Spiritual PlaceHindu temple

Agastheeswarar Temple, Agasthiyampalli

Chola-era Shiva temple at Agasthiyampalli where Shiva is said to have shown the sage Agastya his wedding form

Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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01 — The story

Agastheeswarar Temple, locally Agasthiyar Kovil, stands in Agasthiyampalli in Nagapattinam district and is dedicated to Shiva as Agastheeswarar, with his consort Pakampiriyal Nayagi. It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam; Appar and Sambandar call the place Tirumaraikadu. Legend says that when the gods crowded to Kailash for Shiva's wedding and the earth tilted north, Shiva sent the sage Agastya south to balance it, and appeared to him here in his wedding form.

Inscriptions from Rajaraja I, Rajendra I and Kulothunga I record grants, and the Pandya king Kulasekhara (1268–1309) is said to have been cured of illness after praying here. The temple has three prakarams and a three-tier rajagopuram; the east-facing sanctum holds a granite lingam, and Pakampiriyal's shrine faces west. The annual Brahmotsavam draws thousands of devotees.

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02 — About

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Agastheeswarar Temple, Agasthiyampalli: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.