Abhaya Varadeeswarar Temple, Adirampattinam

The Abhaya Varadeeswarar Temple is a Shiva shrine in Adirampattinam, a small town on the Bay of Bengal in Thanjavur district. Legend says the gods, losing a war with the asuras, sought Shiva's protection here under the Thiruvathira star, so he is worshipped as Abhaya Varadeeswarar, the one who reassures those who surrender to him. His consort is Kadal Partha Nayagi, the goddess who faces the sea. The town itself is said to be named after the Pandya king Adiveerarama Pandian, a devotee born under the same star.

The original temple is believed to be Chola work, though the present masonry is later. A three-tiered gopuram opens into a complex of about one acre enclosed by concentric granite walls. The shrine is mentioned in the hymns of Sundarar and Sambandar and counted as a Vaippu Sthalam. It is one of 27 Nakshatra temples, and people born under the Thiruvathira star, or troubled by Rahu and Ketu, come here to pray. Panguni Uthiram is the chief festival.