Tirtha Atlas

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

1805 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Egowri Amman Temple, Vallam

Vallam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu · 10.7331°, 79.0528°

Egowri Amman (Ambika)Chola—
Sacred since
800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
9th c. (Chola); mandapa 1535 (Nayak)
Chola

History & significance

A goddess temple at Vallam, about 12 km from Thanjavur, whose earliest inscription belongs to the fortieth regnal year of the Chola king Parantaka I. Its image of Ambika is two-faced, one countenance fierce and the other serene, and the maha mandapa was added by Sevappa Nayak and Achuthappa Nayak in 1535.

Sthala katha — the legend

The goddess Gowri is said to have ended the tyranny of the asura Thanjasuran by beheading him in his ox form.

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Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gangaikonda Cholapuram · India
c. 1035 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Ranganathaswamy Temple
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli · India
built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.
Arunachaleswarar Temple
Tiruvannamalai · India
9th-c. Chola core; 16th-c. gopurams

Sources

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