हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Kokileswarar Temple, Tirukkozhambam

Where a cursed vidyadhara worshipped as a cuckoo, and the hoof of Parvati in cow form uncovered the linga. Appar and Sambandar sang it.

Built: Chola temple of the early 10th century (Parantaka I), with gifts of Sembiyan MahadeviWhere: Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Kokileswarar; Devi as Soundara Nayaki11.01° N, 79.53° E
Photo: பா.ஜம்புலிங்கம் · CC BY-SA 4.0

01The cuckoo and the hoof

Kokila is the cuckoo. A vidyadhara named Chandan, cursed by Indra, lived here as that bird and worshipped until Shiva gave him back his form, so the Lord is Kokileswarar. A second katha belongs to the chain of shrines around Tiruvavaduthurai: Parvati, wandering as a cow, struck the ground with her hoof (kulambu) and the hidden linga appeared, and the linga still bears the mark. The oldest inscriptions date from Parantaka I, with gifts of Gandaraditya and Sembiyan Mahadevi, and later records of Kulottunga I, Vikrama Chola and Krishnadevaraya. The Tiruvavaduthurai Adheenam looks after the temple.

Visiting

About 20 km from Kumbakonam: take the Karaikal road to S. Puthur and turn north. After past thefts the temple closes before 6 p.m.; go in the morning.

Nearby

Masilamaninathar (Gomukteeswarar) Temple, TiruvavaduthuraiStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Masilamaninathar (Gomukteeswarar) Temple, Tiruvavaduthurai

Where Tirumular, author of the Tirumandiram, sat in tapas, and where Sambandar received a purse of gold for his father’s yajna. All three Tevaram singers sang it, and the great Adheenam has its seat inside.

Vaikalnathar Temple, Tiruvaikal MadakkoyilStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Vaikalnathar Temple, Tiruvaikal Madakkoyil

A small maadakoil in a village of three Shiva temples, whose whole shrine stands on a raised platform. Sambandar sang it and named Kochengat Chola as its builder.

Koteeswarar Temple, Tirukkodikka (Tirukodikaval)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Koteeswarar Temple, Tirukkodikka (Tirukodikaval)

A Chola stone temple raised by Sembiyan Mahadevi where the Kaveri flows north, with Bala Shani and Yama facing each other. Appar sang it three times and Sambandar once.

Umamaheswarar Temple, Konerirajapuram (Tirunallam)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Umamaheswarar Temple, Konerirajapuram (Tirunallam)

Tirunallam of the Tevaram, rebuilt in stone by the Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi in memory of her husband Gandaraditya, whose image she had carved worshipping the Lord. Its Nataraja bronze is among the largest in the south.