Umamaheswarar Temple, Tirunallam (Konerirajapuram)

Tirunallam Umamaheswarar Temple is a Shiva temple at Konerirajapuram in Mayiladuthurai district. Shiva is worshipped as Umamaheswarar and the goddess as Degasoundari, and Appar and Sambandar praised the temple in the Tevaram. In the 10th century it was rebuilt in stone under Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, widow of Gandaraditya and mother of Uttama Chola, who turned many brick temples into granite ones; inscriptions here record gifts from her and her family.

The temple is best known for its huge bronze Nataraja, regarded as one of the largest Chola bronzes still in existence, and other metal and stone images of the same period are kept here. Past the rajagopuram come the flagstaff, altar and Nandi mandapa, with Ganesha and Murugan on either side of the entrance. The goddess's shrine faces east, to the right of the main sanctum. Miniature sculptures fill the wall niches, and ceiling murals show temple legends and festival scenes. Maha Shivaratri and processions of the bronze Nataraja are the main celebrations.