The following are the answers to the questions raised yesterday. You can read the questions here

  1. Athigiri or Hastigiri – the two consorts on either side of Devaperumal are unique – each holds the flower in her right hand. It therefore appears that Sridevi is standing some distance away from the main deity. It is a matter of interest that the two nacchiyars in Melkote, an abhimAna sthalam, are also the same way.
  2. Nachiyarkoil – This shrine, which is unique in having Vanjulavalli Thayar in the centre of sanctum and not the Perumal, has these exquisite figurines of the deities of all other Divya Desams.
  3. Thiruneermalai – It has the deities in all four postures. The walking one is of the Lord as Ulagalanda Perumal.
  4. Ananthapadmanabhaswami at Thiruvananthapuram. There is a legend of a priest having tied a stone to a thread and letting down on the other side of the deity, only to have it come back completely wet.
  5. Jakkulu Nayak and his wife prostrate before Saundararaja Perumal in Nagapattinam. The black granite figurines of these two people are so beautiful that you need to see them in person to comprehend such exquisiteness.
  6. Both Thiruputkuzhi and Pullabhoothamkudi have the same story of Jatayu Moksham
  7. Bilvavanam, a disciple of Muthuswami Dikshitar was from Therazhundur.
  8. Goddess Abhishekavalli of Thirukkannamangai has a verse in Her praise by Ramalinga Swamigal. Another unique feature here is the formation of a beehive in the Goddess’ sanctum, six months to the left and six months to the right of the deity. Dikshitar mentions it in his kriti Bhaktavatsalam in Vamsavati.
  9. The Lord is in the process of rising at the request of Thirumazhisai Azhwar at Kumbhakonam. Aravamudan here is in the posture of UtthAna Sayanam.
  10. Gopala Vilasam fronts the first floor shrine of Lord Vatapatrasayee at Sri Villiputhur. The carvings are all from a disused temple chariot.
  11. Koodalazhagar Temple in Madurai has the Lord in three postures in three tiers.
  12. Venkateswara at Tirumala is worshipped as Kanchana Brahma by the Dasa Koota.
  13. Thirumazhisai Azhwar sings of the standing Lord at Ooragam, seated at Padagam and lying down at Vehka, all in Kanchipuram.
  14. Hamsasandesam of Vedanta Desika has Rama encouraging a swan to fly with his message to Sita at Ashoka Vana. He describes the shrines listed in the question.