Veeramakaliamman Temple, Aranthangi

Veeramakaliamman Temple lies about 2 km from Aranthangi, some 40 km from Pudukkottai. The goddess was once worshipped at Surakkudi near Karaikkudi before her worship moved here. Tradition holds that the Pandavas came to the spot, then called Veeravanam, during their years in the forest, prayed to her, and were shown a place to camp.

Shrines to Vinayaka and Karuppar stand before the temple, which has a Vasantha mandapa and a maha mandapa. In the sanctum the goddess is seated, holding a trident, a lotus, a damaru drum, a shield and a skull bowl among her attributes. A grand festival is held in the Tamil month of Aadi, and the temple also marks Navaratri, Karthikai, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Sivaratri.