Someswarar Temple (Pazhayarai Vadathali)

Pazhayarai Vadathali, the Someswarar Temple, stands 6 km from Kumbakonam on the Kumbakonam–Avoor road, 3 km from Darasuram and 2 km from the Patteeswaram temple; the Cholan Maligai bus stop and Darasuram station are nearby. Pazhayarai was once one of the Chola capitals, and this temple is said to belong to a series built by Aditya Chola (871–907) along the Kaveri to mark his victory at Tirupurambiyam; inscriptions go back to the 8th–9th centuries. It is also the birthplace of Mangayarkarasiyar, one of the 63 Nayanmars.

The outer gopuram, attributed to the later Cholas of the 12th–13th centuries, is in a dilapidated state, and a two-tier gopuram leads to the second precinct. The granite sanctum holds Someswarar as a lingam, with shrines to Someswari and the Navagrahas. Carvings show Ravana lifting Mount Kailash and a Chola-period Narasimha series, from his emergence from the pillar to his fight with Hiranyakashipu. The annual Brahmotsavam draws thousands.