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

Iravatheeswarar Temple

கோட்டாறு ஐராவதீசுவரர் கோயில்

Thirukottaram (Tirukkottaru), Tamil Nadu · 10.9685°, 79.7398°

Shiva (Iravatheeswarar)CholaPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
c. 11th c. (Medieval Chola)
Chola

History & significance

A roughly thousand-year-old Medieval Chola shrine at Tirukkottaru, whose Tevaram praise by Sambandar is inscribed within the sanctum itself.

Sthala katha — the legend

Indra's elephant Airavata, cursed by the sage Durvasa, is said to have worshipped here among the holy places that freed him after a hundred years.

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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
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai · India
current structure largely 16th–17th c.
Ranganathaswamy Temple
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli · India
built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.

Sources

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