Kailasanadar Then Thiruperai

Kailasanadar Then Thiruperai is an east-facing temple with an entrance gateway mandapam at the south. The sanctum and the goddess shrines are separate and both face east. Both of them have a Maha Mandapam and Ardha Mandapam before the sanctums. The large outer Prakaram runs around the sanctum and has the goddess shrine in it on the south side. The sanctum sanctorum is in the inner Prakaram with a wall around. Kailasanadar Then Thiruperai is the seventh of the Nava (9) Kailasha Temples where Lord Shiva represents one each of the Nine Planets. Here he represents Budhan – Mercury. The others are in Papanasam (Sun), Cheranmahadevi (Chandran – Moon), Kodaganallur (Mars), Kunnathur (Raaghu – shadow planet, North Lunar node of the moon) in Tirunelveli District and, Muruppanadu (Guru – Jupiter), Srivaikuntam (Sani – Saturn), Rajapathi (Ketu – shadow planet, South Lunar node of the moon) and Sernthapoomangalam (Sukran – Venus) in Thoothukudi District.