What to expect
Highlights
- Swetharanyeswarar Temple, Thiruvenkadu — Ancient Shiva temple that is the Budhan (Mercury) shrine of the nine Navagraha temples, a major stop on the Navagraha pilgrimage circuit.
- Poompuhar (Kaveripoompattinam) — The ancient Chola port city at the mouth of the Kaveri, a Sangam-era capital that traded with Rome and Southeast Asia, celebrated in the Tamil epic Silappathikaram; the site of ongoing marine archaeology.
- Pallavaneswarar Temple, Poompuhar — Ancient Shiva temple at Poompuhar associated with the historic Chola port and Sangam-era Kaveripoompattinam; the wider site has also yielded Buddhist vihara remains.
- Nagannathaswamy Temple, Keelaperumpallam — Shiva temple near Poompuhar that is the Ketu shrine of the nine Navagraha temples, drawing pilgrims performing Ketu-dosha remedies.
- Poompuhar Beach — The Bay of Bengal beach at Poompuhar, near the mouth of the Kaveri and the site of the ancient Chola port of Kaveripoompattinam.
- Sayavaneswarar Temple, Sayavanam (Tiruchaikadu) — A Chola-period Shiva temple in the coastal village of Tiruchaikadu (Sayavanam) near Kaveripoompattinam. It is the 63rd Devaram Paadal Petra Sthalam and the 9th on the north bank of the Cauvery, glorified in the Thevaram hymns. It belongs to the group of shrines near the Cauvery mouth that includes Thalachangadu, Pallavaneswaram at Poompuhar and Thiruvenkadu.
