Tirtha Atlas

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

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Gajendra Varadha Perumal Temple

கஜேந்திர வரதப் பெருமாள் கோவில்

Kabisthalam, Tamil Nadu · 10.9469°, 79.2564°

Gajendra Varadha Perumal (Vishnu)CholaDravidianDivya Desam
Sacred since
850 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
late 9th c. (Chola)
Chola

History & significance

The Divya Desam of Kabisthalam near Papanasam, held to be where Vishnu rescued the elephant king Gajendra; it is also counted among the five Pancha-Kannan temples where Krishna receives special prominence.

Sthala katha — the legend

When a crocodile seized the elephant Gajendra at the temple tank, Vishnu's discus is said to have freed both animals from their curses.

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Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
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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