Nadutariappar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  From Thiruvarur, Tiruchirappalli International Airport is about 110 km away, roughly two and a half hours by road.

• By train

  Tiruturaipundi Junction railway station serves Thiruthuraipoondi, the nearest town to the temple. Thiruvarur railway junction also connects to Thiruthuraipoondi, to the south.

• By road

  Buses run from Thiruthuraipoondi town to Thiruvarur, Mannargudi, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur and Trichy. The temple is 9 km from the town, on the Tiruvarur to Thiruthuraipoondi road.

Why devotees come here

Nadutariappar Temple is in Kanrappur, 9 km from Thiruthuraipoondi on the Tiruvarur road. Shiva is worshipped here as Nadutariappar, in the form of a lingam. The temple is hymned by Appar and is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The temple is one of 275 mentioned in the Saiva canon, and the hymns of Appar give it a place among the Paadal Petra Sthalams. Legend says a devotee worshipped the lingam in secret. Her husband, a Vaishnavite, learned of it and threw it into a well. Another legend says Shiva came out of a wedge used to tie calves, which gave him the name Natuturaippar and the village its name, Kanrapur. A mark of an axe cut is said to show on top of the lingam. Hidimba is believed to have worshipped Shiva at this place.

The oldest parts of the stone structure were built under the Cholas in the 11th century, and many inscriptions record Chola contributions to the temple. Today the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government maintains the temple. All the shrines sit inside concentric rectangular granite walls. The temple has three prakarams, or closed precincts, and many mandapams, or halls. It faces east and is entered through a rajagopuram, the gateway tower.

Festivals

• Vaikasi (May to June)Vaikasi Visagam

  The main festival, held for three days. Its formal name is Brahmotsavam.

Tips for your visit

• Weekly rituals take place on somavaram and sukravaram, and fortnightly rituals on pradosham days.
• The principal water tank, Gangamirtham, lies just outside the main entrance.

Questions people ask