Tirtha Atlas

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

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Yathothkari Perumal Temple (Thiruvekka)

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu · 12.8242°, 79.7122°

Yathothkari Perumal (Vishnu)PallavaDravidianDivya Desam
Sacred since
700 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th c. (Pallava)
Pallava

History & significance

One of the three oldest Vishnu temples in Kanchipuram, believed to be a late 8th-century Pallava foundation with Chola and Vijayanagara additions. The Divya Desam is closely tied to the poet-saint Thirumalisai Alvar and is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.

Sthala katha — the legend

The deity is said to have rolled up his serpent bed to follow the banished Thirumalisai Alvar out of the city, then returned 'as requested' - the meaning of Yathothkari.

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Related sites

Ranganathaswamy Temple
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli · India
built up 10th–17th c.; Rajagopuram 1987
Shore Temple
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) · India
c. 700–728 CE
Kailasanathar Temple
Kanchipuram · India
c. 700 CE
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Thiruvananthapuram · India
rebuilt 1730s; shrine far older
Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala
Tirumala, Tirupati · India
attested from early centuries CE; enlarged under Pallava, Chola & Vijayanagara patronage
Badrinath Temple
Badrinath (3,133 m) · India
re-established 8th–9th c.; facade rebuilt by Garhwal kings

Sources

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