Kayarohanaswami Temple, Nagapattinam

Kayarohanaswami Temple in Nagapattinam is dedicated to Shiva as Kayarohana, with his consort Nilayathakshi. In existence since the 6th century CE, it was praised by three Nayanmars, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar, and is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams; it is also counted as a Shakti peetha. It was built by the Lakulisa sect, which came from Gujarat and whose only other Tamil Nadu temple is at Kanchipuram, and the name Kayarohana, 'raising of the body', makes it a twin of the Kayarohana temple in Gujarat. Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagara kings rebuilt it.

The temple's Thyagaraja image is made of lapis lazuli. It is one of the seven Saptha Vidangam temples whose Thyagaraja images, legend says, Indra had made to mislead the Chola king Mucukunta; in procession the bearers dance with the image, and here Thyagaraja, called Sundara Vitankar, is believed to perform the Paarava Tharanga Natanam.