Thirukkadigai

Thirukkadigai or Sholingapuram in Sholinghur, a village in Ranipet district of 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 Naalayira 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 Lakshmi Narasimhar, and his consort Lakshmi as Thirumamagal. There are three separate shrines in the form of Narasimha, Bhaktavatsala Perumal and Hanuman (Anjaneya). They are situated on the larger hill, at the base of the larger hill and on the smaller hill, respectively. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines uphill. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram at the top of hill, while the temple tank is located opposite the temple, outside the main entrance in the foothills. The temple follows Tenkalai tradition of worship. Six daily rituals and many yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Karthikai festival during November - December, Brahmotsavam during the Tamil month of Chittirai (March - April), and Narasimha Jayanti during Vaikasi (May - June) being the most prominent. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.