Historical Period10c CE
7th–10th c. CE (Pallava-Chola)
📷 Navaneethpp · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Deities
Brahmapura-eswarar / Sattanathar / Thoniappar
Sattanathar of Seerkazhi — 3 shrines in 1
Sattanathar of Seerkazhi — 3 shrines in 1
Paadal Petra Sthalangal are Shiva temples sung in the hymns of the 3 Tevaram saints — Tirugnana Sambandar, Tirunavukkaracar (Appar), and Sundaramurti (Sundarar). Composed 7th–9th c. CE, the Tevaram is the sacred geography of Tamil Shaivism and foundational to the Shaiva-Siddhanta philosophy.
Birthplace of Sambandar. At 3 years, Shiva-Parvati descended here in a thoni (boat) and fed the boy-saint divine milk. Hence Thoni-appar (father of the boat). Shiva here is 3-in-1 — worshipped on each of 3 temple floors in different forms. 1 of the oldest and most venerated Shaiva sthalas.
Daily 5-fold puja (ushat-kalam at dawn, kala-santi 6 AM, ucchikalam noon, sayaraksha dusk, ardha-jama 9 PM). Principal offerings: jala-abhisheka, panchamrita (milk/curd/ghee/honey/jaggery), vibhuti, bilva leaves.
Every Paadal Petra's sanctity rests on WHICH saint sang of it and HOW MANY pasurams. Tamil Shaiva tradition treats the Tevaram as Dravida Veda — equivalent in holiness to the Sanskrit Vedas.
