Nellaiappar Temple

The Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli, on the north bank of the Thamirabarani, is dedicated to Shiva as Nellaiappar, also called Venuvananathar, and to Parvati as Kanthimathi Amman. Vishnu is also worshipped here as a witness to their wedding, so the temple is also counted as a Vaishnava abhimana kshetram. The deity is praised in the 7th-century Tevaram, and the area was once a bamboo forest, Venuvanam.

The complex covers about 5.9 hectares, with its shrines enclosed by concentric rectangular walls. The Pandyas built the original temple; the sanctums, gopurams and the mani mandapam with its musical pillars are credited to Nindraseer Nedumaran in the 7th century, and the Cholas, Pallavas, Cheras and Madurai Nayaks added later masonry. The temple is now run by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.