Vaishnavism () in Tamil Nadu is documented in ancient Tamil Sangam literature dating back to the 5th century BCE. Perumal, traditionally considered a form of Vishnu, is the most frequently mentioned deity in Sangam Literature. Some of the earliest known mentions of Perumal and the Tamil devotional poems ascribed to him are found in the Paripāṭal – a Sangam era poetic anthology.

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, located in Thiruvananthapuram, is considered to be one of the wealthiest temples in the world. It is dedicated to a form of Lord Vishnu known as Padmanabhaswamy Perumal. Several existing Hindu texts including the Vishnu Purana, Brahma Purana, Matsya Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Bhagavata Purana have mentioned the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. In addition, the temple has several references in Sangam period literature. Several historians and scholars believe that the name "Golden Temple" attributed to the temple might reflect its immense wealth during the early Sangam period, or the golden thazhikakudams (domes on top of the gopuram). Many pieces of Sangam literature refer to the temple-city of Thiruvananthapuram as having walls of pure gold. Both the temple and the entire city are often eulogised as being made of gold, and the temple as heaven. The temple is one of the 108 principal Divya Desams ("Holy Abodes") in Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the fifth and eighth centuries C.E and is glorified in the Divya Prabandha.

The Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple is also dedicated to a form of Maha Vishnu. It is considered to be the largest religious complex in the world. This temple is considered to be foremost in the 108 principal Divya Desams of Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the fifth and eighth centuries C.E and is glorified in the Divya Prabandha and sung by all the 12 Alvars. The temple is mentioned in Tamil literature of the Sangam era (6th century BCE to the 2nd century CESangam literature, Encyclopaedia Britannica), including in the epic Silapadikaram (Book 11, lines 35–40):

The temple was initially constructed by the Chola ruler, Dharmavarma. The Kaveri river flood destroyed the temple's vimanam, and later, the early Chola ruler Killivalavan rebuilt the temple complex in the form that is present today. Beyond ancient textual history, archaeological evidence such as stone inscriptions from the late 1st millennium CE also refer to this temple. The inscriptions in the temple belong to the Chola, Pandya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara dynasties who ruled over the region. These inscriptions range between the 9th and 16th centuries.

During the period of invasion and plunder by the Alauddin Khilji's general Malik Kafur and his Delhi Sultanate forces in 1311, the Arabic texts of the period state that he raided a "golden temple" on river "Kanobari" (Kaveri), destroyed the temple and took the plunder including the golden icon of the deity to Delhi. According to Steven P. Hopkins and this temple is believed to be the Ranganathaswamy Temple.

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh is the most visited temple dedicated to Perumal in India.

Other significant institutions include Kanchipuram's Varadaraja Perumal temple, and Sri Vidhya Rajagopalaswamy Perumal Temple. The temple is called Dakshina Dvaraka (Southern Dvaraka) along with Guruvayoor by Hindus.South Indian Railway Co., Ltd 2004, p. 176 The deity Perumal is identified with Mayon, literally meaning, "the dark-complexioned one", who is first referenced in the texts Purananuru and Pattupattu. Regarded to be the Tamil equivalent of Krishna, poetry from this period compares his dark skin to the ocean. Originally a folk deity, he was syncretised with Krishna and Vishnu, gaining popularity in the Sri Vaishnava tradition. His consort (title for the wife or husband of a monarch) is Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, beauty, and prosperity, appearing in even the earliest strata of Tamil poetry.

Mayon is indicated to be the deity associated with the mullai tiṇai (pastoral landscape) in the Tolkappiyam. He is regarded to be the only deity who enjoyed the status of Paramporul (achieving oneness with Paramatma) during the Sangam age. He is also known as Māyavan, Māmiyon, Netiyōn, and Māl in Sangam literature.

Mentions of Vaishnavism in Sangam Literature

Mahalakshmi in Sangama Literature

Lakshmi is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with Maya ("Illusion"). Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the Mother goddess. Lakshmi is both the consort and the divine energy (shakti) of the Hindu god Vishnu, the Supreme Being of Vaishnavism; she is also the Supreme Goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe. She is an especially prominent figure in Sri Vaishnavism, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu.

In Tamil, Mahalakshmi is reverently referred to as Thayar, a term that literally means 'Mother of the world'. Lakshmi is mentioned in several places of the Sangam Literature, Mahalakshmi is often portrayed as the wife of Mahavishnu and stays at the chest of Vishnu.

She was worshipped by women in ancient Tamilakam for the return of the warriors (their husbands) with their soul in their body. Maha Lakshmi has mentions in Sangam texts. Mahalakshmi was also considered as kotravai in her other form to marry Vishnu in the avatar of Shiva.

Purananuru mentions Sita, who is an avathara of (Mahalakshmi), was abducted by the demon king Ravana. Malaipaṭukaṭām mentions the goddess of wealth and fortune, Lakshmi in lines 463–464 and the "Goddess who sits enthroned on the chest of Vishnu". Mullaippāṭṭu which mentions women praying to Maha Lakshmi for their husbands to live long and not to die in the war, Paripāṭal mentions Maha Lakshmi seated on the chest of Vishnu,Paripadal poem 2 lines 28 to 35 Silapathikaram mentions Lakshmi several places. For example, she is mentioned as Thiru seated on the chest of Ranganatha sleeping in Srirangam,Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40) She is in the form of Sita with Rama and Radha - the lover of Krishna. She is considered as the goddess of fortune, wealth and happiness. Maturaikkāñci mentions that the city gates and house walls had symbols and portraits of Mahalakshmi. Manimekalai describes an event dedicated to Indra where the tired and sleeping young boys and girls who earlier in the day had run around in their costumes of Hindu gods (Vishnu) and goddesses (Lakshmi). It also mentions a character called Aputra who reaches Madurai. He sits with his begging bowl inside Madurai's Temple dedicated to Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. The worshippers of Lakshmi are kind and donate a large amount of food to the bowl of Aputra, which Aputra shares with the poor, the blind, the deaf, and other needy people. The text also mentions Kanyakumari as being a Hindu bathing pilgrimage site dedicated to Maha Lakshmi, The Akanāṉūṟu describes Rama at Dhanushkodi, sitting under a Banyan tree, involved in secret discussions about the war between him and Ravana who kidnapped Sita, while the birds are singing. Thirukural mentions Goddess Lakshmi in couplets 167, 408, 519, 565, 568, 616, and 617 hints, which shows the existence of Sri Vaishnavism and Valluvar's beliefs on it. There are many other mentions of Maha Lakshmi in Sangam literature.

Maha Vishnu in Sangam Literature A reference to "Mukkol Pakavars" in Sangam literature indicates that only Vaishnava saints were holding Tridanda and were prominent during the period. Tirumal was glorified as "the supreme deity", whose divine lotus feet could burn all evil and grant moksha. During the post-Sangam period, his worship was further glorified by the poet-saints called the Alvars. Perumal (Vishnu) was the only deity who enjoyed the status of Paramporul during the Sangam age. The reference to Mukkol Bhagavars in Sangam literature indicates that only Vaishnavaite saints holding Tridanda existed during the age and Perumal was glorified as the supreme deity, whose "divine lotus feet can burn all our evils and grant moksha" (maru piraparukkum maasil sevadi).

Tolkāppiyam

Perumal is considered to be another name of Vishnu, and was traditionally the deity associated with the forests. Mayon is indicated to be the deity associated with the mullai tiṇai (pastoral landscape) in the Tolkappiyam. Tolkappiyar mentions Mayon when he referred to deities in the different land divisions. which gives a hint that he might be a scholar who follows Vaishnavism.

Paripāṭal

The Paripādal (, meaning the paripadal-metre anthology) is a classical Tamil poetic work and traditionally the fifth of the Eight Anthologies (Ettuthokai) in the Sangam literature. According to Tolkappiyam, Paripadal is a kind of verse dealing only with love (akapporul) and does not fall under the general classification of verses. It has a minimum of 25 lines and a maximum of 400 lines. Tamil Sangam literature (200 BCE to 500 CE) mentions Mayon or the "dark one," as the supreme deity who creates, sustains, and destroys the universe and was worshipped in the mountains of Tamilakam. The earliest verses of Paripadal describe the glory of Perumal in poetic terms. Many poems of the Paripadal consider Perumal as the supreme god of the Tamils. Paripāṭal also mentions that Vishnu is only Shiva and Brahma; he is everything and is the supreme god and represents himself as different gods.

Maturaikkāñci

Maduraikanchi (), is an ancient Tamil poem in the Sangam literature. Lines 497 to 511 allude to gods and goddesses in temples like Thirumohoor Kalamegaperumal templeM. S., Ramesh (1993). 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams: Divya desams in Pandya Nadu. Tirumalai-Tirupati Devasthanam. and Koodal Azhagar temple with iconographic items of Hinduism. Maha Vishnu is called the 'ruler of the three worlds' and the "Supreme Deity" and it identifies Rama and Krishna as his incarnations of Maha Vishnu. He is alluded to with "God who protects the world" and also as Tirivikrama - the lord who measured the three worlds. A bathing festival with rituals that include a dip in the water to "cleanse their sins" is mentioned in the poem. Chanting of the Vedas is mentioned in lines 512–518, The lines related to the Vedas, states Chelliah, alludes to the jivanmukta ideology found in Hinduism. Maduraikanchi also details the Thiruvonam festival celebrated in the Koodal Azhagar temple, Madurai.M., Rajagopalan (1993). 15 Vaishnava Temples of Tamil Nadu. Chennai, India: Govindaswamy Printers. pp. 119–128.

Akanaṉūṟu

Several poems echo the Hindu puranic legends about Parashurama, Rama, Krishna and others in the Akanaṉūṟu . According to Alf Hiltebeitel – an Indian Religions and Sanskrit Epics scholar, the Akanaṉūṟu has the earliest known mentions of some stories such as "Krishna stealing sarees of Gopis" which is found later in north Indian literature, making it probable that some of the ideas from Tamil Hindu scholars inspired the Sanskrit scholars in the north and the Bhagavata Purana, or vice versa. However the text Harivamsa which is complex, containing layers that go back to the 1st or 2nd century BCE, consists of parts that mention Krishna playing with Gopis and stealing their sarees.

The Akanāṉūṟu has a reference to the Ramayana in poem 70. The poem places a triumphant Rama at Dhanushkodi, sitting under a Banyan tree, involved in some secret discussions when the birds are chirping away. This seems to indicate that the story of the Ramayana was familiar in the Tamil lands before the Kamba Ramayanam of the 12th century.

Purananuru