Paadhalecharam

Paadal Petra Sthalams, Thiruvarur District

God

Naganadar (also Sarpa Pureeswarar), facing east

Goddess

Amirthanayagi, facing south in a separate shrine

Other Deities

Vinayaka, Muruga with consorts, Badrakali, Panchalingams, Gajalakshmi, Narthana Vinayaka, Dakshinamurthy, Longotbavar, Brahma, Durga, Gnana Saraswathi, Surya, Kaala Bhairava, Durvasa, Sastha, Saneeswara, Naalvar, Chandran, Nataraja, Dhananjaya, Agnja Ganapathy, Naagalingam, Kalinga Narthana and Mummoorthy Vinayaka, Navagraha

Paadhalecharam also called Paamani is a large temple undergoing renovation when we visited in 2016. The east facing temple has 2 Prakarams, a 3 tier Rajagopuram and a temple tank opposite. Normally in Shiva temples the Navagrahas are located after crossing the Goddess Shrine, here it is before. Dakshinamurthy in a Simha (Lion) Mantapa is a unique feature here.

Holy Water (Theertham) – Brahmatheertham (oposite the shrine), Dhenutheertham (south of the temple), Rudratheertham (north of the temple), Niladwaja Theertham (west of the temple)

Sacred Tree (Sthala Vriksham) – Mango (Mangifera indica)

History

Thirugnanasambandar (7th Century CE) has rendered Thevaram Hymns here for the lord. About 7 stone inscriptions mentioning donations and services provided by Rajaraja I (985 CE), Rajaraja III (1238 CE), Sundara Pandya (1283 CE) are some of them.

Mythology

Aadhisesha (serpent king) is believed to have appeared from the depths (paadhalam) in the form of Sage Dhananjeya and worshiped the lord here and hence the name.

Directions

Paadhalecharam is about 3 kilometers north of Mannarkudi.

Stay and Food

None locally. Closest is Mannarkudi. Sree Krishna Bhavan located in Gandhi Road on the way to Thaamaraikulam is nice hotel for a good meal and snacks.

Padal Petra Sthalams