Tirtha Atlas

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

1122 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Late medieval · Hindu · India

Bhaktajaneswarar Temple, Thirunavalur

Thirunavalur, Tamil Nadu · 11.7580°, 79.4022°

Shiva as Bhaktajaneswarar, with Parvati as Manonmani AmmanCholaPaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
1500 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
16th c. masonry; Chola origins with Parantaka I inscriptions
Chola

History & significance

The temple of Thirunavalur, home village of the saint-poet Sundarar, with inscriptions running from Parantaka I to Rajendra Chola III; it stands among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams of the Tevaram canon.

Sthala katha — the legend

The shrine's sacred naval tree is traced in legend to a drop spilt during the churning of the ocean of milk.

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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
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai · India
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