Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple

Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple is located at Thiruthanka in Kanchipuram District. This is one of the 108 Divya Desams (holy abodes) of Lord Vishnu. This place is popularly known by the name Thoopul, as it is fully covered in Dharba grass (which will be used heavily during Yajnas)

Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple Legends

As per the legend, it is said that Lord Brahma, the creator, wished to perform Yajna for Lord Siva here, as he had no temple on this earth. Brahma ignored His Consort Goddess Saraswathi (God of Education) while performing Yajna. Angered by Brahma’s doing, Saraswathi cursed Brahma, saying that there would be no light to perform this yajna.

Worried Brahma prayed for the Savior Lord Vishnu to provide Light. Vishnu appeared to Brahma in the form of divine light and helped him for the Yajna. As Lord appeared here in the form divine light, in Tamil light is called by Vilakku Oli (Light), Vilakoli Perumal and in Sanskrit, it is called by Deepa Prakasar.

Lord Vishnu helped in resolving the differences between Brahma and Saraswathi.

Sri Vedanta Maha Desikam, a famous Vaishnavite scholar, was from the Thoopul region. It is said that Vedanta Desika is the reincarnation of Lord Venkateswara’s Golden Bell. It is said that Vedanta Desika was the gift of Lord Sri Venkateswara to the childless couple Sri Ananthasuri and Smt. Thothaaramba. Once, the Lord appeared in the dreams of Thothaaramba and gave him his golden bell, which she had swallowed in the dream. While Tirupati Temple priests started searching for the bell, a heavenly voice informed them that the bell had been given to Thothaaramba, who would be taking the form of a great scholar. From that day onward, the bell is not offered to the Lord.

Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple History

This temple was built by Vedanta Desika’s son, Nayina Varadachari. One can find Lakshmi Hayagreevar’s idol inside the shrine, which Vedanta Desika used to worship daily.

An inscription in Tamil from the time of Chola King Ramanataka Pottappichcholan (1223 A.D.) can be found on the base of the northern wall of the central shrine of the Tirutanga Vilakkolipperumal temple. It details the Vilakkodu residents’ 2:1 gift of some village lands to the Vilokkoli Emperuman temple and the Thiruvelirukkai temple.

Another inscription in Tamil can be found on the base of the southern and eastern walls of the central shrine of the Tirutanka Vilakkolipperumal temple. It mentions the donation of a village in Elaippakkam and a village in Venkunrakootam for the repair of the Tirutankaa Vilakkolipperumal temple, and it also says that Sri Rangaraya of Elankudi in Pandymandalam oversaw the repairs in the king’s name.

An inscription in Sanskrit that reads, “Azhagia-manavala Jeer built certain prakaras and mandapas in the temple of Deepaprakasa, i.e., Vilakkoliperumal,” is located on the wall to the left of the entrance of the Tirutanka Vilakkoli Perumal temple.

How to reach Sri Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple ?

Temple is 111 km from Tirupati. The direct bus is available from Tirupati to Kanchi.
Temple is 3.4 km from Kanchipuram Railway station
Temple is 1.8. km from Kanchipuram Bus station