Tirtha Atlas

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

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Deepaprakasa Perumal Temple (Thiruthanka)

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu · 12.8244°, 79.7056°

Deepaprakasa Perumal (Vishnu)CholaDravidianDivya Desam
Sacred since
1150 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
by 13th c. (Chola inscriptions)
Chola

History & significance

The Divya Desam of Thiruthanka in Kanchipuram, seat of Deepaprakasa, the light-effulgent lord; its inscriptions run to the reign of Rajaraja Chola III, with later Vijayanagara patronage.

Sthala katha — the legend

When Saraswati loosed darkness on Brahma's rite, Vishnu is said to have risen like lamplight to guard it, becoming Deepaprakasa.

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Ranganathaswamy Temple
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built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
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Sources

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