Thiru Sempon Sei (Sri Perarulalan) Temple

Thiru Sempon Sei or Perarulaalan Perumal Temple is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu located in Thirunangur, a village in the outskirts of Sirkazhi in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Perarulalan and his consort Lakshmi as Allimalar Nachiyar.

History:
According to legend, Lord Shiva started dancing in fury at Thirunangur after the death of his consort Uma (Parvati), due to the sacrifice of Daksha. Each time a lock of his hair fell and touched the ground, eleven other forms of Lord Shiva would appear. The Gods were worried that if this continued, entire earth and all their creations would be destroyed. They prayed to lord Vishnu to help. Lord Vishnu listened to them and appeared before Lord Shiva. On seing Vishnu, Lord Shiva’s anger was appeased. But to counteract the eleven forms of him that had been created, he asked lord Vishnu to also appear in eleven forms. The eleven forms in which Lord Vishnu appeared in Thirunangur were all in different places. Those eleven places in Thirunangur are where the eleven temples are located.

Another legend says that in the Ramayana, when Lord Rama killed Ravana, he was cursed with the sin of killing a brahmin as Ravana was a Brahmin. So, the Lord went to a Maharishi’s ashram where he was instructed to donate a golden cow to a brahmin. The Lord followed his advice and made a cow from pure gold. Four days later, he donated it to a Brahmin and was absolved of his sin of having killed Ravan. The Brahmin sold the gold cow and from the money he constructed the Thirusempon Sei kovil temple. Semponn means pure gold and as the money was given indirectly by 108 Names of Lord Rama, the temple was named Thirusemponn sei Kovil.

Festivals
The Thirumangai Azhwar Mangalasasana Utsavam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February). The highlight of the festival is Garuda Sevai, an event in which the festival images of the eleven Thirunangur Tirupathis are brought on mount designed like Garuda, called Garuda Vahana, to Thirunangur. The festive image of Thirumangai Azhwar is also brought on a Hamsa Vahanam (palanquin) and his paasurams (verses) dedicated to each of these eleven temples are recited during the occasion.

The festival images of Thirumangai Alvar and his consort Kumudhavalli Naachiyar are taken in a palanquin to each of the eleven temples.
Devotees worshipping Lord here in all sincerity will be relieved of the poverty.