Kothandaramaswamy Temple Vaduvur

Getting there

• By road

  The temple is in Vaduvur village on the Thanjavur-Mannargudi road. Vaduvur is a Tamil village situated between Thanjavur and Mannargudi in Tamil Nadu.

Why devotees come here

Kothandaramaswamy Temple in Vaduvur village, Tiruvarur district, is dedicated to Rama as Kothandaramar. It is called Dakshina Ayodhya, the Ayodhya of South India, and it is one of the five Pancha Rama Kshetras. The village lies between Thanjavur and Mannargudi.

Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, is worshipped here as Kothandaramar, shown with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. The temple is called Dakshina Ayodhya, the Ayodhya of South India, and it is considered the foremost of the Pancha Rama Kshetras. The utsava moorthy of Rama, the festival image, is famous for its beauty.

Local legend says that Raja Serfoji of the Thanjavur Maratha clan found the idol of Rama and his family hidden underground in a forest. On his way to Thanjavur he rested under a tree and heard the chant of Jai Shri Rama rising from the ground. A Maratha king built the Sarayu tank and renovated the temple. The temple's vimana is known as the Pushpaka vimana.

Rama Navami, Garuda Seva and the car festival are celebrated here in a grand manner. The festival car is the second largest after the car of Rajagopalaswamy at Mannargudi. Shrines of Hayagriva, Viswaksena, Andal and the Alvars stand in the prakara, the temple's enclosed corridor.

Festivals

• Ekadasi dayVaikunta Ekadasi

  Villagers worship Vaduvur Ramar that day, then wait for a grand feast.

Tips for your visit

• Walk the prakara, the enclosed corridor, to see the shrines of Hayagriva, Viswaksena, Andal and the Alvars.
• The Sarayu theertham, a sacred tank, lies outside the temple.

Questions people ask