| Veerateeswarar Temple, Tirukoilur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Kallakurichi |
| Deity | Veerateeswarar(Shiva)
Periyanayagi, Sivanandavalli(Parvathi) Andakasura Murthy |
| Location | |
| Location | Thirukoilur |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
  Location in Tamil Nadu | |
| Geographic coordinates | 11°58′17″N 79°12′38″E / 11.97139°N 79.21056°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture |
Veerateeswarar Temple (also called Thirukoilur Veerattam) in Tirukoilur, a panchayat town in Kallakurichi district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been built during the Cholas period in the 10th century.[citation needed] Shiva is worshipped as Veerateeswarar and his consort Parvathi as Periyanayagi.
The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has two three-tiered Rajagopurams, the gateway tower, one each for the Veerateeswarar and Periyanagi shrines.
The temple is open from 6 am - 12 pm and 4-8:30 pm on all days except during new moon days when it is open the full day. Six daily rituals and three yearly festivals are held at the temple, of which the Masimaham festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Maasi (February - March), Karthigai Somavaram during the Tamil month of Karthigai (October - November) and Manickavasagar festival during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December - January) being the most prominent festivals. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.