Temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry: Temple Group #6 The Navagraham Temples of the Kaveri Delta

சோழநாட்டு நவக்கிரக திருத்தலங்கள்

The Navagrahams are 9 celestial entities important in Indian astrology and are venerated in the Hindu belief system. Nava means nine in Sanskrit. Commonly referred to as the nine planets, which the term means in Sanskrit and Tamil, they are not all planets. They include the Sun, the fulcrum of our solar system, the Moon, the Earth's sole satellite, five planets and two points in space that are not physical objects. The five planets are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. The seven days of the week are named after these 5 planets, the Sun and the Moon in many cultures. They are the visible objects that move independently of the fixed stars in the night sky. In Indian astrology they are known as Suryan (Surya), Chandiran (Chandra), Chevvai (Angakara or Mangala), Budhan, Viazhan (Guru), Velli or Sukkiran (Sukkira) and Sani (Shani) in Tamil with Sanskrit in brackets. The two other entities are not physical bodies but are two points in space. Raahu is the ascending or northern lunar node, the point where the moon's orbit intersects the solar ecliptic on its northern arc. The southern or descending lunar node, or Kethu, is where the moon's orbit coincides with the solar ecliptic on its southern arc. Sometimes referred to as shadow planets, they are linked to the occurrence of eclipses. In ancient Hindu mythology an eclipse was described as a serpent swallowing the Moon or the Sun. As such these two points in space are associated with the divine serpents or cobras Raahu and Kethu respectively.

In Indian astrology, the positions of various celestial bodies are believed to be linked to the destiny of all living beings. As such, the movement of these entities vis-à-vis each other often affects the immediate and long term well-being of people, it is believed. The ill effects of these movements of the Navagrahams are often referred as Dhoshams. When astrologers deduce that someone is under the bad influence of a certain celestial entity, they will prescribe a remedial measure. The remedial measures usually involve a certain set of rituals and are often performed at a temple associated with a certain Graham. These prescriptive temples are often referred as Parihara Sthalangal, not to be confused with Parivara Sthalangal. Pariharam means a remedy. Thus various temples came to be associated with various celestial entities. In this context, sets of nine temples have come up in various regions of the Tamil Country and elsewhere called the Navagraha Sthalangal.

The temples are ancient in origin and very special in their own right. Their association with individual Grahams are also very old. However the tradition of a pilgrimage to visit the nine temples on a single trip is relatively recent and seems to be a custom popularized in the last two hundred years. The pilgrimage circuit has become quite popular these days.

The most well-known set of Navagraham temples is in the Kaveri Delta centred around the sacred city of Kumbakonam in the Chola country. These nine Saivite temples, 8 Sivan temples and one dedicated to Suryan are the focus of this blog post. The others are found in other regions of Tamil Nadu and other states. There is a group around the city of Chennai. There is another couple of sets in the Thirunelvely/Thoothukudi area known as the Navakailayam temples, which are Sivan temples and Nava Thirupathi Temples, which are Vishnu temples. Even within a certain region like the Kaveri Delta, there are often competing sets of Navagraham temples popularized by different astrologers. We will stick with temples of the most accepted pilgrimage circuit.

The Navagraham temples in the Kaveri Delta, which are the temples highlighted in this post are found scattered around the Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai areas in the Kaveri Delta. They are located around a 70-80 km radius around these two towns which are about 40 km apart. They are Suriyanar Koil which has Lord Suryan or the Sun in the main sanctum, Thingalur, Vaitheeswaran Koil, Thiruvenkadu, Alangudi, Kanjanur, Thirunallar, Thirunageswaram and Keezhaperumpallam. Except for Suriyanar Koil, all the other eight have Lord Sivan in Sivalingam form in the Moolasthanam and the Grahams are in subsidiary shrines. All are ancient temples although some have been extensively renovated in modern times due to their popularity, sometimes obscuring their antiquity. Six of the temples are Paadal Petra Sthalangal. Two are Vaippu Sthalangal.

1. Suriyanar Koil: Called the Sivasuriyaperuman Temple, this temple is dedicated to Lord Suriyan, the Sun and is located quite close to Kumbakonam. Lord Suriyan is the deity in the sanctum sanctorum.

   
   

2. Thingalur: The Lord here is known as Kailasanathar and it is the temple associated with Lord Chandran or the Moon. It is a Thevara Vaippu Sthalam, mentioned in the Thevaram without a dedicated pathikam.

   
   

3. Vaitheeswaran Koil: This temple associated with Lord Angakaran or Mars, is a Sivan temple and Lord Sivan here is known as Vaitheeswaran or Vaidyanathan. The temple is known for the Naadi Jothidam system of astrology. It is a Paadal Petra Sthalam praised in Thevaram by Thirugnanasambandar and Thirunavukkarasar.

   
   

4. Thiruvenkadu: Associated with Lord Budhan or Mercury, this temple is an important one in the Navagraham circuit. Lord Sivan is known as Swetharanyeswarar. Sung in praise by all three of the Moovar, it is a celebrated Paadal Petra Sthalam.

   
   

5. Alangudi: Alangudi is where Lord Viyalan or Guru or Jupiter is celebrated. It is close to Kumbakonam. Lord Sivan here is Abathsahayeswarar. This Paadal Petra Sthalam was praised with Thevara Pathigams by Thirunavukkarasar and Thirugnanasampanthar.

   
   

6. Kanjanur: The Graham associated with this temple is Lord Sukkiran or Venus. Lord Sivan here is celebrated as Agniswarar. Celebrated by Appar or Thirunavukkarasar with a dedicated pathikam in its praise, this temple is a Paadal Petra Sthalam.

   
   

7. Thirunallar: One of the most visited among the Navagraham temples, this is the temple for Lord Sani or Saturn. Due to the perception that to be under the negative influence of Lord Sani can have disastrous consequences, people flock to this temple from many parts. Lord Sivan here is referred to as Dharbaranyeswarar. Praised by all 3 of the Moovar in Thevaram, it is a Paadal Petra Sthalam.

   
   

8. Thirunageswaram: Located close to Kumbakonam, this temple is associated with the Graham Lord Raahu. Lord Sivan here is Naganathaswamy. This is an ancient Paadal Petra Sthalam, celebrated with pathikams in the Thevaram by all three of the Moovar.

   
   

9. Keezhaperumpallam: This temple is associated with Lord Kethu. Lord Sivan here is also Naganathaswamy. The site finds mention in the Thevaram without a dedicated pathikam and is considered a Thevara Vaippu Sthalam.

The best way to visit all nine temples is to spend a few days in the Kumbakonam/ Mayiladuthurai area and visit two or three temples a day which would take 3-4 days to accomplish. You can base yourself in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Sirkali or even Tharangambadi.

The preferred order is according to the above list. But you would be crisscrossing the area multiple times to achieve that. When short of time and to see all of them in one visit, you might want to cluster them for time efficiency. There is no harm in doing that at all. In which case they could be visited in 2-3 days. You could base yourself in Kumbakonam or a town further east like Tharangambadi or a combination of two towns. It also depends on the kind of accommodation you are are comfortable with.

Suggested Itinerary:

You will need 2-3 days. We suggest a car and a driver. Base in Kumbakonam initially. Spend the first night there. On Day 1, start with Suriyanar Koil early in the morning. Then visit Kanjanur which is nearby. On the way back to Kumbakonam visit Thirunageswaram. Have lunch at the hotel. In the afternoon start around 3.30 pm and head to Thingalur. Plan to be there around 4 pm and then head to Alangudi to finish the day. On Day 2, start early in the morning and head to Vaitheeswaran Koil. If you are efficient you can do Thiruvenkadu and Keelaperumpallam also that morning. Then you can head back to the hotel or check in at a hotel in the area such as Tharangambadi or Sirkazhi in the afternoon for the 3rd night stay. On the evening of the second day, you can do Thirunallar and Keelaperumpallam if you had missed it in the morning. If you want to pace yourself a bit more unhurriedly, and see a few more temples in the area, you can extend the trip by a day or two. Of course you can change the order of visits to suit your convenience.

The temples are located around a 70-80 km radius of Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai which are about 40 km from each other. We visited all of them in a single visit in June 2025. We have visited some of them individually multiple times in the past. We were based in Kumbakonam.

Sources;

TempleNet, The Navagraha Temple Index

ஆன்மீகச் சுற்றுலா வழித்துணைவன்- Aanmeega Sutrula Vazhi Thunaivan (Tamil)

-Mevani Gopalan, Narmadha Pathipagam 2007

Temples of South India, Ambujam Anantharaman 2006

Courtesy Google Maps