Kailasanathar, Vannikudi, Mayiladuthurai

Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Kailasanathar	Ambal / Thayar:	Soundaranayaki
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:	Vannikudi	District:	Mayiladuthurai
Maps from (click):	Current location	Mayiladuthurai (12 km)	Kumbakonam (34 km)
	Tiruvarur (51 km)	Ariyalur (65 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

Very little information is available about this temple, which is important enough in bhakti Saivism to have merited mention in one of the pathigams of Sundarar.

Located to the north of the fairly large water body which also serves as the temple pond, this nondescript temple has a small raja gopuram facing east.

The temple is rather simply laid out, with an ardha mandapam in which is a Nandi, and Vinayakar and Murugan guard the door to the the maha mandapam. The four pillared maha mandapam has another Nandi inside, and thereafter is the garbhagriham, with the south-facing Amman shrine on the right.

On the wall of the outer ardha mandapam is a laminated photograph that proclaims the temple’s status as a Tevaram Vaippu Sthalam.

The outer prakaram is clearly maintained and even boasts of nicely laid out plantain trees and other flowering plants. In the koshtam are Dakshinamurti (unusually depicted standing and without the sanat rishis), Lingodhbhavar, Brahma and Durga. In the prakaram are shrines for Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, Gajalakshmi and Chandikeswarar (which shrine includes an older Chandikeswarar vigraham as well). There is a separate, newly constructed Navagraham shrine in the north-east part of the temple complex. On the eastern wall is a single vigraham of Sani.

Outside the temple complex, on the east, several old vigrahams that are now not in use, lie discarded. There is also a dilapidated mandapam outside the main entrance.

Other information for your visit

The temple priest hails from the nearby village of Kali, and manages other temples as well. Therefore he is able to perform puja here only in the mornings. Luckily, the residents of the village have the keys to the temple, and will readily open the gates for visitors during reasonable times of the day.