Basic information about the temple
| Moolavar: | Kailasanathar | Ambal / Thayar: | Sabhali, Sabhalanayaki |
| Deity: | Siva | Historical name: | |
| Vriksham: | Teertham: | ||
| Agamam: | Age (years): | ||
| Timing: | to & to | Parikaram: | |
| Temple group: | Vaippu Sthalam | – | |
| Sung by: | Temple set: | ||
| Navagraham: | Nakshatram: | ||
| City / town: | Tirumetrali | District: | Thanjavur |
| Maps from (click): | Current location | Kumbakonam (9 km) | Thanjavur (33 km) |
| Ariyalur (45 km) | Tiruvarur (45 km) |
Location
The temple is located very close to Patteeswaram, a few kms south-west of Kumbakonam.
Sthala puranam and temple information
When the Cholas had their capital at Pazhayarai, there were four main temples in the four cardinal directions – Keezhthali (east), Metrali (west), Vadathali (north) and Thenthali (south). Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling sacred cow of Devaloka, had four daughters – Patti worshipped at Keezhthali which is Patteeswaram (the village is named after her); Vimali worshipped at Vadathali; Sabali at Metrali and Nandhini at Thehthali (Muzhayur). This temple is considered the Metrali.
Despite this temple being a Tevaram Vaippu Sthalam, there isn’t much of information about this temple that is available. Today, the temple is a single shrine on a raised level of land (like a pedestal), with its own koshta shrines.
However, there are dilapidated structures adjacent to the temple lands. For example, on the eastern side, there are remains of what would have been a fairly large gopuram. Similarly, there are stone structures around the temple. Finally, there is some limited information available that this was a temple in active worship during the Chola period. All of these suggest that this would have been a much larger temple complex over a thousand years ago. Going by local tellings, that larger complex could have extended as far east as the Gopinatha Perumal temple, located about 600m to the east of this temple.
Other information for your visit
Contact
There does not even seem to be a priest who performs regular pujas. The temple is maintained to some extent by the locals, and the residents of a nearby house open up the temple on request from visitors.
Gallery
Watch the temple walk-around video by Templepages.com’s Sriram.
TN Temples Project 