Tirtha Atlas

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

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Ancient · Hindu · India

Kuzhanthai Velappar Temple

Poombarai, Kodaikanal, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu · 10.2564°, 77.4072°

Murugan as Kuzhanthai VelapparCheraEarly Chera
Sacred since
100 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
2nd–5th c. (Chera)
Chera

History & significance

A hill temple above Poombarai near Kodaikanal, attributed to a Chera king of the 2nd to 5th centuries, with an east-facing sanctum and no tower. Devotees are given the sandalwood paste applied nightly to the idol as medicine, and the annual chariot festival falls on Kettai after Thai Poosam.

Sthala katha — the legend

The idol is said to have been made by the siddha Bogar from navapashanam, an amalgam of nine poisons, as a spiritual medicine, and a Chera king is held to have restored the neglected shrine after being told to in a dream.

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Sources

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