Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval

The Jambukeswarar Temple at Thiruvanaikaval in Tiruchirappalli district is one of the five great Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu that stand for the five elements; it represents water, and an underground stream runs through its sanctum. Shiva is worshipped as Jambukeswarar and Parvati as Akilandeswari. Legend says Parvati made a linga from Kaveri water under a jambu tree, and that an elephant and a spider both worshipped it; the place name means 'holy elephant forest'. The spider is said to have been reborn as the Chola king Kochengannan, who built the sanctum with a doorway only 4 feet high so no elephant could enter.

The complex has five precincts. The outer wall, said in legend to have been built by Shiva working as a labourer, runs over 1.6 km and stands more than 25 feet high, and the fourth precinct holds a hall of 796 pillars and a spring-fed tank. The square sanctum stands apart within a shallow moat, the sacred jambu tree beside it.