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

Saranatha Perumal Temple

Tirucherai, Tamil Nadu · 10.8792°, 79.4544°

Saranathan (Vishnu)CholaDivya Desam
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
10th c. (Chola); Nayak additions to 1738
Chola

History & significance

The Divya Desam of Tirucherai near Kumbakonam, unusual in giving Vishnu five consorts and in housing a shrine to the river goddess Kaveri; Chola inscriptions of the 10th century record endowments.

Sthala katha — the legend

Vishnu is said to have appeared as a child to the goddess Kaveri here to test her devotion, then granted her rank equal to the Ganga.

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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