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

Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva Temple

Thiruvanchikulam, Kodungallur, Kerala · 10.2103°, 76.2066°

Shiva (Mahadeva), with Parvati as UmadeviCheraKerala stylePaadal Petra Sthalam
Sacred since
800 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
Chera period
Chera

History & significance

The only Paadal Petra Sthalam in Kerala, this Chera-period Shiva temple at Kodungallur is revered in the 7th-century Tevaram hymns. It is remembered as the place from which the saint Sundarar and the Chera king Cheraman Perumal are believed to have ascended to Kailasa.

Sthala katha — the legend

On an Adi Swathi day Sundarar is said to have risen to Kailasa on a white elephant sent by Shiva, with Cheraman Perumal following him on horseback.

Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map

Related sites

Brihadisvara Temple
Thanjavur · India
1003–1010 CE
Airavatesvara Temple
Darasuram, Kumbakonam · India
mid-12th c. CE
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai · India
current structure largely 16th–17th c.
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: Chera