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

Sathyanatheswarar Temple

Kanchipuram (Kachi Nerikkaaraikkadu), Tamil Nadu · 12.8292°, 79.7169°

Shiva (Sathyanatheswarar), with Parvati as PramarambikaiUndetermined—Paadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
600 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
by the 7th c. (Tevaram era)
Undetermined

History & significance

One of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, this granite Shiva temple with a three-tiered rajagopuram was already being sung about in the 7th-century Tevaram. The Archaeological Survey of India has proposed it for protection as an archaeological monument.

Sthala katha — the legend

Budha, the planet Mercury, is said to have performed penance here to win a place among the nine Navagrahas after learning the shame of his birth.

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Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai · India
current structure largely 16th–17th c.
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.
Ekambareswarar Temple
Kanchipuram · India
Chola core; Vijayanagara gopuram 1509
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Rameswaram · India
12th–18th c. (great corridor 18th c., Sethupathis)

Sources

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