Ulagalantha Perumal Temple

• The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a benevolent Asura King. Bali was the grandson of Hiranyakashapu, the son of Prahlada. King Mahabali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the most powerful in the world.  Demon king Mahabali, though belonging to the Asura community, was noted for his good-natured deeds as he was very generous and charitable.  He became proud of his supreme qualities and the reputation it brought him. A genuinely good  person should not give room to pride. The Lord wanted to teach him a lesson. The Lord took the form of Vamana (a dwarf) and approached Mahabali for three feet of land, measured with his feet. The surprised king told the dwarf that three feet by his legs would mean nothing to him. His Guru Sukra found out that, the seeker was not a dwarf, but Lord Vishnu  himself  and warned the king of the consequences, if he yielded to the demand of the dwarf.  Mahabali told the Guru that he would have to lose all the benefits of his charities done till then, if he denied the demand of the dwarf. He promised the demand of the visitor.
  
  The dwarf shockingly grew very tall, touching the sky, measured the earth by one step and the sky by the second leaving no land, either in the sky or earth and demanded the third.  Bali simply said that he could place the third step on his head.  Doing so, the Lord sent him to the world below the earth. Reaching the lower world, Mahabali felt sad that he could not have the luck of seeing the Lord measuring all the worlds in two steps.
  
  Bali began to perform a severe penance on the Lord to see the lord measuring the world. Though the Lord obliged, Bali could not have a complete look of that darshan and repeated his appeal. The Lord gave the darshan as Adisesha again. That place is now called Thiru Ooragam, which is seen on left side of the sanctum sanatorium.
  
  Thiru Ooragam is one of the 108 Divyadesa Vaishnava shrines. The shrine has in itself three more Divyadesas Thiruneeragam, Thirukaragam and Thirukarvanam. This temple thus has 4 Divyadesas in itself. This unique reputation cannot be seen in any other place. Tradition has it that these Divyadesas were in different places earlier but were brought together and installed in this temple later. Thirumangai Azhwar has sung the Mangalasasanam of all these four Divyadesas in a single hymn.
  
  The Lord is too tall here. The Adisesha here is very powerful. He responds to all the prayers of the devotees and blesses them with children.
  
  Inside this sthala, other 3 divyadesas namely, Neeragam, Karagam and Kaaravannam are found. 
  
  In Thai month (mid of January month to mid of febraury month) a very big utsavam is done.
  
  Garuda seva is the special Vahana of this temple.
  
  Doing Thirumanjanam (divine bath to the God or abhishek) for this God by name Ooragathaan is said to cure all sorts of problems.
  
  In giant form, Vamana is known as Trivikrama. The legend is associated with the Thrikkakara temple in Kerala and Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Tirukoyilur
  
  The shrine is referred to as Peragam in the hymns of Azhwars. The Lord dwells under Sara or Srikara- Vimana in a standing posture facing the west. He is seen pointing two fingers of his right hand showing that he had already measured the earth and the heavens in two steps and pointing onee finger of his left hand as if to ask Mahabali where he would plant his third step.  He keeps his right foot aloft to show that he had already measured the earth and the heavens and his left foot on the head of Mahabali. To enable devotees to have darshan of his full stature, a lamp fixed to a big stick is lit and held aloft. Tirumazhisai Azhwar and Tirumangai Azhwar have sung in praise of this deity as "Peragathan". The consort of this deity is worshipped here, as 'Mother Amruthavalli'. 
  
  In this temple, there are four  Vaishnavite sacred places known as divya desams. 
  They are 
  ( 1 & 2) Peragam and Ooragam always reffered together, 
  (3) Neeragam, 
  (4) Karagam and 
  (5) Karvanam.
  
  In a side room of the Garbagriha of Ulagalanda Perumal, we have the shrine called Ooragam, Where we can have dharshan of Adisesha. Alwars have sung in praise of Peragathan and Oorgathan always together.  Devotees perform special Abisheks and adorn this Oorgathan with “sandana kappu” covering the idol with sandal coating as a parihara to Rahu dosha.  
   Mahabali Chakravarthy, the grandson of Prahaladhan, did a very big yagam (or) homam to get the Devendra logam, which is referred to as "Swargham". But, the lokam belongs to Indiran, who is the King of that lokam. Being a great devotee of Sriman Narayanan, he was capitulated by temptation and deceided to acquire the Devendra Lokam. To make him understand and to punish him, Sriman Narayanan took the Vaamana avathar (dwarf) and asked for 3 feets of his land. On hearing this, Mahabali said that he can take 3 feets of his land. But as a surprise to Mahabali, Sriman Narayanan who came there as Vaamanan (dwarf) grew up in height, and his head touched the sky. Using the first step, he measured the sky and earth and with the second feet or step, he covered the heaven and more tha it. Finally, he asked for the third feet of land. For this, Mahabali surrenders his own head as the third feet and was finally bleassed by Sriman Narayanan.
  
  
  Ooragathaan When his head was stamped by Emperumaan's feet, he could not get the dharshan of Thirivikraman. So, he prayed for his great Ulagalandha dharshan. Since, he could not be given the Thirivikraman darshan, the Parumal gave his seva as Aadhiseshan (Ooragathaan) which can be seen next to Ulagalandha Perumal.
  
  
  The moral that is explained by the Perumal is that all the things that are in exisit in this world belongs to Emperumaan, Sriman Narayanan and this is cleary explained throught the Ulagalandhan (Thirivikrama) Perumal.
  
  
  All the living things (Jeeva raasis) and its Aathmaas belong to the Emperumaan's feet and it is explained through "Thiru Ooragathaan".
  
  
  Mahabali Chakravarthy comes along the family of Bhaktha Prahaladhan, a great devotee of Sri Vishnu. Inspite of coming through that kind of family, he wanted to rule the Deva lokam, which belongs to Indiran. And at the same time, Devendran - Indiran wanted to rule all over the world. So to teach both of them a lesson, he took the Thirivikrama kolam, thereby reducing the leadrship and over head of Mahabali and on the other hand, by raising his feet and measuring over the sky, he states to Devendran that Deva Lokam also belongs to him.
  
  
  Sri Ulagalandha Perumal In this Sthalam, Ulagalandha Perumal, Thirivikraman gave his Prathyaksham for Ooragam, who is the Aadhiseshan. Both Aadiseshan and Thirivikraman are the other ways the Emperumaan giving seva in this sthalam.