Alagar Koil, Madurai - Tamil Nadu

Alagar Koil (Azhagar Kovil),Located 21 kms northwest of Madurai is a Vishnu Temple on a picturesque hills called Alagarmalai.The temple is surrounded by the ruins of a historic fort. The impressive main tower at the entrance, believed to have been built by the Pandyan Kings, has some beautiful sculptures depicting scenes from the epics.The Kalyana Mandapa of the temple has beautiful sculptures on its pillars which are fine specimens of Nayaka art. The notable ones are those of Narasimha, Krishna, Rathi seated on the parrot, Manmatha and Vishnu on Garuda and the idol of Tirumala Nayaka. The inscriptions of various dynasties found in this temple, as also in a cavern on the hill, throw light on the antiquity of this place.