Naganathaswamy Temple - Thirunageswaram (‘Rahu’ Temple)

The Naganathaswamy temple, easily Rahu Sthalam is one of the 9 navagraha temples located near Kumbakonam dedicated to Rahu planet. This is the temple where lord Shiva was worshipped by Rahu and got relieved of a curse. A unique feature of the temple is that Rahu is seen with a human face, whereas in other places, Rahu is seen with a serpent face. It is believed that lord Indra worshipped Goddess Parvati with Pungu, a rare scent variety and got relieved of the pungent smell that was emanating from all over his body. Sages Gowthama, Vashista, Parasarar, and Mahabharata Pandava kings and Bageerathan also obtained relief upon worshipping lords here. Kings of snakes Adisesha, Thakshagan and Karkotagan worshipped the lord here and were blessed by him.

The temple complex has four towers with many halls and shrines. The famous being the ornamental entrance hall built during Thanjavur Nayak period. The temple was built by Aditya Chola I in the 10th century AD. Later rulers made some additions on their own. The temple has a dimension of 630 feet South-North and 800 feet East-West with four major streets around the four sides. It is believed that by doing milk abhishekam here for Rahu during Rahu kalam, the delay in getting married, childlessness, troublesome married life, ill effects of Sarpa Dosha are all cured. An important aspect of Rahu shrine here is that during milk abhishekam, the milk when poured over the idol turns blue which is clearly visible, citing the poisonous nature of a snake. As the temple is revered in Thevaram, it is classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 275 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon.