Tirtha Atlas

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

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Pasupatheeswarar Temple

ஆவூர் பசுபதீசுவரர் கோயில்

Aavoor (Pasupathikoil), Tamil Nadu · 10.8914°, 79.1804°

Shiva (Pasupatheeswarar), consort MangalanayagiCholaDravidian (maadakoil)Paadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
600 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
9th c. (Chola); origins under Kochengat Chola
Chola

History & significance

An elevated maadakoil counted among the 70 temples attributed to the 7th-century king Kochengat Chola, with its present masonry from the 9th-century Cholas and Nayak-era expansions. A Paadal Petra Sthalam sung by Sambandar, noted for its rare set of five Bhairava images.

Sthala katha — the legend

The celestial cow Kamadhenu is said to have worshipped Shiva here to be freed from sage Vasishtha's curse.

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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