Panchavarnaswamy Temple

Panchavarnaswamy Temple is a Shiva temple at Woraiyur, a neighbourhood of Tiruchirappalli. Uraiyur, as it was known, was once the capital of the Chola kings, as noted by the Greek geographer Ptolemy. The deity's name means 'Lord of five colours', from the legend that Shiva appeared to the sage Udanga in five colours at five times of day; another story says the serpent king Nagaraja was carrying five lingas that merged into one here. Garuda is among those said to have worshipped at the temple.

The temple is praised in the 7th-century Tevaram by Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar, who knew the place as Tirumukeechwaram, and several Chola-period inscriptions are found here. It has three courtyards and a five-tiered gopuram, and the east-facing central shrine houses the linga. The state's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department manages the temple.