Temples In & Around Madurai (Paandiya Naadu)

The Paadal Petra Sthalams are 276 temples that are revered in the verses of Saiva Nayanars (Thevaram) in the 6th-9th century CE and are amongst the greatest Shiva temples of the continent. This itinerary takes you the Paadal petra sthalams in temple city of Madurai and surrounding regions. This includes the famous Madurai Meenakshi Amman temaple and Thiruparanmkundram (one of 6 adobes of Lord Murugan/Karthikeya).

Package Includes

  • Accommodation

  • Food

  • Cab

  • Sthalapuranam

Itinerary Temples

  • Thiru Alavai,Madurai
  • Aappudayar Koil,Thiru Aappanoor
  • Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar Shrine,Madurai
  • Kaleeswarar Temple,Thirukkanapper
  • Shree Kailasha Nathar Temple, Piramanoor
  • Poovananathar Temple, Thirupuvanam
  • Murugan Temple,Thirupparamkunram
  • Edaganathar Temple Thiruvedagam
  • Piranmalai Temple,Piranmalai
  • Tiruttalinathar Temple,Thiruputhur.

Full Itinerary


Morning
Thiru Alavai,Madurai
  • Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple or Tiru-alavai.
  • The name of Mother-Goddess is Meenakshi, which in chaste Tamil is known as Angayarkanni, meaning her eyes are in the shape of a fish.
  • The idol of Mother Meenakshi is made of pure emerald stone – Maragatham stone.
  • The temple has five entrances and 14 towers with the South Tower being the tallest. The Thousand Pillared Mahamandap is near the north tower.
  • There are five musical pillars. There are also many statues sounding music. Indira and Varuna worshipped here.
  • Of the five Sabhas where Lord performed His cosmic dance, Madurai Sabha is known as Rajatha (silver) sabha where the Lord changed the legs. This dance is called Sandhya Thandavam.
  • This is the first temple among the 366 Shiva temples in Tamilnadu in the name of Meenakshi Sundareswar.
  • The land-Madurai- is revered as Kailash on earth –Bhooloka Kailasam.
  • Pottramarai Kulam – Tank of Golden Lotus: This was created by Lord Shiva by hitting the earth with His trident responding to the request of Nandhi and other Devas.
  • As this the first of the 64 Shakti Peetas in the country, all pujas are first dedicated to Mother Meenakshi and then to Lord Shiva.

Morning
Aappudayar Koil,Thiru Aappanoor
  • Thiru Aappanoor is a smaller temple lying in the shadow of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in the holy city of Madurai.
  • The shrine of the presiding deity, Lord Shiva faces east. A shrine to Subrahmanyar is situated between the shrines of Shiva and Ambal. Thus, the temple is said to be of the Somaskanda type.
  • Legend,One day a wedge, or 'aappu', is said to have miraculously transformed into a shivalingam to allow the Pandya King Solandhagan to cross the flooded Vaigai River to reach the Meenakshi Amman Temple, and it is from this event that the Thiru Aappanoor temple takes its name. On another occasion, Shiva is also believed to have miraculously caused the sand of the river here to turn into rice during a famine.

Morning
Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar Shrine,Madurai
  • The Main Deity is Immayilum Nanmai Tharuvar (Lord Shiva) and his consort is Madhyapuri Nayagi(Goddess Parvathi).
  • Shivalinga in the temple is facing west. Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi are behind the Shiva Linga. The temple is praised as Bhooloka Kailash – Kailash in Earth.
  • Mother Madhyapuri Nayaki graces from a separate shrine.
  • While we have the Darshan of Lord Shiva – Shivalinga – from the front side, we have the darshan from the rear in this temple. According to rules, Shiva Puja should be performed by sitting westward. Lord Shiva along with Mother is performing the Linga Puja this way, hence the devotees have the rear side darshan.
  • The Vilwa tree in the temple has ten leaves in a stem – Dasadhala Vilwa. Those facing adverse aspects of Jupiter planet worship Lord Dakshinamurthy in the temple with special pujas.

Evening
Kaleeswarar Temple,Thirukkanapper
  • The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Kaaleeswarar, Someswarar, Sundareswarar and the Ambal his consort mother Parvathy is called as Swarnambikai, Soundara Nayagi, Meenakshi .
  • This is the only temple in the world which having a three siva statue in one temple.
  • Kalaiyar Kovil derived its name from the Kaleeswarar temple of the place.Kalaiyarkoil temple belongs to Sivaganga Devasthanam.
  • There are three shrines in this temple associated with the three functions of creation, preservation and completion.
  • Airavatam the elephant of Indra is said to have created this tank.

Evening
Shree Kailasha Nathar Temple,Piramanoor
  • Piramanoor Shree Kailasha Nathar Temple is an ancient Shiva temple(now under renovation) in Piramanoor.
  • The presiding deity Lord Shiva is called as Kailasha Nathar and the Parvathy is called as Kamatchi Ambiga.
  • Legend,Lord Bramha came here to worship the Linga brought by him from the Kailasa Mountain. As per his request, the place is called as Piramanoor(Brahman+Oor).

Evening
Poovananathar Temple,Thirupuvanam
  • Lord Pushpavaneswarar with His consort Soundaryanayaki had played many miracles. As this is a place with fragrant gardens, it is called Poovanam. The place is considered very sacred as this qualifies the three important standards of Murthy, Sthala and Theertha according to our scriptures.
  • Lord Shiva graces as a Swaymbumurthy.
  • The place is also known by other names as Pushpavanakasi, Pithurmokshapuram, Bhaskarapuram, Lakshmipuram, Brahmmapuram and Rasavadhapuram.
  • During the Puranic Age, one Darma Yagnan was carrying his father’s ashes – asthi to Rameswaram from Kasi-now Varanasi. He stayed in this place for a while for rest. His friend accompanying him opened the pot containing the asthi but was surprised to find flowers in the pot and not asthi. But he did not reveal the truth to his friend. Reaching Rameswaram, while opening the pot, they found only asthi and not the flower. Now, the friend told Darmayagna what he found earlier. They returned back with the pot to Tirupuvanam and found the flower when they opened the pot.As what was simply asthi-ash in Kasi turned into a flower in Tirupuvanam, the place is considered 16 times holier than Kasi.
  • This is holy place where Lord Shiva played his miracle play – Tiruvilayadal – Alchemy-Rasavada play.
Additional Info
  • The Pickup and Drop point for this itinerary is Madurai. All pilgrims are requested to reach this place before the trip starts. However all the the itineraries are customisable and the pilgrims can contact Gosthala to customize the trip details in advance.

Morning
Thirupparamkunram Murugan Temple
  • Tirupparankunram Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple and one of the Six Abodes of Murugan, located at Tirupparankunram.
  • The presiding deity lord shiva is known Parangirinathar and the female deity his consort mother Parvathy is known as Aavudai Nayaki.
  • The main shrine is an early rock cut temple which has cells that house the sanctums of Subramanya, Durga, Vinayakar, Shiva and Vishnu.
  • According to the legend it is where Murugan married Deivayanai, the divine daughter of the king of heaven, Indra, and he is said to have worshipped Shiva here as Parangirinathar.
  • A curious feature of this temple is that the Gods Shiva and Vishnu face each other in the main shrine, and this is a rare thing in ancient Hindu temples.

Morning
Edaganathar Temple,Thiruvedagam
  • The presiding deity Shiva is worshipped as Edaganathar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Visalakshi.
  • Lord Yedaganatha Swami is a swayambumurthi in the temple.
  • The name of Mother Elavarkuzhali means that Her hair (Kuzhal in Tamil means hair) is naturally fragrant.
  • Though the Shivrathri Puja is dedicated only to Lord Shiva in all temples, the fourth puja of the night is dedicated to Lord Bhairava in this temple, as followed in Kasi-Varanasi.
  • The temple is noted for prayers seeking wedding boons as the temple in Tirumananjeri.

Evening
Piranmalai Temple,Piraanmalai
  • Piraanmalai is said to be a block of Mount Meru, which got blown off during a fierce tussle between the serpent king Aadiseshan and the wind God Vaayu(as in Tiruchengode). Since this hill is in the form of a Sivalingam, it is also called Prachandragiri and Katoragiri.
  • There are 3 shrines in this temple representing the states of Bhūmi(Earth), Antariksham(Space/Sky) and Swargam(heaven).
  • Bhrama, Saraswati, Subramanya and Nandi are believed to have worshipped Shiva here.
  • The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Kodunkunranathar, Ugragireeswarar and the Ambal his consort mother Parvati is called as Kuyilamritanayaki.
  • In this hill, there is a natural stone carving that depicts the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati .

Evening
Tiruttalinathar Temple,Thiruputhur
  • The presiding deity lord shiva is called as Tiruttalinathar, Sreetalinathar and the Ambal his consort mother Parvathy is called as Sivakami, Soundarya Nayaki.
  • This temple is regarded as the 6th of the Tevara Stalams.
  • The Yoga Bhairavar shrine (facing West) is of significance here. Interesting metal images of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are also seen here.
  • The legend has it that, Goddess Mahalaskhmi once wished to have a darshan of Lord Shiva's dance. Lord Shiva conceded to her request and told her that she can have a vision of his dance at this sthalam. Accordingly, Shiva is said to have revealed a vision of his Cosmic Dance known as Gowri Thandavam to Goddess Mahalakshmi here.
  • Breakfast for 2 persons.
  • Transportation in AC Etios/Dzire cabs.
  • Hotel accommodation based on type of package (standard/deluxe/premium) chosen. The price mentioned in this package is for family of two members sharing a single room. For extra person, please place a separate request with us.
  • Room type is Standard A/C Room in 2 star hotel.
  • Toll charges and driver's allowance.
  • Upon booking confirmation, the sthalapuranam of temples mentioned in the itinerary will be sent through email.
  • No extra charges for one child below the age of five.
  • Package does not include lunch and dinner.
  • The pickup and drop point information will be provided to the customer before booking. It is customer's responsibility to reach the pickup point of the trip at specified time. On request basis, GoSthala will arrange pickup from customers place of choice at any applicable nominal charges.
  • All other expenses (temple entry ticket charges, parking charges, etc.) that are not specified in the package inclusions.
  • Any loss/expenses incurred by unforeseen circumstances e.g. flight delays/cancellations, road blockages, vehicle breakdown, strikes, etc.
  • Expense of personal nature such as laundry, etc.
  • Any applicable service tax charges.
  • Transportation provided will be as per itinerary only (not at disposal).
  • The package price is indicative and based on seasonal demands the price is subject to change and will be informed prior booking.
  • The package does not include guide services where not mentioned. Guide services can be availed from us at an additional cost.
  • GoSthala will do all the checking necessary to ensure the temples are open during the visit. However we will not be responsible if any of the temples are closed at the time of visit.
  • Payment method as follows: 25% payment on confirmation; 50% payment before starting the trip; Balance payment before end of the trip.
  • 15% of package cost will be charged as penalty on canceling, 31 or more days before departure.
  • 35% of package cost will be charged as penalty on cancellation between 22 to 30 days before departure.
  • 50% of package cost will be charged as penalty on cancellation between 15 to 21 days before departure.
  • 100% of package cost will be charged as penalty on cancelling, 15 days before departure.
Standard Package

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₹ 7,990

2D & 1N
(Per 2 persons sharing a single room)
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Temple Photos