Pancha Kshethram

Artistic representation of theMaharishi Bhrigu.

ThePancha Kshetrams(Sanskrit:पञ्च क्षेत्रम्,romanized:Pañca Kṣetram,lit. 'Five abodes/stages of Vishnu') orPancha Bhargavi Kshethramis a group of five sacredHindu templesin India, dedicated to the deityVishnuandLakshmiWith the legend associated to theVenkateswara Temple, Tirumala.All the temples areDivya desamsexcept one which is anAbhimana Kshethram.

Legend

DuringKali Yuga,Naradaadvised some sages who were performingyagnato decide who could be given the fruits of yagna amongTrimurtis(Brahma,VishnuandShiva).Bhriguwas sent to test the Trinity. The sage who had an extra eye in the sole of his foot visitedBrahmaandShivaand went unnoticed in both these locations. He cursed Brahma to be not worshipped and Shiva to be worshipped as alingam.At last he visitedVishnuand the lord acts as if he had not noticed Bhrigu. Getting angered by this act, sage Bhrigu kicked Vishnu in the chest, to which Vishnu did not react and instead apologised to the Sage by massaging his feet. During this act, he squashed the extra eye that was present in the sole of Bhrigu's foot. HoweverLakshmifinds it as an insult since Vishnu's chest was considered as Lakshmi's residence (vakshasthala) and Bhrigu kicked it which indirectly insulted Lakshmi. She then leftVaikunthaand came to Earth toTirumalaand started meditating in human form as Padmavati.

Vishnu bore human form asSrinivasa,left Vaikuntha, in search of Lakshmi, reached theSeshachalamhills in Tirumala and started meditating. Lakshmi learned of the condition of Srinivasa and called Shiva and Brahma. Shiva and Brahma then converted themselves into a Cow and a Calf and Lakshmi had handed over the cow and calf to theCholaking ruling over Tirumala Hills at that time. The Cow would provide milk to Srinivasa daily while it was taken for grazing. One day, a cowherd in the Chola king's household saw this, and tried to beat the Cow with his staff, but Srinivasa bore the injury, then struck down the cowherd. Angered by the cowherd's actions, Srinivasa cursed the Chola king to become anasuraas dharma says sins committed by servants should be borne by their employers. The king prayed for mercy after which Srinivasa said to him, that the King should take next birth as Akasharaja and should perform marriage of his foster-daughter Padmavati with Srinivasa.

Srinivasa went to his foster-motherVakula Devion Tirumala hills and stayed there for a while. After curse, theCholaking took rebirth as Akasharaja and he had a foster-daughter named Padmavati who is the human form of Lakshmi, who took this form in the Padmapushkarini situated at present dayTiruchanurat Tirupati inAndhra Pradesh.Srinivasa married Padmavati at present day Narayanavanam in Andhra Pradesh and returned to Tirumala Hills. After few months, Goddess Lakshmi and God Vishnu had discovered the marriage of Srinivasa with Padamavati and went to Tirumala hills to question Srinivasa and Padmavati. Srinivasa, unable to bear the quarrel between Lakshmi, Vishnu and Padmavati, turned into stone right when he was encountered by Lakshmi, Vishnu and Padmavati. Brahma and Shiva appeared before the confused deities and explain the main purpose behind all this - The Lord and Goddess' desire to be on the seven hills for the emancipation of mankind from the perpetual troubles ofKali Yuga.Goddesses Lakshmi and Padmavati with God Vishnu also turn into stone deities expressing their wish to be always there. Lakshmi stays with Him on His Chest on the left side while Padmavati rests on His chest's right with Vishnu also present at the side.

Padmavati got her memories and was still angry with Vishnu. In the meanwhile, the sageBhrigusought his apology and requested Lakshmi to be born to him in more 4 places which areSundararaja Perumal Temple, SalemBhriguasBhrigu,Nachiyar KoilBhriguasMedhavi Maharishi,Oppiliappan templeBhriguasMarkandeya MaharishiandSarangapani temple, KumbakonamBhriguasHema Maharishi.

The five Temples

Tirumala

Salem

Thirunarayur

Thirunageswaram

Thirukudandhai

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Pancha Kshethram locations

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumalais run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is under control of Andhra Pradesh Government. The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra Pradesh Government. The rest four temples inTamil Naduare maintained and administered by theHindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Departmentof theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.The presiding deities are revered in the 5th century TamilVaishnavatecanonical work, theDivya Prabandham,written by Tamil saint poets known as theAlvarsand classified asDivya desamexcept one Deity which is one of the 108Abhimana sthalam.

Name of the Sacred place	Perumal	Temple	Photo	Location	Details
Tirumala	Padmavathi Nachiyar Sametha Srinivasa Perumal	Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala		Tirumala13°40′59.7″N79°20′49.9″E	TheSri Venkateswara Swami Templeis aHindu templesituated in the hill town ofTirumalaatTirupatiinTirupati districtofAndhra Pradesh,India. The Temple is dedicated toVenkateswara,a form ofVishnu,who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles ofKali Yuga.Hence the place has also got the name KaliyugaVaikunthaand the deity here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.
Sri Sailam	Sundaravalli Nachiyar Sametha Sundararaja Perumal	Sundararaja Perumal Temple, Salem		Salem,11.65°N 78.15°E/11.65; 78.15	Sundararaja Perumal Temple, Salem(also known asKottai Perumal Koil) is located on the banks of theThirumanimutharu riveratSalem,Tamil nadu,India.It is considered as anAbhimana sthalamofLord Vishnuand one of the Pancha Kshethram whereMaha Lakshmiwas born asBhargavi- the daughter of Maharishi Bhrigu. The other four temples of the Pancha Kshethram areSarangapani temple, Kumbakonam,Oppiliappan temple,Nachiyar KoilandVenkateswara Temple, Tirumala.The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times fromMedieval Cholas,Vijayanagara Empire,Chera,PandyasandMadurai Nayaks.The temple followsVaikhanasa agamaand the temple priests perform thepoojarituals during festivals and on a daily basis. The priests belong to theVadakalaisect ofVaishnavism,a Brahmin sub-caste.
Nachiyar Koil	Vanchulavalli Nachiyar sametha Naraiyur Nambi Perumal	Nachiyar Koil		Nachiyar Koil10°55′N79°26′E	Nachiyar KovilorThirunarayur Nambi Templeis aHindu templein Thirunarayur, a village in the outskirts ofKumbakonamin the southernIndian stateofTamil Nadu,is dedicated to the Hindu godVishnuand his wifeLakshmi.It is the sub urban region of business city of Kumbakonam. Constructed in theDravidian style of architecture,the temple is glorified in theDivya Prabandham,the early medievalTamilcanon of theAlvarsaints from the 6th to 9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108Divya Desamsdedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Srinivasa Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Nachiyar. The temple is the place where god Vishnu is believed to have initiatedPancha Samskara(religious initiation) toThirumangai Alvar.The temple follows theTenkalaimode of worship.
Thirunageswaram	Bhooma Devi Sametha Oppiliappan Perumal	Oppiliappan temple		Thirunageswaram,Tamil nadu10°57′41.63″N79°25′53.73″E	Oppiliappan Temple,is aHindu templededicated toVishnu,located nearThirunageswaramand also known by its old toponym Thiruvinnagar, a village in the outskirts of theKumbakonamin the South Indian state ofTamil Nadu.Constructed in theDravidian style of architecture,the temple is glorified in theNaalayira Divya Prabandham,the early medievalTamilcanon of theAlvarsaints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as the 60th of the 108Divya Desamsdedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshiped as Oppiliappan and his consortLakshmiasBhudevi. The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity and to have been initiated by theMedieval Cholasof the late 8th century CE, with later contributions at different times fromThanjavur Nayaks.The temple has two inscriptions dating from the Chola period, a five-tieredrajagopuram(gateway tower), and a granite wall. The complex contains all the shrines and water bodies associated with it.
Thirukudandhai	Komalavalli Nachiyar Sametha Sarangapani Perumal	Sarangapani temple, Kumbakonam		Kumbakonam10°57′34″N79°22′29″E	Sarangapani Templeis a Hindu temple dedicated toVishnu,located inKumbakonam,Tamil Nadu,India. It is one of theDivya Desams,the 108 temples ofVishnurevered inNalayira Divya Prabandhamby the 12 poet saints, orAlwars.This temple is alongKaveriand is one of thePancharanga Kshetrams. The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times fromMedieval Cholas,Vijayanagara EmpireandMadurai Nayaks.The temple is enshrined within a huge granite wall and the complex contains all the shrines and the water bodies of the temple. Therajagopuram(the main gateway) has eleven tiers and has a height of 173 ft (53 m). The Potramarai tank, the temple tank, is located opposite to the western entrance of the temple.