Tiruvetkalam Pasupatheswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Pondicherry airport is about 66 km north of Chidambaram. Tiruchirappalli is about 156 km south-west, and Chennai is the main regional hub.

• By train

  Chidambaram railway station lies on the Mayiladuthurai to Viluppuram line.

• By road

  Chidambaram town is 215 km from Chennai, in Cuddalore district.

Why devotees come here

Tiruvetkalam Pasupatheswarar Temple is a Shiva temple in Annamalai Nagar, about 2 km from Chidambaram in Cuddalore district. It is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the Shaiva temples revered in the Tevaram. The temple stands inside the Annamalai University campus.

The temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, the Shaiva temples revered in the Tevaram. Shiva is worshipped here as Pasupatheswarar, along with his consorts Satgunambal and Nalla Nayaki. Legend says Arjuna, the Pandava prince from the Mahabharata, did severe penance here to please Shiva.

The original complex is believed to have been built by the Cholas. In 1914, A. Pethaperumal Chettiar of Kanadukathan renovated it with stone.

The temple has a three-tiered rajagopuram, or gateway tower, on the eastern side. Concentric rectangular walls surround the temple. The temple sits inside the premises of Annamalai University, which was established in 1929. The campus covers 1,500 acres and offers courses in arts, science, engineering, management, humanities, agriculture and physical education.

Festivals

• Chittirai (April)Tamil New Year

  The most important festival at this temple.

• May to JuneVaikasi Visagam

  One of the festivals held at this temple.

Tips for your visit

• Annamalai Nagar, where the temple stands, is a special grade panchayat town in Cuddalore district.
• The main Nataraja temple complex of Chidambaram, dedicated to Shiva Nataraja, covers 40 acres in the heart of the town, about 2 km from this temple.
• Chidambaram is a temple town built by the Cholas, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal.

Questions people ask