Gajendra Varadha Temple

The Gajendra Varadha Perumal Temple in Thirukkavithalam, a village in the outskirts of Papanasam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Gajendra Varadha Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Ramamanivalli. The temple is one of the five Pancha-Kannan temples, where Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu is given prominence over the presiding deity.

The temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval Cholas of the late 9th century CE, with later contributions from Vijayanagara kings and Madurai Nayaks. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and its bodies of water.

Gajendra Varada is believed to have appeared to Gajendra the elephant also called Indrajumnan, the crocodile called Kuhu, Sage Parasara, and Anjaneya. Six daily rituals and four yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Gajendra Moksha Lila, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aadi (July–August), is the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.