Tirtha Atlas

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

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Late medieval · Hindu · India

Sivalokanathar Temple, Gramam

Gramam, Viluppuram district, Tamil Nadu · 11.8500°, 79.4044°

Shiva as Sivalokanathar (consort Soundaranayagi)VijayanagaraDravidianPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
940 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
16th c. Vijayanagara (Chola-period origin)
Vijayanagara

History & significance

A Paadal Petra Sthalam in Viluppuram district whose original Chola complex was rebuilt in masonry by Vijayanagara kings in the 16th century. It was converted into a stone temple under Parantaka I around 940 CE and carries inscriptions of the medieval Cholas, the Pandyas and the Rashtrakutas.

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.

Local legend explains the older name Thirumundeeswaram from the gatekeepers Thindi and Mundi who worshipped Shiva here; another account has King Chokkalingam find a lingam beneath a lotus while hunting and raise the temple over it.

Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map

Sources

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