Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Uthiramerur

About

The Vaikunta Perumal Temple in Uthiramerur, a city in the Kanchipuram district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. Vishnu is worshipped as Vaikunta Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Anandavalli. The temple was originally built by the Pallavas, with later additions from the Cholas. The temple is known for the inscriptions indicating the democratic practices of electing representatives for the village bodies during the regime of Parantaka Chola (907–955 CE).This Vishnu Temple is mentioned in Narsingh Puran.

The building is declared as a heritage monument and administered by the Archeological Survey of India. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India was inspired by the system after paying a visit to the temple and insisted on improving Panchayat Raj, India's system of local bodies in villages.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.