Alangudi Guru Temple

Getting there

• By train

  Kumbakonam railway station gives rail connections across South India. Kumbakonam is the nearest town with a station.

• By road

  Alangudi village is 16 km from Kumbakonam and 56 km from Thanjavur on the Thanjavur to Thiruvarur road.

Why devotees come here

Alangudi Guru Temple stands in Alangudi village, Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu. It is a Navagraha temple for the planet Guru, or Jupiter. Shiva is worshipped here as the lingam, Apatsahayesvarar, the saviour in hard times.

Legend says Shiva drank deadly poison here, and that gave the village its name, Alangudi. The deity is called Apatsahayesvarar, the saviour in hard times. He is represented by the lingam, and his consort Parvati is depicted here as Elavarkuzhali. The temple is revered in the Tevaram, so it is classed as a Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 275 temples named in the Saiva canon.

The temple is counted among the Navagraha temples for the planet Guru. Dakshinamoorthy is also worshipped here. The original complex is believed to have been built by the Cholas, and the present masonry structure dates from the 16th century, in the Nayak period.

The temple has a 5-tier rajagopuram, or gateway tower, and two prakarams, the closed precincts around the shrine. The complex covers two acres. Alangudi is also one of the five Pancha Aranya Sthalams. Aranyam means forest, and these temples are revered in the forests of the Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Thiruvarur region. Valangaiman taluk, where Alangudi lies, was detached from Thanjavur district to form Tiruvarur district.

Festivals

• Chittirai month, April to JuneBrahmotsavam

  The main festival of the temple. Special worship is held, and the festival image is taken around the streets of Alangudi.

Tips for your visit

• The temple is one of the most visited in Tiruvarur district.
• Other festivals include Aippasi Pournami, Skanda Sashti, Arudra Darisanam and Maasi Magam.
• Panguni Uththiram and Vaikasi Visakam are also held here, but this page does not list their dates.

Questions people ask