Tirtha Atlas

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

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Apathsahayar Temple

Thirupazhanam, Tamil Nadu · 10.8928°, 79.1386°

Shiva (Apathsahayar)CholaPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
9th–16th c. (Chola–Nayak)
Chola

History & significance

Reckoned among the earliest Chola temples, this Paadal Petra Sthalam near Thiruvaiyaru is revered in the 7th-century Tevaram and belongs to the Saptha Sthanam group of shrines; its masonry spans the 9th-century Cholas to 16th-century Nayak and Vijayanagar additions.

Sthala katha — the legend

When the son of the devotee Apoothi Adigal died of snakebite while cutting plantain leaves for Appar, the saint's prayer to Apathsahayar ("helper in danger") restored the boy to life.

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Airavatesvara Temple
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current structure largely 16th–17th c.
Ranganathaswamy Temple
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli · India
built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.

Sources

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