Tirtha Atlas

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

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Tirusoolanathar Temple

Tirusulam, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu · 12.9735°, 80.1661°

Shiva as Tirusoolanathar, consort TripurasundariMedieval Chola
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
11th c. (Kulothunga Chola I)
Medieval Chola

History & significance

A Shiva temple at Tirusulam on the south-western edge of Chennai, credited to the medieval Chola king Kulothunga I and later renovated, with inscriptions of the Chola and Pandya periods. A Tripurasundari image damaged during an invasion is kept beside the presiding deity.

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.

Tradition speaks of a hidden passage beneath the temple leading to the nearby Pancha Pandava hills where the king had his palace, along which treasure is said to have been concealed.

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Sources

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