Divya Darshan 360
Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple
Photo: Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Famous temples · Tamil Nadu

Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple

The Vishnu temple of Thirumayam, one of the 108 Divya Desams

Checked 22 Oct 2026 with 5 sources2 min read

DirectionsShare

Getting there

  • By air

    Trichy is the nearest airport, 59 km away.

  • By train

    Pudukkottai is the nearest railway station, station code PDKT. It lies about 20 km north of the temple.

  • By road

    Buses run from Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Thanjavur and Madurai. The temple lies on the road from Pudukkottai to Karaikudi.

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Rules to know

  • The temple is a ticketed monument, so visitors need a ticket to enter.

Why devotees come here

Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple at Thirumayam, in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Vishnu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams. The temple has India's largest Anantasayi sculpture, Vishnu in a reclining pose.

Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Vishnu is worshipped here as Sathyamurthi Perumal, and his consort Lakshmi as Ujeevana Thayar. Legend says a sage named Satya did penance at this place. Vishnu then directed a king to build a temple here, and it became the Satyamurthi Perumal temple.

Historians believe the temple was built in the 9th century by the Pallavas. An inscription in the temple records contributions by Perumbidugu Perumdevi, mother of Sattan Maran.

The temple is in the Dravidian style. A granite wall encloses its shrines. The temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower. The temple has the largest sculpture of Anantasayi, Vishnu in a reclining pose, in India.

Festivals

  • Vaikasi month, April to MayCar festival

    One of the most prominent festivals of the temple.

  • Avani month, August to SeptemberKrishna Jayanti

    Celebrated at the temple during Avani.

Tips for your visit

  • The Sathyagiriswara Sivan temple, a Shiva shrine, stands in the same complex.
  • The 17th century Thirumayam fort stands nearby.
  • The district tourism site lists the Thirumayam fort among its archaeological monuments.
  • Four caverns at the foot of the fort are said to have been home to prehistoric man.
  • Accommodation is available at nearby Pudukkottai.

Darshan at home

Not in the app yet

Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple is not in the Divya Darshan 360 app yet. These Famous temples temples are, with darshan videos you can watch at home:

In the appChamundeshwari Temple, MysuruChamundi Hill, Mysuru, KarnatakaIn the appDakshineswar Kali Temple, KolkataDakshineswar, North 24 Parganas, near Kolkata, West BengalIn the appShirdi Sai Baba Temple, MaharashtraShirdi, Rahata taluka, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra
Get the appAndroid

The app is free, Android only. For darshan as if you are standing there, see the VR box (₹899, or ₹949 cash on delivery).

Questions people ask

Where exactly is Thirumayam?

Thirumayam is a town in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu. It lies about 20 km south of Pudukkottai, on the road to Karaikudi.

Is Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple one of the Divya Desams?

Yes. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.

Is there a Shiva temple at the same place?

Yes. The Sathyagiriswara Sivan temple stands next to the Perumal shrine, in the same complex.

Do I need a ticket to enter?

Yes. The temple is a ticketed monument administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.

How we checked this page

On 22 Oct 2026 we checked every fact on this page against these sources, official ones first. Anything we could not confirm is left out.

  1. How to Reach, Pudukkottai District, Government of Tamil Nadu pudukkottai.nic.in
  2. Heritage Tourism, Pudukkottai District, Government of Tamil Nadu pudukkottai.nic.in
  3. Sathyamurthi Perumal Temple, Thirumayam, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  4. Thirumayam, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  5. Four caverns of different sizes discovered in Thirumayam hills, New Indian Express newindianexpress.com

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