Tirtha Atlas

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

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Panchavarnaswamy Temple

உறையூர் பஞ்சவர்ணேஸ்வரர் கோயில்

Woraiyur, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu · 10.8235°, 78.6793°

Shiva (Panchavarnaswamy)CholaPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
Chola era (10th–11th c. inscriptions)
Chola

History & significance

A Paadal Petra Sthalam in Woraiyur, the ancient Chola capital within present-day Tiruchirappalli, revered in the Tevaram; its lingam is believed to show five different colours through the day, and the temple preserves eight Chola inscriptions naming Rajaraja I and Rajendra I.

Sthala katha — the legend

Shiva is said to have appeared to the sage Udanga in five colours across the day, and five lingams borne by Nagaraja merged into the single image worshipped here.

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Ranganathaswamy Temple
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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