Thanthondreeswarar Temple, Belur

Sri Thanthondreeswarar Temple stands on the bank of the Vasishta Nadi at Belur in Tamil Nadu. Dating from the 12th-century Chola period, it is dedicated to Shiva as Thanthondreeswarar, with the goddess Dharmasamvarthini, and is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

Legend tells of Manickam Chetty, a pepper merchant who rested in the forest here and crushed vegetables with a stone, only to hear a voice complain that the stone hurt its head. His pepper turned to black gram and then back again, and he found a self-formed lingam on the spot; he is credited with building the sanctum and became known as Milagu Chetty, from milagu, pepper. The rest of the temple is attributed to Paranthaka Chola, whose rajagopuram was left unfinished; a new seven-storey tower about 97 ft high was consecrated in 2002. The Nayanar Kanampullar, who lit lamps here, came from the village.