The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
அருட்துறைநாதர் வேணுபுரீஸ்வரர் கோயில்
Thiruvennainallur, Tamil Nadu · 11.8603°, 79.3664°
The 10th-century Chola temple where the saint-poet Sundarar, claimed by Shiva as his slave, began the Tirumurai; it was endowed by queen Sembiyan Mahadevi and Rajaraja I and stands among the Paadal Petra Sthalams.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Shiva, appearing as an old man with a palm-leaf bond over Sundarar, revealed himself and bade the saint sing, beginning with the word 'Pitha' - the first verse of the Tevaram.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chola
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…