Tirupparkadal — the milk-ocean

Tirupparkadal — the milk-ocean

Among the 108 Divya Desams, FOUR are beyond this earthly realm: Paramapadam, Tirupparkadal (milk-ocean), Tirupparkadal-kshetra, and Tiruvaikuntam. These are worshipped via their earthly reflections but acknowledged as extra-cosmic sites.

Divya Desam canonical status

One of the 108 Divya Desams — temples sung in the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham (the "Four-Thousand Divine Hymns") by the 12 Alvars (6th–9th c. CE). The 108 Divya Desams include 106 earthly sites, plus 2 extra-cosmic realms (Paramapadam = Vaikuntha, and Tirupparkadal = the Milk-Ocean). Each Divya Desam has a Moolavar (sanctum deity), Utsavar (processional image), and a specific Alvar-mangalāśāsana dedication.