Patcheeswarar Temple, Cheyyar

Patcheeswarar Temple is a Shiva temple in the town of Cheyyar, said to have been built under the Pallavas in the 7th century CE, and is counted among the oldest temples there. Local legend holds that Garuda worshipped Shiva here, which gave the god his name.

Built in the Dravidian style, the temple faces east behind a five-tier rajagopuram. The front hall, with the altar, flagstaff and Nandi, links the gateway to the maha mandapam, and the lingam sits in the sanctum facing east. The maha mandapam holds a south-facing Nataraja sabha with bronzes of Nataraja, his consort Shivagami and Sekkizhar. Parvathi has her own south-facing shrine, and there are further shrines to the Nalvar, Garuda, Gajalakshmi, Vinayaga, and Murugan with Valli and Devasena.