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Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu · 10.8809°, 79.1054°
The great Shiva temple of Thiruvaiyaru, "the place of five rivers", a Paadal Petra Sthalam revered by Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar, spreading over some 60,000 square metres with four gopurams and five prakarams. Chola queens added the Uttarakailasam and Dakshinakailasam shrines, and Nayak-era work extended the complex to the 16th century.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Nandi is believed to have been born here to the sage Salandha and bathed by five sacred waters, and Appar is said to have been granted a vision of Mount Kailasa at this shrine.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chola
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…