Tirtha Atlas

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

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Padikasu Nathar Temple

அழகாபுத்தூர் படிக்காசுநாதர் கோயில்

Azhagaputhur (Arisirkaraiputtur), Tamil Nadu · 10.9281°, 79.4312°

Shiva as Padikasunathar (consort Soundaranayagi)CholaDravidianPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
9th c. (Chola)
Chola

History & significance

One of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised in the Tevaram hymns, with a 9th-century Chola masonry structure later expanded by the Thanjavur Nayaks. The village is remembered as the birthplace of Pugalthunai Nayanar, one of the 63 Nayanmars.

Sthala katha — the legend

Shiva is said to have left a gold coin (padikasu) each day for the poor devotee Pugazh Thunai who kept serving the deity through a famine.

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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