Therazhundur Vedapureeswarar Temple

Why devotees come here

Therazhundur Vedapureeswarar Temple is a Shiva temple in Therazhundur village, in the Kuthalam area of Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams and is counted among the temples on the banks of the River Kaveri. Its door-jamb inscriptions date from the reign of Kulottunga Chola I.

Shiva is the presiding deity here, worshipped as Vedapureeswarar, with his consort Soundaraambigai. Vedapureeswarar is the name of Shiva at this temple. The temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the 275 Shiva shrines that the early medieval Tevaram poems praise. The Tamil Saivite Nayanar Tirugnanasambandar glorified these shrines in his verses. The Madesvarar shrine stands on the right side of the temple.

Tamil inscriptions in 12th-century script are cut on the door jamb. They are dated to the 34th and 44th regnal years of Kulottunga Chola I, a Chola king. The ASI epigraphist said the inscriptions were located on the Ardhamandapam door jamb and in the Mahamandapam.

Based on its architecture, the temple belongs to the early period of the imperial Cholas, according to Assistant Epigraphist P.T. Nagarajan of the ASI, who led the study. The place was historically called Thirunedungalam. Kambar Medu, the birthplace of the Tamil poet Kambar, is in the same village.

Tips for your visit

• The Madesvarar shrine is on the right side of the temple, so look for it during the same visit.
• Kambar Medu is in the same village as the temple, so the poet's birthplace is close by.

Questions people ask