Kannayariamudayar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirapalli Airport is the nearest airport to Nagapattinam town, about 145 km away. That distance is to the town, not to the temple itself.

• By train

  Karaikal, across the border in Puducherry, is on the rail line from Tiruchirapalli through Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Nagore.

Why devotees come here

Kannayariamudayar Temple stands in Thirukaravasal, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, and is dedicated to Shiva. Its presiding deity is praised in the Tevaram, a 7th-century Tamil Saiva work. It is one of seven temples where a Thyagaraja image is said to dance in procession.

The presiding deity is praised in the Tevaram, the 7th-century Tamil Saiva work, and the temple is counted among the Paadal Petra Sthalam shrines. Legend says Bheema, one of the five Pandavas, worshipped Shiva here to atone for killing Bakasura. Brahma is said to have made a linga of sand here and worshipped Shiva to lift a curse. The Saivite saint Sundarar is believed to have prayed here for help moving paddy grain to Tiruvarur.

The temple is believed to date from the Chola period in the 9th century CE, with later additions under the Pandya rulers. Its gateway tower is a five-tiered Rajagopuram in the Dravidian style, and a granite wall encloses all the shrines. The Linga is housed in the central shrine, which lies in line with the gateway tower. Four bodies of water are associated with the temple, one in each direction.

Festivals

• February to MarchMahashivaratri

  One of the major festivals celebrated in the temple.

• DecemberThiruvadihari

  Another major festival of the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the five-tiered gateway tower first, because the central shrine lies in line with it.
• The granite wall around the temple encloses every shrine, so the whole complex sits inside one boundary.

Questions people ask