Divya Desams refer to 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars(saints). 105 of these are located in India, 1 inNepal, while 2 are located outside of the Earthly realms. 'Divya' in Tamil language indicates premium and 'Desam' indicates place or temple. Most of the divyadesams in Tamilnadu followThenkalai tradition. This includes the important temples of Srirangam and Triplicane
The two major deities of Hinduism are LordShiva and Lord Vishnu. The holy temples of Shiva, known as the Paadal Petra Sthalams, referring to the 275 Shiva Sthalams are praised in the Tevaram canon by the sixty threeNayanars saints while those of Vishnu are revered in the Divya Prabandha verses of the twelve contemporary 6th-9th century poets called Azhvars. The temples they hailed are the Divya Desams.
