Sri Purushottama Perumal Temple (Devaprayag)

Devaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (the five sacred Himalayan river confluences) and is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham as the Divya Desam of Thirukkandamenum Kadinagar, with 11 pasurams sung by Periyalvar. It is also the last and southernmost of the five Prayags, the point at which the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers cease to have separate identities and the combined waters take the name Ganga for the remainder of their course to the plains and, eventually, the sea.

This river-naming role gives Devaprayag a symbolic weight beyond its size: for many pilgrims travelling the Char Dham route, this is the geographic point at which the Ganga (India's most venerated river) is considered to formally begin.

Temple tradition holds that Rama came here to perform penance after the killing of Ravana, seeking release from the dosham of having slain a Brahmin sage's son, Ravana being a Brahmin by birth despite his demonic nature. The temple is also mentioned in several of the Puranas as one of the great Himalayan pilgrimage sites, and the town is traditionally associated with the sage Devasharma, from whom Devaprayag is said to take its name.

The temple sits on a hillside directly above the river confluence, in the plain-stone hill-temple style typical of Garhwal, distinct from the Dravidian architecture of the southern Divya Desams.

Ganga Dussehra, marking the descent of the Ganga to earth and falling typically in May/June, and Makar Sankranti, when pilgrims take a ritual dip at the confluence and offer prayers to the sun, are the two most prominent occasions observed here; Rama Navami is also celebrated at the temple with processions and prasadam distribution, in keeping with the site's association with Rama's penance.

Daily worship follows the customary morning and evening schedule typical of the Garhwal Divya Desams; on Ganga Dussehra and Makar Sankranti, the adjoining confluence sees a considerably larger gathering of pilgrims for the ritual bath than an ordinary day.