Virundeeswarar Temple, Vadamadurai

Virundeeswarar Temple stands at Vadamadurai, close to Thudiyalur on the Mettupalayam road in Coimbatore. The area was once called Thiruthudisaimpathy. The temple is believed to have been raised by the Cholas in the 7th century, and it is run today by the state's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

Its name comes from the temple legend. The saint Sundarar, tired and hungry after worshipping at Avinashi, was served a meal of drumstick leaves and fruit by an elderly couple who turned out to be Shiva and Parvati; Shiva is therefore honoured as Virundeeswarar, the lord who gave a feast, with Parvati as Viswanayaki. The temple faces east, and its sanctum holds two lingams, a swayambu one at the back and a smaller one in front. Unusually, Nataraja here has neatly dressed hair rather than flying locks, and the temple claims to be where the idea of Adhikara Nandi began. Each year on 17 Panguni, sunlight falls on the main deity.