Journey to the 108 Divya Desam Temples of Maha Vishnu

There are countless temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu across the world and especially India. Each temple has its own distinct legend, deity, and history, making them an integral part of the religious and cultural heritage of the subcontinent. 

Alvar, a group of South Indian saints who from the 7th to the 10th century wandered from temple to temple singing ecstatic hymns in adoration of the god Vishnu which is called Magalaasaasanam. Alvar means, in the Tamil language in which they sang, “one who is immersed [in meditation].” Alvars were 12 in number.  

Divya Desams

The Lord Vishnu shrines that were extolled by the Alvars in their hymns that is Magalaasaasanam are called the Divya Desams.  These hymns of the Alvars also known as pasurams were gathered in the 10th century by Nathamuni, a leader of the Shrivaishnava sect, who introduced the regular singing of the hymns in Lord Vishnu’s temples. The collection is called Naalaayira Divya Prabandham (“Collection of 4,000 Songs”).  Lord Vishnu’s Temples mentioned by the Alvars in the Naalaayira Divya Prabandham are called the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu.

Number of pasurams	1	2	4	5	6	7	9	10	11	12	13	14	20	21	22	24	27	32	33	36	39	40	42	45	47	50	51	110	128	202	247
Number of Divya Desams	15	8	2	2	2	1	1	23	14	8	5	3	1	2	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	1	1

The idols of Lord Vishnu in these Divyadesams can be found in 3 positions:

Kidantha Thirukkolam Veetrirundha Thirukkolam        Nindra Thirukkolam

( Sleeping Position )  ( Sitting Position )  ( Standing Position )

27 Divya desams 21 Divya desams 60 Divya desams

Lord Vishnu can be seen facing one of the four directions: east, north, south and west. On this basis, the Divyadesams can be classified as:

Towards East direction Towards West direction Towards North direction Towards South direction

79 Divya desams 19 Divya desams 3 Divya desams 7 Divya desams

The Divyadesams can be divided into 7 categories:

Thondai Naadu temples - 22 Divya desams

Chozha Naadu temples - 40 Divya desams

Nadu Naadu Temples - 2 Divya desams

Pandiya Naadu Temples - 18 Divya desams

Malayala Naadu temples - 13 Divya desams

Vadu Naadu Temples - 11 Divya desams

Vinnulaga Thiruppathigal – 2 Divya desams

 

The Divyadesams statewise are:

Tamilnadu - 84 Divya desams

Kerala – 11 Divya desams

Andhra Pradesh – 2 Divya desams

Uttara Pradesh – 4 Divya desams

Uttarakhand – 3 Divya desams

Gujarat – 1 Divya desam

Nepal – 1 Divya desam

Celestial - 2 Divya desams

List of Divya Desams