Basic information about the temple

Moolavar:	Kailasanathar	Ambal / Thayar:	–
Deity:	Siva	Historical name:
Vriksham:		Teertham:
Agamam:		Age (years):
Timing:	– to – & – to –	Parikaram:
Temple group:	Vaippu sthalam	–
Sung by:		Temple set: Kumbakonam Sapta Sthanam
Navagraham:		Nakshatram:
City / town:	Melacavery	District:	Thanjavur
Maps from (click):	Current location	Kumbakonam (3 km)	Mayiladuthurai (39 km)
	Thanjavur (41 km)	Tiruvarur (44 km)

Location

Sthala puranam and temple information

This Tevaram Vaippu Sthalam finds mention in one of Appar’s pathigams.

This temple is one of the 7 which form part of the Kumbakonam Sapta Sthanam temple collective. These are:

• Adi Kumbeswarar, Kumbakonam
• Amritakadeswarar, Sakkottai
• Avudainathar / Atmanathar, Darasuram
• Kapardeeswarar, Tiruvalanchuzhi
• Kotteeswarar, Kottaiyur
• Kailasanathar, Melacavery
• Sundareswarar, Swamimalai

However, beyond the above, no other sthala puranam or historical information is available on this temple.

Melacavery was at one time, a village on the northern outskirts of Kumbakonam town. Over time, it has integrated with, and is now part of, Kumbakonam. This temple is located to the west of the Brahmapureeswarar temple, also in Melacavery.

The temple is clearly from the early part of the medieval Chola period, and therefore possibly from the late 10^th century, from the time of either Sundara Chola or Raja Raja Chola I.

Upon entering the temple, is a long and narrow corridor that takes us to the maha mandapam. In this corridor are a bali peetham and Nandi. The maha mandapam is really a long vavvaal-nethi mandapam, from the Maratha period. The corridor has niches, some of which have vigrahams installed, such as one which has Vinayakar, Kasi Viswanathar and Visalakshi Amman along with Nandi. The ardha mandapam houses the garbhagriham for Kailasanthar and also the Karpagambal Amman shrine.

Modern constructions have been done to extend the sides of the vavvaal-nethi mandpam, which ends up obscuring the original Chola architecture. Despite this, the temple is overall well maintained.

In the koshtams are Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar and Durga. In the prakaram are Vinayakar, Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivanai, a lingam for Lord Siva and Parvati as Sundareswarar and Meenakshi, Chandikeswarar, Kala Bhairavar, Sani, Suryan and Chandran. There is also a separate navagraham shrine.

The temple has very few visitors, and if the temple doors are closed during visiting hours, one can ask for it to be opened, at the nearest house on the east-west street leading to the temple.