Adikesava Perumal Temple, Hindu temple in Thiruvattaru, Tamil Nadu

Adikesava Perumal is a Hindu temple in Thiruvattaru, Tamil Nadu, dedicated to the reclining Vishnu and built using Salagrama stones. Three gateway arches lead into chambers where visitors view the head, torso, and feet of the reclining deity separately.

Stone inscriptions date the temple to 779 KE, and it is one of the thirteen historic Divya Desams of Malai Nadu. It served as the Rajya Temple and Bharadevatha shrine of Travancore; Marthanda Varma worshipped here before his war campaigns. The Virabhadra composite columns were added by the Vijayanagara kings in the early 1500s, and Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma VI renovated the flagmast in 1071 KE.

The name refers to Vishnu as Adi Keshava, and worshippers walk around the reclining god through three separate entrances. Wooden pillars and carved doors follow building traditions from Kerala, setting the shrine apart from other South Indian sacred spaces.

The temple stands in Thiruvattar, surrounded on three sides by the Kothai, Pahrali and Thamirabarani rivers. A thirty-foot-high fort wall encloses the complex, and the outer corridor rests on 224 stone pillars. The main deity lies in a reclining posture and is viewed through three doors, with a shrine to Shiva beside him inside the sannidhi.

The reclining figure measures roughly 22 feet (6.7 meters) and shows Vishnu on the serpent Adisesha in resting pose. Each gate offers a view of a different body part, so you grasp the full image only through three visits.