Thiruvaragunamangai Perumal Temple, Alias Vijayasana Perumal Temple

Second in the series of Navathirupathi Temples is the Thiruvaragunamangai Temple, which is also known as Vijayasana Perumal Temple. This temple is located at Natham en route to Tirunelveli, is dedicated to Chandran or the moon from the Navagraha, and it is known to be Chandra sthalam. Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Vijayasana Perumal, and his consort Devi Lakshmi is worshipped as Varagunavalli.

The temple follows the Tenkalai tradition of the Vaishnav sect, where regular rituals are conducted six times a day. Three yearly festivals, Vaikuntha Ekadashi in the month of December-January, Namalavar birth celebrations in May-June and a ten-day Margazhi Utasavam in December, are conducted at the temple.

The Sthalapurana elaborates on two different stories relevant to the deity in the temple. One story discusses about a severe penance of the Sage Romesar praying to Lord Vishnu for his presence in the sthala as Vijayasana Perumal. Another story states that a sage named Vedavit served his elderly parents on the banks of the River Tamarabarani. As his parents demised, he penanced, praying to Lord Vishnu for several years. Lord Vishnu appeared as a result of the deep devotion and gave him a boon. According to the boon, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vijayasana Perumal.

The temple has a rich heritage and is mentioned in various old texts. The Nalayira Divya Prabandham mentions a temple written about by Nammalvar in the 7th-9th century. Nammalvar has also mentioned the Thiruvarangamangai Temple in his work, Thiruvaymoi. The temple also finds a place in the 108 Tirupati Antati of Divya Kavi Pillai Perumal Aiyangar from the 18th -19th Century.

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