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Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu · 10.9833°, 79.3667°
A Shiva temple at Kumbakonam where the god is worshipped as Someswarar with the goddess Somasundari, its present masonry raised by the Nayaks in the sixteenth century behind a five-tier rajagopuram. The shrine is a Paadal Petra Sthalam, sung by the Nayanars in the seventh-century Tevaram.
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.
The name is explained by Chandra, the moon, having worshipped Shiva here, and the lingam is held to be swayambhu, self-formed.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Nayak
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…