Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

2271 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Late medieval · Hindu · India

Bhu Varaha Swamy Temple

Srimushnam, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu · 11.4019°, 79.4053°

Varaha as Bhu Varaha Swamy, with Ambujavalli ThayarThanjavur NayakDravidian
Sacred since
1560 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
16th c. Nayak expansion; Chola-era origin
Thanjavur Nayak

History & significance

A Vishnu temple at Srimushnam dedicated to the boar avatar Varaha, whose earliest endowments date to the medieval Cholas. Its present form owes most to the Thanjavur Nayak ruler Achuthappa Nayak, with the rajagopura added under the Vijayanagara Empire.

Sthala katha — the legend

Varaha is said to have taken boar form here to lift the earth goddess Bhudevi away from the asura Hiranyaksha, and the temple tank is held to have formed where his sweat fell.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Thanjavur Nayak