The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Vilankulam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu · 10.1981°, 79.2300°
A 13th-century Shiva temple whose inscriptions credit Parakrama Pandyan I, best known as one of the 27 Nakshatra temples of Tamil Nadu, linked to the Pushya asterism and holding a Shani shrine with his consorts Jyestha and Mandha.
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.
The legend here has Shani, lamed by Yama, tripping over the roots of a vila tree at this spot on Akshaya Tritiya, whereupon Shiva appeared as Akshayapureeswarar, healed him and blessed him with marriage.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pandya
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…