Devanatha Temple

Getting there

• By road

  Thiruvanthipuram is a village on the outskirts of Cuddalore town in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu.

Why devotees come here

Devanatha Temple stands in Thiruvanthipuram, a village on the outskirts of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. It is the only historical temple in South India known to house an image of Hayagriva, a horse-faced form of Vishnu.

Devanatha Temple is one of the Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Vishnu is worshipped here as Devanatha, and Lakshmi as Hemabhujavalli. The temple is the only historical one in South India with an image of Hayagriva, a horse-faced avatar of Vishnu. Legend says Vishnu is believed to have appeared here to Adishesha, the serpent-mount of Vishnu, the sage Markandeya and Indra. The region was called Tiruvaheendrapuram to honour Adisesha, who was once called Vaheendran.

Indra is said to have performed a Vaishnava yagna here to worship Vishnu and win over the demon king Vritasura. The present temple is believed to date from the Medieval Chola period. Later expansion came from the Pandyas, the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara rulers. The Epigraphical Department has found more than 50 inscriptions from the Medieval Chola period in the temple.

The rajagopuram, the gateway tower, has five tiers and rises 60 ft (18 m). The temple is built in the Dravidian style. It is the only Vishnu temple built on the banks of the river.

Festivals

• April to May, in the Tamil month of ChittiraiBrahmotsavam

  A twelve-day festival. The temple car is drawn on the ninth day.

• February to March, in the Tamil month of MasiMasi Mahotsavam

  A ten-day festival at the temple.

Tips for your visit

• The temple is also called Thiruvanthipuram Koyil.
• The Cuddalore district government tourism page lists this temple.

Questions people ask