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Photo: Destination8infinity, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The temple is said to be the birthplace of Ramanuja, the exponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy
Adi Kesava Temple is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu located in Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Kesava, and his consort Lakshmi as Ethiraja Nadhavalli. The temple is believed to be the birthplace of Ramanuja, the exponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy. The gold plated shrine in front of the hall of Ramanuja was built by the Maharaja of Mysore. It is considered one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.
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On 21 May 1991, the Sri Lankan separatist organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out a suicide bombing at Sriperumbudur as a retaliation to the involvement of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the Sri Lankan civil war. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in that suicide bombing, and at least 14 others were killed. The site where Gandhi was killed was converted into a memorial on 10 October 2003 by President APJ Abdul Kalam.