The Vayalur Murugan temple is a 1,200-year-old Chola temple in Kumaravayalur, among green fields about 10 km west of Trichy Junction. It is where the saint-poet Arunagirinathar, in the 15th century, was blessed by Murugan and inspired to compose the Thiruppugazh and he praised Vayalur as the first of his holy places. Officially the temple … Read more
The Gunaseelam temple the Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple is a Vishnu temple on the banks of the Kaveri, about 22 km from Trichy on the road to Salem. Devotees regard it as equal to Tirupati, and families have come here for generations to pray for loved ones living with mental illness. The temple follows a 48-day … Read more
The Thiruvellarai temple the Pundarikakshan Perumal temple is a Divya Desam about 27 km north of Trichy, built on a 50-foot rise of white rock that gives the village its name (vellai arai, “white rock”). Tradition holds it is older than Srirangam, and its 1,200-year-old Swastika-shaped well is one of the finest pieces of Pallava-era … Read more
The Uraiyur Nachiyar temple, officially the Azhagiya Manavala Perumal temple, is a Divya Desam in Uraiyur, about 3 km from Trichy’s Chathiram Bus Stand. It is the only one of the 108 Divya Desams where the goddess, Kamalavalli Nachiyar, has a north-facing shrine and here she, not Vishnu, gets first honours at festivals. Legend says … Read more
The Vekkali Amman temple in Uraiyur is a Kali shrine with no roof over its sanctum, about 5 km from Trichy Junction. The goddess here is the guardian deity of Uraiyur (Woraiyur), the old Chola capital that is now a busy neighbourhood of Trichy. Walk up to the sanctum and you will see a trident … Read more