சூரியனார் கோயில்Suryanar Kovil (Suryanar Koil)

Sthala Mahātmyam

Suryanar Kovil, near Aduthurai in Thanjavur district, is the principal Navagraha shrine dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and is the only Navagraha temple where the presiding deity is a planet himself rather than Shiva. Unusually, it is also the sole temple in Tamil Nadu with individual shrines for all nine planetary deities. The central shrine houses Suriyanar with his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi (Chhaya). According to legend, the sage Kalava, afflicted with leprosy, prayed to the Navagrahas, who granted him a cure. Angered, Brahma cursed the nine planets to suffer leprosy and banished them to Vellurukku Vanam, a jungle of white wildflowers; the planets then appealed to Shiva, who blessed them to grace devotees from this sacred spot. The present masonry temple was raised during the reign of Kulottunga Chola in the 11th century, with later Vijayanagara additions, and rises through a five-tiered rajagopuram. Ratha Saptami in the Tamil month of Thai is the chief festival, alongside Chitra Pournami and Kartikai Deepam.