Uthavedeeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Pondicherry Airport is the nearest airport to Mayiladuthurai town, about 116 km away.

• By train

  Mayiladuthurai, about 13 km from Kuthalam, is a junction on the main line between Chennai and Trichy.

• By road

  Taxis, auto rickshaws, mini buses and town buses serve Mayiladuthurai. TNSTC and private buses run on the routes listed on the district site.

Why devotees come here

Uthavedeeswarar Temple stands in Kuthalam, a panchayat town in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. It is the 154th Tevaram Paadal Petra Sthalam, linked with the Tevaram hymns of Appar and Sundarar. Shiva is the presiding deity here.

Uthavedeeswarar Temple is the 154th Tevaram Paadal Petra Sthalam, and the 37th Shiva temple on the southern bank of the Kaveri in Chola Nadu. Tevaram hymns by Appar and Sundarar are associated with it. Legend says Shiva emerged from the temple linga to keep his promise to Parvati, which gave rise to the epithet Sonnavararivar. Tradition also holds that Sundarar was cured of an ailment after bathing in the temple's sacred tank.

The temple faces west and has a five-tiered main rajagopuram, the large gateway tower. The shrine of Ambal, the temple's female deity, stands in a separate enclosure with a three-tiered gopuram. The main building has a sanctum, an antarala (antechamber), and two halls, the ardha-mandapa and the mukha-mandapa.

An inscription of Rajaraja I, dated to his seventh regnal year, records Sembiyan Mahadevi, mother of Uttama Chola. It notes her gift of land for the temple's upkeep. The temple is also noted for the Uddhala tree, which is traditionally linked to it.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the five-tiered main gateway tower first, since the temple faces west.
• Ambal's shrine stands in a separate enclosure with its own three-tiered gateway tower.

Questions people ask