Temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry: Divya Desam Temples

While the Nayanmar were busy traversing the land to celebrate ancient Sivasthalams, another set of poet saints called the Azhwar or Alvaar (ஆழ்வார்), did the same for Tamil Vaishnavism. Crisscrossing the land, they too sang in beautiful Tamil to immortalize ancient Vishnu temples in poems that have been compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham (the 4000 Divine Compositions). They lived between the 6th and 9th centuries. The revered temples mentioned in these works are known as the Divya Desam temples - Temples of the Divine Realm

The term Azhwar (pronounced Aalwar, with a retroflex "L") comes from the Tamil word for depth (Azh -ஆழ்) and stands for their deep and intense devotion to Lord Vishnu. 12 in number they came from varied backgrounds. One, Aandaal was a woman. Other prominent Azhwar were Periyazhwar, Thirumangai Azhwar and Nammazhvar. The songs they composed came to be known as the Mangalasasanam and were in praise of specific temples that were very special.

The Divya Desam temples are 108 in total. Of these, 105 are in India, one in Nepal and two are celestial, the divine ocean of Thiruparkadal and Vaikuntham, the abode of Lord Vishnu. Of the 105 in India, 84 are in Tamil Nadu, 11 are in Kerala, 2 are in Andhra Pradesh, 4 are in Uttar Pradesh, 3 are in Uttarakhand and one is in Gujarat. The most well-known temples include Srirangam, Tirupati, Srivilliputtur and Alagarkoil

Sources:

Divyadesam.org

Divyadesam.com

Interactive Map of the Divya Desam Temples (Courtesy Google Maps and the creators)