Tirtha Atlas

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

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Garbharakshambigai Temple

Thirukarukavur, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu · 10.8681°, 79.2756°

Shiva as Mullaivananathar, with Parvati as GarbharakshambigaiCholaChola
Sacred since
600 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
7th c. (Chola)
Chola

History & significance

A Shiva temple at Thirukarukavur in Thanjavur district, one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams sung in the Tevaram and one of the five Pancha Aranya forest shrines of the Kumbakonam country. Thirty-one inscriptions record land grants by Rajaraja I, Rajendra Chola I and Kulothunga Chola.

Sthala katha — the legend

The goddess is said to have shielded a pregnant woman's unborn child in a pot after an angry sage cursed it, which is why she is invoked as the protector of the womb.

Official site ↗Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map

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