Panchanatheeswarar Temple, Thiruvaiyaru

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli is the nearest airport, about 56 km away.

• By train

  Thanjavur is the nearest railway station, 13 km away.

• By road

  A direct bus runs from Thanjavur, 11 km away. National Highway 136 from Thanjavur also connects the town.

Why devotees come here

Shiva is worshipped at this temple in Thiruvaiyaru as Aiyarappar, with Parvati as Aramvalarthanayagi. The temple stands on the banks of the Kaveri, about 11 km from Thanjavur, and it is one of the largest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu.

Shiva is worshipped here as Aiyarappar, and the temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, praised in the Tevaram hymns of the 7th century Tamil poet saints. The place is called Dakshina Kailasam, the Kailasa of the South. The complex houses four gateway towers, known as gopurams. Legend says Nandi, Shiva's bull, was born here and later became his mount.

Legend says a devout priest of the temple went on a pilgrimage to Kashi and could not return on time. He prayed to Shiva for the worship he had missed. When he came back the next day, people realised that Shiva had come down in the form of the priest the day before.

The oldest masonry parts date to the Chola period, in the 9th century. The gopurams were added in later periods, up to the Thanjavur Nayaks in the 16th century. The Uttarakailasam shrine was built in the late 10th century by a queen of Rajaraja Chola. Before 1984 philanthropists looked after the temple. Today a state government department for Hindu temples runs it.

Festivals

• April every yearSapthasthanam festival

  A wedding festival of Nandi with seven Shiva temples. The festival deity is carried in a decorated glass palanquin.

• Pushya Bahula PanchamiThyagaraja Aradhana

  A music festival on the anniversary of the saint's death. At the 167th festival, thousands of musicians and music lovers came to the town on the Cauvery.

Tips for your visit

• The temple faces east and is entered through a seven-tiered gateway tower, the rajagopuram.
• A Homa Kund started by saint Adi Sankara lies outside the Aatkonda shrine.

Questions people ask