Avudainathar, Darasuram, Thanjavur

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Avudainathar	Ambal / Thayar:	Kamakshi, Meenakshi
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	7 to 12 & 5 to 8	Parikaram:
Temple group:		–
Sung by:		Temple set: Kumbakonam Sapta Sthanam
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Darasuram	District:	Thanjavur
Maps from (click):	Current location	Kumbakonam (5 km)	Thanjavur (37 km)
	Mayiladuthurai (43 km)	Tiruvarur (44 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

We request you to please read this short background about village temples, before you proceed.

It can be confusing to locate this temple when asking locals, because in Darasuram, this temple is known as the Kamakshi Amman temple.

The moolavar has two names here – Atmanathar, and Avudainathar (similar to Avudaiyar Koil / Tiruperunthurai), since the avudai (base on which the Lingam is installed) is considered the atma. There are also two separate Ammans here – Kamakshi and Meenakshi.

The temple has a north-facing entrance, and straight from the entrance is the north-facing shrine of Kamakshi Amman (which is why this temple is popularly called the Kamakshi Amman temple).

To the right, facing east, is the shrine for the moolavar – Siva as Avudainathar. This is part of a separate sub-temple, which also has the shrine for Meenakshi Amman, also facing east. Interestingly, Meenakshi Amman has a separate Nandi facing Her, as also a bali peetham, which is unusual among temples in this region.

At the very front are Vinayakar and Murugan, guarding the long pathway to the garbhagriham. As with any other Siva temple, this features most of the usual koshtam deities, and sub-shrines for parivara devatas. These include Narthana Vinayakar, Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar, Brahma, Durga, and separate shrines for Vinayakar, Murugan, Chandikeswarar, Bhairavar and Navagrahams. There are also beautiful yali and lion friezes on the pitti (outer wall of the garbhagriham).

Based on the architecture and also the iconography, it is possible that the original temple was in some parts Chola from the 11^th or 12^th century. However, the structural temple is about 400-500 years old, from the Nayak period. The temple is maintained by the Viswakarma community.