Tirtha Atlas

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

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Late medieval · Hindu · India

Thiruporur Kandaswamy Temple

Thiruporur, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu · 12.7253°, 80.1889°

Kandaswamy (Murugan)Pallava (origin); 17th–18th c. rebuildingDravidian
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
17th–18th c. rebuild; 10th c. Pallava origin
Pallava (origin); 17th–18th c. rebuilding

History & significance

A Murugan temple on the Old Mahabalipuram Road about 28 km south of Chennai, traced to a Pallava-era foundation and largely rebuilt and enlarged in the 17th and 18th centuries under the saint Chidambara Swamigal. It is among the better known Murugan shrines of the Chengalpattu coast.

Sthala katha — the legend

Legend holds that the god's image lay buried beneath a palm tree after a deluge drowned the site, until the sage Chidambara Adigal unearthed it.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pallava (origin); 17th–18th c. rebuilding