Sri Kalatheeswarar Temple/ காளத்தீஸ்வரர் திருக்கோவில், Pazhamathur /பழமத்தூர் கிராமம், Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu.

The visit to this Sri Kalatheeswarar Temple, at Pazhamathur, was a part of the 608^th week abhishekam by the Ancient Shiva Temples and Sivamayam Group on 28th June 2026. The temple is in the midst of a field, accessible only through the bunds.

Moolavar  : Sri Kalatheeswarar

Consort    : Sri Bhuvaneswari

Some salient features of this temple are…

The temple faces west with a temple tank on the north side. Balipeedam and a Rishabam are on the west side of the temple. Vinayagar and Murugan bas reliefs are on either side of the entrance of the ardha mandapam. (Both Vinayagar and Murugan are with thiruvasi. Murugan bas relief is seen in the reverse form of the usual form. Holding Sakthi ayudham and Vajrayutham in the upper hands, and the lower right hand is in kadi hastham, and the left hand is abhaya hastam. The Peacock is facing the left side of Murugan. Moolavar is on a square avudayar. There are no koshta murtis.  

Ambal is in a separate sannidhi facing south in the ardha mandapam. Ambal is in a standing posture with abhaya varada hastam.

In the praharam, damaged Nagars, balipeedam in front of Ambal sannidhi, structure of Vinayagar sannidhi without Vinayagar image, a round avudaiyar without banam, and damaged / beheaded Dakshinamurthy.

View from the back side of Moolavar

 Murugan with Munivars on both sides. Position of the weapons, peacock, and the right hand hastam are opposite to the usual iconography

 Beheaded Dakshinamurthy

ARCHITECTURE

The temple consists of the sanctum sanctorum, antarala, and ardha mandapam, and does not conform to any temple architecture.  The temple adhistanam was constructed with stone, and the superstructure was constructed with brick. The sanctum sanctorum on a stone-built adhistanam. Provisions are given for the koshtams. There is no vimana or the superstructure over the bhumi desam.

 

Snake and fish reliefs are on the ceiling of the Ardha Mandapam. There is a bas relief of Ambal with undistinguished bas-reliefs on either side on the west wall (inside the ardhra mandapam). Based on the adhistanam, bas–reliefs of Kannappa Nayanar, Shiva Lingam, Natarajar, Ambal, and Anjaneyar.

Snake bas relief

 Kannappar

Petroglyphs of an erotic sculpture and Anjaneyar

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

It is said that the temple is more than 1000 years old, but there is no evidence to prove the same. Based on the architecture and the bricks used, the temple may be 200 to 300 years old.

The ardha mandapam might have been reconstructed (Based on the bas-relief inside the ardha mandapam) during recent years.

The Vinayagar Sannidhi was constructed with bricks donated by the residents of the village. Later, the Vinayagar Murti was stolen by the thieves. 

    

Uzhavaram was conducted on 05^th April 2026, by Sivaperuman Uzhavara Thirukoottam.

Vinayagar sannidhi

LEGENDS

It is said that the temple was abandoned without poojas, and the same was brought back to worship in recent years, after clearing the shrubs and weeds. This temple is one of the west-facing Shiva Temples, hence it is auspicious to worship Shiva of this temple.  

It is believed that Shiva of this temple was worshipped by the siddhars in the form of snakes (kala). To prove, villagers had seen snakes  and snake skins around the temple, while clearing the shrubs, during uzhavaram. The Shiva might have obtained the name of Kalatheeswarar due to this. Hence, this temple is a parihara sthalam for Rahu and Ketu. 

It is further believed that the sun also worships Shiva of this temple both morning and evening. There are provisions given for the sun rays to fall on the Shiva Lingam, on the front and back sides of the walls of the temple.  

 Holes on the east and west side walls, through which the Sun rays fall on the Moolavar

POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS

Apart from oru kala poojas, special poojas are conducted on Maha Shivaratri days.

TEMPLE TIMINGS

The temple will be kept open in the morning hours.

CONTACT DETAILS

The Sivanadiyar Mr Namasivayam, who does the poojas, may be contacted on his mobile number +919345048655. Alternatively, Mr Perumal may also be contacted on his mobile number +919787159023 for poojas and further details.

HOW TO REACH

The village Pazhamathur is just after Chengalpattu and Mamandur. The temple is about 800 meters from the GST road, 13.4 km from Chengalpattu Railway Station, 44 km from Tambaram, and 52 km from Kanchipuram.

The nearest Railway Station is Chengalpattu.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

 A home-made perpetual lamp

 Temple tank

Sivamayam family

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---

HH Pujyasri Sudarshana Maha Devendra Saraswathi Swamigal Adhishtanam, 65th Acharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam/ புஜய ஸ்ரீ சுதர்சன மகா தேவந்திர சரசுவதி சங்கராச்சாரியார் சுவாமிகள் அதிஷ்டானம், Ilayathangudi, Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu.

The visit to this HH Pujyasri Sudarshana Maha Devendra Saraswathi Swamigal Adhishtanam, at Ilayathangudi, Sivaganga District, was part of “Shiva, Vishnu and Buddhist Temples Visit in Puducherry, Nagapattinam and Sivagangai Districts”, from 8^th to 10^th April 2026.

His Holiness Pujyasri Sudarsana Mahadevendra Saraswati Shankaracharya Swamiji was from Thiruvidaimaruthur, in Thanjavur District. He was born to Sri Seshathri Sasthrikal, known as Mahalingam. He took Sanyasa and anointment as the 65th Shankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1851. He toured extensively and went on pilgrimage, touching the borders of Orissa.

The 65th Shankaracharya attained siddhi at Ilaiyathangudi in Tamil Nadu on Amavasya in the month of Phalguna of the cyclic year Virodhi (1890 CE). A temple has been built by the Nattukottai Chettiars on his samadhi. 

Adhistana Jeerorthna Swarna bandhana maha kumbhabhishekam was conducted on 23rd June 2019, by the 70th Peedathipathi Jagadguru Pujyasri Sankara Vijayenthra Saraswati Swamigal.

An inscription tablet fixed on the wall, in front of the sanctum sanctorum, reads as…

இந்த அதிஷ்டானத்தில் இது சம்பந்தமான சிலாசாஸனம் வருமாறு:

"ஸ்ரீ சந்திர மௌளீச்வராய நம": ஸ்வஸ்தி ஸ்ரீசாலிவாஹன சகாப்தம் 1811 கல்யப்தம் 4990 இதன்மேல் செல்லாநின்ற விரோதி வருஷம் பங்குனி பகுளம் அமாவாசை பூர்வபாத்ரா நக்ஷத்திரம் குருவாரம் கூடிய சுபதினத்தில் ஸ்ரீ மத் சங்கர பகவத்பாத பிரதிஷ்டித காஞ்சி காமகோடி பீடாதிபதி அவர்களும் ஸ்ரீமத் சந்திரசேகரேந்த்ர ஸரஸ்வதியென்ற ஸ்ரீசங்கராச்சார்ய ஸ்வாமியவர்களுடைய அந்தேவாசி ஸ்ரீமத்மஹாதேவேந்த்ர ஸரஸ்வதியென்ற ஸ்ரீசங்கராச்சார்ய ஸ்வாமிகள் அவர்கள் துவாதசாந்த க்ஷேத்திரமாகிய ஹாலாஸ்ய க்ஷேத்திரத்திற்குச் சமீபத்தில் இருக்கிற இளையாத்தங்குடியென்கிற சிரமாபநோதன க்ஷேத்திரத்தில் நிர்விகல்ப ஸமாதியில் இருக்கிறார்கள்.

HOW TO REACH

This Adhistanam is about 16 km from Thirumayam, 28 km from Karaikudi, 30 km from Tiruppatur, and 35 km from Pudukkottai. 

The nearest Railway Station is Thirumayam.

LOCATION OF THE ADHISTANAM: CLICK HERE

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---

Sri Kailasanathar Nithyakalyani Amman Temple / ஸ்ரீ கைலாசநாதர் நித்யகல்யாணி அம்மன் கோயில், Ilayathangudi, Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu.

The visit to this Sri Kailasanathar Temple at Ilayathangudi, in Sivaganga District, was part of “Shiva, Vishnu and Buddhist Temples Visit in Puducherry, Nagapattinam, Sivagangai, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli Districts”, from 8^th to 10^th April 2026. This is one of the nine Shiva temples and a common temple of Nattukottai Nagarathars.

Moolavar  : Sri Kailasanathar

Consort    : Sri Nithya Kalyani Amman.

Some of the salient features of this temple are….

The temple faces east with a 3-tier Rajagopuram and a Hexagonal mukha mandapam. Balipeedam, Dwajasthambam, and Rishabam are after the Rajagopuram. Dwarapalakas are on either side of the sanctum sanctorum. In the koshtam, Vinayagar, Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Brahma, and Durgai.

In the inner praharam, Nalvar, Kailasa Vinayagar, Somaskandar, and 4 Veda murthis, Nagars with Ganapati, Vishwanathar with Visalakshi, Subramaniar, Bikshadanar, Sastha, Durgai, Sri Valli Devasena subramaniar, Lakshmi Narayanar, Gajalakshmi, Chandikeswarar, Navagrahas, Thazhuva Kuzhaintha Kamkshi Amman, Chandran, and Suryan.

Ambal Nithya Kalyani Amman is in a separate sannidhi that faces south. Dwarapalakis are on either side of the sanctum sanctorum. Ambal is in a standing posture with abhaya varada hastam.  

 Nandi with his consort

Brahma

 Chandikeswarar

ARCHITECTURE

The temple was constructed with stone from adhistanam to prastaram, and the vimanam above the bhumi desam was built with bricks. The temple consists of the sanctum sanctorum, antarala, and mukha mandapam. The sanctum sanctorum is on an adhistanam with jagathy, three patta kumudam, and pattikai. The bhitti starts with vedikai. The pilasters are of Vishnu kantha pilasters with kalasam, kudam, lotus petals mandi, and pushpa pothyal. The prastaram consists of madhalai, kapotam with nasi kudus, and vyyalavari. The nasi kudus are with various sculptures. The kapota are similar to the kodungai. The vesara vimanam above bhumi desam is with one tala, greevam and vesara sigaram. Stucco images of Shiva, Dakshinamurthy, Maha Vishnu, and Brahma are in the tala and greeva koshtams.

The mandapa pillars in front of Dakshinamurthy are beautifully sculpted. The maha mandapa pillars are with Nayaka/ Chettiar donor sculptures. 

Dakshinamurthy Mandapam

Ceilings are painted with the stories related to Shiva.

HISTORY AND INSCRIPTIONS

The original temple is believed to have been built during the 12^th to 13^th century Pandya period, and the same was reconstructed in the 20^th century. The Shiva Lingam was unearthed from a field which belongs to the Thanjavur Temple land. The Shiva Lingam was brought here and installed. 

Kanchi mutt Sri Sankaracharya Swamigal stayed in Ilayathagudi and did Jyeshtha Krishna Amavasya pooja on 17^th June 1939, at Kamalalaya Thadagam Okkur Udaiyar Piralaya Oorani (An idol is installed on the banks of Oorani).  

AC Muthia's contribution to this temple

Maha Kumbhabhishekam was conducted on 02^nd May 1985, 30^th May 2004, and 01^st September 2022.

Donor

LEGENDS

As per the legend, the Devas stayed in this place to get peace, fearing the Asuras' torture. Since this place gave peace to the Devas, this place was called "IlaiyaRRangkudi", which has been corrupted to the present name of Ilayathangudi. 

POOJAS AND CELEBRATIONS

Apart from regular poojas, special poojas are conducted on pradosham, Maha Shivaratri, Chukla Chaturthi, Sankadahara Chaturthi, Karthikai, etc.

TEMPLE TIMINGS

The temple will be kept open from 06.00 hrs to 12.00 hrs and from 15.30 hrs to 20.00 hrs.

CONTACT DETAILS

The manager may be contacted on his mobile number +919788216145 and WhatsApp +919442285845 for further details.

HOW TO REACH

This temple is about 16 km from Thirumayam, 28 km from Karaikudi, 30 km from Tiruppatur, and 35 km from Pudukkati. 

The nearest Railway Station is Thirumayam.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---