Tirtha Atlas

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

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Metraleeswarar Temple

Kanchipuram (Kachi Metrali), Tamil Nadu · 12.8350°, 79.6917°

Shiva (Metraleeswarar / Metralinathar)Later Chola—Paadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
1200 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
expanded 13th c. (Later Chola)
Later Chola

History & significance

A Shiva temple in Kanchipuram counted among the 275 shrines praised in the 7th-century Tevaram. Its exact date of foundation is unknown, but it was enlarged in the 13th century and is maintained today by the Tamil Nadu government.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

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 is said to have turned westward to listen to the hymns of the boy-saint Thirugnana Sambandar, which is how the shrine came to be called Thirumetrali.

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Sources

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