Tirtha Atlas

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

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Vishahareswara Temple

Avanam Paruthiyur (Thiruvarur district), Tamil Nadu · 10.8782°, 79.5132°

Shiva as Vishahareswarar, with Prasanna ParvathyChola
Sacred since
870 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
late 9th c. (Aditya Chola); restored 1905
Chola

History & significance

A Shiva temple on the Kudamurutti branch of the Kaveri in Thiruvarur district, counted among the 108 riverside shrines attributed to the Chola king Aditya I. It was extensively restored by Paruthiyur Krishna Sastrigal with a kumbhabhishekam in 1905 and renovated again in 2017.

Sthala katha — the legend

The name means remover of poison: Shiva is said to have healed the Sun here after Rahu poisoned him, and worshippers seek the shrine's protection from snake venom and malefic planets.

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Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Gangaikonda Cholapuram · India
c. 1035 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Ranganathaswamy Temple
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli · India
built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.
Arunachaleswarar Temple
Tiruvannamalai · India
9th-c. Chola core; 16th-c. gopurams

Sources

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