the realm of the Gods themselves which can be reached only through moksham.
Through this blog post, I will attempt to give a brief description of these Divya Desams along with the history behind them. This is a small attempt to get ourselves and our next generation in touch with our culture and spirituality.
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan
BHOOLOGA VAIKUNTHAM 