Tirunageswaram Naganathar Temple | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
District | Tanjore |
Deity | Naganatha Swamy (Shiva), Giri Gujambigai (Parvathi) |
Location | |
Location | Thirunageswaram |
State | Tamil Nadu |
Country | India |
Geographic coordinates | 10°57′51″N 79°25′45″E / 10.964279°N 79.429269°E[1] |
Architecture | |
Type | Dravidian Architecture |
Elevation | 75 m (246 ft) |
Tirunageswaram Naganathar Temple also known as Rahu Stalam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Tirunageswaram, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam, a town in Tamil Nadu, India. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as one of the temples associated with the nine planet elements, the Navagraha Stalas, and specifically Rahu. Shiva is worshiped as Naganathar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Piraisoodi Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Naganathar, Rahu and Piraisoodi Amman being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the ornamental entrance hall built during the Nayak period.
The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar.