Tirtha Atlas

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

1122 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Saptharisheeswarar Temple

Lalgudi (Thiruthavathurai), Tamil Nadu · 10.9702°, 78.8690°

Shiva (Saptharishishwarar)Undetermined—Paadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
c. 810 CE
Undetermined

History & significance

A Shiva temple at Lalgudi (Thiruthavathurai) reckoned about 1,200 years old and sung by the saint Appar; it is celebrated for its 30-foot wooden temple chariot bearing over 2,000 carvings, among the tallest in Tamil Nadu.

Sthala katha — the legend

The seven Saptarishis are said to have worshipped Shiva here and, after penance, risen into the sky as the seven stars.

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1003–1010 CE
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mid-12th c. CE
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Madurai · India
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Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram · India
core 10th c.; expanded to 13th c.
Ekambareswarar Temple
Kanchipuram · India
Chola core; Vijayanagara gopuram 1509
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Rameswaram · India
12th–18th c. (great corridor 18th c., Sethupathis)

Sources

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