Suryanar Kovil

Suryanar Kovil, in the village of the same name near Aduthurai in Thanjavur district, is dedicated to Surya, the Sun, with his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi. It belongs to Tamil Nadu's group of nine Navagraha temples and is the only one among them where Shiva is not the presiding deity; it is also the only temple in the state with separate shrines for every planetary deity. Legend says Brahma cursed the planets for curing the sage Kalava and sent them to the Vellurukku Vanam, a jungle of white wild flowers, where Shiva told them to bless devotees from this place.

An inscription records that the temple was built under Kulottunga Chola (1060–1118) as Kulottungachola-Marttandalaya, with later Vijayanagar additions. It has a five-tier rajagopuram and a granite wall around its shrines, and Muthuswami Dikshitar's song 'Suryamurthe' celebrates it. The temple lies 15 km from Kumbakonam, 2 km from Aduthurai and 22 km from Mayiladuthurai, and holds six daily rituals.