Historical Period11c CE
9th–11th c. CE
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Deities
Naḍuthaṟai Nāthar (Oḍḍiyāna-Nāthar)
Siddhi-vināyaka of Thirunaraiyur (Nachiyar Koil) — Shiva shrine
Siddhi-vināyaka of Thirunaraiyur (Nachiyar Koil) — Shiva shrine
The Paadal Petra Sthalangal are the 275 Shiva temples sung in the hymns of the three great Tēvāram saints: Tirunāvukkaracar (Appar), Tiruñāṉa-sambandar, and Cuntarar (Sundarar) — the Tamil Shaiva Bhakti poets of the 7th–9th c. CE. Compiled in the Thirumurai (12 canonical books of Tamil Shaiva scripture), these temples constitute the sacred geography of Tamil Shaivism — the map of a living Shiva-bhakti tradition older than most written philosophy in India.
Of 275 sthalangal:
Here Shiva grants oḍḍiyāna-pīṭha yogic awakening. Close to the famed Nāccimār Vishnu temple; the Shiva and Vishnu shrines share a single sthala-puraṇa of Vedic tapas.
Daily: five-fold ārādhanā (pañca-parva-pūja) — ushāt-kālam before dawn, kāla-śānti at 6 AM, uccikālam at noon, sāyaraṣcha at dusk, ardha-jāma at 9 PM. Principal offerings: jala-abhiṣeka (water), pañcāmṛta (five-ambrosia — milk, curd, ghee, honey, jaggery), vibhūti (sacred ash), bilva leaves, and deepa ārati. The Goddess receives separate pūja with saffron, kumkum, and red flowers.
Every Paadal Petra temple's sanctity rests on whether Appar, Sambandar, or Sundarar sang of it — and how many pasurams. Tamil Shaiva tradition believes the Tēvāram is equivalent to the Vedas (Drāviḍa Veda). The saints walked from temple to temple through the Tamil country — thousands of kilometres on foot — singing as they arrived. The temples were the fulcrums of the Bhakti movement that reshaped South India and founded the Shaiva-Siddhānta philosophy.
South Indian Shaiva temples are organised on the pañca-prākāra (five-walled) plan: mūla-sthāna (sanctum), antarāḷa, ardha-maṇḍapa, mahā-maṇḍapa, rājagopura. Outside: the Amman (Goddess) shrine, the Chandikeswara shrine, the Murugan shrine, the Ganesha shrine, the Sūrya shrine, the Nandi bull, the Palipīṭha, the Dhvaja-stambha (flagstaff), and the Puṣkariṇī (tank) with the sthala-vṛkṣa shading it.
