Kailasanathar, Rajasingamangalam, Ramanathapuram

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Kailasanathar	Ambal / Thayar:	Bhuvaneswari
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:	Arasu Oorani
Agamam:		Age (years):	1000-2000
Timing:	6 to 10 & 4 to 8	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Vaippu sthalam	–
Sung by:		Temple set:
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Rajasingamangalam	District:	Ramanathapuram
Maps from (click):	Current location	Ramanathapuram (38 km)	Karaikudi (61 km)
	Pudukkottai (101 km)	Sivaganga (106 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

This temple finds mention in Appar’s 4^th Tirumurai, making it a Tevaram Vaippu Sthalam.

There is no sthala puranam available for this temple.

Upon entering the temple’s premises is a patch of open land, before the dhwajasthambam and Nandi mandapam. Thereafter is a small mandapam which is more recent in construction.

Upon proceeding inside is the maha mandapam with classic Chola-period pillars, a Nandi and the garbhagriham in front. To the right is the Amman shrine. There is a small but beautiful Vinayakar, as well as 2 dwarapalakas, at the entrance to the garbhagriham.

In the koshtam are the usual shrines for Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar, Brahma and Durga. In the prakaram are shrines for Kannimoolai Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, a mandapam that includes shrines for Naganathar, Someswarar and Meenakshi Amman, three of the Saivite saints – Appar, Manikkavasagar and Sundarar (strangely, Sambandar is absent), Chandikeswarar, Bhairavar, Chandran and Suryan (who is depicted with his consorts Usha and Chaya). There is a separate Navagraham shrine.

Going by the architecture, the temple is either late Chola or early Pandya. This is also validated by the temple’s records which indicate it is about 1500 years old.

The temple’s tank is the Arasu Oorani – the large public tank located to the northwest of the temple. This used to belong exclusively to the temple, but was made a public water source in the recent decades.

The temple’s timings vary by day of the week, so it is best to check the timing on the day of your visit, against the picture above (and in the gallery) which shows the temple’s timings. Alternatively refer below.