Tirtha Atlas

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

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · Sri Lanka

Thirukkovil Chitravelayudhar Temple

Thirukkovil, Ampara District, Eastern Province · 7.1183°, 81.8561°

Chitravelayudhar (Murugan)CholaTamil (Dravidian); Pandya-style sanctum
Sacred since
993 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
Chola era (993-1070); later rebuilt in stone
Chola

History & significance

A Murugan temple on Sri Lanka's eastern coast whose founding is placed in the period of Chola rule over the island, with a later reconstruction in stone attributed to Manuneya Gajabahu. The sanctum is identified as Pandya work.

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.

An elderly devadasi named Thangammai, dismissed from temple service, is said to have reappeared the next morning as an eight-year-old girl ready to perform the rituals.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chola