Perumal (deity)

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]

Perumal
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)

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

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
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 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 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]

Festivals

In the contemporary period, a major feature of the temple festivals of Perumal is the temple car procession. During this generally multiple-day event, an image of the processional deity (utsavar) and his consorts are adorned with lavish jewellery and garments. The image is accompanied by royal paraphernalia, such as elaborate umbrellas (chatra) and fly-whisks (chamara) flanking the deity on either side. The images are carried to and fro from the temple on a chariot along the streets in great pomp, halting at places to receive the obeisance of devotees. Adherents bearing sacred banners march at the head of the procession, followed by drummers and trumpeters to announce the presence of the deity. The car (vahanam) is accompanied by Vaishnava temple priests, beating cymbals and singing the praises of the deity. The vehicle is often in the form of Garuda, Hanuman, lions, swans, and horses on varying days of the festival. At the tail of the procession is a group of singers, reciting verses from sacred texts such as the Vedas and the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.[19][20][21]

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Vaishnavism
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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Dashavatara
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Hymns

Among the most renowned verses that hail Perumal is the Tirupallantu,[22] composed by Periyalvar, one of the twelve Alvars of the Sri Vaishnava tradition:

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
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
  • 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
  • Perumal temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

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

Singapore

See also

References
  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.
  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. JSTOR 44137107 – via JSTOR.
  10. Oppert, Gustav Salomon (1893). On the Original Inhabitants of Bharatavarsa Or India. Constable. p. 30.
  11. Raman, Srilata (2020). "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. Brill. p. 201. ISBN 9789004432666. 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. Raman, K. V. (June 2003). Sri Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi: A Study of Its History, Art and Architecture. Abhinav Publications. pp. 101–104. ISBN 978-81-7017-026-6.
  20. Kapoor, Subodh (2004). A Dictionary of Hinduism: Including Its Mythology, Religion, History, Literature, and Pantheon. Cosmo Publications. p. 293. ISBN 978-81-7755-874-6.
  21. Waghorne, Joanne Punzo (16 September 2004). Diaspora of the Gods: Modern Hindu Temples in an Urban Middle-Class World. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-19-515663-8.
  22. Zvelebil, Kamil (1974). Tamil Literature. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 103. ISBN 978-3-447-01582-0.
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