Atulya Nadheswarar Temple

Getting there

• By train

  Tirukoilur railway station serves Tirukoilur town. The temple is about 2 km from the town.

• By road

  The temple is on the Tirukoilur to Viluppuram highway in Arakandanallur, Viluppuram district.

Why devotees come here

Atulya Nadheswarar Temple stands in Arakandanallur, a town in Viluppuram district about 2 km from Tirukoilur. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, Shiva shrines praised in the Tevaram poems. Shiva is worshipped here in the form of a lingam.

Atulya Nadheswarar Temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, Shiva shrines glorified in the early medieval Tevaram poems by the Tamil Saivite saint Thirugnana Sambanthar. Shiva is worshipped here as Atulya Nadheswarar, in the form of a lingam, with his consort Azhagiya Ponnazhagi.

Legend says Vishnu worshipped Shiva to atone for the sin of slaying Mahabali during his Vamana avatar. Legend also says Sambanthar set up Annamalaiyar as a lingam at this place and worshipped it. The original complex is believed to have been built by the Pallavas and later expanded by the Cholas.

The present masonry structure was built during the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century. Today the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu maintains and administers the temple. The temple is built on a granite hill and has two corridors inside. Its main gateway tower on the west side has seven tiers and pierces the large rectangular granite walls.

Tips for your visit

• Tirukoilur railway station was formerly called Arakandanallur Thirukovilur railway station, using this village's name.
• The HR&CE department that runs the temple has its website at hrce.tn.gov.in, the Tamil Nadu government site.
• Tirukoilur town lies on the southern bank of the Thenpennai River.

Questions people ask