Basic information about the temple
| Moolavar: | Kailasanathar | Ambal / Thayar: | Soundara Nayaki |
| Deity: | Siva | Historical name: | |
| Vriksham: | Vilvam | Teertham: | Tamirabarani river, Palazhi Teertham |
| Agamam: | Age (years): | ||
| Timing: | 6 to 11 & 4 to 8 | Parikaram: | |
| Temple group: | – | ||
| Sung by: | Temple set: | ||
| Navagraham: | Nakshatram: | ||
| City / town: | Rajapathy | District: | Thoothukudi |
| Maps from (click): | Current location | Thoothukudi (32 km) | Tirunelveli (47 km) |
| Kanyakumari (97 km) | Nagercoil (100 km) |
Location
Sthala puranam and temple information
This is the eighth of the Nava Kailasam temples located on the banks of the Tambraparani river, and is dedicated to Ketu. The temple was consecrated by Sage Romaharshana and is on the banks of the river Tambraparani. Read the story of the Nava Kailasam temples, here.
Ketu, the Navagraham deity, is said to have worshipped Siva here. This is one of many temples regarded as Then Kalahasti (southern Kalahasti) – in the case of this temple, that is because this temple had its Kumbhabhishekam on the day that the gopuram of the Kalahasti temple was damaged.
The temple was built originally by a Pandya king in the 11th or 12th century. However, a few centuries ago, a deluge in the Tambraparani river caused havoc, and destroyed this temple almost completely. All that was left was a small stone, representing the presence of a temple previously. In all that time, this place was in ruins. In the last two decades, locals and devotees came together to collect contributions, and rebuilt this temple. There continues to be a belief that deep under the ground, the original temple remains buried.
The name of the place itself comes from the fact that this place used to be the residence of the Pandya king in times of yore. Raja refers to the king, and Pathy / pathi refers to the place.
The temple is a worship site of choice for farmers, who believe that Kailasanathar here provides them with a bountiful harvest and general success in agriculture. Also being a Ketu sthalam, those facing the adverse effects of Ketu dosham, and those undergoing the 7-year cycle of Rahu, worship here for relief from any ill-effects of those deities.
The temple has some unique architectural and iconographic aspects. The Siva Lingam is depicted with four wheels, representing a chariot. Also, as is the case with the Sendha Poo Mangalam Kailasanathar temple, while there is a separate Navagraham shrine, all the deities are represented by Siva Lingams, since He is the adipathi of the planetary deities.
Other information for your visit
Contact
Phone: 99420 62825
Gallery
When we visited this temple in December 2016, the entire temple had received a fresh coat of paint, as is evident from the pictures in the gallery below.
TN Temples Project 